Diva Dirt presents its annual selection of women who have been most newsworthy and talked about in 2012. The 12 women selected have embodied the zeitgeist of the year by hitting the headlines, breaking boundaries, stopping the show, and becoming trending topics. The Diva Dirt editors and contributors have picked one woman as the Diva Dirt Woman of the Year, as well as 11 runners-up who have helped define 2012. Join us as we count down our runners-up before unveiling the Woman of the Year on December 31st.
LITA
The Blast from the Past
She may not make as many post-retirement appearances as other WWE fan favorites, but when she does show up on WWE television, Lita makes an impact. For proof, look no further than when the four-time Women’s Champion made a surprise appearance in July at the 1000th episode of Raw, answering an open challenge by Heath Slater to any of the “WWE legends”. The legendary Diva agreed to go toe-to-toe with the “One-Man Band” in a no-DQ match, but also informed him that she had hired some protection for the night: the APA.
When Slater tried to head for the hills, a slew of WWE legends dragged him back to the ring, right into a Twist of Fate by Lita. After a Clothesline From Hell by JBL, she topped off the match with a Litasault and pinned Slater for the win. She celebrated the victory with a big group of legendary WWE names, standing shoulder to shoulder with them and looking every bit a defining figure in the WWE’s history.
Lita’s legacy is often remarked upon, and several women wrestlers active in the business today name her as their inspiration. One of those women is AJ Lee, who had a breakout year with the WWE in 2012, taking part in dramatic, high-profile storylines that included an in-ring wedding, much like Lita herself. It has become clear that Lita’s unique presence and style helped birth a new generation of women’s wrestlers, and we’re only beginning to see the fruits of that.
Further proof of Lita’s significance could be found in the fact that she became the first Diva to appear twice in the same video game. “WWE ’13″, which hit stores in the fall of 2012, featured two playable Lita characters: one of Lita in her modern day attire and another sporting her Attitude era look. One could joke that this means Lita is twice the Diva of any other, but we won’t go there; Lita inspires some of the most heated and passionate discussions from women’s wrestling fans, and we should know! Many of our posts at Diva Dirt prompt fiery discussions, and often Lita, though six years retired, figures into the argument one way or another. That’s staying power.
In the years following her retirement, Lita made a few WWE appearances, but on the whole stayed on the sidelines. By comparison, 2012 was a reemergence for her, as she appeared at WWE’s Fan Axxess event, attended the Hall of Fame ceremony, did press for WWE ’13, interviewed for Edge’s DVD (her first interview on a WWE DVD since her retirement) and, as mentioned in the beginning of this article, made a surprise appearance on Raw’s 1000th episode. 2012 could very well be considered the year that Lita returned to the WWE fold.
Accolades also came Lita’s way this year. Her Litasault was the only Diva finisher to be featured on WWE’s “50 Greatest Finishing Moves” DVD, which hit stores in August, and her main event Women’s Title match with Trish Stratus landed at #16 on WWE’s list of the 50 greatest matches to take place on Monday Night Raw.
Last, but certainly not least, this year Lita was bestowed with the honor of being named Diva Dirt’s “Greatest Raw Diva Ever”. Coinciding with Raw’s 1000th episode, Diva Dirt’s weeks-long tournament allowed fans to vote for their favorite Diva in Raw’s storied history, and (as would be expected), the finals came down to Lita and her longtime “frenemy” Trish Stratus. In the end, Lita garnered 59% of the vote and emerged from the tournament the victor.
Any one of these moments on their own may not be enough to land a Diva on our “Women of the Year” list, but when we look back at the whole of Lita’s 2012, it’s tough for us to see how she, as a retired Diva, could have had a more eventful and notable year with the WWE.
Check back tomorrow for another Women of the Year post.
60 Comments
at
When i saw the title for this i was quite surprised, thought there may have been an error made in the title. However, after taking a read, she has had a pretty amazing year, i widely feel proud!
Hope she’s at Raw’s 20th Anniversary! XD.
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
*weirdly
at
I like Lita and she’s certainly had a good year, but for me 2012 belonged to AJ Lee. Maybe she’ll make up for it in the reader awards.
AndieMcPhee Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at
Missed the ’12′ thing!
at
I’m kind of tired of WWE having all these part timers and guest stars on their shows. Mostly because, with the exception of Chris Jericho, none of them seem willing to put over the current talent. They show up and do a quick match or skit to remind people how inferior the new guys are. But hey, if Trish could get away with it for years why not Lita.
