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00:00From the days of Mae Young, to Trish Stratus, to Charlotte Flair,
00:05women's wrestling has always been a constant.
00:08The moonsault, the hook, the free, my God, Lena did it!
00:12But in the last decade, the women in sports entertainment have evolved the division
00:15into immeasurable heights.
00:18Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Women's War Games Match.
00:24All Women's Royal Rumble Match!
00:27Today, we look back at the defining moments of the women's evolution.
00:32For the first time ever, women are in the main event at WrestleMania.
00:37I love this, and I love this!
00:40This is WWE's Greatest Moments.
00:49Oh, my God!
00:50This is surreal!
00:55Look at that!
00:56Welcome, everyone, to WWE's Greatest Moments.
01:06I'm Michael Cole.
01:07And on this edition, we're taking you back to some of the pivotal moments of the women's
01:11evolution.
01:12When talking about pioneers in the women's division, the top of that list includes WWE Hall
01:17of Famer Trish Stratus.
01:19Trish has entertained audiences worldwide for a quarter of a century now, and certainly carved
01:24a path for future generations to prosper.
01:27Without me, there would be no woman's revolution.
01:30Stomping down that paved path was none other than the main Becky Lynch.
01:41Over the years, Becky has carved out an impressive legacy of her own.
01:45At one stage, Trish, you were number one in this business.
01:49But I, I've been able to have a career that you could only dream of.
01:54So what happens when past meets present in the dreaded steel cage match?
02:00In the history of the women's evolution, Trish walked so Becky could run.
02:07We wanted to go in there, change the game, and dare I say, we stole that show.
02:14This cage will tear your flesh.
02:16Knowing we've told the story for so long, this has to pay off big.
02:19Like, we knew that it needed to end up in a cage.
02:21And Lynch is just going wild.
02:25Trish was almost like taking up arms for her generation, showing that they could be just
02:31as good, and on that night, they were.
02:34Though Trish is one of the greatest of all time, her generation ain't Becky.
02:40I wanted the crowd to care as much as they possibly could, and they did.
02:47Not from up there!
02:49Superplex!
02:51That was one of those groundbreaking matches, because it really cemented what we could do
03:00given time.
03:02Manhandle slam!
03:06What a match!
03:08After that match, it was such a great milestone in my career, and I think I could have been
03:12pretty satisfied to have left that as my last ever match, especially with someone like Becky
03:16Lynch.
03:17That match is in the running for match of the year!
03:21In 2018, WWE held its first show in the country of Saudi Arabia, and the traditional values
03:30of the country did not allow the women to compete.
03:34But WWE has always been at the forefront of making positive and influential changes in the
03:39world, and just 18 months later, it did just that.
03:42One day before Crown Jewel 2019, it was announced that for the first time ever, the country of
03:51Saudi Arabia would see women competing in a match.
03:53Sitting at ringside, it was a moment I will never forget.
03:56Lacey Evans took on Natalya in one of the most important matches in women's history.
04:02Since I heard the news, I haven't even, like, had a sip of water.
04:07I've just been, like, so excited.
04:09I can't even imagine the amount of butterflies that Lacey and Natalya had to deal with before
04:24that match.
04:25We were breaking barriers.
04:27Ladies and gentlemen, you cannot overstate the importance of this matchup here tonight.
04:33This is the first time there has ever been a women's match in Saudi Arabia.
04:38I was just very excited to see that there was lots of little girls and women who were
04:43looking at those two in the ring, changing the way that people view women's wrestling.
04:48Wow.
04:49Great impact.
04:50Off the top rope, both solved.
04:52Connecting.
04:53To see women competing in a WWE ring, that opened up a whole new spectrum of dreams for a lot
05:01of little girls who may have never in a million years thought it was possible.
05:04Natalya with Lacey in the sharpshooter.
05:07Is she gonna tap?
05:08She does.
05:09Natalya makes history.
05:10It felt like it was everything I'd ever worked for, like, just coming full circle.
