In August of 2002, Victoria made her debut as an in-ring competitor on Monday Night Raw. By October, she was the number one contender to Trish Stratus';Women's Championship. At No Mercy, she nearly defeated Stratus but had her shoulders pinned to the mat. The loss awakened a monster inside of Victoria. She snapped and brutally smacked Trish in the face with a steel chair. That assault led to a Hardcore match between champion and challenger at the Survivor Series in November. The Divas introduced a new world of intensity and aggression to women's wrestling in WWE. They beat one another with kendo sticks and steel chairs, and used fire extinguishers and ironing boards to brutalize each other. The planned finish was to feature a glass mirror but a misstep in the match resulted in it breaking. The women improvised, Victoria spraying Trish with the fire extinguisher and delivering a snap suplex onto a steel chair for the win. Trish and Victoria would continue clashing over the title for the better part of six months. Victoria retained in a Triple Threat match also involving Jacqueline at Armageddon in December, defeated Trish in a stellar Chicago Street Fight in January and entered WrestleMania XIX as champion for a clash against Trish and Jazz. As hard as she fought to retain the title, and as much as Steven Richards interfered on her behalf, she simply could not overcome the resiliency of Stratus, who planted her with a stiff Chick Kick for the win. A year later, Trish would once again end Victoria's reign in a Fatal 4-Way match that also involved Gail Kim and Lita.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
