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[edit] World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment
[edit] Debut and Team Xtreme (1999–2000)
After honing her skills at the Memphis Championship Wrestling developmental territory, Dumas was given the ring name Lita and paired with luchador Essa Rios.[5][6] Lita and Rios made their WWF debut on the February 13, 2000 episode of Sunday Night HEAT, where Rios was booked to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Gillberg.[2] Lita mimicked his moves, notably the moonsault and hurricanrana, immediately after he had performed them on an opponent.[2] In May 2000, a storyline was developed in which Lita found Rios cavorting with The Godfather and his hoes, causing tension between them.[2] Rios eventually turned on Lita by powerbombing her after she inadvertently cost him a match. As part of the storyline, Lita was saved from a beating at the hands of Rios by the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff),[2] and the trio formed a stable known as Team Xtreme.[6] As a member of Team Xtreme, Lita developed a more "alternative" image, wearing baggy pants with a thong, which was hiked up high above her pants, clearly exposed.[14] During her time with Team Xtreme, Lita became the only female to ever be physically involved in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match in WWE.[15]
In June 2000, Team Xtreme began a storyline with T & A (Test and Albert), with Lita engaging in a rivalry with their manager, Trish Stratus.[1][5] The rivalry developed into an off and on long term feud between the two women that lasted until Stratus retired in 2006. The storyline ended shortly after Fully Loaded, where Lita pinned Stratus in a six person intergender tag team match.[5] Subsequently, Lita began feuding with WWF Women's Champion Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.[3] In the main event of the August 21, 2000 episode of RAW is WAR, Lita defeated Stephanie with a moonsault to win the Women's Championship for the first time.[3][5][16] The match also featured The Rock as the Special Guest Referee and constant interference from Triple H and Kurt Angle.[16]
Lita held the Women's Championship for seventy-three days,[16] which included retaining her title in a hardcore match against Jacqueline on October 9.[17] In the course of her reign, Lita became embroiled in the storyline feud between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. In retaliation for her frequent interference in their matches, Edge and Christian cost Lita the Women's Championship, helping Ivory defeat her in a four way match on the November 2 episode of SmackDown.[3][18] Ivory was in a conservative-based stable named Right to Censor at that time, which targeted Lita for her attire and moves. Lita attempted to regain the title on several occasions, wrestling Ivory at Survivor Series and Rebellion, but she was thwarted on each occasion by Steven Richards, Ivory's mentor. She spent the remainder of the year in a storyline with would-be suitor Dean Malenko,[2][3] on one occasion unsuccessfully challenging him for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.
[edit] The Invasion (2001–2002)
Lita continued to feud with Dean Malenko in early 2001, and she defeated him in a singles bout on the February 19 episode of Raw is War with the assistance of Matt Hardy. Following the match, Hardy kissed Lita, beginning their on-screen relationship and turning their real-life romance into a storyline.[2][19] The couple wrestled in several intergender tag team matches throughout the early part of the year.
In July 2001, Lita and Trish Stratus joined forces to combat Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson, members of The Alliance: Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling wrestlers who were invading the WWF as part of The Invasion storyline.[1] At the Invasion pay-per-view on July 22, Lita and Stratus defeated Keibler and Wilson in the first ever tag team bra and panties match by stripping their opponents to their underwear.[1] Throughout The Invasion, Lita, Stratus, and Jacqueline feuded with Alliance members Keibler, Wilson, Ivory, and Mighty Molly. The Invasion storyline ended on November 18 at Survivor Series, where Lita took part in a six pack challenge for the WWF Women's Championship, which had been vacated by Chyna earlier that year; Stratus won the match and the title.[20]
In late 2001, the Hardy Boyz began a storyline in which they were feuding with one another.[19][21] Lita refereed a match between them at Vengeance on December 9.[2][21] Jeff won the match with a scripted finish that had Lita failing to notice that Matt had placed his leg on the rope during Jeff's successful pin attempt. Continuing the storyline on the following episode of Raw, Matt defeated Lita and Jeff in a handicap match, shortly after informing Lita that both their relationship and the Hardy Boyz were finished.[22] On the December 17 episode of Raw, both Jeff and Lita were sidelined with storyline injuries following a title match between Jeff and WWF Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.[1] The injuring of both his brother and ex-girlfriend led to a reconciliation between the members of Team Xtreme, and on the December 20 episode of SmackDown!, Matt faced The Undertaker but was also injured. All three members of Team Xtreme were then removed from WWF television for several weeks.
