TOP 10: The Most Important Women in Wrestling History

June 10, 2017

TOP 10: The Most Important Women in Wrestling History

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The Top 10 Most Important Women in Wrestling History

11. Tammy "Sunny" Sytch
This was supposed to be a top 10 list, we know. We didn't feel right about taking any of the top 10 women off our list and Tammy "Sunny" Sytch certainly most certainly deserved to make our list. Sunny was the very first diva, an era that dominated women's wrestling for nearly two decades. While that era certainly gets a bad rap for its reliance on beauty over sheer wrestling expertise and athletic ability, it was the same era that spit out talents like Sable, Jackie, Beth Phoenix, Nikki Bella, and others. It all began with Sunny, who after establishing herself in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, debuted in the WWE as the manager of the Bodydonnas in 1994. If you had a poster in your room in the early 1990s, chances are it was of Miss Sytch, even if you weren't a wrestling fan. She became the most downloaded woman on the internet and stood out in an era of super models like Carmen Elektra, Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy. Her beauty brought a new audience to wrestling, as she became a household name. People all over the world were captivated by this Hall of Famer and Sunny wasn't just a pretty face. She was a genius of a manager. By the time her WWE career ended she managed four WWE tag team champions including legendary Hall of Famers, Hawk and Animal, the Legion of Doom.

10. Jackie
Jacqueline Moore worked as an independent wrestler throughout the 1980s for promotions like the USWA. She had a brief stint in the WWE during the mid 1990s; but, only as Jeff Jarrett's manager Wynnona. In 1998 she debuted as Marc Mero's new girlfriend, brought about to exact her revenge on Mero's old flame, Sable. This was the era of bikini contests and pillow fights. Jackie didn't fit the traditional mold of WWE's porn-star inspired divas. She was built like an athlete, with enormous biceps cut out of the mold of a greek goddess. Jackie was also a rarity in professional wrestling, an African American female wrestler. In fact, she was the only African American female on the WWE's entire roster. Her feud with Sable was so over that the WWE felt it was high time to bring back the Women's Championship to add just a little incentive to the Sable vs Jackie mayhem. At the time, no African American female had ever captured a major promotion's world championship. On September 21st, 1998 Jackie beat Sable to become the very first African American to ever win a women's title in any major promotion's history. Like Jackie Robinson before her, this Jackie broke barriers and that's why she made our list of the most important women in wrestling history.

9. Sherri Martel
Most wrestling fans know Sherri Martel as a wildly successful manager, which she was; but, by the time she entered the WWE in 1987, Sherri was already one of the most accomplished female wrestlers in the world, having captured the prestigious AWA Women's Championship. When she arrived in the WWE, the roster already featured the top women's talent in the world with the legendary Fabulous Moolah sitting atop the division as its champion . On July 24, 1987 Sherri defeated The Fabulous Moolah, arguably the greatest female wrestler ever, to become the new WWE Women's Champion. Sherri remained champion for over a year; but, when the WWE began phasing out its women's division in the 1990, she turned her attention to managing her male counterparts, something she first dabbled with in the AWA. Sherri managed three WWE Hall of Famers during her tenure including; Ted DiBiase, Shawn Michaels, and most notably "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Sherri eventually found her way into WCW where she added WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Harlem Heat to her resume. If you're keeping track, that's six hall of famers altogether, all managed by Sherri. Although Sherri was a knockout in her own right, her managing style wasn't one of distracting beauty. She would often get involved physically during the matches and as a former world champion, no one wanted to feel the brunt of her physical wrath. Sherri, a WWE Hall of Famer, is the only woman on this list to have a Hall of Fame caliber career as both a manager and a wrestler.

