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When Holly Holm shocked the world and defeated Ronda Rousey last month, my immediate thought concerned how long it'd take Ronda to make good on her plans to return to the WWE. She has to bring more of that WrestleMania magic she made earlier this year, right? Not that the WWE necessarily needs Ronda right now, no matter what you think of their #DivasRevolution. Even if gems like Sasha Banks aren't getting the shine they deserve on the main roster (yet), it's been a long, hard road for the "Divas" of the WWE.
While Hulk Hogan gets the praise for helping usher the world of professional wrestling into pop culture with The Brawl to End It All (which took place in July of 1984 at Madison Square Garden), many often forget that it featured a match between Wendi Richter and the Fabulous Moolah for the WWE Women's Championship as the focus of the card. AND it was the only match to air on MTV.
Women have been putting in work in the world of professional wrestling, but on the main stage post-"Brawl," you can only name a handful of women to come out of that era on top (Miss Elizabeth, who was never known as a wrestler, and Sensational Sherri, who was a great wrestler but was more memorable as a heel manager). It wasn't until the mid-1990s that women started to shine on WWE programming, and even longer before they were allowed to have matches where they could run-and-gun just as hard as their male counterparts in the ring.
In the spirit of learning from the past so the WWE doesn't repeat it, let's revisit some of the most memorable women—sorry, Divas—to grace the squared circle for the WWE. Classic WWE Divas: Where Are They Now?
Chyna
Years in WWE: 1997-2001
Titles won: WWE Intercontinental Championship, WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
Chyna entered the WWE as Triple H's hired muscle, and it was their real-life relationship that is rumored to have been part of her being released in 2001. Chyna states that Triple H had an affair, then left her for his now-wife Stephanie McMahon. Whatever the case was, she was taken off of TV, and after a few months, Jim Ross states she officially broke from the WWE citing personal reasons (although she has since said that she had a meeting with Vince McMahon regarding the whole Triple H/Stephanie situation, and received a fax saying her services were no longer needed).
She was engaged to Sean Waltman (aka X-Pac) in 2003, and in 2004 they recorded a now-infamous sex tape, 1 Night in Chyna. It reportedly sold over 100,000 copies, but Chyna says she didn't earn a dime off of its release. She did say that she was battling substance abuse, as was Waltman, and they had an incident in 2005 where she was arrested for domestic abuse after allegedly beating him up.
After those public scandals, Chyna's life as a reality TV star kicked into high gear. She's appeared on two seasons of The Surreal Life, as well as Celebrity Rehab for various issues she picked up over the years. She's also filmed a number of adult films, including playing She-Hulk in a pair of Avengers-spoofing parody flicks, even winning two AVN Awards (in 2006, 2012).
Chyna suffered an overdose from sleeping medication in 2010, but bounced back. At some point she became an English teacher in Japan, and while Triple H feels that Chyna should be in the WWE Hall of Fame, he told Steve Austin back in February of 2015 that some of the things she'd done that kids can easily-Google (i.e. ADULT CONTENT) prohibit him from adding her to the Hall, which makes sense for where the WWE is in 2015.
Stacy Keibler
Years in WWE: 2001-2006
Titles won: none
Where she is now:
Stacy Keibler was one of the women who migrated to the WWE after they purchased World Championship Wrestling. She got into the ring and had a go of it as a performer, but it was her look—including her legs—that had folks swooning.
In 2006, Keibler took time off from the WWE to compete in Dancing With the Stars (old WCW fans will remember that she got her start as one of the dancing Nitro Girls during the tail-end of WCW). Keibler placed third, and while the competition didn't award her with any huge opportunities, she still decided to leave the WWE after that show was completed.
In her post-WWE world, Stacy and her then-boyfriend Geoff Stults were part-owners in the now-defunct ABA team the Hollywood Fame, but it was her relationship with George Clooney that got her name back into the public light, as they dated for two years (July 2011 through July 2013).
In 2013, she began hosting a Lifetime show, Supermarket Superstar, and began dating her now-husband Jared Probe. They welcomed a daughter into the world in 2014.
Sable
Years in WWE: 1996-1999, 2003-2004
Titles won: WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
Fun fact: Sable was the first woman on the WWE roster to refer to herself as being a "Diva" in 1999, which makes sense; VH1 had launched their first VH1 Divas concert in 1998, and the term was gaining steam. With Sable's popularity in the WWE rising higher than her husband Marc Mero's (which makes sense, because he's Marc Mero), the term fit.
Sable had a weird relationship with the WWE around that time as well; she'd filed a $110 million lawsuit against the WWE in 1999 for sexual harassment after reportedly refusing to go topless, as well as being tired of having her clothes ripped off of her on Raw (the case was settled out of court in August of that year). She spent the next few years doing everything from TV appearances to releasing her own book (Undefeated), a comic book, and ran an advice column (on CompuServe, because the Internet is old).
She ended up returning to the WWE in 2003, a run that included her posing for a third Playboy cover, but ultimately left the company to spend more time with her family.
