The rise of women’s wrestling in WWE has been one of its biggest assets in recent years. The ladies have been a clear success story as the company continues to invest time and money into the women’s division. WWE offering Ronda Rousey a huge contract and pushing her as an attraction is something that would not have happened as recently as five years ago. The roster having great matches and telling good stories have been the difference in fans accepting change. Fans not only have accepted the change in the women’s division, but they want good women’s wrestling.

WWE has been going all in in marketing the women’s division. There is less drama involved in the women’s division than in past years. However, stories still circulate regarding controversial behind the scenes gossip. We'll look at both stories from current WWE women and ladies from the past. All these confessions have been shocking to hear from the source’s mouth. Some confirmed controversial rumors while others admitted something that was never in the public eyes. Find out if your favorite female wrestler revealed some important information. These are twelve controversial confessions made by current WWE women and another twelve from WWE women of the past.

24 Current: Sasha Banks Is Afraid To Talk To Vince

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The role of Sasha Banks on the main roster has seen her become underutilized. Despite being positioned as a top face on the Raw brand, Banks always came up short in the big matches against Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss. The current role of Banks has her in a secondary role away from the Women’s Title picture. Sasha has expressed frustration with her position in WWE.

One thing that could be holding Banks back is a lack of communication with Vince McMahon. Sasha confirmed that he has a bit of a fear of interacting with McMahon behind the scenes. The intimidating presence of Vince makes a lot of wrestlers hesitant about approaching him with ideas. Banks has said that is something that could be holding her back. Time will tell if Sasha can form a relationship with the boss to lead to a better push.

23 Former: AJ Lee told she was too ugly to compete

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Sexism in WWE has always been a huge issue that the company is trying to put in the past. A safe workplace environment is clearly something WWE wants as they move forward with the marketing of the women’s division. Former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee has gone on the record regarding various forms of sexism she encountered during her time in the company.

The most blatant instance was revealed in her book. Lee claimed that Director of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis told her she would never make it as a top star in the women’s division due to her looks. Laurinaitis says she was not the kind woman guys wanted to sleep with to both demean her personally and professionally. Lee flat out exposed WWE for having one of the most powerful people in the company say absurdly offensive things to female talent.

22 Current: Paige lied about Wellness Policy violation

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Paige was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons over the past few years. The controversial relationship with Alberto Del Rio started her downfall. Both Paige and Del Rio would get suspended for violating the Wellness Policy after failing drug tests. The aftermath saw Del Rio request his release from WWE and Paige failing a second drug test for another suspension while injured.

Paige’s first defense was to state she tested positive for prescription medication for her injury issues. WWE responded that Paige was blatantly lying and that she had banned drugs in her system. Paige has come out and confirmed that she was indeed lying about what she tested positive for. The drugs in Paige’s system were not prescribed and she did not own up to it until afterwards.

21 Former: Lita had a fight with Stacy Keibler

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A rare case of a real-life fight taking place in public between wrestlers featured Lita and Stacy Keibler going at it. This scuffle took place in 2001 shortly after Keibler joined the company following the purchase of WCW. Many wrestlers would often party after shows during this time frame. This specific incident took place at a night club.

Keibler started dancing flirtatiously with Matt Hardy with Lita not too far away. Once Lita spotted it, she approached Stacy and things escalated. Lita hit Keibler in the face and shoved her to the floor according to stories shared by both Lita and Matt. Stacy apologized the following day stating she had too many drinks. Lita is one of the few wrestlers with an undefeated record in night club fights.

20 Current: Maria Kanellis lost all her money after leaving WWE

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Most fans assume a wrestler will be rich for the rest of their lives after working for WWE for a few years. While WWE does offer a great living, it is usually not enough to set up a talent for the next few decades of their lives. Maria Kanellis has shown that it can hard to manage finances after scoring the dream job early in life. WWE hired her at a young age and released her faster than she expected.

Following her firing, Maria lost most of her money due to bad investments and a bad break-up. It turned into a redemption story as Kanellis found success on the independent circuit. Maria broke out as a talented manager and a great promo enough to get hired by WWE again. The couple of Maria and Mike Kanellis recently purchased their first home together and are expecting their first child.

19 Former: Ivory's claims about Stephanie McMahon's ego

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The news of Ivory heading into the WWE Hall of Fame was one of the more surprising female names in quite some time. WWE typically picks people that have a good relationship with people behind the scenes like Beth Phoenix and Jacqueline. Ivory is someone that has been outside of the WWE bubble for quite some time and has very little connection to anyone in the company.

Past interviews have seen Ivory call out Stephanie McMahon and Triple H. The claim about Stephanie is that her ego grew out of control when she became an on-screen character. Stephanie continued to get more television time and become a fixture on the show towards the end of the Attitude Era. Ivory’s accusations state that Stephanie completely changed as a person for the worse after getting a brush with fame.