WweLitafan4ever Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at
Technically,Lita only had one match and WWE had the APA and all the other guys come out so Heath Slater wouldn’t look that weak.
NY Pollard Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at
Let’s not turn this into another Lita vs Trish debate please.
Congratulations to Lita! She certainly left her mark and has inspired many women like Beth, AJ, Velvet Sky, Mickie James, and Rosita who’ve all gone on record citing Lita as their inspiration. I guess her words ring true when she said in her last WWE interview at Survivor Series, that the women that followed were Lita fans and true that!
Keep in mind that this is only 1 of 12 women DivaDirt selected, so there are many more to come.
Congrats Lita! There are rumors she was offered a TV only contract along with Trish, hope its true and hope they sign!
ajfan83 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
I wasn’t really trashing Lita and I’m not looking to start another debate. The main positive you can say about Lita’s Raw appearance was that she just beat some comedy character and didn’t make the diva division lay down for her. I just don’t like WWE’s desperate attempt to lure back anyone with any sort of name recognition because they are unwilling to build up their roster. Like, NY Pollard just said they want to give Lita and Trish contracts where they only have to work 4 or 5 times a month. What’s the point of that? Neither one of them has been relevant since 2006. We already know Trish is only going to show up about as often as Rock does. Does she bring in the money and ratings he does? Nope. So how about you save the money and continue to build CURRENT divas instead? Crazy concept, I know.
BillyGP Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
It not up to Trish or Lita who they put over plus Trish did put over Vickie Guerrero am i not mistaken?
ajfan83 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
She got beat down by Laycool so it was hardly clean. And the fact that Vickie is the only woman to pin her in all the post “retirement” matches just shows how pointless her returns have been. She got pinned by a non-wrestler to set up a match where she teamed with Snooki, of all people. So Trish is just so busy with her new career that she can’t fit in any of her proposed dream matches (Natalya, for one), but put her in a high profile Wrestlemania match with a trainwreck reality star and suddenly her calendar is clear. Give me a break. Same thing with Lita. She has put down the current divas in numerous interviews, made fun of everyone involved with the Miss Wrestlemania match, but give her a high profile spot on Raw 1000 and suddenly she’s willing to work a match after all these years.
I think they are both egomaniacs (Trish moreso) that still think they are the queens of wrestling no matter how little the current audience remembers them. Unless WWE is willing to kiss their ass 100% they aren’t going to show up. And if the rumors about the part time contracts are true, WWE seems willing to do just that. They don’t have to lose if they don’t want to. But if that’s the case, how about they don’t show up at all?
BillyGP Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
whatever it just shows how much you know about them or want to know. Listen to either of them in interviews and they don’t sound or come across as egomaniacs. It just a chance for you to take shoots at them when you can.
Again not Trish fault who she was paired with at Mania specially when it was going to be Kelly but then Snookie came along for the Celebrity of Mania that year. Trish was also asked to be on Mania to promote Tough Enough also again NOT HER FAULT who she faought or was paired with.
Flawless Reply:
December 24th, 2012 at
As much as i love lita, completely agree @AJFAN83.
NY Pollard Reply:
December 24th, 2012 at
AJFan – You’re completely deluded and its hard to take you even a bit serious if at all. And since when is it unheard of to have an ego in pro wrestling? These two women left their mark and if they want to call the shots to their contracts it is understandable. They’re older (granted not by much) and need to take care of themselves. You make them seem like horrible people when they’re the opposite of that. Id call them smart, humble women who worked their asses off and they earn all their keep, wether you like it or not.
WweLitafan4ever Reply:
December 24th, 2012 at
I remember the segment from 5 years ago at RAW’s 15 anniversary when Lita and Trish both came back during the Jillian Hall segment. Now,it was fucking awesome seeing Lita and Jillian was funny,but man they embarrassed Jillian out there.
ajfan83 Reply:
December 30th, 2012 at
@NY POLLARD
They aren’t a little older. In Diva years, they are a lot older. But more than age, an entire generation has passed since they were on the WWE roster. I’d say at least 50% of the audience that watched them perform no longer watch or attend WWE shows. So what barganing chips do they have? They didn’t leave wrestling and become crossover stars like a Rock or Brock Lesnar. They are two women pushing 40 that have little connection to the current fanbase. If this were 2008 and they were only out for a couple of years (like Jericho) then I could see how their returns might make an impact. But time has passed them by. And as far as their egos go, Lita just comes off as incredibly sarcastic. My main beef with her is all the crap she’s said over the years and now because she’s banging Punk she’s suddenly willing to involve herself with the stuff she’s slammed for so long. Trish? All you have to do is listen to one of her interviews. Nobody loves Trish more than Trish.
at
I love this woman,she is such a legend.