Speaking of her family, Sable and Marc Mero got a divorce in 2004 after a 10-year marriage, and she started dating WWE and MMA superstar Brock Lesnar, who she married in May of 2006. They have three sons together and a stepdaughter from Brock's previous relationship. Sable is also a grandmother.
Debra
Years in WWE: 1998-2002
Titles won: WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
While Debra spent the majority of her tenure in WCW in a managerial role, she branched out when hitting the WWE, becoming a star and even winning the WWE Women's Championship.
She also ended up in a relationship with Steve Austin.
Debra was married to former NFL player Steve "Mongo" McMichael, and was his manager during his days as a wrestler for WCW. They divorced in 1998, the same year that she met Austin. Austin and Debra got married in September of 2000, but their relationship hit a rough patch that included a call to the police in June of 2002 to their residence, where Debra was seen with bruises on her and a bloody nose. Austin pled no contest to a misdemeanor assault charge, and that July, Austin filed for a divorce from Debra (which was finalized in February of 2003).
After selling her ring on eBay for $27,100, Debra donated a portion of that sale to Safe Place, an organization for victims of domestic abuse. After the horrific Benoit double murder/suicide in 2007, Debra hit the press circuit speaking out about drug abuse within professional wrestling, as well as opening up about her relationship with Austin.
You can catch Debra on Twitter these days reminiscing about her time in the business.
Marlena / Terri Runnels
Years in WWE: 1996-2004
Titles won: WWE Hardcore Championship
Where she is now:
Terri Runnels—who began her career in the WWE in 1996 as Marlena, a valet for her then-husband Goldust—was released from the WWE during a massive firing spree in 2004.
After parting ways with the WWE, Runnels traveled the world, then dedicating her time to working with a number of charities (including Make-A-Wish, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America).
After marrying, then divorcing a life coach in 2002, she dated a soldier for five years. In 2009, she started dating the notorious ECW star New Jack, although their relationship only lasted about two years. In 2011, Runnels took New Jack to court to have a judge force him to stop selling nude photographs of her.
She still makes appearances at pro wrestling fanfests and conventions to this day.
Trish Stratus
Years in WWE: 2000-2006
Titles won: WWE Hardcore Championship, WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
When you think of the "Golden Era" of the Divas division in the WWE, you have to look at the career of Trish Stratus. She was adamant about engaging in hardcore matches, and really putting on performances that were just as good—if not better—than the men on the card, which not only earned her the distinction of retiring as a seven-time WWE Women's Champion (a company record), but an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
While one of Stratus' first post-WWE gigs was a reality show for CBS entitled Armed & Famous, it was her Stratusphere show for the Travel + Escape channel that was most intriguing. In the show (which debuted in 2008), Stratus took on physical challenges in a number of exotic locations around the world. The show lasted for one ten-episode season, and was one of many ventures she took on that year. Not only did she star as a bounty hunter in the 2011 Canadian film Bail Enforcers, but she opened her own yoga studio (Stratusphere) in Toronto in 2008. Stratusphere has won numerous awards for Best New Business and Best Yoga studio, as well as netting Stratus an award for Business Woman of the Year.
Stratus hasn't totally left the WWE, though; she's wrestled a number of times on TV and on pay-per-view events since her retirement, and was a trainer on the fifth season of WWE's reality show Tough Enough.
Jacqueline
Years in WWE: 1993-1994, 1998-2004
Titles won: WWE Cruiserweight Championship, WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
Many might forget that Jacqueline actually debuted in the WWE as Wynonna, a valet for Jeff Jarrett, but ended up getting injured and having to leave. After spending some time wrecking shop in the WCW, she returned to the growing WWE women's division in 2008.
This Pretty Mean Sister won the WWE Women's Championship on two separate occasions, but in 2004 was released by the WWE after creative had nothing for her. That was far from the end of her professional wrestling career, though, as she had numerous stops through TNA starting in 2004 as a manager and a wrestler, although her popularity never rose to the heights of her time in the WWE.
Jacqueline says that she hasn't retired, and many feel that with WrestleMania 31 coming to Texas in 2016, this would be the perfect time to induct her into the Hall of Fame.
Molly Holly
Years in WWE: 2000-2005
Titles won: WWE Hardcore Championship, WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
While it was initially rumored that two-time WWE Women's champion Molly Holly left the WWE because she was tired of the focus on what Divas looked like rather than how well they wrestled, she's apparently decided to keep her real reason for leaving private, although it has been said that she decided to spend more time with her family.
She has made sporadic WWE appearances since leaving in 2005, doing everything from quick backstage segments on TV to competing in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV in 2009.
Molly was featured in the 2009 documentary Bloodstained Memoirs, and has competed in the independent wrestling circuit since leaving the WWE. She's also a born-again Christian who got married in 2010.
