Photo Credit: Trish Stratus (Instagram)
Content Overview
Over the past three decades, women’s wrestling has gone through a significant transformation, with a growing number of people taking interest. Before the women’s revolution took off nine years ago, female talents were primarily given importance for their looks over their athletic abilities.
Despite the setback and professional wrestling being a male-influenced profession, several talented women shone in the squared circle, playing big roles in bringing the women’s revolution into the industry eventually.
Many trailblazing women who achieved great feats in the ring at the peak of their careers have stepped away from the sport today due to aging or career-ending injuries. This article features such prominent retired WWE female wrestlers with remarkable accomplishments to their names.
1) Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is regarded as the greatest female wrestler of all time by a myriad of critics and fans. Unlike most of her contemporaries in the early 2000s, the good looks weren’t the only department she excelled at.
Besides being one of the most attractive ladies on the roster, delivering good matches each week was one of her strongest suits. The 48-year-old spent six years as a full-time WWE star, winning the Women’s Championship seven times, a record held by her before Charlotte Flair surpassed the number.
At her peak, Stratus was agile and athletic with elegant wrestling moves in her arsenal. At the young age of 31, she first announced her retirement but eventually made special appearances. Breaking the previous retirement, she had a one-year run from 2022 to 2023, before finally hanging up her boots on September 2, 2023.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 7-Time Women’s Champion | 2006, 2023 |
2) Lita
Lita sits alongside Trish Stratus, among the most renowned retired WWE female wrestlers, for her remarkable feats in the squared circle.
Falling in the same age bracket, Lita was Trish’s best friend behind the curtain and the toughest adversary on TV, creating several historical moments, including becoming the first woman to main event RAW. She led by example, showing what WWE’s women’s talents were capable of.
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As a wrestler, Lita captured the Women’s Championship four times in her full-time career. Similar to Trish, Lita took two retirements in her career, one in 2006 and the other in 2023.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 4-Time Women’s Champion | 2006, 2023 |
3) AJ Lee
While WWE’s four horsewomen are credited for bringing the women’s revolution, AJ Lee was a key figure in initiating the early revolution in the Divas Era. Her impeccable promo skills, compelling screen presence, and ring proficiency made her an asset to the women’s decision.
Lee had a culmination of three Divas Championship reigns. Keeping the belt around her waist for 406, she held the record of most combined days as the champion divided by three runs.
A critical cervical spine injury alongside her husband CM Punk’s disruption with WWE at the moment led to her departure and eventual retirement from WWE. She officially departed the business on April 3, 2015.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 3-Time Divas Champion | 2015 |
4) Beth Phoenix
Known for her imposing strength and look, Beth Phoenix defined a perfect WWE female star in her prime. She was freakishly strong, lifting her opponents and even male counterparts breezing in between the ropes.
The Glamazon experienced a great full-time tenure lasting five years. She was among the major names of the roster, entrenching a Divas Title and three Women’s Titles to her name. Even though Beth retired in 2012, she made sporadic appearances in WWE’s big PLEs.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 4-Time Women’s Champion | 2012 |
5) Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool built an impressive resume wrestling only five years on the main roster. She was a notable inclusion in the late Ruthless Aggression Era and the Divas Era. WWE discovered her through the Divas Search in 2004.
In the final couple of years of the Ruthless Aggression Era, McCool became a two-time Women’s Champion. She continued the success story when the company transitioned to the PG Era, introducing the new Divas Championship.
Becoming the first-ever Divas Champion, she finished her career as a four-time Women’s Champion. She stepped away from the ring and retired in 2011 due to family commitment as The Undertaker’s wife.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 4-Time Women’s Champion | 2011 |
6) Alundra Blayze
Aludra Blayze, aka Madusa, was among the distinguished blonde wrestlers from the 90s, enjoying an extensive career in WWE and WCW. She played a pivotal role in the 1990s, bringing the spotlight to women’s wrestling and showing her talent as a performer.
Even though women’s matches were allocated for a short duration in that time, Blayze never failed to impress with her flashy wrestling moves. Her feud with Bull Nakano marked the pinnacle of her career.
The 61-year-old legendary WWE Hall of Fame is a three-time Women’s Champion. Quitting wrestling in 2000, she ranks among the most accomplished retired female WWE wrestlers today.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 4-Time Women’s Champion | 2000 |
7) Victoria
Victoria was an underrated name in the early 2000s. Despite her limitless potential, she was often overshadowed by the popularity of Lita and Trish Stratus. She battled both these two women in her prime, delivering incredible feuds.
Victoria spent nine lengthy years in WWE, but her career peaked in the early 2000s when she remained in the major women’s storylines, especially those involving the title.
While she left WWE in 2009, she continued wrestling for ten more years, performing in TNA and other promotions. She officially hung up her wrestling boots in 2019 but ended her career with two Women’s Championships.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 2-Time Women’s Champion | 2019 |
8) Eve Torres
Eve Torres was WWE’s discovery from the Divas Search, who proved her worth beyond the good looks. With their dancing and modeling backgrounds, professional wrestling was a novel platform for her, but she demonstrated significant improvement over time.
Torres was a key figure in WWE’s Divas Era, engaging in some memorable rivalries. She helped elevate the status of the Divas Championship, winning the coveted prize three times in her WWE career. After leaving the company, she announced her official wrestling retirement in 2013.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 3-Time Divas Champion | 2013 |
9) Ivory
Although Ivory embarked on her wrestling journey in the 1980s, she didn’t secure a WWE deal until 1999. It took her over a decade to get noticed by Vince McMahon, but she succeeded in making a legacy despite wrestling in the Attitude Era.
Because of her solid wrestling background, WWE chose not to put her in many risque segments as some other women from the era. The three-time Women’s Champion and the WWE Hall of Famer retired in 2006, a year after departing from the Stamford-based promotion.
| Major Achievement | Retirement Year |
| 3-Time Women’s Champion | 2006 |
Avik Das is an English Literature graduate with an experience of over six years as a professional writer. He has written for renowned publications such as The Sportster, Sportskeeda, Pinkvilla, and The Things