The Hardy Boyz, along with Lita, returned to WWF television in February 2002.[1][23] Lita resumed her pursuit of the WWF Women's Championship in March 2002 and made her in-ring WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, facing Stratus and WWF Women's Champion Jazz in a match in which Jazz retained her title by pinning Lita.[24]
[edit] Injury and return (2002–2003)
On April 6, 2002, Dumas suffered what appeared to be a stinger while filming a fight scene for a role in the season finale of the television program Dark Angel.[7][25] The rehearsal required that she practice the hurricanrana that would be used in the episode, however, the stunt double Dumas was working with dropped her as she swung through the move, causing her to land on her neck and shoulders.[1][26] After she underwent a CAT scan, it was revealed that she had suffered three cracks in her vertebrae, necessitating surgery.[2][27] On April 30, Dumas underwent neck surgery under Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, during which he used a section of her hip to fuse her C5 and C6 vertebrae together. She spent the subsequent year rehabilitating, making appearances on Sunday Night HEAT as a color commentator, beginning in October 2002.[26][28] On the April 21, 2003 episode of Raw, as part of a new storyline, she was fired from her position as Sunday Night HEAT color commentator by General Manager Eric Bischoff after she rejected his advances and his request that she follow in the footsteps of SmackDown!'s Torrie Wilson and pose for Playboy.
[edit] Debut and Team Xtreme (1999–2000)
After honing her skills at the Memphis Championship Wrestling developmental territory, Dumas was given the ring name Lita and paired with luchador Essa Rios.[5][6] Lita and Rios made their WWF debut on the February 13, 2000 episode of Sunday Night HEAT, where Rios was booked to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Gillberg.[2] Lita mimicked his moves, notably the moonsault and hurricanrana, immediately after he had performed them on an opponent.[2] In May 2000, a storyline was developed in which Lita found Rios cavorting with The Godfather and his hoes, causing tension between them.[2] Rios eventually turned on Lita by powerbombing her after she inadvertently cost him a match. As part of the storyline, Lita was saved from a beating at the hands of Rios by the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff),[2] and the trio formed a stable known as Team Xtreme.[6] As a member of Team Xtreme, Lita developed a more "alternative" image, wearing baggy pants with a thong, which was hiked up high above her pants, clearly exposed.[14] During her time with Team Xtreme, Lita became the only female to ever be physically involved in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match in WWE.[15]
In June 2000, Team Xtreme began a storyline with T & A (Test and Albert), with Lita engaging in a rivalry with their manager, Trish Stratus.[1][5] The rivalry developed into an off and on long term feud between the two women that lasted until Stratus retired in 2006. The storyline ended shortly after Fully Loaded, where Lita pinned Stratus in a six person intergender tag team match.[5] Subsequently, Lita began feuding with WWF Women's Champion Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.[3] In the main event of the August 21, 2000 episode of RAW is WAR, Lita defeated Stephanie with a moonsault to win the Women's Championship for the first time.[3][5][16] The match also featured The Rock as the Special Guest Referee and constant interference from Triple H and Kurt Angle.[16]
Lita held the Women's Championship for seventy-three days,[16] which included retaining her title in a hardcore match against Jacqueline on October 9.[17] In the course of her reign, Lita became embroiled in the storyline feud between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. In retaliation for her frequent interference in their matches, Edge and Christian cost Lita the Women's Championship, helping Ivory defeat her in a four way match on the November 2 episode of SmackDown.[3][18] Ivory was in a conservative-based stable named Right to Censor at that time, which targeted Lita for her attire and moves. Lita attempted to regain the title on several occasions, wrestling Ivory at Survivor Series and Rebellion, but she was thwarted on each occasion by Steven Richards, Ivory's mentor. She spent the remainder of the year in a storyline with would-be suitor Dean Malenko,[2][3] on one occasion unsuccessfully challenging him for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.
