Women in WWE
In the 1990s, WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) introduced the term Diva to refer to its female performers, including wrestlers, managers or valets, backstage interviewers, or ring announcers.At WrestleMania 32 in 2016, WWE announced their discontinuation of the "Diva" branding for its female performers, as part of a move to present them in an athletic manner more in line with their male counterparts, rather than in a means based around sex appeal.In February 1989, the WWF Women's Tag Team Championship was deactivated and The Glamour Girls (Leilani Kai and Judy Martin) were the final title holders.Sapphire debuted in November 1989 on Saturday Night's Main Event XXV as a 'fan' cheering on Dusty Rhodes at ringside in his match against Big Boss Man.[17] Later on as part of a short talent exchange with All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling, various Japanese female wrestlers including Aja Kong debuted leading to the second elimination match at the Survivor Series 1995 event.In 1996, Sunny was awarded as the manager of the year and her immense popularity expanded beyond professional wrestling when she was regarded as AOL's most downloaded woman, solidifying herself as one of the preeminent figures within WWF.Sunny, Marlena, Sable, and Debra were further marketed as sex symbols through WWF's Raw Magazine, which featured monthly spreads of the women in suggestive poses either semi-nude or wearing provocative clothing.Sable's eclipsed popularity and her feud with Marc Mero and his new manager, Jacqueline[23] led to the reinstatement of the Women's Championship as well as the promotion's hiring of more female wrestlers.[36] Since May 5, 2002, the women's division saw an expansion including a departure and a return of a former talent when the WWF officially changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as the company first began to hire more female talents than ever before, including female winners of the reality television show Tough Enough, which featured contestants aspiring to be professional wrestlers (Nidia in 2001, Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda in 2002).[57] In December 2007, Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, and Sunny returned to WWE for a one-night special appearance on an episode of Raw due to the show's 15th anniversary.[62] At Wrestlemania 25, several female WWE legends including Sunny, Molly Holly, Victoria and Torrie Wilson, alongside former Divas Joy Giovanni and Jackie Gayda made a one-night return to participate in the 25-Diva Battle Royal, which was won by 'Santina' Marella.[74][75] On July 9, 2012, Eve Torres and AJ Lee became the first Divas to main event Raw since Trish Stratus and Lita in 2004, in a tag team match alongside CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.During mid-2012, AJ became involved in various relationship storylines with several male wrestlers such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Kane, John Cena and Dolph Ziggler, including a stint as the General Manager of Raw.On January 8, 2014, Kaitlyn decided to depart from WWE to pursue other endeavors, losing her last match against her former friend and rival Divas Champion AJ Lee.[86] On the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw on April 7, 2014, Paige made her debut on the main roster and defeated AJ Lee for the Divas Championship ending her record reign at 295 days.Nikki Bella received her title match against AJ Lee on November 23 at Survivor Series, which she won, with Brie's help, to become a two-time Divas Champion.This hashtag brought attention to various multi-media outlets over the long-tenured controversy over the company's treatment of their women's division, including AJ Lee who publicly criticized Stephanie McMahon over the issue.However, since the title could not change hands by disqualification, Nikki retained the championship, and in the process, became the longest-reigning Divas Champion in history, surpassing AJ Lee's previous record of 295 days.[117] Shortly after, Nikki went on a hiatus from television due to a neck injury which would require surgery,[118][119] but returned for one night on December 21, to accept the Slammy Award for Diva of the Year.