18 Current: Alexa Bliss' Battles With An Eating Disorder

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Most WWE fans have likely heard about Alexa Bliss’ battle with an eating disorder already, but very few know just how serious it was. The tough battle for Bliss saw her have many struggles at a young age with the eating disorder always following her. Alexa shared some graphic details about the most terrifying experience of her life.

Bliss states that the doctors told her she had less than 24 hours left to live when they diagnosed her with the eating disorder. Luckily, the hospital was able to help her through the horrifying moment. Alexa could not go to sleep due to fear she would go into cardiac arrest due to suffering from bradycardia. In recent years, Bliss has shared this story in hopes of helping any fans going through similar struggles realize they can get help too.

17 Former: Sunny calls out wrestlers she got with

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Tammy “Sunny” Sytch is once again in the news for all the tackiest reasons. The WWE Hall of Famer was recently arrested yet again for two DUIs in two weeks. Sytch also recently filmed another shoot interview series with RF Video. This specific interview saw her roll call all the wrestler she hooked up with over the years.

Most fans aware of the relationship with Shawn Michaels, but she goes into great detail regarding his bedroom habits. Other wrestlers to get outed as being involved with Sunny in recent years are Dolph Ziggler and Chris Masters. Sytch even bragged about having a picture of Ziggler in her bed that she took without his knowledge. Any wrestler to have a romantic relationship with Sunny must realize it’s going to end horribly one way or another.

16 Current: Mickie James was planning a retirement tour before WWE called her

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The past year of Mickie James’ return has seen her once again become a consistent member of the women’s division. James was arguably the best women’s wrestler in WWE during the 2000s when she delivered great matches against Trish Stratus, Melina and others. The run in Impact Wrestling also proved Mickie was still performing at a high level.

However, James spent quite a bit of time on the independent circuit and was starting to contemplate retirement. Triple H initially called Mickie about coming back to face Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Toronto. James impressed enough to get offered a main roster contract. The plan of Mickie was to have a final year wrestling on the independent circuit before retiring. If WWE didn’t call her, James would no longer be wrestling right now.

15 Former: Emma hated the Emmalina gimmick

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Emma getting fired by WWE has seen her become a top name on the independent wrestling circuit as Tenille Dashwood. However, many fans still feel that WWE missed the boat on Emma and she deserves another shot. Emma impressed in NXT in a few outstanding matches with Paige. Both ladies created the early confidence in Triple H to put together a credible women’s division.

The biggest main roster push for Emma came in the form of the Emmalina gimmick. WWE wanted Emma to play a glamorous model rather than a serious in-ring performer. The act was dropped following months of vignettes hyping it up. Rumors indicated Emma didn’t commit to it and WWE soured on her after that. A recent interview with Lance Storm saw Emma admit she hated the Emmalina gimmick. All she wanted to do was wrestle and the over the top character wasn’t one she wanted.

14 Current: Nia Jax dealt with body shaming in WWE

Nia Jax is one of the women WWE wants to build the division around. One of the dream matches WWE has in plan for Ronda Rousey will see her square off against Jax at some point down the road. Jax is the kind of performer WWE believes can become an attraction in the women’s division. The look of Nia as a former plus size model with athleticism is one WWE wants to market in a major way.

It seems not everyone in WWE likes this as Jax has dealt with some insults being thrown her way. Nia has revealed that she has been body shamed in her own locker room. It is unknown if she meant this took place in NXT or Raw, but it is still a bad look either way. Jax getting body shamed at her job goes against everything WWE is trying to present about the women’s division.

13 Former: Eva Marie said Total Divas hurt her WWE career

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The WWE career of Eva Marie is viewed as a huge disappointment after she failed to live up to expectations. Management had her skip developmental to become part of the first season of Total Divas. WWE viewed Eva as having huge star potential and wanted to place her in a position to succeed right away.

Unfortunately, the rush of having Eva on the main roster just prevented her from learning the basics needed to perform in the ring. WWE tried sending her down to NXT and she improved a solid amount. Eva’s final chance on the main roster ended after violating the Wellness Policy. An interview following her WWE release saw Eva state she felt her career would have turned out better if she didn’t have the Total Divas spot. The combination of learning in NXT and not being on the fan’s radar are things she felt that could have benefited her in the long run.

12 Current: Naomi felt overlooked for years

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Naomi has become one of the premiere women in WWE. The athletically gifted performer stepped up to have a strong run as the Smackdown Women’s Champion for most of 2017. Naomi’s road to a prominent position in the women’s revolution. Many forget that Naomi was part of the women NXT cast that featured AJ Lee, Kaitlyn and Maxine.

The other ladies from the NXT class received pushes and left the company in the time where Naomi stayed under the radar. Naomi even revealed that management told her to tone down her athleticism because it made her partner Cameron look bad. The emotion shared by Naomi talking about her difficult years in WWE showed just how much it hurt her to be overlooked. Naomi waited years for an opportunity and has hit a home run with it.

