• home icon
  • WWE
  • WWE Raw
  • 5 recent instances of WWE's men attacking women in the ring

5 recent instances of WWE's men attacking women in the ring

By Suhas Jirgi
Modified Sep 27, 2020 07:25 IST
Some Vicious Attacks [Pc:Stillrealtous.com, dailyddt.com]
Some Vicious Attacks [Pc:Stillrealtous.com, dailyddt.com]

It is an undeniable fact that the WWE women's division has transformed drastically in recent years. From putting on two-minute throwaway matches on television to main-eventing WrestleMania, it has genuinely been an awe-inspiring journey.

The transformation is even more drastic if you compare the present situation with that of the Attitude Era. The then-objectifying nature of women, or "Divas" as they used to be called, certainly does not have a place in today's modern era.

If this list took into account the various instances in the Attitude Era where male wrestlers attacked their female peers, it would go on with no end in sight. It was a regular occurrence and no big deal.

Today, however, these sights are rare. While there have been numerous occasions in WWE where female Superstars have struck male Superstars, the converse does not hold.

A woman overpowering a man is viewed as a testament to her strength, whereas a man hitting a woman makes for a cringeworthy, uncomfortable viewing experience.

That said, there have been instances where WWE has decided to do just that for various reasons. In this article, let's take a glance at the five times in recent years where a male superstar has struck their female counterpart on WWE TV:

#5 Baron Corbin delivers an End of Days to then-WWE RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch

[Pc: YouTube.com]
[Pc: YouTube.com]

At Extreme Rules 2019, Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch defended the WWE Universal and RAW Women's Championships against King Corbin, then-known back as Baron Corbin, and Lacey Evans. It was a catchily-titled "Extreme Rules Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Match."

An extra stipulation meant Corbin and Evans could not challenge for the respective championships again if they lost, which added a little more intrigue to the feud.

All possible weapons came into play as both teams collided in a hard-hitting match-up. Corbin and Evans' frustration continued to rise as the champions continued to kick out of numerous pin attempts before the three-count.

At one point, Corbin hit a devastating deep-six on Rollins. He quickly attempted a pin, only to have it broken at the last second by a diving Lynch. This pushed Corbin over the edge, as he hit his finisher, a nasty looking End of Days, on Lynch. The commentary team and WWE Universe were left stunned.

As a hurt Lynch rolled outside the ring in visible pain, Rollins was livid. He unceasingly hit the Lone Wolf with kendo sticks and chair shots. With a deranged look in his eyes, Rollins delivered three consecutive curb stomps to avenge his future wife.

The celebrations did not last long for the victorious couple. Immediately afterwards, Brock Lesnar cashed in his WWE Money in The Bank Contract and stole the Universal Championship away from Rollins. While Lesnar's cash-in was the main talking point of the night, Corbin's attack on Lynch was a close second.

Enter captionEnding with a loss [Pc: Express.co.uk]
Enter captionEnding with a loss [Pc: Express.co.uk]

#4 Beth Pheonix, Kharma and Nia Jax enter the WWE Men's Royal Rumble

Enter Every man for himself [Pc: pinterest.com]
Enter Every man for himself [Pc: pinterest.com]

While WWE now has a designated Women's Royal Rumble match, that was not always the case. The Men's Royal Rumble match has seen a few women compete in it over the years. While there have been a total of five appearances from women in total, three have taken place in the last decade.

The first of these three in WWE was Beth Pheonix in the 2010 Royal Rumble match. The Great Khali had entered the match at #5 and had CM Punk laying motionless in the corner. The Glamazon's music then played as she shocked the WWE Universe and wrestlers alike.

She stood up to the seven-foot giant without backing down and eliminated him by pulling him over the top rope during a surprise kiss. She then turned to Punk, managing to land a few punches on the Straight-Edge Superstar. However, he then knocked her out with a GTS and threw her over the top rope with ease.

The next instance was Kharma's appearance in the 2012 Royal Rumble. This match was also the only official match of her WWE career. Entering at #21, Kharma scared #20 entrant Micheal Cole out of the ring to a huge pop.

Kharma then laid out Dolph Ziggler with an implant buster and eliminated Hunico. She was immediately ambushed from behind by Ziggler who went on to topple her over the WWE ring.

Finally, there was Nia Jax in 2019. After failing to win the Women's Royal Rumble match, Jax ambushed R-Truth, who was the #30 entrant in the Men's Royal Rumble match, and took his place.

Jax proceeded to dominate everyone in the ring before Ziggler's Superkick halted her momentum. The Superkick was immediately followed up with a 619 from Rey Mysterio and an RKO out of nowhere from The Viper, Randy Orton. It took both Mysterio and Orton to work together and lift her over the top rope.

