WWE is not in an era where the women probably could easily take on the men if they were given the option. But it seems that the company want to step away from intergender matches and instead allow females to fight in their own division.

WWE hasn't always been this way. There was a time when women were forced to wrestle the men and sometimes it was a less than fair fight.

Women were also able to win titles like the Cruiserweight Championship, Hardcore Championship, and the Cruiserweight Championship. The women of WWE back then were able to hang with the men and made quite a name for themselves.

Here are 15 of the matches where females were allowed to face males, from the best to the very worst, and from the incredible to the damn right stupid.

15 15. Kharma In The 2012 Royal Rumble

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Kharma was not your average WWE Diva. She came into WWE to dominate and even though her time with the company was cut short due to a real-life pregnancy, she still had enough time to make an impact.

Kharma was a huge surprise in the 2012 Royal Rumble match and became just the third female to be given such an honour. Kharma went on to eliminate Hunico before she herself was eliminated by Dolph Ziggler. Kharma had hit Dolph with an implant buster a few minutes earlier, making her the only female wrestler to have every been able to execute their finisher in The Royal Rumble match. Sadly, Kharma was released from WWE not long after and never actually had a singles match in WWE, meaning that The Royal Rumble was actually her only match.

14 14. Maria Vs. Umaga

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One of the biggest female vs. male mismatches that WWE have ever presented, saw Maria forced into a match against The Samoan Bulldozer, Umaga. Maria was forced into the match by Eric Bishoff after he stated that he wanted revenge for what Maria did at his trial a few years before.

Maria went out and was part of the match and was absolutely destroyed by Umaga. She took a Samoan Drop and the running Rikishi butt into the corner before John Cena ran out and made the save. It wasn't the greatest example of how females can wrestle men, but Maria stood up and took on the challenge when she could have stayed backstage and been fired. She later went on to wrestle Kurt Angle when she was part of TNA, which shows she obviously had a talent for it.

13 13. Lita Vs. John Cena

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Lita was legitimately tough, there is no doubting that. Throughout her career, she would be part of many of The Hardy Boyz TLC matches and was always taken out by a male Superstar. Lita took more male finishers than any other female whilst she was part of WWE, so when it came to facing John Cena, Lita stepped up to the challenge.

John Cena accepted the challenge of facing Lita with one hand tied behind his back. It was also made a No Holds Barred match, but even that wasn't enough for Lita to defeat Cena in the main event since she was hit with a one handed AA. Lita deserved more than this, she could have put on a decent match against Cena if she was given the chance.

12 12. Sara Vs. Diamond Dallas Page

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Before The Undertaker met Michelle McCool and married the former Divas Champion, he was married to a woman Sara Sara. Back in 2001, The Undertaker's real-life wife was part of a storyline where she was being stalked by Diamond Dallas Page. It came to the point where she had had enough and actually challenged him to a one-on-one match.

Sara was not a trained wrestler, so this came as a huge shock, but luckily she had a trick up her sleeve. The Undertaker showed up and dished out a beating before the bell even rang to signal the beginning of the match. Sara then covered the 2017 Hall of Famer and notched up her first and only ever win in WWE. Sara wasn't used much after this but she still has her place in the history books.

11 11. Victoria Vs. Carlito

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Victoria was actually a very good wrestler, she was good enough to be able to wrestle someone like Carlito one-on-one in a match where she was given a fair chance. Ahead of New Years Revolution back in 2006, Victoria was chosen as the opponent for Carlito in a Beat the Clock Challenge.

Carlito obviously had a lot of reach backstage and was able to secure this match, Victoria didn't really have a chance and after a quick roll-up failed for her, Carlito hit the Cross Rhodes and managed to quickly beat the clock. It is still unknown as to why Victoria was put in this match if she wasn't going to be given a chance, but for her to be chosen meant that WWE thought highly of her at that point.

10 10. Chyna In The 1999 Royal Rumble Match

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Chyna made history back in 1999 when she became the first women to ever enter a Royal Rumble match. The likes of Beth Phoenix and Kharma would go on to take part in the years that followed, but it was Chyna that first began the trend.

Even though there was no way that Chyna was going to win the match, she still stepped in and managed to eliminate Mark Henry before she herself was eliminated. She gave a good account of herself and once again proved that female could wrestle men if they were given the opportunity. Something that she continued to prove throughout her WWE career. Chyna also made an appearance in the Royal Rumble in 2000 where she eliminated Chris Jericho before she was eliminated herself by Big Boss Man.

9 9. AJ Lee and CM Punk Vs. Kane and Daniel Bryan

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It's hard to sum up the rivalry between Daniel Bryan, Kane, and CM Punk when it comes to the love triangle along with AJ Lee. AJ was at the forefront of this feud and it was decided that instead of standing at ringside she could actually take part.

AJ was never supposed to be tagged into the match and when she was she helped her team to win after she kissed Kane and forced him to walk away, leaving Daniel Bryan to fight off CM Punk on his own. While she was a fantastic female wrestler, she was never given a fair chance in the male feuds that she was part of, which is slightly unfair. AJ was the main reason for the feud and deserved to be given a fair shot.

