Post by Tiarnán on Aug 17, 2016 17:21:59 GMT -5
Discuss your thoughts and tell us your favourites from the different eras of the WWE women. Starting from like 1998 because we're all much too young to remember anything else. 
1. The Attitude Era - What stands out as a golden era as such for the company on a whole can be regarded as a dark era for the women of the WWE. True, Sable was a household name, the Women's Championship was reinstated and women like Luna and Ivory and Jacqueline did their best to hold the fortress that was crumbling down around them, but as the years progressed the trashiness increased and flashing boobs on PPV for buys became the norm. 1999 leading into early 2000 in particular saw key events such as Debra winning the title for losing a Bra and Panties match (thanks for that Shawn), and Harvey Wippleman defeating The Kat in a snow bunny match to become the first and only male Women's Champion. However, on the peripheries Chyna was making a statement in the male divisions, and early in 2000 a young pair named Trish Stratus and Lita had their humble beginnings.
2. The Golden Era - In 2000 leading into 2001, things began to look up for the women. Stephanie McMahon's reign as champion created the perfect moment for a young Lita to rise to the top and receive her first big moment in WWE when she captured the belt in Raw's main event. Ivory was delivering the best work of her career as the prudish Right to Censor member, leading to a polarising feud with a volatile Chyna. Fans grew accustomed to women like Trish Stratus and Molly Holly through enticing romantic storylines with Vince McMahon and Spike Dudley respectively. All of this came to a head when the Women's title was reintroduced at Survivor Series 2001 in a six pack challenge with the underdog Trish coming out on top and leading the division into a new era. Gradually and quietly, women began to be treated with more respect. True, on SmackDown and sometimes Raw the dregs of the Attitude era could still be seen, but even here the storylines were more coherent and were handled with more finesse, featuring women such as Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, Dawn Marie, Nidia and a returning Sable. Meanwhile, on Raw, the championship was contested by a talented and collaborative group of women that included Trish, Lita, Molly, Jazz, Victoria, Jacqueline, Gail Kim and Ivory. The Era climaxed with a thrilling Raw main event contested between bitter rivals Lita and Trish; a bout solely featuring the women. Things were looking up, and promised to remain alive headed into a new era when new talent including Mickie James and Melina was introduced in 2005 and were treated with similar respect. Would it last? Well...
3. The Forgotten Era - When the Roman Empire fell in Europe, we entered the 'Middle Ages' - a period between eras classically regarded as of higher importance and worth. So too did a dark era befall upon the WWE women's division, an era that in many ways has been maligned and hastily covered up by the company as we enter the latest period. True, things began to look down for the women. Old stars began to retire, whereas other great hands in the division were carelessly released as management informed the women that they were looking for to take a new path. This path saw the rise of the Diva Search: an attempt to flood the women's roster with beautiful ladies from outside of the business to create a more aesthetically pleasing television experience for the viewer. Athleticism became secondary, if not tertiary, and quality began to dip. Restrictions were placed upon the competitors: 'No punching!', they were told. 'No wrestling like men!' It was a hard time to be a woman. Nevertheless, a group of warriors did their best to fight through the barriers and create their own legacy. Women such as Melina, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, Candice Michelle and others did their best to ensure that they would not be forgotten in the annals of time, no matter how hard WWE tried to diminish their work. And to this fan they succeeded.
4. The Reconstruction Era - Things have to get worse before they get better, or so they say. This philosophy can be seen in this period of female wrestling history, which truly is a period of two halves. As the women of the prior era began to leave, things looked worse than ever. Yes, a select number of talented girls remained on the roster, but those who had championed women's wrestling in spite of the limitations in the former era were mostly gone. Women such as Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and the Bella Twins were forced to take the reigns, and though they worked hard, the impact of management's sexist policies were plain to see in the audience's reaction to their bouts. Was women's wrestling coming to an end? To some it seemed that way during the dark days of mid 2011. However, somewhere in the darkness a spark became lit. Beginning with a surprising drive in the characterisation of Eve Torres, and catapulting as a result of the rise of AJ Lee, fans gradually began to take more notice of the then Divas. Total Divas was a double edged sword; it confused and dismantled storylines, but it created a sense of familiarity between the women and the fans. Consequently, the Bella Twins were able to finally take off and achieve the potential many fans had seen in them since day one. Things weren't perfect, but there was hope.
5. The Revolution Era - As the aforementioned events took place, a new development system in NXT saw ladies such as Paige, Emma, Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch begin to create waves that rippled through the public consciousness. How were these women able to perform to the level that they were performing at in NXT whilst the women on the main roster continued to be subject to limitations specific to their sex? Gradually, a crossover began to happen. The arrival of Paige on the roster gave fans a taste of the NXT experience, but it wasn't enough. In early 2015, disgruntled women's wrestling fans decided that they had had enough, following years of abuse. 'Give Divas a chance!' they bellowed. This was boosted by the likes of the Bella Twins, who advocated for this declaration, and most notably AJ Lee, whose relationship with the company was souring. The popular superstar publicly pointed out the discrepancies between men and women in wrestling, questioning Stephanie McMahon's public persona in the process. And finally things began to roll. The arrival of the NXT 'Three' in the summer started it, and though things remained rocky, gradually the stones fell into place. WrestleMania 33 saw a match lauded as arguably the best in the card, and in the process the term 'Diva' was no more.
---
I don't know if anyone will read that but I had fun lolol. Basically, tell us about your thoughts on each era. Do you agree with public consensus? Do you think the narrative told above neglects to pay enough credit to certain women and aspects of the division? Who were your favourite wrestler and what were your favourite moments of the different eras? What aspects did you not like? Do tell.
