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It's no secret that prior to 2015 the WWE women's division was showcased much differently than it is today. It's more than fair to say the Women of WWE have had their share of ups and downs in the company's history. It's been a long climb from the days of fitness model valets, bra and pantie matches, and mud wrestling to headlining this year's WrestleMania.
As we head into a new decade, female stars like Becky Lynch, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley are some of the biggest draws in the entire company. They are some of the most accomplished wrestlers among an absolutely stacked division. The talent available to the WWE today is so deep, that even three brands with a combined 7 hours of live TV a week isn't enough to properly showcase them all.
The true unfortunate thing is there are a number of women over the years that were clamoring for change, that missed out on today's opportunities. While Hall of Famers like Trish Stratus and Lita could obviously crush it in any era, let's take a look at a few women whose careers would have reached new heights, if they were competing in today's WWE.
#5 The Bella Twins
The Bella Twins are well accomplished WWE Superstars as it stands right now. It's pretty safe to say that both Nikki and Brie will one day be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, but you have to wonder what they could have done with the Women's Tag Team Titles.
For years the Bellas made a name for themselves working their Tag Team chemistry in singles matches. Nikki and Brie's Twin Magic could have dominated that division. The WWE knows the notoriety they would have brought to those Titles too. They tried to get the Bellas to come back earlier this year and feud with the IIconics. Brie Bella came on my radio show and confirmed they were set for a long run with the belts, but then Nikki was forced to retire due to a brain cyst.
Despite how unlikely, the Bella Twins are not giving up hope on a return to the ring:
#4 Ivory
Ivory's wrestling career dates back to 1986 when she wrestled for GLOW: Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling as Tina Ferrari. Unfortunately for Ivory, her 6 year run with the WWE came at a time when the women were there more for their looks than their in ring ability. Despite being a very talented pro-wrestler, a good portion of her tenure with the WWE was spent as a valet, manager, or love interest.
Ivory did capture the Women's Championship on three occasions. One of those victories came in 1999 when she defeated the Fabulous Moolah. This coming just a week after dropping the Title to the 76 year-old at No Mercy, in a match that was widely panned by critics. Her second Title reign would come to can end when she lost an Evening Gown in a Pool Match at Armageddon to The Kat - an untrained wrestler.
One can't help but imagine what Ivory could have accomplished in the ring if she were in her prime today. The WWE Universe got a taste of it at Evolution when she competed in a battle royal to earn a Women's Championship match. Despite her talent being limited by the era she wrestled in, her accomplishments were enough to earn her a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2018.
#3 Gail Kim
You couldn't ask for a better start to a career in the WWE than Gail Kim. In her very first match with the company, Kim won a Seven-Diva Over the Top Rope Battle Royal to win the WWE Women's Championship. It was pretty much downhill from there on out. Less than a month later Kim dropped the Title to Molly Holly, and was soon sidelined with a broken collarbone. About 6 months after returning from the injury, Kim was released in November of 2004.
She would return 4 years later, but her second stint with the WWE was an unpleasant one for Kim. She had a few opportunities to recapture the Women's Championship and later the Divas Championship, but was never victorious. By 2011 Kim wasn't being featured as an in ring competitor as much. She did serve as the valet and on screen love interest of Daniel Bryan for a time, before ultimately leaving the company.
On an episode of Monday Night RAW in August, Kim participated in a battle royal to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship. She was told to get eliminated within a minute of the match starting, and choose to just eliminate herself. She would never wrestle for the WWE again.
Since her release, Kim has never been shy to express her feelings about her time in the WWE. Saying the company was holding back female talent by constantly booking multi-women tag matches that had no direction from a story line stand point. She told the Fightful Network last year, that eventually she became so unhappy she had to leave. Recently Kim has been more complimentary of the booking of the WWE women's division, particularly on NXT.
Kim has done very well for herself outside of the WWE, winning a record 7 Knockout Championships while in Impact Wrestling. That said, you have to wonder if things would have been different for Kim had her career began today. It's no guarantee her time would have been more enjoyable, but one would have to think she'd have more opportunities.
#2 AJ Lee
AJ Lee was overly critical of the way the WWE treated it's women's division during her tenure with the company. She openly criticized the WWE for paying it's women's wrestlers a fraction of the wages and making significantly less screen available to them as opposed to their male counterparts. All of this despite highly rated segments and merchandise sales.
Her complaints coincided with the start of the "Give Divas a Chance" movement. The fans' calls to see women featured more prominently on TV spread like wildfire across the internet in early 2015. So much so, Vince and Stephanie McMahon publicly addressed the pleas from the WWE Universe and began implementing real change.
Lee retired from the wrestling in April of 2015 and never got to experience any of that change firsthand. Which is an absolute shame because she was a mega star of the division. She was involved in a number of high profile programs with the Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena and became the RAW General Manager for a time.
Lee was no slouch in the ring either. For now though, fans can only dream of seeing the 3-time Divas Champion mix it up with the likes of Sasha Banks, Asuka, Dakota Kai, and Kay Lee Ray. Imagine what her twisted mind could come up with inside Hell in a Cell, or some entertaining spots she could have had inside a Royal Rumble match.
In her best selling book "Crazy Is My Superpower" Lee said that permanent damage to her cervical spine, and the fulfillment of her career goals led to her decision to walk away. There was also a lot of on going drama between the company her husband C.M. Punk. Those issues appear to be put to rest as Punk has returned (in some capacity) to the wrestling world. Could AJ Lee be next? Never say never. At least that's what she told FS1 earlier this year.
#1 Chyna
Chyna was simply ahead of her time. She debuted as the WWE's first female enforcer in 1997 and by the time she left the company 4 years later, she was considered the most dominate female star in WWE history. This despite only holding the Women's Championship one time. Her biggest programs were all with male superstars like Chris Jericho, Jeff Jarrett, and Eddie Guerrero.
Chyna was one of the founding members of D-Generation X, the first woman ever to compete in the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring tournaments, and the only woman to win the Intercontinental Championship. A title she won twice by the way. She also was the first woman to ever be named the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship.
Her only Women's Championship victory came at WrestleMania X-Seven. While she did have matches with the likes Jacqueline, Ivory, and an up and coming Lita, she never really had to opportunity to step into the ring with a female star that could match her size and strength. Image some of these opponents for the 9th Wonder of the World:
- Charlotte
- Shayna Baszler
- Rhea Ripley
- Nia Jax
Not to mention the bevy of opportunities with multiple Women's World Titles and the Tag Team Championships available to her. Sadly Chyna passed away in 2016, but was posthumously inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame this year as a member of DX.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
