Four-time women’s champion, WWE Hall of Famer and pioneer in women’s Wrestling, Lita is truly one in a million and inspiration for so many current wrestlers and fans.
Throughout her WWE career, Lita has been a part of iconic storylines and matches that paved the way for women in the industry and changed the game. Lita was ahead of her time, setting the bar and creating something different for the female talent during that era. However, while she had so many memorable bouts with the likes of Trish Stratus there are several matchups that have gone underrated. What better day to honour Lita than on her birthday as we take a look at some of her most underrated matches of all time.
Lita vs Gail Kim – RAW, 2003
Back in the early 2000s, women’s wrestling was going through an interesting phase. There were clear varying talents, but we didn’t see a lot of memorable encounters between the female stars. Two standout names in the division were, of course, Gail Kim and Lita and while it can be noted that Gail never quite had her time to show just how good she really is during her run with the WWE this was one of her stronger performances and matches while a part of World Wrestling Entertainment.
The pair were given around seven minutes which was rare in itself at the time for two women to work a legit wrestling match on RAW. There was a great deal of back and forth action, the two were evenly matched and brought something different to the table with both styles on clear display throughout. I do believe these two could have had an incredible match-up given more time but for the seven minutes they had, this was a solid match so many often forget.
Lita & Trish Stratus vs Mickie James & Alicia Fox – WWE Evolution
In 2018 fans saw Lita return to the ring both in the first women’s Royal Rumble match and at the Revolution PPV when she teamed up with former rival and close friend Trish Stratus to take on the team of fellow veterans in Mickie James and Alicia Fox. After a not quite perfect in-ring performance at the Rumble, fans wondered just how well the Hall of Famer would perform in a full-length match up and whether the former champion still had it.
The night was such a historic evening with fantastic matchups that this opening bout did get forgotten and overshadowed however, looking back this was a strong tag team encounter that was perfect for opening the show. While there were some messy spots this was a lengthy match that highlighted the best of Lita’s move set, her chemistry with Trish and new elements to her move set that we haven’t seen before.
There was a basic story being told throughout but the encounter left everyone wanting to see a full in-ring return from Lita and while that hasn’t happened this was a brilliant match we shouldn’t be forgetting and should remember as the one that proved there is still more fight left in the former champion.
Hardcore Match: Lita vs Jacqueline – RAW, 2000
Jacqueline and Lita are both most certainly worthy of their Hall of Famer status and the pair are no stranger to one another. A personal favourite matchup of mine is the hardcore encounter between them during an episode of RAW IS War. While the two may not have been given a great deal of time it was clear they were aiming to fit as much in as possible with the time they had. From ladders, a fire extinguisher, tins and a trash can Lita and Jaqueline went toe to toe in a bout that to this day had a stipulation and style we don’t see very often given to women in the WWE. An entertaining match that remains pretty underrated.
Lita vs Spike Dudley – Sunday Night Heat, 2001
With all the drama going down between the Dudley Boyz and the Hardy Boyz it made for a great addition to the story to see Lita and Spike Dudley step in the ring together. While intergender wrestling is always sure to divide fans, these two proved to be evenly matched throughout and worked well together to provide what was an entertaining bout. The outside interference and the ringside action worked amazingly well with everything we had been seeing between these two rival teams while the action inside the ring continued.
Lita did dominate a great deal of this bout but we really did get to see the depths of her move set and her fearless attitude throughout and the win felt legit and tied well with everything going on. Lita has worked intergender matches throughout her career including mixed tag team competition but this for me most certainly is one to remember and quite possibly the strongest wrestling match.
Lita vs Molly Holly vs Trish Stratus – RAW, 2004
The history between Trish Stratus and Lita is truly iconic and the two women changed the game for women’s wrestling. Throughout their careers, the pair worked alongside each other on several different occasions but it’s a triple threat involving Molly Holly which often gets lost in the shuffle. With both women targeting the babyface In Lita, the numbers were stacked against the fan favourite and she found herself fighting off both women.
Despite the disadvantage the fight in Lita was clear and her timing in taking out both women was perfect, the personal history between Lita and Trish was on clear display and the wrestling was both entertaining and well-executed to the point where all women had a fantastic showing and this proved to be an all-round great matchup. It can be so easy for talent to feel lost or forgotten in a match with a triple threat situation but everyone woman had a role and their moment to shine and again for the time they were given this was a great match with a lot of content.
Throughout her career, Lita has been a part of so many memorable storylines and angles and despite in-ring time not being the greatest for female talent during this time in pro wrestling Lita was a part of so many fantastic bouts that proved she was not only ahead of her time but paving the way. On this day we celebrate some of the underrated Lita matches but also wish the WWE Hall of Famer a very happy Birthday!
If you liked this article, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to follow all of our content that goes out daily.
You can find the author of this article on Twitter @TezangiVictoria. Thanks for reading!