WWE women’s Mount Rushmore revealed including Charlotte Flair and British legend Paige but no Trish Stratus
THE Mount Rushmore of wrestling is much debated by WWE fans – now it’s time for the women’s division to follow suit with a Mount Rushmore of the best-ever female talent.
WWE women’s wrestling has undergone a transformation in the past five years, with the “Women’s Evolution” and a new generation of female superstars.
To make it onto the Mount Rushmore of wrestling, a superstar needs it all – wrestling talent, charisma, big match performances, and a history-making impact.
SunSport looks back at female superstars from past and present to create the definitive Mount Rushmore of the WWE women’s division.
Becky Lynch
While other female superstars were initially pushed as the faces of the renewed women’s division, Becky was the final missing puzzle piece – a genuine top star.
As one of the Four Horsewomen of NXT, Becky was fundamental to raising the bar for women’s action in WWE.
On the main roster she became the backbone of SmackDown women’s division before a popular heel turn against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2018.
But Becky’s new persona – “The Man” – was so popular that she didn’t stay heel for long.
She connected with fans, who made her the most universally-loved babyface of modern-day WWE after Daniel Bryan, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
At WrestleMania 35, Becky won both women’s titles in the first ever women’s main event at Mania. She went on to hold the Raw title for more than a year.
Not every match was a five star classic – WWE saddled Becky with some dud creative and opponents – but The Man has been sorely missed on the Raw roster since taking leave to have a baby.
Charlotte Flair
A section of WWE fandom has revolted against “The Queen” for her continuous top spot in the company. But Charlotte reigns supreme for good reason – she’s the best in-ring performer in women’s division history.
As daughter of Ric Flair, Charlotte was pushed as the main star of NXT’s Four Horsewomen.
On the main roster she quickly became champ and stole the show at WrestleMania 32 against Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch – kicking off a trend of killer performances in high-profile matches.
It’s no coincidence that Becky, Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Natalya, Trish Stratus, and Rhea Ripley all had their best matches against Charlotte.
The Queen is also a natural heel and promo – making her one of the complete performers in the whole of WWE.
Decades from, fans won’t just be talking about her as the greatest ever female superstar – but one of the greatest of all time.
Paige
Even before the Four Horsewomen, British star Paige was the original trailblazer of women’s wrestling in NXT.
Paige was the inaugural women’s NXT champ and won other fans with sizzling matches against Emma – some of WWE’s best ever women’s wrestling by that point.
She won the Divas title on her main roster debut (though she was the “anti-Diva”) in a lightning-quick match against “frenemy” AJ Lee the night after WrestleMania 30.
Paige helped drag up the quality of matches and reputation of the women’s division – after years in the creative doldrums.
Along with AJ Lee, Paige was key in kick-starting the “Give Divas a chance” movement, which laid the groundwork for the Women’s Revolution.
Paige’s career was cruelly cut short due to spinal stenosis, but her influence on the women’s division continues. Her biopic movie, Fighting with My Family, also put mainstream attention on WWE women’s wrestling.
Chyna
Debuting in 1997 as bodyguard to Triple H, Chyna was the first woman to be treated as an equal to male superstars in WWE.
These days, Triple H is the “King of Kings” but back then it took the arrival of the muscular and menacing Chyna to really get him over with fans. She brutalised his opponents with low-blows and cheap shots.
Famously, fans erupted the first time Steve Austin hit her with the Stunner – a testament to how popular she was as a heel.
Chyna was an integral part of the Attitude Era-defining faction DX. She was the first woman to enter the Royal Rumble and the first (and only) woman to hold the Intercontinental title.
Though Chyna was a limited wrestler, her superstar aura was huge at the the Attitude Era peak. In terms of crossover mainstream stardom, she was behind only Stone Cold and the Rock. In fact, when she finally became women’s champ in 2001, it was a step down.
Though later snubbed by WWE for her personal problems and later porn career, WWE changed its mind after she died in 2016. Chyna rightly entered the Hall of Fame as part of DX in 2019.
Honourable Mentions
Here are some tag teams also worthy of consideration.
Trish Stratus
Trish transcended from eye candy valet to top female name during the mid-2000s and had better women’s matches than WWE fans had seen in a decade.
Her matches with Lita were landmarks and her feud against stalker Mickie James is one of the great women’s stories.
Sasha Banks
“The Boss” was the sweetheart of the Four Horsewomen. She won over fans as a brilliantly smug heel, with a masterful grasp of psychology – just see her NXT classics against Bayley.
Sasha had a killer 2016 on the main roster but foundered creatively until her sizzling team-up/feud with Bayley this year. When given the creative freedom Sasha is a GOAT contender.
Ronda Rousey
The former UFC champ stole the show in her debut at WrestleMania 34 and had the best rookie year since Brock Lesnar with belters against Sasha, Charlotte, and Nikki Bella.
She suffered her first loss (pinned by Becky Lynch) in the main event of WrestleMania 35. Ronda has unfinished business in WWE. She never had the anticipated one-on-one match with Becky.
Fabulous Moolah
Moolah was the lynchpin of US women’s wrestling for three decades, and held the title for a supposed 28 years (not quite true but close enough).
Her legacy has been dogged by accusations of holding back women’s wrestling and abuse against multiple women she trained.
Alundra Blayze
Not just a star of the women’s division, Alundra was the women’s division in the mid-1990s. She had crackers against Japanese star Bull Nakano – the best ever women’s matches in WWE at the time.
Alundra also made wrestling history when she jumped ship to WCW – under her non-WWE name Madusa – and dumped the WWE women’s belt in the bin on TV.
Wendi Richter
Though sometimes forgotten by modern fans, Richter was a major part of WWE’s popularity and national expansion at its mid-1980s peak.
Backed up by pop star Cyndi Lauper, Richter was pitched as the female Hulk Hogan. But she was forced out of WWE after Vince McMahon and Moolah screwed her out of the title.
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Asuka
Asuka was undefeated for two and a half years in NXT and WWE and gained a rep as a killer in the ring. She’s one of the best female wrestlers and personalities in WWE.
This year she got herself over on the mic – despite a lack of fans and speaking English – to the point of being crowned Raw champ. But she’s all-too-often lumped with poor storylines.