The other two appearances were Chyna in 1999 and 2000, both lasting about a minute.

#3 WWE's rare intergender match: Becky Lynch vs. James Ellsworth

A rare intergender bout [Pc: WWE.com]
A rare intergender bout [Pc: WWE.com]

This is perhaps the only entry in this list where we feel sorry for the male WWE Superstar. James Ellsworth squared off against Becky Lynch on November 7th, 2017.

While Ellsworth did inflict some damage, the match was largely dominated by the Irish Lass Kicker. The previous intergender match in WWE was back in 2003, where Vince McMahon fought his daughter Stephanie McMahon.

While the match was built as "a battle between the sexes," it was more a comical segment than anything. Ellsworth had been an annoying presence to Lynch on SmackDown for months.

He had even cost her a first Women's Money in The Bank match victory when he toppled the ladder just as Lynch was about to unhook the briefcase.

With the women of SmackDown surrounding the ring and looking menacing, Lynch toyed with her opponent in the middle. The only offense Ellsworth managed was to shove Becky Lynch out of the ring onto the floor and a powerful Irish whip to the turnbuckle.

The match lasted six minutes and ended when Lynch made Ellsworth tap to the Dis-arm-her. Carmella got into the ring and broke up with him after the match for good measure. Certainly not the best night for the man with no chin.

#2 The Fiend and Braun Strowman make a pawn out of Alexa Bliss in their WWE feud

Caught between a mountain and the devil
Caught between a mountain and the devil

The Fiend was in a feud with Braun Strowman, who was WWE's Universal Champion at that time. On the opening segment of July 31st, 2020's Friday Night SmackDown, Bray Wyatt claimed that no one is safe.

In the show's main event, Bayley defeated Nikki Cross to successfully defend her WWE SmackDown Women's Championship. The dejected Nikki Cross pushed her best friend Alexa Bliss when the Goddess tried to console her. As Cross stormed off, the lights flickered.

The Fiend appeared beside the visibly terrified Bliss. He seemed to be targeting her to lure out Strowman, who had seemed infatuated with her in WWE's Mixed Match challenge back in 2018.

To everyone's horror, the Fiend did more than just scare Bliss. He locked in the Mandible Claw as Ashe struggled to escape as SmackDown went off the air.

As if Bliss hadn't been through enough, she was in for more punishment on the following week's SmackDown. A newly-bald Strowman came onto the show seemingly obsessed with The Fiend.

Bliss stormed to the ring to confront her former mixed tag partner about what transpired the week before. Strowman ignored her until she tried to slap some sense into him.

This irked The Monster Among Men, who hoisted Bliss high into the air, screaming at The Fiend before sending her crashing to the floor as the lights went out.

When the lights returned, Strowman had left the ring as The Fiend appeared in his stead, almost seeming like he was protecting Bliss. Trademark mind games, as expected, from The Fiend.

#1 The numerous RKOs out of nowhere by WWE's Randy Orton

Smug[Pc: Thesportster.com]
Smug[Pc: Thesportster.com]

Randy Orton tops this list due to the sheer number of female superstars he has RKO-ed over the years. Debuting back in 2002, Orton's knack of RKO-ing almost every prominent WWE female Superstar has existed right from his early days.

The Apex Predator has always been an unpredictable competitor in WWE. Here are five times he showed no mercy to someone of the opposite sex:

1) Stacy Keibler, 2005

RKO imminent [Pc: WWE.com]
RKO imminent [Pc: WWE.com]

Orton RKO-ed on-screen girlfriend Stacy Keibler on an episode of RAW leading up to WrestleMania 21. Orton was set to face The Undertaker and the shock RKO was just a statement to the fans who doubted him.

2) Stephanie McMahon, 2009

Unacceptable [Pc: Pinterest.com]
Unacceptable [Pc: Pinterest.com]

Orton RKO-ed Stephanie McMahon ahead of his WWE match against her husband Triple H in WrestleMania 25. During the same feud, he handcuffed The Game to the ring ropes and made him watch as he DDT-ed McMahon. What's worse was the kiss he planted on her cheek as he stared at the helpless Triple H.

3) Beth Pheonix, 2020

Beth Pheonix confronted Orton after he had viscously attacked her recently-returned husband Edge. The Viper seemed conflicted at first, but decided to take it too far as he delivered a chilling RKO to his former tag-team partner's wife.

Trish Stratus, The Fabulous Mula and Nia Jax, mentioned earlier, are a few of the other women The Apex Predator has RKO-ed. If there ever was a despicable heel, it is Randy Orton.

Quick Links

More from Sportskeeda
Fetching more content...
comments icon

What's your opinion?