In 2014, Lita was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. That may never have happened had she not captured the imaginations of fans everywhere with her willingness to take risks, to dive off the top rope and show no fear while executing moves she learned in Mexico on unsuspecting male Superstars. Her ability to do things veteran Superstars were unable to do endeared her to fans who had never seen such a gutsy female performer before. When she teamed with Matt and Jeff Hardy to create Team Extreme, she immediately became one of the most popular stars on the roster, regardless of gender. In December 2000, she feuded with Dean Malenko, whose sexual advanced toward the fiery redhead made for entertaining television but were also wildly inappropriate. When she entered a six-person tag match with the Hardys against Malenko and Radicals tag team partners Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero, there was a very real possibility that she would wind up having to defend herself against her outstanding competition. That was the case and while she put up and admirable performance, she was no match for Malenko, who forced a tapout with the Texas Cloverleaf. Lita would gain a measure of revenge, defeating Malenko with the assistance of Matt Hardy. Lita would continue to mix it up with the top Superstars in the industry, a quality that made her one of the most respected female competitors of her generation. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xx8mu6_armageddon-2000-the-hardy-boyz-and-lita-vs-eddie-guerrero-dean-malenko-and-perry-saturn_sport
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.