05:15To be able to say that I'm part of the first ever women's match in Saudi Arabia, it was
05:19very powerful.
05:20It was a very surreal evening.
05:23The women's evolution takes another step tonight.
05:31In 1987, one of professional wrestling's most innovative concepts was born, war games.
05:37Two rings covered by a steel cage house some of the most brutal battles in history.
05:42Two teams fought for survival.
05:43In 2019, it was the women's turn to go to war.
05:49Like Chuck D said, welcome to the Terror Dome.
05:57NXT TakeOver War Games.
06:00It was like a game changer.
06:02It brought more eyes to NXT.
06:03I love intense matches where you just legit go out there, strong style it through, and
06:20just beat each other up.
06:21Oh, my God!
06:22Oh, Ripley looking for the riptide!
06:23Riptide onto the chairs!
06:24Ripley with the cover!
06:25Ripley wins!
06:26The match was surprising.
06:27It was exciting.
06:28And they saw it was, like, history-making.
06:30Hats off to every single one of these women!
06:37In 2002, WWE introduced a new concept, the mnemonic structure known as the Elimination Chamber.
06:58With over 10 tons of steel, the chamber was as unforgiving as it was ominous.
07:05This match shortened careers and provided too many injuries to count for the men.
07:11However, 2018, 16 years after its menacing debut, the women of WWE were finally getting
07:20their opportunity to feel the wrath inside this dreaded structure.
07:25So, it'll be Bayley and Sonya Deville starting things off every five minutes.
07:31A pod will open, and another superstar will enter this match.
07:34This was a very important moment in the women's evolution.
07:39Bayley top off!
07:41Oh!
07:42To Sonya!
07:43First ever women's Elimination Chamber.
07:45Six women locked inside this cage.
07:47This is home territory for me.
07:49Oh!
07:50Deville!
07:51There's a lot of competitiveness, and we all want to be the best, and we all want to be
07:54at the top.
07:55When I saw these women coming to compete and leaving their heart and soul out in the middle
08:01of that ring, it blew me away.
08:05Tap out!
08:06Oh, Mandy Rose, the first woman eliminated.
08:09Micky James!
08:10Oh!
08:11Takes down Deville!
08:12Here's the cover!
08:13Hooks the leg!
08:14Deville eliminated!
08:15Deville eliminated!
08:16My first Elimination Chamber match, it was very intimidating, but I knew that we were
08:21in that position because we deserved to be.
08:23Oh, my God!
08:24Twisted Bliss from the top of the pod!
08:26Alexa Bliss, though, rolling Bayley up, shoulders down, and we're down to two!
08:32I feel like the match couldn't have gone any better.
08:35Oh!
08:36Face first!
08:37Cover!
08:38By Bliss!
08:39On base!
08:40Congratulations, Alexa!
08:41It's been a very long journey for Golden's Evolution and a very proud journey.
08:51Every time we've been given an opportunity to deliver, I think our women over deliver.
08:54This is about every little girl and woman at home in the audience who have ever dreamed
09:00big.
09:01This victory is for all of you.
09:10For the better part of four decades, WWE has been crowning its king of the ring to the
09:15superstar who conquers his way through a grueling tournament.
09:18The king of the ring!
09:21Finally, in 2021, it was time to crown a queen.
09:26The inaugural Queen's Crown Tournament was set as eight of the top female superstars
09:31competed for the chance to wear the crown, with the finals taking place at Crown Jewel.
09:35It came down to Zelina Vega, Piper Niven, then known as Dewdrop, in this much-anticipated
09:40contest.
09:45This is going to be massive!
09:47We will crown the winner of the first-ever Queen's Crown Tournament!
09:52Once I actually walked into the ring and stood across from her, I remember thinking,
09:58oh, I'm going to soak every bit of this up.
10:01Dewdrop looks to use her power and Zelina Vega, her speed.
10:05Zelina not going to want to rely on power.
10:07The size differential is going to be too much for Zelina to overcome.