8. Lita
Lita raised the bar in professional women's wrestling. In fact, she broke the ceiling. Standing out in an era of bikinis and pillow fights, Lita was a bad ass unafraid to be herself among carefully branded corporate created centerfolds. Her high flying maneuvers and fearless recklessness with her own body, showed that she was truly different from her diva-like counterparts. She made history on December 6, 2004 when she and Trish Stratus became the first women to ever main RAW. The two were the first women to ever main event a weekly WWE show. Lita would leave that very RAW as the new WWE Women's Champion and enter the history books as one of the greatest female in-ring competitors of all time.

7. Miss Elizabeth
Miss Elizabeth was the very definition of class, dignity, and beauty during her meteoric WWE tenure. Known as the First Lady of Wrestling, Elizabeth rose to fame and prominence along-side her real-life husband "Macho Man" Randy Savage. In the mid 1980s, Savage was a hot commodity and many hall of fame caliber managers bid for his services; but, the world of wrestling was turned upside down when Savage selected the petite and unassuming Elizabeth to be his manager. She would become a staple at his side and not simply a pretty face. Elizabeth would frequently run distraction keeping Savage from being seriously hurt by other more physically imposing wrestlers. She would advocate for title shots and for awhile, was even able to keep the peace between two real life rivals, the Mega Powers, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. Macho Man is one of the greatest wrestlers in history; but, his career arc would have obviously been drastically different without Elizabeth at his side. After a brief feud and hiatus, Savage and Elizabeth would reunite at the conclusion of his career-ending loss to the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII. The WWE Universe was captivated by the reunion, which saw a massive amount of national media coverage. Eventually Savage and Elizabeth would have a television marriage at SummerSlam, becoming WWE's most famous wrestling couple in history. Elizabeth led Savage to a Hall of Fame career that saw the duo team for an Intercontinental Championship, a King of the Ring crown, two WWE Championships, and two WrestleMania main events.

6. Nikki Bella
No wrestler in history will ever be more associated with the polarizing term "diva" than Nikki Bella. Bella may not have coined the term; but, she certainly defined it and for many, that works in her favor as well as against. Today's judgments of the divas era can be harsh, often unnecessarily. Women of that era are often pigeonholed as more celebrity than wrestler, more glamor queen than grappler. While Nikki's career may have begun that way, with her good looks and obvious sex appeal gaining her a clear advantage in the division, that is certainly not all she offered. No one worked harder than Nikki Bella and she went from "green" to being one of the more accomplished women on the roster. All the hard work paid off as Nikki Bella went on to become a fierce in-ring competitor and the longest reigning WWE Divas Champion in history, holding the Title for a record 301 days. In the modern era of wrestling, where fans lose their attention in seconds, this can be seen as nothing less than a Sammartino-esque accomplishment.

5. Alundra Blayze (Madusa Miceli)
For awhile Alundra Blayze was not only the face of WWE's womens division; but, one of the only recognizable faces on the women's roster. That's not to say her opponents weren't talented: The 200 plus pound Bull Nakano was an absolute beast; but, in the mid-1990s women's wrestling was simply an after thought. Blayze always fought against the current to carry the mantle for professional women's wrestling. Everything she did was a struggle against a creative team that didn't have much faith in women's wrestling and an audience trained to believe women's wrestling was just another excuse for a bathroom break. Alundra Blayze shouldn't be on this list because in her era women's wrestling was an afterthought; but, she goes down as one of WWE's greatest women's champion thanks to her own valiant efforts. This is despite what WWE Creative usually had planned for her. Late in her career, Blazye inadvertently sparked the Monday night wars between the WWE and WCW when she jumped ship and before a live Nitro television audience shocked the world by tossing the WWE Women's Championship into the garbage. It wasn't only one of the most important moments in women's wrestling history; but, it was one of the most important moments in the history of professional wrestling.

