Is Lita the most underrated Diva of all time?

[HBK89Bill]

Just like the title says, was Lita overlooked because of Trish Stratus? I take nothing away from Trish whatsoever. She is one of the top divas ever by WWE standards. I was always a Lita guy though. I liked Trish, but there was just something about Lita that I can't exactly put my finger on. Trish was the poster girl for the division during her run and I'm not saying Lita should have replaced her, but has Lita's run as a wrestler and a valet for Edge and the Hardys been vastly overlooked for how good and "over" she was. Was Lita actually better than Trish at her peak?

Was Lita just a very good talent in a pretty good division at the time, or was she overshadowed by Trish because of the powers that be pushed her to the moon which has diminished Lita's impact and legacy of her career for women's wrestling?

 

[dman1373]

I dont think she is underrated in the slightest. Trish was the great heel woman wrestler and lita was the great face woman wrestler. They both are looked at as pretty much equals.

 

[Bryan Is A God]

Lits was not overrated, she's not better than Trish. She was an average diva that WWE claimed to be one of the best ever.

 

[Makaveli31]

Lita?!? An average diva?!? Are you ribbing?!? Have you seen her matches?!? I'm sorry I just can't believe that statement was just made. Just to clear Lita could wrestle circles around Trish Stratus.

 

[Bernkastel]

Lita?!? An average diva?!? Are you ribbing?!? Have you seen her matches?!? I'm sorry I just can't believe that statement was just made. Just to clear Lita could wrestle circles around Trish Stratus.

The ability to perform moves means fuck all when grading a wrestler as being a good performer or not.

While I don't agree with Lita being considered an "average wrestler" she's most certainly not better than Trish. Trish has a full list of memorable matches, moments, and feuds while Lita has less... many of what she does have involve Trish in some fashion. Trish was awesome as either a face or a heel, while Lita's best work will always be when she was a face. And thus I think Lita's rated correctly.

 

[TheImpactPlayer]

I personally think Lita was always better. I'll agree that Lita may not have had as many memorable matches as Trish but I still think Lita was the better worker. I think she was more comfortable in the ring and made it look easier than Trish did. I always felt that at points Trish was struggling in there. Her finisher sucked too, I can't even remember how many times they botched that off the ropes bulldog thing she did.

 

[Makaveli31]

The ability to perform moves means fuck all when grading a wrestler as being a good performer or not.

While I don't agree with Lita being considered an "average wrestler" she's most certainly not better than Trish. Trish has a full list of memorable matches, moments, and feuds while Lita has less... many of what she does have involve Trish in some fashion. Trish was awesome as either a face or a heel, while Lita's best work will always be when she was a face. And thus I think Lita's rated correctly.

The ability to perform moved means fuck when grading a "wrestler" Sorry thought we were talking about wrestling here not "sports entertainment" and that means wrestling. Lita certainly has just as much memorable matches as Trish. Ever heard of Team Extreme? If that wasn't 'memorable" I don't know what is. At that time Lita as just as over if not MORE OVER than any wrestler male or female on the roster. Case closed. Might not have the longevity like Trish but IMO way more memorable moments than her.

 

[itbewilly]

Not really when you had other diva's like Molly Holly and Jaqueline(spelling right?) who were talented as well but often took a back seat to more profitable diva's. Jackie even fought smaller men and at one point held the Cruiserweight title. Fake or not she actually won the title when the division had some pretty good cruiserweight's still so im thinking having her be talented enough to go toe to toe with male Cruiserweights just tells you how good she was.

Im thinking Jackie is one of the most underrated.

 

[Bernkastel]

The ability to perform moved means fuck when grading a "wrestler" Sorry thought we were talking about wrestling here not "sports entertainment" and that means wrestling.

"Performer" and "wrestler" are the same thing. All pro wrestling is a form of entertainment.

Lita certainly has just as much memorable matches as Trish. Ever heard of Team Extreme? If that wasn't 'memorable" I don't know what is.

Off the top of my head lets lets see...

Lita - Essa Rios, Team Extreme, object of the feud between Kane and Matt Hardy, feuds with Trish 1 and 2, and Edge.

Trish - Test and Albert, Vince/HHH/Steph, feud with Jazz, feud with Victoria, feud with Molly, feuds with Lita, feud with Mickie James, Christian and Tomko, feud with Jericho, and Snooki.

Seems Trish's resume is a bit longer.

At that time Lita as just as over if not MORE OVER than any wrestler male or female on the roster. Case closed. Might not have the longevity like Trish but IMO way more memorable moments than her.

She was over, sure, but more so than Trish? No. And Trish's popularity was a drop in the bucket compared to Austin and Rock if you want to throw the male wrestlers into the mix.

