ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – In the history of women’s wrestling, one feud sits above all others. On the men’s side we had The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant, but for the women, it was Trish Stratus and Lita.
The two mega stars redefined what it meant to be a female performer in the world of pro wrestling around the turn of the century. Stratus (real name Patricia Stratigeas) started with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1999. It’s today’s WWE. For much of her early career she was a valet and involved in a lot of on-screen storylines with then-owner Vince McMahon.
But as the years went by her star began to shine and she showed her athletic abilities and truly became one of the greatest wrestlers ever.
Then around the same time, Lita arrived in WWF. She was often performing alongside the likes of Matt and Jeff Hardy. Quickly, her acrobatic prowess fascinated fans and she became one of the top performers in the company.
Eventually, WWF/WWE saw they had something with these two stars and their careers became intertwined.
The two made history in 2004 when they main-evented WWE’s flagship show Monday Night Raw. That was unheard of for the century-old sport that had historically been dominated by men.
On the back of their success, multiple other female stars started arriving and benefitting from the new “Divas” era they helped usher in. Stars like Victoria, Torrie Wilson, Melina Perez and Candice Michelle.
Then eventually as the years went by more stars like Charlotte Flair, Alicia Fox and Becky Lynch arrived cementing female wrestling.
It’s all thanks to what Trish and Lita started.
In this panel, host Scott Johnson is joined by A.J. Francis (who fans may know better as Top Dolla’) as they interview the two wrestling icons on everything from their careers to their future.