The Mount Rushmore of Women’s Wrestling

Sarah Hirsch’s Women’s Wrestling Mount Rushmore

Trish Stratus

It is without a doubt that Trish Stratus is one of the greatest women’s wrestlers of all time.  It is hard to believe that Stratus started out as a valet who could barely wrestle.  The beauty of her evolution is that she put in the hard work to get better, and best believe it showed.

Stratus not only made history becoming a seven-time Women’s Champion, but she also participated in the first women’s main event on Monday Night Raw in 2004.  That was a huge deal for women’s wrestling and remains one of Stratus’ and Lita’s best matches.  Her feuds with Lita, Jazz and Mickie James were some of the most memorable throughout her six-year career.  Stratus’ skills, beauty and ability to connect with fans were indeed the triple threat that had a hand in cementing her legacy.

AJ Lee

Forget Nikki Bella, AJ Lee was fearless in every sense of the word.  While fans constantly debate who really started the Divas Revolution, I believe Lee was the one who lit the match for it.  Lee’s outspoken nature and desire to be taken seriously in a locker room full of models and actresses resonated with WWE fans in droves.  At a time when Divas were an afterthought, Lee’s quirky, girl next door persona was key for fans to relate to her and tune in.

Lee’s shining moment was the infamous “pipebombshell”, where she would tear the Total Divas cast down to shreds.  Lee made the most out of her feuds, primarily with Paige and Kaitlyn, in addition to her first Divas Championship reign being over 290 days.  WWE won’t admit to her hand in the Revolution, thus not giving Lee any credit, but her fans won’t forget the huge contribution Lee put forth to get women’s wrestling in WWE to where it is today.

Lita

There are so many great women’s wrestlers, and it was so hard to choose four.  From Fabulous Moolah to Sensational Sherri, these women paved the way for so many.  Gail Kim and Jacqueline are more than deserving to be recognized for their contributions to women’s wrestling.  Lita stands out because not only did she have a bold look, but her ring work was as well.

Thanks to her background in lucha libre, Lita offered something entirely different that those who have come before her.  The former Women’s Champion had no problems flying off the ring ropes, whether it was to aid the Hardy Boyz or lay out her opponent.  Her feud with Trish Stratus remains one of the greatest feuds in all of WWE.  The two women brought out the best in each other, helping build onto both of their legacies.

Sasha Banks

There is no one today who can command attention like The Boss.  As part of WWE’s Four Horsewomen, who all have contributed to driving the success of women’s wrestling today, Banks took charge of the history making back in 2015.  Her six month NXT Women’s Championship reign was nothing short of epic.  Her matches with Becky Lynch and Bayley were some of the best women’s matches that WWE has produced.  The match with Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn is one of the top women’s matches in WWE.

That match led to the first-ever women’s Iron Man Match at Takeover Respect.  Banks’ success continued onto the main roster, where she and Charlotte Flair would main event Raw for the first time since Stratus and Lita.  Not only that, but they would main event Hell in a Cell, which was a first for the women in terms of PPV and inside the Cell.  At only 25, Banks is only getting started and her passion for women’s wrestling echoes those such as Stratus and Lee.  The best is yet to come for the four time Women’s Champion.