With her red hair, tattoo, and punk rock attire; Lita was one of the standout Divas during the Attitude Era. Her look and her athleticism made her a favorite with the crowd. The four-time Women's Champion had a successful career, which led to her Hall of Fame induction in 2014.
Even though Lita was popular, she was part of a couple of controversial moments over the years. Of course her personal life has been widely talked, but that's not the only story known about her. Today, we're going to take a look at backstage stories about Lita that are hard to believe.
10 Yelled At Candice Michelle
Lita is known to be a sweetheart to fans, but when it came to her co-workers, often that was a different story. In 2004, when Candice joined WWE, Lita was less than welcoming towards the newbie. Candice recalled one incident when she arrived to the women's locker room. Candice said sat on the floor in front of a mirror to do her makeup. L
ita then came up and started yelling at her for taking the best spot. Candice was stunned, but understood that veteran wrestlers like Lita were protective of the business and Candice had to earn their respect.
9 Injured Her Neck While On A TV Show
With her high-flying moveset, Lita suffered a few injuries during her career. However, her neck injury, which kept her out of action for over a year, didn't occur in the ring. While guest-starring on the Fox series Dark Angel, Lita and the stunt double were practicing a hurricanrana when Lita landed on her neck.
The injury required surgery and during her time away from the ring, Lita served as a commentator for Sunday Night Heat. Seventeen months after her injury, Lita returned to in-ring competition in September 2003.
8 Edge Came Up With Her Ring Attire
Lita had the most unique ring attire out of all the women on the roster. She often wore a short top and baggy pants. However, she wore her pants low to show off her thong underwear. Lita's look was a favorite with fans, and they can thank Edge for it.
According to Lita, she was modeling clothes for potential ring attire. When she came out in an outfit that had her underwear exposed, Edge suggested she go with that look. Lita took his advice and that's how her style was created.
7 Wasn't Invited To RAW's 25th Anniversary
On January 22, 2018, WWE held a 25th anniversary celebration for Monday Night RAW. During the broadcast, WWE honored the female legends. Divas like Trish Stratus, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Terri Runnels, and Kelly Kelly were part of the segment. One person that fans noticed missing was Lita.
They were in an uproar that she wasn't included, and an upset Lita would later send out a tweet implying she must've not made the guest list. However, Lita would make an appearance days later when she competed in the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match.
6 She And Edge Started Out With An Emotional Affair
In 2005 when news broke that Lita had cheated on Matt Hardy with Edge, it sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling community. It's a story that's still talked about years later. During an interview on Lilian Garcia's podcast, Lita opened up about the situation.
She said she and Matt had been disconnected for a while, and knew their relationship was over. Lita then said that her and Edge's affair started out on an emotional level instead of physical. She said the two bonded while traveling and before long romantic feelings developed between them.
5 Reason For Retirement
After six years with WWE, Lita retired in the fall of 2006. Her retirement was a shock to fans and many wondered why she decided to leave. Of course one rumor was that she was upset over the harassment she received from fans over the Edge affair.
However, when she appeared on Colt Cabana's podcast, she set the record straight on her retirement. Lita said the reason she left is because she felt she accomplished all there was to do in WWE. Feeling like there was nothing else to do, she decided to hang up the wrestling boots.
4 Judged For Affair With Edge
When Lita and Edge's affair became public, the two immediately were criticized for their actions. But Lita was the one who was targeted the most. Lita said that whenever she was out in public, fans would call her horrible names.
Aside from being judged by fans, Lita's co-workers also criticized her. Lita mentioned the situation during Lilian Garcia's podcast. She said that a majority of the roster judged her and sided with Matt in the situation. However, Lita did have support from her female co-workers including Lilian and Trish Stratus.
3 Hid Time's Up Attire
Lita made a surprise return during the first-ever Women's Royal Rumble in January 2018. She came up to the ring her wearing a special accessory. As a feminist Lita wore a Time's Up belt to support the women's movement. While fans applauded Lita for her support, WWE was less than enthused.
In fact, they didn't know she had the Time's Up belt as part of her attire. According to Alundra Blayze, Lita hid her attire by wearing a hoodie and took the jacket off when she was called out for the match.
2 Punk Flirted With AJ Behind Lita's Back
Lita and CM Punk had an on-again/off-again relationship for years. In 2012, the two got back together and Lita began accompanying him on the road whenever she had a chance. However, in September 2013, it looked like things were over for the two after Punk was spotted with AJ Lee at a baseball game.
Afterwards, confirmation came that Punk and AJ were indeed a couple. There was also a story that said Punk had been flirting AJ behind Lita's back. When Lita was at house shows with Punk, he'd sneak off to see AJ.
1 Begged Vince To Change Retirement Segment
It's been nearly 14 years since Lita's retirement match and fans are still furious with how it went down. Being a heel at the time, Lita lost the Women's Championship to Mickie James. Following the match, Cryme Tyme came down and sold Lita's belongings, including her underwear.
Lita has been very vocal about how unhappy she was with the segment and prior to the PPV, she tried to get Vince McMahon to change his mind. Vince refused and the segment went on, much to the disappointment of Lita and the WWE Universe.