Women’s wrestling is at an all-time high in the WWE as the company finally looks to shed its image of being a male-dominated company. The likes of Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch – The Four Horsewomen – as well as others like Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax, have been making waves across the women’s division.
This wasn’t always the case, though, as the WWE had an infamous reputation for hiring female Superstars – called Divas back in those days – for the sole purpose of being eye candy on the screen and to manage male wrestlers.
There were, of course, exceptions to this rule such as Trish Stratus and Lita but they were few and far between. The landscape of wrestling was much different than today’s world, where women take part in Hell in a Cell matches and headline Pay Per Views.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at 5 WWE women wrestlers who were hired for their looks:
#5 Kelly Kelly
We start the list off with someone who has been rumoured to make a return to the company in 2017 – Kelly Kelly. The former WWE Diva was prominently part of the ECW brand back in the 2000s but it wasn’t for her less than stellar wrestling ability.
Coming from a background in modelling, cheerleading and gymnastics, Kelly gained recognition due to her “Kelly’s Expose”, which was basically a glorified strip show more than anything else. It was a combination of this and her genuinely likeable personality which got her over with the fans.
The WWE’s reaction to the favourable responses she received was to put her in the thick of the action for the WWE Diva’s Championship, which glaringly exposed the young woman’s lack of proper wrestling skills and she found herself at a woeful disadvantage.
She left the company back in 2012 and it will be interesting to see if her wrestling has improved in any way, shape, or form since her exit. In this glorious new era of women’s wrestling, it would not make sense to rehire Kelly Kelly unless she has dramatically improved.
#4 Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle’s claim to fame would be her appearances on the cover of Playboy Magazine. If you’re a professional wrestler, your claim to fame should not be that you appeared on the cover of Playboy Magazine.
She was originally part of the Divas Search contest organised by the promotion and initially appearing under the gimmick of a makeup artist, she soon transitioned to a group called “Vince’s Devils.” I will leave the purpose of this group to your imagination.
Michelle’s popularity due to her sex appeal saw her get pushed to the top of the women’s division as the WWE Women’s Champion despite her non-existent wrestling skills. On top of all this, clearly did not have the body conditioning to make it as a top-class wrestler as she was constantly injured.
Candice Michelle left the WWE in 2009 and hasn’t been back since.
#3 Torrie Wilson
Part of the original WCW brigade, Torrie Wilson made the transition to WWE after Vince McMahon’s bout with his rival promotion. She barely wrestled throughout her tenure with the company, except for the odd Bra and Panties match and other such gimmicks to get the male audience members intrigued in the nonsensical storylines.
She was part of some truly atrocious storylines including a weird step-mother/lesbian-lover segment with Dawn Marie, which bordered on the ridiculous. However, she was always kept around for her good looks as well as her inevitable appearance on the cover of Playboy Magazine.
She was also constantly in Vince McMahon’s good books as he booked her with him in sleazy angles throughout her tenure with the WWE. Pro-wrestling was indeed a different world back in days before WWE went PG.
#2 Stacy Keibler
Penultimate on this list is another WCW Diva who moved to WWE along with Torrie Wilson – the woman with the most gorgeous legs in wrestling, Stacy Keibler.
Keibler’s whole run with the company could be attributed to her playing revealing manager roles for various wrestlers including the likes of The Dudley Boyz, Vince McMahon and a particularly distasteful segment with Scott Steiner, where she performed a lap dance for Big Poppa Pomp.
There really was no reason for Stacy Keibler to be anywhere near a wrestling ring due to the absence of wrestling talent but she made a name for herself anyway due to her good looks which more than made up for any scandalous booking decision taken on the part of WWE creative.
She left the company to pursue an acting and modelling career, which was a great decision for everyone involved.
#1 Sable
Sable was the biggest Diva in the company back in the attitude era and it was without a shadow of a doubt because of her incredible wrestling skills. I’m kidding, of course. Sable couldn’t tell head nor tail of the world of pro-wrestling.
What she did have going for her, though, was a ludicrously hot body that she was more than willing to reveal on a number of occasions including on the cover of Playboy Magazine in 1999. I’m starting to see a trend here with this whole Playboy Magazine stuff.
She’s long since retired and these days her biggest claim to fame is that she is the wife of The Beast Incarnate himself, Brock Lesnar.
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