10:10We have a classic David Goliath story.
10:13Around and around we go!
10:15Great move by Vega!
10:17What an opportunity that is upon us right here.
10:20Zelina may have her where she wants her!
10:23Zelina declaring this one just about over.
10:25Oh, wait a second!
10:26Sidewalk slam!
10:29Went for a big splash, Vega moved out of harm's way.
10:35Are you kidding me?!
10:36A code red!
10:38Zelina Vega's the queen!
10:39To see all of the men in the crowd bowing down to me...
10:43My God, there is nothing like it!
10:46First-ever Queen's Crown Tournament!
10:50It'll be talked about forever!
10:53We talk about women being inspired.
10:56There are little girls out there that are watching Zelina,
11:00and they're saying, wait, maybe I can.
11:03Defying the odds, Queen Zelina!
11:06The long and storied history of women's wrestling has had a lot of chapters written that gets us to the present.
11:16In 2016, the female competitors were leaping out of an era that once defied them as divas.
11:22I think we're seeing the greatest era of the women's division in history.
11:27The center of this movement were three standout performers.
11:31Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch.
11:36The trio were set to face off in a triple threat match in front of the largest attendants in WrestleMania history
11:41for Charlotte's Divas Championship.
11:44But an announcement was made by Hall of Famer Lita earlier in the night that changed all that.
11:49The winner of the triple threat will be the recipient of the first-ever WWE Women's Championship.
12:03WrestleMania 32 was the most high-profile women's match at that point in time.
12:10This is for the WWE Women's Championship.
12:14It was just such a powerful statement.
12:17We were looking at legitimate female athletes that could steal the show.
12:22Frog Splash!
12:23Moonsault by Charlotte!
12:26She did that moonsault right one night.
12:29I never saw her do it.
12:31Woo!
12:33Ric Flair's been taken up!
12:35I feel like I remember going, this match is awesome.
12:39The crowd is loving it, I'm loving it, everybody's having a good time.
12:43Becky Lynch takes the full foul!
12:47Figure eight!
12:49Becky tapped out!
12:51Charlotte is now the women's champion!
12:53She was ready to take the reins and usher in this new era of performance.
12:58The celebration of a new era in WWE!
13:02Debuting in 1988, the Royal Rumble has become the most exciting event on the WWE calendar.
13:1230 superstars compete for the opportunity to headline on the biggest stage possible.
13:17WrestleMania.
13:18As the women's roster grew and features some of the fierce competitors that had ever seen,
13:25Stephanie McMahon finally made an announcement that was long-awaited.
13:29We will have, for the very first time, an all-women's Royal Rumble match!
13:35Up next is history.
13:40For the first time ever, 30 women will compete in a Royal Rumble match.
13:45These women have been working for this kind of recognition, for this moment, for this opportunity.
13:51I mean, just to give them a chance.
13:54I was on a whole nother level. I was trying to keep back so much excitement.
13:58We got to see the amazing women that we have now mix it up with the greats of the past.
14:03And Michelle McCool! There goes Liv Morgan!
14:07Beth Phoenix with the eye off on her shoulders!
14:09Got the coveted spot of number 30, which was awesome.
14:13Perhaps the greatest of all time.
14:16All 30 women in this match were rallying behind one another.
14:21And we wanted this match to go off perfect.
14:25We're down to Asuka. Nikki Bella.
14:28Asuka is a history maker!
14:31What an incredible night! What an incredible match!
14:36First-ever Women's Royal Rumble.
14:40First-ever Women's Money in the Bank.
14:43First-ever Women's Hell in a Cell.
14:46What else could we possibly do to top all that?
14:49Well, the most powerful woman, WWE Stephanie McMahon found a way how?
14:53Over 50 women then, now, and forever will participate in an event called Evolution.
15:03The first-ever All Women's Pay-Per-View!
15:07It is history in the making from Nassau Coliseum Evolution.
