10 Infamous Shoot Moments When WWE Got Real

Back in November of 1985, Vince McMahon decided he wanted the Fabulous Moolah as his Women’s Champion. The only issue was that at the time it was Wendi Richter who was in possession of the belt.

The story goes that Richter wasn’t willing to afford Moolah a rematch, and so Vince chose to hatch a devious plan in which Richter would face the mysterious Spider Lady in a seemingly routine match.

Of course, unbeknownst to Richter, the Spider Lady was actually Moolah, and when the Spider Lady rolled up Richter into a small package, the referee promptly counted to three—despite Richter kicking out at one.

It seems the roots of this one were based on alleged contractual disputes, with Richter angling for more money. She was said to have been offered a new deal on the night of her match with the Spider Lady, but when she said she’d need time for her attorney to review it, the double-cross was set in motion.

Taking place more than three decades ago, the details of this story are fairly murky. One thing’s for sure though; Wendi Richter was the victim of the original WWE screwjob.