 

[BigLuther]

She wasn't underrated a single bit. In fact, there was a time where the pops she got were as big as the main event guys on the show. She really changed the way people see women wrestlers by introducing new moves. Hell, even a moonsault hadn't really been seen from any female in a wrestling ring until she came along. I don't think there's a single person that undervalues what she did at all. And if there is, they need to go back and watch her work.

 

[Ares08]

I noticed the person pointing out feuds they both had and I believe you left some out of Litas. She also feuded with Ivory, Molly Holly, Stephanie, Chyna. She also wrestled a little more with the male wrestlers then Trish did, like her match with Dean Malenko and taking a few more bumps then Trish. But I'd say they were pretty equal and were pretty much the female version of The Rock and Stone Cold, whereas they were rivals but also teamed up a good amount of times.

 

[Makaveli31]

"Performer" and "wrestler" are the same thing. All pro wrestling is a form of entertainment.

I'm speaking purely in the ring. Lita was MUST SEE TV. Every time Lita's music hit I was glued to the TV because you never knew what she was going to do next. Lita's ability to perform high-impact moves is what sets her apart from the rest of the "divas". She brought down the house with wrestling ability pure and simple. Now if you want to argue t and a....I'm sorry I'm not going there. I don't find that "entertaining" on a pro wrestling show.


Off the top of my head lets lets see...

Lita - Essa Rios, Team Extreme, object of the feud between Kane and Matt Hardy, feuds with Trish 1 and 2, and Edge.

Trish - Test and Albert, Vince/HHH/Steph, feud with Jazz, feud with Victoria, feud with Molly, feuds with Lita, feud with Mickie James, Christian and Tomko, feud with Jericho, and Snooki.

Seems Trish's resume is a bit longer.

I stated Trish has longevity. But Lita's time with Essa Rios and as part of Team Extreme was much more entertaining and memorable than Trish's feuds.

She was over, sure, but more so than Trish? No. And Trish's popularity was a drop in the bucket compared to Austin and Rock if you want to throw the male wrestlers into the mix.

A drop in the bucket compared to Rock and Austin?!? You are sorely mistaken my friend. Lita's pops were just as loud. You can take that to the bank. I was at a live event and heard it for myself but you can ask anyone who watching around that time in 2000...Lita and Hardy's were CRAZY over.

 

[Pedigree1]

Lita was an average Diva. She was good yes no doubt and had good ability in the ring. But Lita was caught up in the greatest Diva ever to perform and that Diva is Trish Stratus. Lita's best work came as a face and really didn't have any memorable matches. Trish had many many great matches and if lita did have any they were with Trish.

So yes, Lita is rated correctly.

"Your Welcome"

 

[Bernkastel]

A drop in the bucket compared to Rock and Austin?!? You are sorely mistaken my friend. Lita's pops were just as loud. You can take that to the bank. I was at a live event and heard it for myself but you can ask anyone who watching around that time in 2000...Lita and Hardy's were CRAZY over.

Er no... I'm most definitely not. Are you seriously going to tell me that Trish and Lita moved the merchandise that Austin and Rock did, or sold as many tickets? Do you think their matches - regardless of how good they were - could have ever drawn as much as Austin vs Rock at Mania 17? If you think so you are delusional. Quarterly ratings would prove you wrong. Merchandise and ticket sales would prove you wrong. Historical evidence of women never being strong draws in any part of the world compared to their male counterparts would prove you wrong.

Don't misread me though, Lita and Trish were certainly bigger than no name midcarders, and maybe even accomplished wrestlers like Christian, Dolph Ziggler, and Sheamus. But certainly not men that are considered amongst the top 10 of all time.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Lita is considered one of the all-time greats among the women in WWF/E history, but Trish was the one they always pushed because she was more marketable to a mainstream audience. Lita was more popular among wrestling fans, but Trish was more popular overall.

Then you have her critics who say she was overrated, calling her a spot monkey who couldn't cut promos.

To me, the most underrated woman of the Diva Era would be Molly Holly. She was arguably the most technically sound in the ring, but she was not what WWE wanted their Divas to be. Molly is a devout Christian and would not have the sex appeal WWE wanted in their Divas, making her unmarketable in their eyes.

 

[Bernkastel]

Lita is considered one of the all-time greats among the women in WWF/E history, but Trish was the one they always pushed because she was more marketable to a mainstream audience. Lita was more popular among wrestling fans, but Trish was more popular overall.

Then you have her critics who say she was overrated, calling her a spot monkey who couldn't cut promos.

To me, the most underrated woman of the Diva Era would be Molly Holly. She was arguably the most technically sound in the ring, but she was not what WWE wanted their Divas to be. Molly is a devout Christian and would not have the sex appeal WWE wanted in their Divas, making her unmarketable in their eyes.

Being "technically sound" doesn't mean much either. Being a good performer is having the ability to connect with the audience through the story that you tell. Molly wasn't as good as Trish or Lita at doing that. Personally I thought Molly was gorgeous, but she doesn't rank high on my list of good female performers.