15:17I remember seeing the news that there was going to be the first-ever All Women's Pay-Per-View, and I was like, oh my God, we've done it.
15:22First-ever All Women's Pay-Per-View event.
15:24Classic Trish Stratus, the Stratus faction.
15:28I was just happy to see the event be successful. I was happy to see every single match just surpass expectations. I mean, the whole card just blew everyone away. And I'm incredibly proud for being part of it.
15:44What an ovation for the baddest woman on the planet!
15:51Arm bar! Nowhere for Nikki to go! She taps out!
15:55It speaks to where the world is at. It's nice to see women on the same playing ground as it should be.
16:03You know what? I think this is a huge victory, not just for me, but I really feel like we're finally on the road to getting the respect that we've always deserved.
16:09What a night it's been! An historic night at WWE Evolution!
16:21In 2015, the biggest talk of the wrestling world was NXT. Once considered to be WWE's developmental brand, grew into its own identity, and fans couldn't get enough.
16:31At the forefront of this NXT movement were NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks and Bayley.
16:38Bayley's story was simple. The underdog who everyone said couldn't win the big one.
16:43In front of the largest NXT crowd at the time, there was no better place for the hugger to prove her doubters wrong.
16:50Nearly 16,000 rabid NXT fans have packed the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
17:01Now it is all about the NXT Women's Championship.
17:05I think that match was very eye-opening for the WWE Universe.
17:10It wasn't just two friends trying to see who was better. It was war.
17:18There's only so many times you can take being mislabeled and misjudged and believe me, Bayley's had enough.
17:23I just got to show everybody that I can be this different side and I was taking myself seriously.
17:28Seeing these two women go at it just gave the rest of us so much hunger to want to do the same.
17:40No, no. She rolled.
17:42Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
17:44Reverse all. Reverse all.
17:46How did she do that?
17:47Bayley reversed it.
17:48She reversed Sasha's own move.
17:50Here we go.
17:52Bayley.
17:53Bayley to Bayley.
17:55Bayley to Bayley for the title.
17:57Bayley has done it.
18:02We wanted to be there, you know, and we wanted to show them that we were good enough to be there.
18:06And I think the fans that night, they were so happy for us.
18:10Bayley's your new NXT Women's Champion.
18:18What we saw Sasha and Bayley do set the tone for women's wrestling for years to come.
18:25We have now reached our history-making number one moment. For years, the women of WWE had wanted one thing. Respect. Each and every woman that competed in that squared circle desired an opportunity to prove that they not only belonged, but belonged in the main event.
18:50Three of the top superstars in all of WWE with both championships on the line.
19:02Main event in WrestleMania is the dream. It is the goal of every single red blooded wrestler.
19:08And Becky right to Rousey!
19:10Oh my God!
19:11I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.
19:13I told you!
19:15I said I was going to main event, and I did it. And that's a full circle moment.
19:18Oh my God!
19:20What?
19:21Charlie, driven through the table!
19:23Rousey is about to take it all!
19:26Piper's pit! Becky!
19:28Shoulders down!
19:30She did it! Becky Lynch!
19:32Becky Lynch is the winner take all and is both RAW and SmackDown Women's Champion!
19:47I think more than any of our individual accomplishments, we will all be remembered for the role that we played in this moment of time.
19:58When you get presented with an opportunity, you have to take the ball and run with it and hit a home run. And I think that's what those girls did.
20:04There was never going to be another first. There was never going to be another time when Becky Lynch was ending WrestleMania walking out with two championships with her father sitting in the front row.
20:17And I wanted to make sure that I really enjoyed it.
20:19It's so overwhelming. Like, what a feeling!
20:23Becky Lynch takes it all tonight!
20:26The women of WWE have all something to be proud of.
20:34We've all laid the groundwork for future generations to aspire to be anything they want and have been inspirations for millions.
20:42That'll do it for this edition of WWE's Greatest Moments.
20:45I hope you've enjoyed this look back for defining moments of what we proudly call the Women's Evolution.
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