2012 has been a good year for her,as stated here. It all started after the Slammy awards in 2011,and then she was at WM 28 activities,did an interview there,appeared at the biggest show of the year(and participated in one of the biggest segments of the night[who knew that of all the superstars/legends from the past,LITA was the one who would've returned,what a shocking moment and an amazing one at that.])Then she’s the only female in the top 50 finishers dvd,so that’s pretty awesome,TWO Lita’s in WWE 13:D..man how cool is that.
She has been featured a good number of times this year and even did the interview on WWE.com I think around a month ago.
Im glad she gets the recognition she deserves and hopefully gets even more. I also love the fact how she is one of the few former divas that makes appearances and they have increased over the years that she’s been retired. In 2007 she made one,but nothing in 08 or 09,and then she did the Pee Wee cameo in 2010,the slammys in 2011,and a lot more in 2012.The segment with APA and Slater was my fav. of the night and her return this year is my favorite moment of 2012. Just seeing her get a really nice reception from the fans(which she always got after retiring),her being happy to be there(she was smiling the whole time),seeing her do the MOONSAULT and twist of fate,winning the little match,and WWE calling her a legend and saying all these nice things about her(greatest highflying diva of all time,the great Lita,one of the all time great divas, legendary Lita) was just awesome.
Hopefully she makes more appearances in 2013.
Love Lita aka Amy. Best diva ever<3!
at
I love Lita but all she’s done this year was one match on RAW 1000th. If that counts for something then all the Divas & Knockouts should be a women of the year.
divaindemise Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at
I love Lita but I must agree: women of the present should be celebrated.
pumped up kicks Reply:
December 22nd, 2012 at
Agree! I love Lita tons but yea… she definitely shouldn’t be on the list.
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Disagree. Its a countdown guys, she’s not there actual woman of the year, she’s a runner up as she’s had an amazing year.
The winner will be announced Dec 31st. (if you read the article you’d have known this).
“Join us as we count down our runners-up before unveiling he Woman of the Year know December 31st.”
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
*the
*on
Damn phone “/
Melanie Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
It’s a shame this needs reiterating since it’s clearly outlined in the intro, but as a news site, our Women of the Year list is a measure of newsworthiness including headlines and social media buzz, not in-ring achievements. The reasons for Lita’s selection are clearly explained in the post, not least of which includes the huge buzz generated by her Raw 1000 return.
DJ8946 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
I know that its a list Im say that she shouldn’t be on it to me. I can come up with 12 divas and knockouts that made a bigger impact. Eve, Layla, Kaitlyn, AJ, Rosa, Lilian, Stephanie, Vickie, Tessmacher, Gail Kim, Mickie, & Tara. Layla & Mickie made their returns this year. Eve made history by becoming the first ever 3x Divas Champion, main evented twice this year & turning heel. Tara is the 2nd woman to become a 5x Knockouts Champion & turned heel. Kaitlyn, Tessmacher, & AJ all made a impact of their divisions. AJ became the RAW GM & main evented this year. Rosa & Lilian continued to work after the tramatizing things that happen to them. Vickie is the current GM. Gail Kim became the longest run Knockouts Champion ever. Stephanie made her return on RAW 1000th & without her (storyline wise) their wouldn’t have been Triple H vs Brock Lesnar.
Thats why I say that I dont think she should be in the list.
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Okay.. so you’re saying Lita doesn’t deserve to be on the list, yet Rosa Mendez deserves it more than her? I think we’re done discussing anything with you.
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
LoL.. some people on here just read the titles I think and jump to conclusions or something without reading!! grr.
DJ8946 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Of course from a Lita mark. Rosa continued to work after her now ex boyfriend beat her. She only to a 1 week off. Know your facts before you try to make me look stupid when you actually made yourself look stupid.
puppies Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Get over it, Lita made an impact in 2012 , and she made the list. That’s that, done deal, end of story etc.