Torrie Wilson
Years in WWE: 2001-2008
Titles won: none
Where she is now:
Torrie Wilson was another woman that the WWE signed after buying the WCW, and after a seven-year career in the WWE, she was released for never returning to work (she took time off to rehab a previous back injury and never came back), although she did return for the 25-Diva Battle Royal in 2009 at WrestleMania XXV.
Torrie divorced from Billy Kidman in 2008 after five years and spent four years dating Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, with their relationship ending in February of 2015. She's still heavily-involved in fitness, and her Instagram shows off the results of her hard work.
Victoria
Years in WWE: 2000-2009
Titles won: WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
Victoria has been very fortunate in terms of women who left the WWE and continued to wrestle afterwards.
Since retiring from the WWE in January of 2009, Victoria re-emerged in TNA that following May as "Tara," continuing to showcase what made Pro Wrestling Illustrated rank her at #5 on their PWI Female 50 that same year. She left TNA in 2011, and while she loved her time there, she did say that it made her appreciate the WWE more.
Outside of the squared circle, she's quite the businesswoman. In Louisville, Ky. she owned a pizzeria that she sold in 2007 as well as a car shop that she owned with her husband (although they later lost it to a fire). She even opened a wrestling-themed restaurant—The Squared Circle—in Chicago, although now its run by her husband and a friend.
Lita
Years in WWE: 2000-2006
Titles won: WWE Women's Championship
Where she is now:
Similar to Trish Stratus, Lita helped pave the way for some of the Divas currently on the main rosters in terms of being taken seriously. Her Lucha-influenced style was a big part of her getting over as a part of the Hardy Boyz as well as a solo wrestler.
While Lita officially retired from the WWE in 2006, she's been extremely active in the WWE community. She was visible on WWE TV over the years, and in 2014, Trish Stratus inducted her into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Outside of the WWE, Lita did make sporadic appearances in the indie wrestling circuit, including teaming up with Jerry Lynn for the UWF in 2007. She also formed a punk band, The Luchagors, who released their self-titled album in 2007. Her romantic life has always been a hot topic, as she dated Matt Hardy seriously when she first entered the WWE, later leaving him for Edge, and later dated CM Punk in 2009 and again sometime in 2013.
Lita worked on the fifth season of the WWE's Tough Enough reality show as a trainer, and it was reported in October 2015 that Lita is working full-time with the organization as a "road agent," or one of the people who helps plot out matches and storylines.
Sunny
Years in WWE: 1995-1998, sporadic appearances after
Titles won: none
Where she is now:
While Sunny was the prototype for what the WWE's ideal Diva during her initial run, her story has had its share of heartache and pain.
Sunny was mostly known as a manager; she came into the WWE managing a number of tag teams, and won the Manager of the Year award from Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1996. That same year, she was the most downloaded woman of the year according to AOL. Who would've thought that rumors of painkiller abuse and backstage beef with Sable would have been her downfall?
Sunny was released from her WWE contract in July of 1998, and she went to ECW with her long-time boyfriend Chris Candido that same year. The talk of drug use and abuse followed Sunny there, and in 1999—after a rumor of someone finding Sunny passed out in the locker room—Sunny and Candido left the ECW for the WCW in 2000.
The duo spent the next five years on the independent wrestling circuit, until Candido injured his leg during a TNA event in April of 2005. Three days after getting surgery, Candido fell ill and was rushed to a hospital in New Jersey, where he later died. Word was that a blood clot that stemmed from his leg surgery was the cause of death. Following his death, Sunny took to the independent wrestling circuit, making appearances at tribute shows for Chris Candido, as well as dates for ROH and NWA Cyberspace.
She also made quick appearance in the WWE, returning for the Raw 15th anniversary show, as well as competing in the 25-Diva Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXV. Sunny was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011...but her story didn't end there.
After dealing with drug and alcohol issues for years, as well as depression from the aftermath of Chris Candido's death (which involved beef with TNA over money he earned but she couldn't access because they weren't married), Sunny was arrested five times in the span of four weeks in 2012. The fifth arrest came only hours after she was released from jail after her fourth arrest, all involving a conflict with an ex-boyfriend that ended up with her catching a number of charges. This caused an issue with the WWE, who had been funding rehab for Sunny (as they're known to do for anyone who's been under contract with the WWE).
In January of 2013, Sunny was arrested for violating a protective order and did 114 days in jail, getting out in May of 2013. Sunny also said that she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, but a hysterectomy has rendered her cancer free. Sunny was arrested in September of 2015 after missing a number of hearings for her DUI arrest from May of 2015.
Outside of her numerous arrests and issues with substance abuse, Sunny has a very active life on social media, which includes the ability to have a private Skype session with the WWE Hall of Famer.
If all of that isn't enough, Sunny caused a stir in November of 2015 over her comments regarding the attacks in Paris, France, where she said that she thinks "the world needs is another Holocaust, but this time for the islams of the world." While she did end up issuing an apology for her remarks, one has to wonder if the WWE is keeping tabs on Sunny and if they'll ever get into a situation where they get fed up and disassociate themselves with her for good.
