15 EXACT Moments Failed WWE Attitude Era Gimmicks Actually Got Over
3. Essa Rios (February 13, 2000)
Essa Rios?
If you don't think Essa Rios was over, you probably weren't a Fed fan from the United Kingdom. He was a Sunday Night Heat stalwart, and that was the only programme that British fans were able to watch for free on Channel 4; Raw and SmackDown were only accessible if you paid eye-watering money for a Sky Sports package. Aguila (later Papi Chulo) was just a guy doing toned-down quasi-cruiser stuff until he was repackaged as Essa Rios. And, frankly, until he was paired with Lita.
Lita was an overnight sensation in the WWF.
Not to get too Jerry Lawler about things, but teenage boys were particularly enthused by Lita because, well, her thong was visible above her waistline and a buxom lady had more chance of getting over in 2000 than Perry Saturn. This helped, obviously, but the WWF hired scores of model types that were the Tom Magee to Sable’s mega-breasted Hulk Hogan. B.B. didn’t get over, for example, even though the WWF marketed her as the Kane of giant cleavage, in that you weren’t allowed to see until the moment was just right. Lita got over, and did so pretty much immediately.
On February 13, 2000, Essa Rios “debuted” on Sunday Night Heat in a win over Gillberg. He was flanked by Lita, whom Kevin Kelly perved over literally four seconds into her debut. Rios won within a matter of seconds, and then Lita also got over in what might actually be record time: she scaled the top turnbuckle and mimicked Essa’s moonsault. The fans lost their minds. Lita was very charismatic, but this also worked because it was so unexpected. The men in the light heavyweight division were barely permitted to do spectacular stuff; watching a woman do something so awesome was genuinely unheard of.
It was great, but also grim, in that Rios won a title and the commentators could only say “Yeah that’s OK, but have you seen how fit his valet is? Jesus!”