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
I love how I could change my screen name to any of the other diva’s I like and you’d call me a Natalya mark or a Melina mark.. or an Eve mark.. or an AJ mark.. stop using that term.. it’s just a screen name, that doesn’t mean she’s my favorite. ;-) BTW… being a fan of someone DOESNT MAKE A MARK. Being a fan of someone, thinking their character is real, thinking that can do no wrong, thinking they are better than anyone else regardless of if they are not is a mark, that sir.. I am not and said nothing for you to think that. Lita is better than Rosa, get over it.
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Anndddd.. I didn’t make myself look stupid, that would be your opinion chief. ;-)
Kaledrina Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
i’ve never understood the whole ‘mark’ thing? putting somebody down for liking something is weird.. reminds me of how kids used to go around calling eachother ‘emo’ ‘cos, like, having feelings is so f’d up?? lol.
DJ8946 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
1.) A mark is someone that will bash someone about the person they love if they done agree such as .O0LITAFAN0O. I never said anything bad about Lita. I said that I dont think that she should’ve won & she attacks for not having the same opinion as her. Even after I give good reasons for why I think that she attacks me!
pumped up kicks Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
I most definitely still stand by my statement. I fully undetstand the list, & how she isnt woman of the year just a runner up, but I still dont think she should be on the list. Im very curious about the rest of the list though.
at
YES! So happy she was chosen. Favorite wrestler ever. Wonderful woman.
DJ8946 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Dont tell me to get over it. Thats what this website is for for us to express our thoughts & thats what I did. If you think that she deserves it idc.
Lita-Sault-666 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Melanie wrote above that this is a news site and they’re basing there selection on headlines and media buzz, not in-ring achievements. So those 12 women you mentioned earlier on, half of them can be crossed out, because a match every week or a 3rd run as Divas Champion (sorry eve, i still love you!) simply doesn’t cut it.
puppies Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Wah wah wah go cry to someone who cares. I already told you to get over it, and I’d do it again. After all, “this website is for for us to express our thoughts & thats what I did”. xoxo
at
Forgot how to mention that I absolutely adore this picture of her;she looks wonderful,absolutely Amy-azing!She has a beautiful smile that can light up a room.
Also,I notice that whenever Lita gets mentioned or is praised/nominated for something,there has to be a debate/argument about it.
puppies Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
She’s the most talked about woman in wrestling, of today and yesteryear ;)
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Whenever Lita is praised people have their say about how horrible she is or they believe the “wrestling myths/legends” that were said about her and take it as a fact. Or they are just really big fans of her rival, or they think she was sloppy (I find sloppy funny because it’s usually someone with a Rosa Mendez or Kelly Kelly gravatar). It’s all just a bunch of hate. Lita was very inspirational and Lita brought things to the diva’s division some people are bitter their favorite didn’t get to do is all. :)
WweLitafan4ever Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
It’s not even about that.
Whenever she gets something positive,like the top 50 finishers dvd or being in WWE 13,there always has to be some sort of argument about it. And it’s not like she is the only person that’s in the game twice. There are 3 Foley,3 HHH’s,2 Edge’s,2 Christians,etc. and that’s ok,but if Lita is in it twice then everyone has to bash her for it. I swear,the time she gets some of recognition,she has to be bashed for it and its annoying. Can this woman get some sort of praise without being bashed.If another woman gets praise it’s like “congratulations,x deserves it.”But with Lita there has to be a negative debate about it. It’s really annoying,tbh.
She was really harassed by the fans and wasn’t treated so well towards the end of her career…to say the least,so it’s amazing to see her getting treated well.Besides,she is a female legend who contributed a lot and influenced many of the current women in wrestling,whether fans like her or not,she did a lot while she was around and should get praised for her contributions.
puppies Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Simmer down; with a lot of love comes a lot of hate. It’s how things work, unfortunately.
.o0LitaFan0o. Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Puppies, I love you!~ keep us Lita fans cooled down lol
at
Why are you people complaining? It’s clearly 11 other woman who will be selected and I’m sure all you guys favorites will be on the list. Stop whining!
