11 WWE Rivalries That Defined The 2000s

7. Lita Vs. Trish Stratus

While WWE is currently in the middle of the so-called Diva's Revolution and lauding the likes of Sasha Banks, Charlotte and Becky Lynch, it should not be forgotten that more than a decade ago two WWE Hall of Famers helped to change the perception of what women in wrestling could be.

Arriving in the big time in 2000, Lita and Trish were employed as the managers/valets of Essa Rios and Test and Albert, respectively. The flame-haired daredevil eventually ditched Rios for the much more over Hardy Boys, which lead to many intergender six-person tag matches against T&A and their buxom blonde interference-runner, including a thriller in the opener of the Fully Loaded PPV.

They continued feuding off-and-on over the next six years. In that time, Trish began training seriously with Fit Finlay and developed into one of the most confident in-ring performers in the women's locker room. Trish and Lita made history on the December 4th 2004 Raw when their Women's Championship match main evented the show.

Women had tangled in the show-closing segment in the past, sure, but always with some added distraction like a big male star as a guest referee. This time, Trish and Lita were left to their own devices, a testament to their abilities as wrestlers as well as WWE's confidence in them and the importance of their rivalry.

When Trish retired from full-time in-ring competition at Unforgiven 2006, there was really only choice for her opponent. There were lots of noteworthy WWE divas knocking about between January 1st 2000 and December 31st 2009, but none left a legacy like Trish and Lita.