The Attitude Era was the start of WWE adding more women to their roster for the first time in many years. WWE appeared to quit on the women’s division when Alundra Blayze jumped ship and threw the title in the trash on WCW television. A few ladies started to break out as stars in managing roles, and it led to WWE adding more female performers moving forward.
We will look back at some of the memorable and forgettable women of the Attitude Era. The most valuable ones had huge roles in the show and created strong legacies. Unfortunately, there were also a few names that flew under the radar and are rarely discussed today. Find out which ladies from the time were the most important, and which have been lost in translation. These are the five most valuable women of the Attitude Era and five that we forgot about.
10 MVP: Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus joined WWE towards the end of the Attitude Era, but she still made a huge impact. The popularity of Stratus grew right away when managing Test and Albert. Stratus moved into a storyline dating Vince McMahon for a bigger role.
The eventual face turn saw Trish end the Attitude Era as the top star of the newly rebranded women’s division after the Invasion storyline ended. Stratus reached new heights in the Ruthless Aggression Era, but she still was a huge value for the Attitude Era.
9 Forgot: The Kat
The Kat joined WWE thanks to her connection as Jerry Lawler’s wife. WWE made her one of the faces of the women’s division when most of the matches featured sex appeal. Terri Runnels and The Kat feuded for most of 2000 with multiple PPV matches.
WWE tried to make The Kat one of their top female stars moving forward, until they realized she was not improving in the ring. The Kat was fired in 2001 with her husband Lawler walking out shortly after as well. Despite the quick release, The Kat received a lot of television time.
8 MVP: Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie McMahon joined WWE’s on-screen product after her father, mother and brother were all part of the show. The storyline of Triple H and Stephanie getting together was one of the biggest overall storylines of the Attitude Era.
Triple H became a bigger star thanks to the work of Stephanie, and she even formed her own strong heel persona. The Attitude Era ended with Stephanie getting as many boos from the live crowd as any of the active wrestlers on the heel side of things.
7 Forgot: Debra
Many fans forget about the run of Debra in WWE despite having a few noteworthy moments. The duo of Jeff Jarrett and Debra jumped ship from WCW to WWE in the Monday Night Wars when a bigger contract was offered to them.
Debra got over with the fans as a face despite managing Jarrett’s heel character. The eventual split saw Debra becoming the assistant to Commissioner Mick Foley. WWE utilized Debra and Steve Austin together on television when the two were dating, but Debra is rarely referenced by the company today.
6 MVP: Sunny
The success of Sunny as a manager and personality was the first major instance of WWE realizing they should add more women to the roster. Sunny managed various wrestlers as a heel personality, with most of her success coming in the tag team division.
The charisma and personality of Sunny allowed her to shine and become one of the most popular WWE stars. Sunny becoming the most downloaded woman on the internet made her an even bigger asset for WWE. The company inducted her into the Hall of Fame for all her hard work.
5 Forgot: Barbara Bush
WWE utilized the character of Barbara Bush aka B.B. as an EMT whenever a wrestler needed medical attention in the ring. Bush was made to stand out in an obvious manner so that fans could get used to her as a character on the show.
The appearances of Bush would start to grow as part of the women’s division in outings like swimsuit contests. WWE gave her a noteworthy storyline when Bubba Dudley put her through a table. It was the end of Barbara’s run in WWE as her final appearance.
4 MVP: Chyna
Chyna became an attraction star for WWE when joining the company ahead of the Attitude Era. The relationship with Triple H and presence in D-Generation X allowed her to slowly showcase her skills. Once getting pushed on her own, Chyna became a huge star.
WWE began to have Chyna face off with male wrestlers in intergender matches. Chyna won the Intercontinental Championship and is still the only woman to hold that title. The star power of Chyna was huge, and she became a top character from the Attitude Era.
3 Forgot: Ryan Shamrock
The character of Ryan Shamrock was introduced as the sister of Ken Shamrock. Ryan was romantically involved in a few different wrestlers, leading to Shamrock entering feuds with just about all of them during her time in the company.
The trio of Ryan, Terri Runnels and Jacqueline formed the faction known as Pretty Mean Sisters. Ryan had the least success of the three and left the company faster than expected. WCW signed her away, but they went out of business shortly after.
2 MVP: Sable
Sable was the most popular female wrestler of the Attitude Era for WWE. The run managing her husband Marc Mero saw fans cheering Sable over him when they walked to the ring. Sable eventually split up from Mero on the show and beat him in matches.
The WWE Women’s Championship reign of Sable helped her grow to new peaks of popularity. Playboy choosing Sable to be a cover girl added even more prestige to her reputation. Sable was a massive star that improved the ratings and received among the biggest pop most weeks.
1 Forgot: Tori
The background in stunt work for Tori made her a strong addition to the women’s roster during the Attitude Era. Tori had a WrestleMania 15 match against Sable to cement her status as a relevant part of the division.
A storyline dating Kane and eventually betraying him to join X-Pac in D-Generation X gave Tori a strong role on the show. Unfortunately, her career was never the same when DX ended. Tori struggled to get television time and was eventually released from WWE.