No conversation about Raw can be without, according to Diva Dirt fans, the two greatest Raw Divas in history: Trish Stratus and Lita. Destined, it seems, to be compared, contrasted, prodded and pulled at until the end of time by fans who to this day love to argue the merits of each and just who was better, Trish and Lita left an indelible mark on the WWE as the two top female faces of the company in the new millennium. Lita, the devil may care highflyer, was unlike any Diva WWE had before; where WWE had previously concentrated on blonde bombshells like Sable, Sunny, Debra and Miss Kitty, Lita was ‘one of the boys’ almost. She had different hair, didn’t try to dress ‘sexy’ (rather, I’d say she just naturally came across that way), and had an attitude/air about her that she was someone who you could hang out with and have a conversation with. Perhaps that is the reason she appealed so much to young girls who may not have otherwise expressed interest in WWE; the girls who didn’t look like Playboy models and didn’t aspire to be like them. She was something of a feminist icon, in a sense. Lita was a different breed of Diva, one that WWE hasn’t, it seems, tried to replace until recently with AJ (another Diva who is ‘one of the boys’).
On the flip-side, Trish Stratus could have been yet another blonde bombshell, but she transcended that. If there’s one thing I can say for Trish, especially seeing her business empire boom post-WWE, she is a true professional and an excellent businesswoman. Trish, a fan prior to joining WWE, gave it her all and the results definitely showed in the ring. And more than that, Trish was able to become arguably the most iconic Diva of all time — with home video, posters, magazine covers etc. all dedicated to her — because of her business savvy and being able to market herself and treat herself as a brand. Say what you will about her in-ring work, but there has never been a smarter woman in wrestling who maximized all of her opportunities in wrestling to forge a brand and career that most can only dream of. How many females who were at the top of their game in WWE have become sad stories today? Trish is a beacon of what a WWE Diva can accomplish, and in my opinion, a great role model for women in any business.
Often called the ‘golden age’, the Raw Divas were never better than when we had a stacked roster, including the aforementioned Trish, Lita and Jackie, as well as Ivory, Jazz, Gail Kim, Molly Holly and Victoria. Each of those women, at one time or another, had a moment to shine and each are still respected for their in-ring contributions today. There was a time when some combination of these women put on some of the best wrestling we’ve seen on TV female-wise on a weekly basis. Of course, others such as Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler played their roles, too; because, despite what fans think, wrestling isn’t always about just being able to wrestle. You have to have characters, too. Stacy and Torrie were incredibly popular in their time and catered to an audience their counterparts couldn’t.
In the current modern era, we’ve seen the likes of Mickie James, Melina and Beth Phoenix lead the Raw Divas. Mickie’s feud with Trish was perhaps the best long-running women’s storyline on TV in years at that point, resulting in a passing of the torch from the likes of Lita and Trish to her. What Mickie had was that ‘everygirl’ appeal; fans couldn’t help but warm to James. Melina, then, was popular for the opposite reason — she was a fiery heel that recalled some of those great women like Sherri Martel. Beth, like those ‘golden age’ Divas, had merit with fans because of her in-ring abilities. But while the modern era will be known for those women, it’ll also be known for being the period in which more women such as Candice Michelle, Eve, Maryse, the Bellas, and Kelly Kelly — those without a wrestling background — would be given the ball. While the likes of Stacy and Torrie were generally kept out of the title picture, the two sides of the Divas roster were now merged. And there’s no denying that each of those women have helped shape Raw, also, even though they are often chided by fans as “not wrestlers”.
This obviously is a non-exhaustive look at some of the Divas who have helped shape Raw, and all opinion is my own. I’m sure I’ve neglected to mention a few women, or purposely omitted some names I personally didn’t feel helped shape Raw for me (and me only) as a viewer. As for those women mentioned, who have helped shape Raw for me Diva-wise throughout the years I’ve been watching, they will be remembered — for better or worse.
I wonder, then, what the next 1,000 episodes will look like and which Divas will shape them? The immediate future, it seems, will be shaped by AJ, who has already become one of the most prominent stars of Raw — male or female. Like Lita, she was in the right place at the right time when fans were yearning for a Diva who was different; one that the non-girly girls could look up to and the males could consider themselves hanging out with. And perhaps like Lita, she’ll channel that unique appeal to become part of the Raw furniture, as it were, for the next several years.
