3 WWE women who defeated men and 2 who almost won the World Championship

The Women's Revolution has allowed the women in WWE who were once known as Divas to step out of the shadows and finally be counted as Superstars. There were a dark few years for the women of WWE but finally, the women have been able to show that they can perform on the highest level when needed.

The fact that the women have fought so hard to be seen as equal could be why rumors now suggest that Charlotte Flair could be the woman to make her return and take on Randy Orton if he is the WWE Champion.

A few years ago this suggestion would be laughable, but Charlotte Flair is now seen as a woman who could step in the ring with The Viper and put up a good fight. Interestingly she wouldn't be the first woman to go toe-to-toe with a man and she wouldn't be the first to be fighting for the WWE Championship if the company goes forward with these rumored plans.

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#5. Defeated a man: Becky Lynch on WWE SmackDown

One of the most recent examples of WWE allowing the women to fight the men came back in 2017 when Becky Lynch took on James Ellsworth. At the time, Ellsworth wasn't on the same level as many members of the WWE roster which could be why Lynch was easily able to defeat him.

Ellsworth had been a thorn in Lynch's side for a number of months and this match finally allowed her to get some revenge. This was before The Man truly became the star that went on to main event WrestleMania, but this was when she showed the skills that she possesses and made it clear that she would step up to all challengers.

#4. Almost won the WWE Championship: Chyna

The Ninth Wonder of the World was an absolute trailblazer for the women of WWE, especially since she was the first woman to compete in the men's Royal Rumble and then became the first-ever female Intercontinental Champion in the space of a year.

Unsurprisingly throughout her career, Chyna was given a number of shots at the WWE Championship and was even rumored to be given a one-on-one match for the title at SummerSlam in 1999, even though this never happened.

That same year, she became the first woman to become the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship, but she lost her claim to the title in a match against Mankind ahead of SummerSlam.

Chyna also wrestled and defeated a number of men throughout her career including Chris Jericho and Jeff Jarrett, the latter whom she defeated to win the Intercontinental Championship. Chyna is still the only woman in WWE history to have lifted the title which has otherwise been dominated by the male population of the WWE roster.

#3. Defeated a man: Beth Phoenix on WWE RAW

Beth Phoenix was known as The Glamazon throughout her WWE career and is now a WWE Hall of Famer. Like many women on this list, Phoenix pushed for more throughout her career and it was this frustration that eventually led to her departure from the company in 2012.

The former Women's Champion was one of only four women who have been part of the men's Royal Rumble match and she's also one of few women who was given the chance to wrestle a male in WWE in the modern era.

Phoenix wrestled Santino Marella when she returned to WWE back in 2008 and answered the star's open challenge on RAW. Phoenix was able to defeat the man who later went on to become her on-screen partner and the couple was dubbed "Glamorella."

Phoenix is also one of only a handful of women who have been given the opportunity to receive an RKO from Randy Orton. Phoenix was recently part of the storyline between her husband Edge and The Legend Killer.

#2. Almost won the WWE Championship: Stephanie McMahon

Stephanie McMahon is the most powerful woman in WWE at present but back in the early 2000s, McMahon was a major part of the show as on-screen talent. McMahon was part of the biggest storyline on WWE TV at that time which included her future husband, Triple H, and her father, Vince McMahon.

In early 2002, after the storyline with Triple H was coming to an end since the couple had "divorced," McMahon joined forces with Chris Jericho and looked to help him win at WrestleMania when he took on The Game. McMahon's interference didn't help and the following week on RAW, Stephanie was booked into a Triple Threat match against Jericho and Triple H for the WWE Championship.

At one point in the match, McMahon was a one-count away from becoming the WWE Champion, but after she was pinned by her former husband, the stipulation was that McMahon was forced to leave WWE.

McMahon left, but returned less than four months later as the General Manager of SmackDown.

#1. Defeated a man: Asuka on WWE SmackDown

Asuka still holds the longest undefeated record in WWE history, but while her last few years on the main roster haven't followed the same pattern as her beginnings in NXT, the first-ever female Royal Rumble winner has had some historic moments. In this time, Asuka has even joined a shortlist of women who have been able to defeat male Superstars.

The Empress of Tomorrow, much like Becky Lynch, was having her own issues with James Ellsworth since the star had cost Asuka the chance to become Women's Champion at Money in the Bank when he interfered in her match against Carmella. This led to a match between the two stars where Asuka was able to defeat Ellsworth quite easily when she applied the Asuka Lock and forced him to tap.

This happened back in 2018, which makes it the most recent intergender match on WWE TV. While the match wasn't seen as one that would cause Asuka any issues because of Ellsworth's level in WWE, it shows that sometimes the company will make exceptions to their usual rules.