I'd rank Ivory as being the most underrated. Outside of your Trish's and Sable's, Moolah's and Mae Young's you've got Ivory. She had the sex appeal along with the talent. She had a couple of memorable angles, but never really took off like a few of the others.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

What you look at with wrestlers as to determine whether or not they're over or underrated is whether a promotion would have missed a beat without them. With Lita, as hot as she was and as good of a hand in the ring she was, the women's division wouldn't have missed her.

Trish Stratus was the face of women's wrestling during her peak, and Lita was merely in the background. She's overrated because many link her with Edge, Fat Hardy, and CM Punk, but just because one has slept with greatness doesn't make them great.

Lita's rating is fine. No one claims she's the best ever, and no one says she overly sucked, so she's rated about where she should be.

 

[MVP#1]

The ability to perform moves means fuck all when grading a wrestler as being a good performer or not.

While I don't agree with Lita being considered an "average wrestler" she's most certainly not better than Trish. Trish has a full list of memorable matches, moments, and feuds while Lita has less... many of what she does have involve Trish in some fashion. Trish was awesome as either a face or a heel, while Lita's best work will always be when she was a face. And thus I think Lita's rated correctly.

Many of Trish's memorable moments also involve Lita. When did Trish have a steel cage match? Never. When did Trish do hurricanranas from the top rope or do moonsaults from top rope? When did Trish get involved in a TLC match at Wrestlemania? You also have to remember that Lita was out of action for a year with a broken neck. Lita is a 4 time champion but if she had not broken her neck she most likely would be up there with Trish in the number of times she was Women's champion.

 

[Bernkastel]

Many of Trish's memorable moments also involve Lita. When did Trish have a steel cage match? Never. When did Trish do hurricanranas from the top rope or do moonsaults from top rope? When did Trish get involved in a TLC match at Wrestlemania? You also have to remember that Lita was out of action for a year with a broken neck. Lita is a 4 time champion but if she had not broken her neck she most likely would be up there with Trish in the number of times she was Women's champion.

No she wouldn't. Why? Because she wasn't as marketable as a champion as Trish was. The same way Jericho and Angle weren't on Rock and Austin's level.

Look at the title history between Trish's reigns... it's basically Trish feuding with different competitors and making them look like a million bucks. Lita did not have that ability. As a worker she was really only as good as her opponent. If her opponent was green as shit, then the match was average. I've seen Trish get a good match out of the likes of Christy Hemme. Lita? Not so much.

 

[LascoX]

To me Lita was a better wrestler than Trish. When Trish first started in WWE she was pretty terrible in the ring as she was a fitness diva that was learning to wrestle. When Lita came to WWE she had already paid her dues down in Mexico learning the Lucha style of wrestling and was an actual wrestler. Trish did go on to eclipse Lita but in my opinion it was Trish working with Lita that really pushed Trish to the top. After their first feud Trish's wrestling ability was a lot more solid just from working with Lita.
I think Lita does get over looked a bit in the grand scheme of things. Lita's work in the WWE helped take the Diva's division to a new level and helped re-energize the whole division. Her run with the Hardys saw some of the loudest pops of that period and Team extreme was really in their prime during that period. She never was the same after her neck injury but that can be said about a lot of wrestlers who have suffered such injuries. Trish got the prime push back then and did in the end eclipse Lita but in my opinion ,Lita helped make Trish and sent Trish to the top of the heap.

 

[dirtymagic]

The ability to perform moved means fuck when grading a "wrestler" Sorry thought we were talking about wrestling here not "sports entertainment"

If you're going to be picky, the Attitude Era WAS "sports entertainment." That term has been around for a long time.

Lita was an overrated wrestler, but got the props she deserved as a sports entertainer

 

[#heel420]

No, she's definitely not underrated. She's on the same level as Trish imo. She was getting some of the biggest pops back in the day. I think her personal drama caused a lot of fans to lose respect for her. The way she was getting mocked towards the end of her wrestling career was extremely disrespectful. Weekly arenas full of people were chanting she's a ho, she has herpes, etc.

As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And she was greatly received on her last couple appearances. She's the next diva in the HOF, no doubt in my mind.

 

[GameOver]

when was she ever underrated? she was in the top 5 of all time, hell even Trish who was voted the greatest of all time put Lita as her crutch..

 

[thebarber]

hpw is she under-rated???? It is well known and regarded, and even mentioned at the 2013 HOF ceremony that she is arguably the 2nd greatest Diva of ALL TIME, after Trsih Stratus.
She was solid inr-ing, a great valet and spoke pretty well too.
Lita is not under-rated in the slightest

 

[tom9422]

Was easily better than Trish, far more interesting. Not really underrated though because even though Trish was the face of the division, Lita was a close second, kinda like a Austin/Rock deal.

Don't fool yourself into thinking that Trish was better because they deemed her more marketable or because of her accolades in a scripted sport.