[120] At WrestleMania 32 in April 2016, WWE announced a major re-launch of its women's division: the "Divas" moniker was dropped, with the company now promoting its female talent as "Superstars" as with their male counterparts.[122][124] Stephanie McMahon explained that the changes were part of a move towards gender equality within the company by dropping the "derogatory" Divas title, and thereby placing its entire roster on a "level playing field" as "Superstars".[132][133] On January 28, 2017, WWE announced that Nikki Bella would serve as an executive producer for Total Divas starting in the second half of the sixth season in April.[136] On November 20, Paige returned to RAW after a year of inactivity, alongside the debuting Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville, attacking Mickie James, Sasha Banks and Bayley.The finals of the tournament took place at King and Queen of the Ring in Saudi Arabia which was won by Nia Jax, earning her a title shot at the WWE Women's Championship at SummerSlam.Debra, Chyna, Sable, Tori, Jacqueline, Terri Runnels, Ivory, Luna Vachon, and Ryan Shamrock were part of the photoshoot and promotional material.Female talents such as Trish Stratus, Lita, Debra, Sharmell, Stacy Keibler, Michelle McCool, and Melina Perez have said that posing for Playboy magazine is out of the question for them.Natalya, Naomi, Cameron, The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki), and also Eva Marie and JoJo Offerman from the developmental territory WWE NXT were announced as the inaugural cast for the show.[204] In November 2022, WWE co-CEO Nick Khan announced during an investors call that Bianca Belair and her husband Montez Ford would be the subject of a new reality series that will debut on Hulu in 2023.It covered various events of Moolah's life like Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection, The Brawl to End It All, The Original Screwjob, the WrestleMania 34 name controversy, and various other WWE related incidents.[230] In 2019, the video game WWE 2K20 featured a 2K Showcase named "Four Horsewomen", which chronicled the careers of Bayley, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch.
List of WWE personnelWomen's professional wrestlingprofessional wrestling promotionmanagers or valetsring announcersWWF Women's ChampionshipWrestleMania 32sex appealWWE Women's ChampionshipWWE Divas Championshipmain eventWrestleMania 35The Fabulous MoolahWendi RichterMiss ElizabethWrestleMania IVWrestleMania VeventsNWA World Women's ChampionNational Wrestling AllianceWWF Women's ChampionJudy GrableWWF Women's Tag Team ChampionshipVelvet McIntyrePrincess VictoriaCyndi Lauper"Captain" Lou AlbanoRock 'n' Wrestling ConnectionThe Brawl to End It AllLeilani KaiWrestleMania IRita ChattertonRandy SavageWWF Prime Time WrestlingGeorge "The Animal" SteeleHulk HoganRicky "the Dragon" SteamboatThe Honky Tonk ManAndre the GiantBad News BrownBig Boss Man"Sensational" SherriSherri MartelRockin' RobinMike McGuirkJesse VenturaSurvivor SeriesThe Glamour GirlsJudy MartinSapphireSaturday Night's Main Event XXVDusty RhodesWrestleMania VISummerSlam (1990)The Ultimate WarriorWrestleMania VIIWrestleMania IXLuna VachonShawn MichaelsBam Bam BigelowTatankaWWE Hall of FamerTammy SytchMadusa MiceliVince McMahonHeidi Lee MorganBull NakanoBertha FayeAja KongSurvivor Series 1995World Championship WrestlingChris CandidoMarlenaRaw MagazinetomboyMarc MeroJacquelinePlayboyRaw Is WarTriple HMae YoungNo MercyRoyal Rumble matchTrish StratusMolly Hollyhigher-risk movesmoonsaultsgimmickStephanie McMahon-HelmsleyExtreme Championship WrestlingStacy KeiblerTorrie WilsonSharmellFit FinlayWWE Women's ChampionTorontoVictoriaDark AngelLinda MilesJackie GaydaStone Cold Steve AustinSmackDown!hardcoreGail KimMaria KanellisKelly KellyDiva SearchChristy HemmeUnforgivenMelinaMickie JamesBeth PhoenixFalls Count Anywhere matchCandice MichelleOne Night Stand 2008"I Quit" matchMichelle McCoolWWE Divas ChampionMelina PerezPG Erafamily-friendlyWWE Hall of FameThe Great American Bash 2008NatalyaWrestlemania 25Joy Giovanni