20 Greatest WWE Women's Matches Since 2000
8. Trish Stratus Vs. Lita - WWE Raw: December 6, 2004
Never before had two women headlined an episode of Monday Night Raw without the safety net of the involvement of their male counterparts when Trish Stratus defended the Women's Championship against Lita in the main event of the December 6, 2004 episode.
It was a banner moment for women's wrestling in WWE, the enormity of it not lost on the performers themselves. Determined to prove that they belonged in that spot, Trish and Lita delivered a match that ranked among the greatest women's bouts in company history.
Lita threw caution to the wind, nearly re-breaking her own neck as she exploded through the ropes with a suicide dive. Stratus capitalised, controlling the match until her immensely popular opponent mounted her comeback and, ultimately, scored the win with her trademark moonsault.
An energetic, hard-fought and surprisingly high-impact main event, it changed the perception of women's wrestling at a time when WWE was knee-deep in the initial Diva Search. The most storied rivalry of the golden era of women's wrestling culminated with a legendary match that made history and was integral to both Stratus and Lita's Hall of Fame resumes.