4. Joanie "Chyna" Laurer
It was no accident that Chyna was billed as the 9th Wonder of the World. The legendary Andre the Giant was known as the 8th Wonder of the World. When the WWE gives a nickname that invokes memories of Andre the Giant, that is lofty praise indeed, giving Chyna much to live up to. Chyna didn't disappoint and far exceeded the lofty expectations. While she first debuted as one of Triple H's D-X lackeys, she quickly earned her way up the ladder as one of WWE's top forces to be reckoned with. Triple H, who has had a Hall of Fame caliber career, owes much of his early success to Chyna's guidance and interference. She would often physically intimidate male wrestlers with her sheer power and massive physique. In 1999 Chyna would become the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble. She eventually became the first woman to ever qualify for the King of the Ring tournament and the first woman to ever be a #1 contender for the WWE Championship. On October 17, 1999 Chyna defeated Jeff Jarrett to become the first and only female Intercontinental Champion.

3. Charlotte Flair
When Charlotte began pursuing a professional wrestling career, her father's shadow wasn't the most difficult roadblock in her way. The sport of women's professional wrestling had devolved into a glamor show, featuring beauty over athleticism. Charlotte, undoubtedly a beautiful woman, prided herself on her athletic prowess in a sport that simply failed to often recognize its value. That didn't stop Charlotte, who debuted in NXT in 2012. She quickly rose through the ranks of the division feuding with fellow newcomers Sasha Banks, Paige, and Bayley. Eventually Charlotte would solidify herself as a major star by winning NXT's highest crown: The NXT Women's Champion. A star as bright as Charlotte's couldn't be confined to WWE's NXT division and she soon saw herself being called up to the main roster where she has now become a 5-Time WWE Champion and one of WWE's most recognizable Superstars.

2. Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon, daughter of Vince, granddaughter of Vince senior was destined for a career in professional wrestling. The very essence of sports entertainment flows through her blood. Her father, Vince, worked hard to prove himself to his own father and the two were rivals before Vince won the battle and wrestled the business from his own dad. In other words, Stephanie came from a family that believed in hard work and nothing would be handed to her. She worked her way up the ladder at the Company starting as an administrative assistant, whose duties included handling the phones at WWE headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Some of the old WWE catalogs feature a teenage Stephanie modeling the wrestler's tee shirts. She became a jack of all trades in the Company as she learned the value of hard work at every level. Today Stephanie is the Chief Brand Officer of the WWE and ala her father, she is responsible for everything under the sun. Stephanie is one of the world's most recognizable business women in the world and is now one of the world's most recognizable moms. Balancing being there for her three daughters with being an international business mogul, Stephanie is a model for the modern woman who can do it all. She's also been involved in some of WWE's most popular wrestling angles over the last two decades. This includes; her real-life and on-screen relationship with Triple H, the McMahon family feud, acting as General Manager for both the RAW and SmackDown brands, and even mixing it up in the ring with her own father. Stephanie does it all and she's young yet, at only 40. Before it's all said and done, she could move up on this list.

1. Fabulous Moolah
The Fabulous Moolah is arguably the most accomplished female wrestler in history. While fans today may remember her from her comedic appearances with the WWE, Moolah was an unbeatable women's champion for a whopping 27 years! She held the NWA and WWE Women's Champion from 1956-1983, three decades of domination, as she became the face of women's wrestling the world over. In her Hall of Fame career she battled the likes of Judy Grable, June Byers, Rockin' Robin, Sherri Martel, and Wendi Richter. Moolah may be best known; however, for her activism in getting the state of New York to overturn the ban on women's wrestling, which they did at Moolah's behest in 1972. During her tour to inform the public about New York's ban she appeared before a national television audience on the Mike Douglas Show. There Moolah flipped 6'5" 300 pound New York Giants defensive tackle Rosey Grier onto his back to the shock of millions watching on television. Long after her retirement, Moolah was a regular on WWE television appearing periodically in comedic appearances. Even well into her 80s, Moolah wasn't afraid to take bumps, even taking an RKO from one Randy Orton. Sadly, in 2007, Moolah passed away at the age of 84; but, not before cementing herself as #1 on our list of the Most Important Women in Wrestling History.