When it comes to the evolving landscape of the women’s division in WWE, there are dozens of individuals who can be credited with helping the style get taken more seriously, from generational standouts like Alundra Blayze and the Jumping Bomb Angels to modern wrestlers such as Becky Lynch and Bayley. Along the way, certain moments have pushed the boundaries and shown that women’s wrestling is just as exciting as men’s. One of the most important matches in the division’s history took place on an episode of “WWE Raw” in 2004, with Trish Stratus facing Lita in the main event.
Four years earlier, WWE signed Stratus and Lita, both of whom were already fans of pro wrestling and had at least some experience in the industry. While the vast majority of women’s wrestling matches of the era were short and intended as little more than showcases for the attractive performers, Stratus and Lita (along with other wrestlers like Jazz) began putting on more competitive and athletic bouts. They were raising the bar and, in the process, setting things up for the “Women’s Revolution” that would come later.
Trish Stratus & Lita Wrestle A Legendary WWE Raw Main Event
By the time 2004 rolled around, Stratus and Lita were in the midst of a long-term storyline that took them from tag team partners to bitter rivals. However, in a 2024 interview with Ring The Belle, Stratus revealed that there was no long-term plan to elevate women to the main event. Instead, things unfolded naturally, with the feud gaining steam over time and the company in need of a high-profile match to main event “Raw” days before WWE Armageddon 2004.
The two women were unsure if the decision would stick, with former WWE CEO Vince McMahon notorious for making significant booking changes at the last minute. However, Stratus and Lita main evented as planned, with a 10-minute match that saw Lita capture the WWE Women’s World Championship in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Though the 2004 bout is often cited as the first-ever women’s main event on “Raw,” Lita had previously defeated Stephanie McMahon to close the show back in 2000. However, that match was nowhere close to Stratus-Lita in terms of excitement and has been largely ignored by WWE as a main event.
How Trish Stratus & Lita Altered The Course Of History For Women’s Wrestling
When all was said and done, the match was well received but there was no immediate response in WWE’s booking of the women’s division. It took some time, but the work put in by Stratus and Lita paid off, with performers like AJ Lee and even Nikki and Brie Bella carrying the torch until the aforementioned “Women’s Revolution,” usually cited as beginning in 2015.
The introduction of a new generation of women inspired by Stratus and Lita reinvigorated the division, leading to more time and better storylines. Wrestlers like Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks were building off the precedent clearly set by Stratus and Lita over a decade prior, with their performances on WWE NXT creating a groundswell of support that led to a wave of main roster promotions. Banks and Flair were the two women to take up the mantle,
It wasn’t until 2016 that women main evented “Raw” once again, with Banks and Flair facing off on the November 28 episode. Since then, the women’s division has catapulted in both popularity and effort from WWE. Though Stratus and Lita retired from wrestling full-time in the mid-2000s, both have made returns to the company in the years since, and are often credited as two of the most inspiring legends for today’s generation of women in wrestling.
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