8 8. Stephanie McMahon Vs. Triple H Vs. Chris Jericho

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Stephanie McMahon is a former Women's Champion and the current Commissioner of Monday Night Raw. But when she was first made part of the WWE, she was a very different person and she was granted many matches that she wasn't supposed to be in, including one where she actually pinned The Rock.

Stephanie was added to the Undisputed WWE Championship match between Triple H and Chris Jericho and actually gave a very good account of herself. Stephanie actually broke up a three count many times before Triple H turned his attention to her and hit a Spinebuster to retain his championship. Stephanie had no real business being in this match, but given that she was part of it, she did what she needed to do and proved a lot of people wrong.

7 7. Chyna Vs. Jeff Jarrett - Intercontinental Championship

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Chyna made a lot of history during her time in WWE. She was the first ever woman to enter the Royal Rumble, the first woman to take part in the King of the Ring tournament, and she was the first woman to win the Intercontinental Championship.

Chyna took on Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy back in 1999 in a Good Housekeeping match. Jarrett put up a good fight against Chyna and thought he had the match won when he used the title as a weapon, but the referee stated that it wasn't a household item so it couldn't be used. Chyna then hit Jarrett with a guitar and managed to pin him to win her first Intercontinental Championship. This was a title that Chyna wouldn't hold for long, but kick-started a great run for the future Hall of Famer.

6 6. Beth Phoenix Vs. Santino Marella

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The 2017 Hall of Fame inductee left her mark on WWE. Beth Phoenix was not only part of a Royal Rumble match, but she was also one of very few women who was given the chance to wrestle a male Superstar and actually win.

Beth answered Santino Marella's open challenge and easily defeated the Intercontinental Champion, in a match that showed just how strong Phoenix truly was. Instead of capitalizing on this and giving the duo a lengthy feud, WWE decided to begin a relationship between Beth and Santino, which was a waste of her talents and a sad thing to watch. Beth is rightfully being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year after paving her own path in WWE for many years before her retirement from professional wrestling in 2012.

5 5. Molly Holly Vs. Crash Holly

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Molly Holly was tough. She proved this many times throughout her WWE career but never more so than when she was part of The Holly Family along with Crash and Hardcore. Like many families, they had their problems and when they went through a split, Molly was granted a match against her cousin.

It was a technically sound match and it actually allowed Molly to get in some good offence. There was some help from ringside as Jacqueline came down as a distraction to help her friend to victory, but it seemed that Molly perhaps could have won without any help. Crash worked well with his on-screen cousin and the match was one of the best on that night's episode of SmackDown. It was still a clean victory and one of the rare occasions where WWE allowed a woman to defeat a man.

4 4. Jazz Vs. Bubba Ray Dudley - Hardcore Championship

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Jazz was a tough nut, she was easily one of the toughest female wrestlers of her generation and she proved that when she challenged Bubba Ray Dudley to an anything goes match for the Hardcore Championship.

Shockingly, it was accepted and able to go ahead, there were many weapons and Jazz was not shy about using them, but neither was Bubba Ray. She proved that she wasn't like every other female and rose to the occasion, but sadly Steven Richards snuck in and took the title before she could, which was technically their plan all along, which is slightly annoying since Jazz did all the hard work. Women had won the Hardcore title before, but never fought for it in a one-on-one match, meaning that even though Jazz lost, she still made history.

3 3. Jacqueline Vs. Chavo Guererro - Cruiserweight Championship

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Jacqueline is now a WWE Hall of Famer. And despite the fact that many fans have overlooked her entire career because she was never one of the standout female wrestlers like Trish Stratus and Lita, she still held a males championship during her time in WWE.

Jacqueline answered Chavo Guererro's Cruiserweight Championship Open Challenge and given that Chavo refused to take her seriously, she hit a low blow and got the quick pin to become the first female to win the title under the WWE banner. Jacqueline lost the title when Chavo cashed in his rematch and was forced to have one arm tied behind his back. But even though her reign was brief, it was historic, and it proved that the women of WWE had what it takes to win the male championships.

2 2. Stephanie McMahon Vs. Vince McMahon - I Quit Match

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Stephanie McMahon may be thought of as Vince's favourite child right now, but back in 2003, Vince and Stephanie didn't have a great relationship. Their problems led to an I Quit match at No Mercy in 2003, a match that many WWE fans have condemned.

Stephanie was never a trained wrestler, she had a few matches and she was a Women's Champion, but this was basically a fluke and she wasn't prepared for a match against a man like Vince. The match was disturbing and it was before WWE's PG banner was added so anything was allowed. Vince defeated his daughter after attempting to choke her with a led pipe and she uttered the words 'I Quit.' Even though she lost, Stephanie gained a huge amount of respect that night.

1 1. Trish Stratus and Lita Vs. Chris Jericho and Christian

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Trish Stratus and Lita will always be remembered as the women who revolutionized female wrestling and paved a path for many of the women who are in the company today. One of the things that Trish and Lita were part of in their earlier career, was an Intergender Tag Team match against their former boyfriends.

The girls had found out that Chris Jericho and Christian had made a bet about who could sleep with their significant other first and the females wanted revenge. The match itself showed that Trish and Lita had a point to prove and they had the crowd behind them the entire time, but the men were too much for them. The match lasted around 10 minutes and the two women held their own throughout, which is just as good as getting a win, considering the careers Jericho and Christian would go on to have.