11 Former: Kaitlyn's tough divorce is inspiring comeback

Former WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn was the winner of the aforementioned NXT season. The potential of Kaitlyn was met when she became one of the top faces in the women’s division. Kaitlyn had both the athletic ability and the personality needed to get by in WWE. Memorable feuds with Eve Torres and AJ Lee allowed Kaitlyn to have a memorable title reign.

The decision to leave WWE was hers despite being in her prime. A desire to spend more time with her husband impacted the choice. The couple recently divorced, and Kaitlyn started to realize how much she missed her love of the ring. It led to her returning to ring in a comeback match against Rachael Ellering. Kaitlyn wants to start wrestling full-time again after the divorce inspired her comeback.

10 Current: Charlotte Flair hated working with her dad

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The rise of Charlotte Flair made her the biggest star in the early stages of the women’s revolution. Flair was pushed to the moon and became the face of the WWE women’s division. However, the main roster run for Charlotte was not as easy as most assume. WWE placed Ric Flair as her manager hoping fans would develop stronger emotions towards her character thanks to her dad being there.

Charlotte has stated numerous times that she hated the dynamic of having Ric at ringside for all her matches. Ric often forget the spots he had in the matches and would enjoy showboating to the crowd with his own taunts rather than play to Charlotte. It was impossible for Ric to be a manager instead of the legendary performer fans knew him as. Charlotte expressed joy at being able to perform on her own when she split from Ric on television.

9 Former: Ashley Massaro Joins #MeToo Movement 

Ashley Massaro was one of the Diva Search winners in the 2000s. The crowd response would Ashley get among the biggest pops of the women’s wrestlers for most of her run. Massaro has been out of the wrestling bubble for a long time, but she recently returned to wrestling news headlines for a reason that WWE hates.

The claims of Ashley are that she was assaulted during a trip overseas at a military base for WWE. Massaro states WWE told her to not speak about it and they tried their best to cover it up. The horrible moment haunted Ashley for years and she finally spoke about it during the rise of the #MeToo movement allowing women to share their stories. WWE will likely try their best to avoid speaking on this story.

8 Current: Brie Bella's Dramatic High School Incident

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The Bella Twins are two of the biggest female stars in WWE history thanks to their popularity both in the WWE ring and in the reality series world. Brie Bella has broken out with the reality shows giving a different glimpse into her personality. A relationship with Daniel Bryan also allowed fans to see her as more than just the ditzy twin character WWE portrayed her in for years.

Brie has dealt with her fair share of struggles growing up. One moment hurt her dramatically during her high school years. Brie’s high school boyfriend died in a car accident and it shook her world. Brie apparently planned to marry him before the tragedy occurred. Interviews have seen Brie reveal that it took her a full year before she started to move forward with her life.

7 Former: Lilian Garcia's husband almost worked at World Trade Center on 9/11

Former ring announcer Lilian Garcia is still part of the WWE family after leaving the gig to care for her family. Garcia appears at certain special events like the Tribute to the Troops show and the Raw 25th Anniversary show. Another wrestling project has Lilian hosting her very own podcast talking to her wrestlers that currently or formerly worked in WWE with her.

Garcia has shared a very personal story about potential heartbreak. The husband of Lilian used to work an office job at the World Trade Center in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was scheduled to go to work on the day of the 9/11 tragedy. When he forgot his phone, he went back home and avoided likely being killed in the attacks if he showed up to work on time.

6 Current: Carmella still close friends with James Ellsworth

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The on-air relationship between Carmella and James Ellsworth appeared to be one of the most bizarre pairings in WWE history. Most of us assumed Carmella and Ellsworth had nothing in common. It was almost impossible to envision the two having a conversation in real-life outside of the wrestling bubble. Recent revelations have made us all look like fools as the two are close friends.

Ellsworth revealed on a podcast that Carmella became one of his best friends working together. Following his firing, Carmella was on the phone with him for hours. The two exchange text messages every day and consider each other friends for life. Carmella has confirmed the friendship is legitimate and she very much enjoyed working with him. Considering Carmella recently broke up with Big Cass, some conspiracy theorist fans want to believe we have a love triangle going on here.

5 Former: Gail Kim never wants to work with Vince McMahon again

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Gail Kim is one of the top women’s wrestlers of the era to not get any love in the WWE women’s revolution celebrating the past or present. The two stints of Gail in WWE saw her consistently used poorly. Various interviews have seen Kim tear into Vince McMahon regarding his treatment of the women on his roster.

Kim states she felt McMahon considered her to be ugly and believes she never had a fair shot in WWE due to it. Jim Ross confirmed that Vince didn’t understand the appeal of Gail because he didn’t think guys watching the product would find Asian women attractive. Kim flat out called out McMahon for being a sexist and it is impossible to refute it. This is the main reason Gail has elected to retire rather than working for the hopes of another WWE run. Kim clearly never wants to work with Vince again.