Trish Stratus Tops WWE.com’s ‘Most Impactful Women’ List

This is a very good opinion from the forum in wwe universe

“First of all, I think there is a lot of misconception happening. I don’t totally disagree with this list, but I think this list is made in typical, current WWE fashion, “Let’s cram as many Divas into this as possible.” I think the mere fact that there are 25 impactful women is an overstatement. I don’t want to detract from any one woman’s accomplishments or in-ring abilities, but I must say, I will take issue before I post what I think.

Michelle McCool and Kelly Kelly are hardly revolutionary or impactful to women’s wrestling. Kelly Kelly has done nothing worth noting and McCool is sloppy and only really has the claim of being the first woman to hold the Diva’s and Women’s Championship, which on paper looks good. But here’s the thing, the Diva’s Championship was a title created for the lesser experience group, which is where McCool belongs, as it should be. Diva Search contestants, unless they’re really good in the ring, should be regulated to participating for the championship that was designed for them, if they must have positions in the WWE at all.

I’ve also been reading a lot that Gail Kim should be included in the list. What exactly has she done other than win the Women’s Championship in her initial WWE debut? Her impact is hardly relevant as far as it goes to enhancing the Women’s Division. And “Where is Natalya on this list?” The fact is, Natalya hasn’t done anything noteworthy of impact either. It would be absurd to throw her on this list for the simple fact that her last name is Neidhart. I am a huge fan of Natalya, but currently, she doesn’t belong on this list – she definitely will in the future, but right now, absolutely not.

I would argue that women like Jazz and Victoria, should in fact be on this list, if it absolutely has to be comprised of 25 women. But the fact is, I don’t think there have been 25 impactful women. I think there have been several milestone women and that is what this list should really be about, they are:

1. The Fabulous Moolah – Moolah, inspired by Mildred Burke, opened the doors for the women of today. She pioneered women’s wrestling when it wasn’t fashionable to do so and she succeeded in a male dominated industry before, during, and after the women’s suffrage movement.

2. Trish Stratus – Trish deserves a spot near the top of the list, not because of her “record setting” number of championships or the other titles and accolades. Trish deserves her spot because she transitioned from valet to wrestler before our very eyes. This transformation allowed Trish to connect with global audiences and inspire everyone, from indy wrestlers to little girls with big dreams. Trish Stratus redefined women’s roles in wrestling, evident through her match history (initially lingerie pillow fights and strap matches to ultimately hardcore matches). Trish’s success was based on these connections to the audiences and through the homage she paid to her predecessors. Trish knew she didn’t invent women’s wrestling and she knew she didn’t revolutionize it alone, but she spearheaded it and was a key player in legitimizing women’s wrestling in a modern “puppy loving” era – she made people care about it.

3. Lita – Her luchadore style and unique offense catapulted Lita to the top of the division upon her arrival. Fans connected instantly with Lita’s personality and defying persona. She was unique and refreshing, something we had not really witnessed before. She was responsible for depicting that women could perform top-rope manuevers and not be regulated to hair pulling, ddts, or snapmares and she showed that women other than Chyna could fend for themselves against the men.

4. Chyna – “The Ninth Wonder of the World” was revolutionary in respect to women competing on an even playing field as men. Capturing two Intercontinental Championships, being the first woman to participate in the Royal Rumble, and being the first woman to become the WWE Championship’s number one contender, Chyna was a woman ahead of her time and perhaps an unexpected and potentially unwelcomed competitor because of it. She opened the doors for female-male competition, unfortunately, the only women I think are capable of such competition are Beth Phoenix and Natalya Neidhart, and their arrival came nearly a decade later.

5. Sable – Responsible for the creation of “Divas,” Sable can be attributed with adding a little bit of beauty to the world of wrestling and being a crossover star connecting professional wrestling to the mainstream world, via Playboy.

6. Stephanie McMahon – Stephanie’s impact will extend only as far as she lets it. She’s been potrayed as a wrestler and as a woman in positions of power. Sadly, Stephanie ranks where she does because she enables women to be degraded and actual female wrestlers to job to Diva Search alumni. Her lack of attention and emphasis on women’s wrestling could arguably single-handedly jeopardize what all the other women have worked for, but the fact that she is a significant corporate figure in WWE speaks volumes to the possibilities of where women could go.

7. Wendi Richter – Wendi came into the wrestling world intent on ending Moolah’s stronghold on a division. She can not only be attributed with ending Moolah’s extensive championship reign, but she can also be attributed, through her alliance with Cyndi Lauper, to linking professional wrestling to the world of pop culture. This “rock and wrestling” connection can arguably be attributed to making professional wrestling an integral part of pop culture with Wendi being one of the most recognizable associations of the time.

8. Lillian Garcia – Lillian took what was traditionally a man’s job and made it workable for women, announcing. She also proved that women didn’t have to grapple or simply carry signs to become successful or recognizable to the fans. What Lillian did was provide another potential position for women to occupy within the world of professional wrestling (much like Jacqueline did by flirting with the idea of becomming a WWE referee).

9. Mae Young – Along similar lines as The Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young can be attributed with helping pioneer the movement for women in professional wrestling. Her milestone mark is that she is the only professional wrestler to appear in nine decades – this shows that the longevity of a female wrestler may equal and exceed that of their male counterparts.

10. “Sensational” Sherri Martel – She was a successful valet and in-ring competitor and is regarded highly by those who followed in her path. Sherri is impactful because of her lasting impression and influence on current women’s wrestlers.

I cut the list down to 10 and even this is generous, in my opinion. I know, I have left out women like Miss Elizabeth, Alundra Blayze, Bull Nakano, Bertha Faye, Molly Holly, Victoria, Jazz, Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Sunny, Luna Vachon, Melina, Jacqueline, Ivory, Natalya Neidhart, Jillian Hall, Gail Kim and so many others. As I mentioned before, I am not trying to detract from their accomplishments or their in-ring abilities. In their own ways they each mean a lot to the business and I am not taking that away from them. But in terms of impact, the women I have listed, in my opinion are the ones who have shaped and modified stereotypes on women and professional wrestling.

If this were a list the ranked women technically (based on their in-ring skills), it would be different. If this were a list that ranked women by popularity, it would be different. If the list ranked women by championship reigns, championship reign lengths, etc., it would be different, but the list is based on impact and these women have had the greatest.

-Bobby-james “

An update for the wwe poll:

Torrie Wilson 1.12 % 889 Votes
Bull Nakano 0.45 % 356 Votes
Ivory 0.01 % 12 Votes
Kelly Kelly 2.59 % 2048 Votes
Jacqueline 0.01 % 14 Votes
Vickie Guerrero 0.14 % 111 Votes
Molly Holly 0.38 % 305 Votes
Stacy Keibler 0.08 % 69 Votes
Beth Phoenix 0.48 % 379 Votes
Luna Vachon 0.10 % 79 Votes
Miss Elizabeth 0.05 % 41 Votes
Melina 0.54 % 431 Votes
Alundra Blayze 0.66 % 523 Votes
Mae Young 0.06 % 50 Votes
Wendi Richter 0.00 % 7 Votes
Michelle McCool 0.83 % 662 Votes
Sunny 0.12 % 102 Votes
Lita 34.06 % 26881 Votes
Mickie James 46.20 % 36460 Votes
Sable 0.48 % 384 Votes
Stephanie McMahon 0.53 % 421 Votes
Sherri Martel 0.39 % 310 Votes
Chyna 4.64 % 3662 Votes
Fabulous Moolah 0.31 % 251 Votes
Trish Stratus 5.32 % 4202 Votes
Other 0.32 % 257 Votes

Total Votes: 78906