[edit] The Invasion (2001–2002)
Lita continued to feud with Dean Malenko in early 2001, and she defeated him in a singles bout on the February 19 episode of Raw is War with the assistance of Matt Hardy. Following the match, Hardy kissed Lita, beginning their on-screen relationship and turning their real-life romance into a storyline.[2][19] The couple wrestled in several intergender tag team matches throughout the early part of the year.
In July 2001, Lita and Trish Stratus joined forces to combat Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson, members of The Alliance: Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling wrestlers who were invading the WWF as part of The Invasion storyline.[1] At the Invasion pay-per-view on July 22, Lita and Stratus defeated Keibler and Wilson in the first ever tag team bra and panties match by stripping their opponents to their underwear.[1] Throughout The Invasion, Lita, Stratus, and Jacqueline feuded with Alliance members Keibler, Wilson, Ivory, and Mighty Molly. The Invasion storyline ended on November 18 at Survivor Series, where Lita took part in a six pack challenge for the WWF Women's Championship, which had been vacated by Chyna earlier that year; Stratus won the match and the title.[20]
In late 2001, the Hardy Boyz began a storyline in which they were feuding with one another.[19][21] Lita refereed a match between them at Vengeance on December 9.[2][21] Jeff won the match with a scripted finish that had Lita failing to notice that Matt had placed his leg on the rope during Jeff's successful pin attempt. Continuing the storyline on the following episode of Raw, Matt defeated Lita and Jeff in a handicap match, shortly after informing Lita that both their relationship and the Hardy Boyz were finished.[22] On the December 17 episode of Raw, both Jeff and Lita were sidelined with storyline injuries following a title match between Jeff and WWF Hardcore Champion The Undertaker.[1] The injuring of both his brother and ex-girlfriend led to a reconciliation between the members of Team Xtreme, and on the December 20 episode of SmackDown!, Matt faced The Undertaker but was also injured. All three members of Team Xtreme were then removed from WWF television for several weeks.
The Hardy Boyz, along with Lita, returned to WWF television in February 2002.[1][23] Lita resumed her pursuit of the WWF Women's Championship in March 2002 and made her in-ring WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, facing Stratus and WWF Women's Champion Jazz in a match in which Jazz retained her title by pinning Lita.[24]
[edit] Injury and return (2002–2003)
On April 6, 2002, Dumas suffered what appeared to be a stinger while filming a fight scene for a role in the season finale of the television program Dark Angel.[7][25] The rehearsal required that she practice the hurricanrana that would be used in the episode, however, the stunt double Dumas was working with dropped her as she swung through the move, causing her to land on her neck and shoulders.[1][26] After she underwent a CAT scan, it was revealed that she had suffered three cracks in her vertebrae, necessitating surgery.[2][27] On April 30, Dumas underwent neck surgery under Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, during which he used a section of her hip to fuse her C5 and C6 vertebrae together. She spent the subsequent year rehabilitating, making appearances on Sunday Night HEAT as a color commentator, beginning in October 2002.[26][28] On the April 21, 2003 episode of Raw, as part of a new storyline, she was fired from her position as Sunday Night HEAT color commentator by General Manager Eric Bischoff after she rejected his advances and his request that she follow in the footsteps of SmackDown!'s Torrie Wilson and pose for Playboy.
