10 Most Shocking Pro Wrestling Title Changes Of The 1980s

Wendi Richter unseated long-reigning WWE Women’s Champion The Fabulous Moolah and had a huge win over Leilani Kai to regain the title at the first WrestleMania. In doing so, Richter had established herself as a cornerstone of Vince McMahon’s WWE national expansion plan. She was arguably as important a piece of the expansion puzzle as Hulk Hogan.

That is why her title defeat in late 1985 by The Spider, aka Fabulous Moolah, was so shocking. Even more shocking is that the match, now called 'The Original Screwjob', was used to get the belt off Richter in the same way 'The Montreal Screwjob' was used to get the WWE Championship off Bret Hart. The story has it that the match was the result of Vince McMahon and Richter butting heads over money. She wouldn't do business with McMahon again until 2010 when she accepted induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.