1. The Attitude Era - What stands out as a golden era as such for the company on a whole can be regarded as a dark era for the women of the WWE. True, Sable was a household name, the Women's Championship was reinstated and women like Luna and Ivory and Jacqueline did their best to hold the fortress that was crumbling down around them, but as the years progressed the trashiness increased and flashing boobs on PPV for buys became the norm. 1999 leading into early 2000 in particular saw key events such as Debra winning the title for losing a Bra and Panties match (thanks for that Shawn), and Harvey Wippleman defeating The Kat in a snow bunny match to become the first and only male Women's Champion. However, on the peripheries Chyna was making a statement in the male divisions, and early in 2000 a young pair named Trish Stratus and Lita had their humble beginnings.
2. The Golden Era - In 2000 leading into 2001, things began to look up for the women. Stephanie McMahon's reign as champion created the perfect moment for a young Lita to rise to the top and receive her first big moment in WWE when she captured the belt in Raw's main event. Ivory was delivering the best work of her career as the prudish Right to Censor member, leading to a polarising feud with a volatile Chyna. Fans grew accustomed to women like Trish Stratus and Molly Holly through enticing romantic storylines with Vince McMahon and Spike Dudley respectively. All of this came to a head when the Women's title was reintroduced at Survivor Series 2001 in a six pack challenge with the underdog Trish coming out on top and leading the division into a new era. Gradually and quietly, women began to be treated with more respect. True, on SmackDown and sometimes Raw the dregs of the Attitude era could still be seen, but even here the storylines were more coherent and were handled with more finesse, featuring women such as Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, Dawn Marie, Nidia and a returning Sable. Meanwhile, on Raw, the championship was contested by a talented and collaborative group of women that included Trish, Lita, Molly, Jazz, Victoria, Jacqueline, Gail Kim and Ivory. The Era climaxed with a thrilling Raw main event contested between bitter rivals Lita and Trish; a bout solely featuring the women. Things were looking up, and promised to remain alive headed into a new era when new talent including Mickie James and Melina was introduced in 2005 and were treated with similar respect. Would it last? Well...
3. The Forgotten Era - When the Roman Empire fell in Europe, we entered the 'Middle Ages' - a period between eras classically regarded as of higher importance and worth. So too did a dark era befall upon the WWE women's division, an era that in many ways has been maligned and hastily covered up by the company as we enter the latest period. True, things began to look down for the women. Old stars began to retire, whereas other great hands in the division were carelessly released as management informed the women that they were looking for to take a new path. This path saw the rise of the Diva Search: an attempt to flood the women's roster with beautiful ladies from outside of the business to create a more aesthetically pleasing television experience for the viewer. Athleticism became secondary, if not tertiary, and quality began to dip. Restrictions were placed upon the competitors: 'No punching!', they were told. 'No wrestling like men!' It was a hard time to be a woman. Nevertheless, a group of warriors did their best to fight through the barriers and create their own legacy. Women such as Melina, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Michelle McCool, Candice Michelle and others did their best to ensure that they would not be forgotten in the annals of time, no matter how hard WWE tried to diminish their work. And to this fan they succeeded.
4. The Reconstruction Era - Things have to get worse before they get better, or so they say. This philosophy can be seen in this period of female wrestling history, which truly is a period of two halves. As the women of the prior era began to leave, things looked worse than ever. Yes, a select number of talented girls remained on the roster, but those who had championed women's wrestling in spite of the limitations in the former era were mostly gone. Women such as Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and the Bella Twins were forced to take the reigns, and though they worked hard, the impact of management's sexist policies were plain to see in the audience's reaction to their bouts. Was women's wrestling coming to an end? To some it seemed that way during the dark days of mid 2011. However, somewhere in the darkness a spark became lit. Beginning with a surprising drive in the characterisation of Eve Torres, and catapulting as a result of the rise of AJ Lee, fans gradually began to take more notice of the then Divas. Total Divas was a double edged sword; it confused and dismantled storylines, but it created a sense of familiarity between the women and the fans. Consequently, the Bella Twins were able to finally take off and achieve the potential many fans had seen in them since day one. Things weren't perfect, but there was hope.
5. The Revolution Era - As the aforementioned events took place, a new development system in NXT saw ladies such as Paige, Emma, Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch begin to create waves that rippled through the public consciousness. How were these women able to perform to the level that they were performing at in NXT whilst the women on the main roster continued to be subject to limitations specific to their sex? Gradually, a crossover began to happen. The arrival of Paige on the roster gave fans a taste of the NXT experience, but it wasn't enough. In early 2015, disgruntled women's wrestling fans decided that they had had enough, following years of abuse. 'Give Divas a chance!' they bellowed. This was boosted by the likes of the Bella Twins, who advocated for this declaration, and most notably AJ Lee, whose relationship with the company was souring. The popular superstar publicly pointed out the discrepancies between men and women in wrestling, questioning Stephanie McMahon's public persona in the process. And finally things began to roll. The arrival of the NXT 'Three' in the summer started it, and though things remained rocky, gradually the stones fell into place. WrestleMania 33 saw a match lauded as arguably the best in the card, and in the process the term 'Diva' was no more.
---
I don't know if anyone will read that but I had fun lolol. Basically, tell us about your thoughts on each era. Do you agree with public consensus? Do you think the narrative told above neglects to pay enough credit to certain women and aspects of the division? Who were your favourite wrestler and what were your favourite moments of the different eras? What aspects did you not like? Do tell.
