Trish Stratus Assesses Impact Of WWE Raw Main Event Vs. Lita

WWE Hall of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita were the first women to main event an episode of "WWE Raw," laying the foundation for the substantive women's wrestling WWE fans enjoy today.

"That match was almost a one-and-done," Stratus remembered in an interview with TV Insider. "It wasn't to say they wouldn't do it again. It just was such a big moment it felt like they had to wait for all the right pieces to come together. They had this feud. We were in North Carolina. Lita was going to win the championship. I feel all those moments motivated them to do the match."

Stratus thinks there were plenty in management and the locker room who were not crazy about women taking over the traditionally male slot of the "Raw" main event. However, Stratus believes the match helped inch women's wrestling forward to its current position. Stratus remembers having to actually stand up for her and fellow star VIctoria's ability to have matches as hard-hitting as the men's contests. Stratus's recent return to WWE put the importance of her battles in perspective for her.

"When I went back last year, it was kind of cool to see how different it is and less on that gender divide," Stratus said. "For me to go back and do a cage match was so special to me because it was never a possibility back in the day. The fact I got to do that and tip my toes in the water of the foundation we helped build."