8 Wrestlers Who Restored The Value Of Championships
7. Lita (WWE Women's Championship)
WWE women’s wrestling has a colourful, varied and often depressing history. From era-defining legends like Bull Nakano and Alundra Blayze through to unqualified models like Candice Michelle and Kelly Kelly, WWE has, at times, demonstrated the best and worst of women’s wrestling.
The likes of Charlotte, Sasha Banks and AJ Lee have helped raise the bar in recent years, and Raw, SmackDown, and NXT are practically bursting at the seams with quality female performers in 2016. It’s taken a long time to get to this point, though. Nepotism is boundless in professional wrestling, and the WWE Women’s Championship hit a nadir in 2000 when Vince McMahon put the belt around his daughter Stephanie’s waist.
The Billion Dollar Princess couldn’t even wrestle at the time and spent most of her reign as “champion” standing alongside her husband Triple H rather than defeating challengers. The reign lasted a turgid 146 days before Lita ended it that August, and the high-flying redhead would go on to help redefine women’s wrestling as WWE fans knew it.
Lita’s reign re-established the belt’s credibility, and transformed it from a prop to something worth caring about again. Lita was one of the most popular acts in the company at the time, and the Women’s Championship gained immensely from from being in the possession of an actual wrestler again.