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Lita did not believe her Women’s Championship victory over Stephanie McMahon was going to happen when WWE’s higher-ups originally informed her about the idea.
The Hall of Famer won the first of her four Women’s Championships on the August 21, 2000 episode of RAW. In a dramatic finish, she pinned McMahon for the title after receiving help from special guest referee The Rock.
Speaking on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show, Lita said former WWE trainer Dr. Tom Prichard told her about her title victory before the event. WWE has a history of changing booking decisions at short notice, which left the legendary superstar wondering if the plan was going to change:
“Dr. Tom said the plan is to put the title on you, but I’m like, ‘Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.’ So I’m like, ‘Cool, probably won’t happen.’ Even until you walk out the curtain, it’s really not until that moment that you’re like, ‘Oh, they are… I got the title,’” said Lita.
Lita is widely regarded as one of the greatest female superstars in WWE history. She was inducted into the Hall of Fame by her close friend and former in-ring rival Trish Stratus in 2014.
Why Lita did not stay in the ring after defeating Stephanie McMahon
The finish to the Women’s Championship match saw The Rock attack Kurt Angle and Triple H. He then hit a spinebuster on Stephanie McMahon, which allowed Lita to land her trademark moonsault to pick up the victory.
The 46-year-old added that she immediately left the ring because she did not want to take the male superstars’ spotlight:
“I couldn’t really feel it until after we got back through Gorilla [WWE's backstage area] because I’m in there with all these big players. I’m fresh, brand new, that I’m like, ‘Don’t get in their way.’” Lita continued, “I think it was not until I came back through the curtain where I feel like, ‘I get to take this with me now everywhere I go.’”
Lita recently returned to in-ring competition as a participant in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble match. Three weeks later, she unsuccessfully challenged Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber.
Please credit Broken Skull Sessions and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
