Hottest Divas of the WWE Attitude Era
Hottest Divas of the WWE Attitude Era
Throughout the 90s, the wrestling industry was gripped by the Monday Night Wars. Integral to the success of the WWF’s eventual victory over WCW was the development and popularisation of the modern diva. Gone were the demurely-clad ring valets of the 80s, and in their place evolved the women who captivated audiences the world over during the fabled Attitude Era.
Throughout the 90s, the wrestling industry was gripped by the Monday Night Wars. Integral to the success of the WWF’s eventual victory over WCW was the development and popularisation of the modern diva. Gone were the demurely-clad ring valets of the 80s, and in their place evolved the women who captivated audiences the world over during the fabled Attitude Era.
Trish Stratus
Often regarded as the most popular female wrestler of all time, Trish Stratus was duly awarded with ‘Diva of the Decade’ before her retirement in 2006. A seven-time WWE Women’s Champion, Trish Stratus led the female charge against the WCW Invasion in 2001, rocketing her to a firm fan’s favourite.
A college football and hockey player in her youth, Stratus put her athleticism to good use in WWE and became as well-known for her looks as her sensational in-ring ability. She also appeared on numerous editions of MuscleMag International and various other publications, show-casing an incredible physique that also saw her voted ‘WWE Babe of the Year’ three years in a row.
Despite shattering every young man’s dream by refusing to follow in the foot-steps of previous divas who appeared in Playboy magazine, Trish Stratus goes down as arguably the hottest diva of all time, let alone the Attitude Era. She reappeared for the 2012 special 1000th episode of Raw, wowing fans one final time, before she was inducted into the 2013 Hall of Fame.
@trishstratuscom
Lita
As an alternative to the stereotypical blonde bombshell ‘girl-next-door’, Lita was the ultimate edgy diva. With her exhilarating brand of high-flying, ‘lucha-libre’ style wrestling, she broke the WWE diva mould and helped propel the women’s division to previously unseen heights.
Originally paired with Ese Rios, she rocketed to mainstream popularity alongside Jeff and Matt Hardy, before going on to feud with fellow fan-favourite, Trish Stratus. During her time with the company, she went on to win the WWE Women’s Championship four times, as well as the affections of millions of young males.
Fondly remembered for her tattoos and fiery locks, as well as her gravity-defying moonsaults, Lita firmly goes down as one of the hottest and most popular divas of the Attitude Era.
@machetegirl
Torrie Wilson
Scouted at a live WWE show, Wilson started her career with limited in-ring experience. Her initial appearances were limited to managing stables, but it was her crossover into the WWE after the company bought WCW in 2001 that she began her ascent into the wrestling limelight.
She instantly captured fans’ attentions when she debuted alongside Stacy Keibler in a ‘Bra and Panties’ match and soon followed this up with a ‘Lingerie Match’ against her former partner at No Mercy. Not one to shy away from taking her clothes off, Wilson cemented her popularity with fans by posing for Playboy in 2003, before engaging in a raunchy story line with fellow covergirl, Sable.
Since WWE, she has appeared on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women list and now works as a fitness model. However, it is her tenure during the WWF/E that still resonates with fans today.
@torriewilson
Stacy Keibler
As with Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler began her wrestling career after attending a live show and soon became one of WCW’s Nitro Girls, where she was renowned for her regular table dances.
Following the purchase of WCW by WWE in 2001, Keibler debuted as a villain alongside Wilson and became famous for her involvement in the ‘Bra and Panties’ match, which – to fans delight – she and Torrie lost. From thereon, she managed several wrestlers and stables, often becoming engaged in on-screen relationships – even becoming a ‘sex-slave’ in a controversial story-line with Test and Albert.
Despite lacking the wrestling experience of other divas in the division, Keibler was regarded so highly by WWE fans that she became the first diva to beat Trish Stratus in the annual ‘WWE Babe of the Year’ award.
@stacykeibler
Sunny
Often regarded as the inaugural diva, Sunny enjoyed most of her success before the Attitude Era began – and she became the blueprint for most of WWE’s later female performers.
Prior to the Attitude Era, and during a period where WWF was struggling to compete with WCW, Sunny helped boost the company’s ratings by transforming the traditional female role in wrestling into viable, more adventurous entertainers. So much so, she was AOL’s most downloaded woman of 1996. In 1997, she was invited to pose for Playboy, but declined the offer.
Her influence continued on into the Attitude Era, by which point WWF storylines were becoming far more adult-orientated, and she remained a popular figure until her departure in 1998. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2001 by the entire roster of female wrestlers.
@wwehofersunny