Kaledrina Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
i personally find it weird because lita isn’t ‘current’. there’s at least 15-30 current women in wrestling who have been relevant all year-long, doing good things, whereas lita showed up for one match (a paycheck) and is doing cm punk (hehehe). so.. to me, it’s almost like saying that those other women don’t matter? their achievements mean zilch? but heigh-ho, every list is subjective =) and if it’s mainly based on news headlines and breaking boundaries i’m totes expecting sunny to take her rightful place at number 1 LOL ;P
pumped up kicks Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Im very curious to see who else is on the list…. I wreak havoc when it does ;)
at
This shocked me but I’m happy she did make a mark this year
Congrats to lita let’s see who the other 11 are
at
Melanie and the DivaDirt Staff clearly explained what the list is about. Some of you are missing the point and it baffles me as to why since again, it is expressed in plain terms. This is about buzzworthiness, not about matches or Championships alone. Lita was included in several WWE DVDs, interviews, video games, a nice return match and now possibly a return in 2013. She is arguably one of the most iconic WWE Superstars and finally gets a little recognition and people shit all over it? Give me a break and deal with it. If all the so called noteworthy divas listed (which some gave me this o_O the F….look on my face) by some are so buzzworthy. Let them continue making their mark. Right now, as part of this list, Lita made it in. Don’t like it? Deal with it… we don’t always get what we want.
And Rosa …. here goes my facial expression and Miz imitations again o_O really!? Really!??? O_o
WweLitafan4ever Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Thank you,someone that sees what I’m saying.
WweLitafan4ever Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
P.s. forgot to mention,Lita’s one return this year is more memorable and significant than anything Rosa’s done in her entire career.
hemme Wilde Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
lol ny pollard you rock!!!
at
So if I speak my mind about what I THINK everyone should attack me for MY OPINION since they dont agree right? I believe Rosa should be on the list because her boyfriend beat her ass & she continued to work. She didnt trash him or run his name in the dirt. She kept going. If you guys have more respect for someone being in a DVD than someone who continued to go on with her life & not react at least in the public eye after their boyfriend beat them then you have a mess up mind. You guys attack anybody who even tries to say anything positive about Rosa. I never bashed Lita. At the beginning of my post I even said that I love Lita.
NY Pollard Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
And I never said that I didn’t like Rosa or that you didn’t like Lita either. I’m not attacking you, but I just don’t think Rosa should be mentioned at all. I realize there was some buzz regarding the incident with her bf, though I don’t think it would make the list on that alone. This because I still think other women generated more headlines and overall attention over the past year. Lita was infact one of them. Just my opinion, you shouldn’t get upset. Its not personal and you’re entitled to your opinions too. :-)
at
tbh people need to get off their high horse about lita! shes a legend, shes inspirational not just to women but to men as well (me included), and she was one of the women who generated alot of buzz this year which if people actually read the intro was one of the main things for being placed on this list, get over it and stop complaining, if it wasnt for lita the divas of today wouldnt be where they are, trish stratus wouldnt have become trish stratus without her feud with lita, and we’d still be having divas like the kat in wwe. give this woman some credit! congrats lita on being ONE of the TWELVE women to be named women of the year :) you definetly deserve it!!
at
oh and just a little added bonus, i love rosa mendes but im sorry being beaten by your boyfriend is not a reason to be considered woman of the year, being 3 time divas champ doesnt do it either sorry eve, if any current diva deserves it it would have to be aj and sara del rey, out of the knockouts i would say gail kim and mickie james, and i think kharma is definetly gonna be on the list not to mention the countless indy girls as well
at
Actually I think becoming 3x Divas Champ is worthy being on the list considering its a record held, as well as her winning Stars for Stripes among other things, I think Eve has a safe spot on the list.
redsandman99 Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
Eve’s gonna be on it. No way she won’t be. Anyone that thinks she won’t is in for some disappointment.
NY Pollard Reply:
December 23rd, 2012 at
I think Sara Del Ray might make it on it since she herself was an anti diva – as far as image and pure wrestling background – and no one would anticipate her signing with WWE. It was quite a shocker and her working with the women in WWE is one of the smartest decisions they’ve made in recent memory.
at
she came 12th on the list anyway people are acting like Diva Dirt rated her Woman of the Year. And please do read how these women get on the list…. we don’t want another bitching session after Kelly Kelly’s (deserved) victory last year.
at
GO LITA!! :D
at
hahhahaaa thankyou DD for recognising Lita and the impact she made this year.
ROFL!!…. i swear some of you crack me up too easily with your whining and sacasm. i regularly come on here for a catch-up and find myself LOLing reading your frustrations and pettiness. cheer up its xmas.