10 Best Female Wrestlers Of WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era, Ranked

WWE transitioned to the Ruthless Aggression Era after the red-hot Attitude Era culminated. Women's wrestling still wasn't at its peak, but it was a massive improvement from the Attitude Era. Women were featured in some high-profile storylines and the WWE Women's Championship was defended at five successive WrestleManias from 2003-2007 except for 2008. However, the reigning Women's Champion featured on the card at WrestleMania 24.

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Women still competed in degrading matches in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Still, they also competed in Hardcore matches and Steel Cage matches which was a taster for things to come in the women's evolution when it became the norm for women to compete in those types of matches. The greatest women's wrestlers in the Ruthless Aggression Era were superb inside the ring, others were good on the mic and some were blessed to be talented in both.

10 Torrie Wilson Made A Name For Herself On SmackDown

Torrie Wilson Was Heavily Featured In The 2000s

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
7/24/1975	Boise, Idaho	2001-2008	WWE Hall of Fame (2019)

Torrie Wilson came into her own in the Ruthless Aggression Era, and she is synonymous with her time on SmackDown. Torrie had an on-and-off feud with Dawn Marie, who became her stepmother briefly as Dawn married Torrie's father Al.

Torrie never won the WWE Women's Championship as it was mainly on Raw during her WWE tenure. However, Torrie moved to Raw in 2005 and she turned heel by aligning herself with Candice Michelle and Victoria as Vince's Devils. Torrie wasn't the best in-ring performer, but she played her part and had a successful WWE career.

9 Michelle McCool Was On The Rise

Michelle McCool Became The First-Ever Divas Champion

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
1/25/1980	Palatka, Florida	2004-2011	WWE Women's Champion (x2), WWE Divas Champion (x2)

Michelle McCool was originally involved in the 2004 WWE Diva Search competition and although she didn't win it, McCool ended up getting a deal with WWE. McCool moved to SmackDown and she managed KC James and Idol Stevens, but her charges failed to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

McCool managed Chuck Palumbo briefly, but McCool continued to improve in the ring and was a contender for the WWE Divas Championship. McCool defeated Natalya at The Great American Bash 2008 to become the inaugural WWE Divas Champion. The Ruthless Aggression Era was a learning curve for McCool, and she was a seasoned pro in the PG Era.

8 Jazz Was As Tough As Nails

Injuries Derailed Jazz's WWE Career

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
8/27/1972	New Orleans, Louisiana	2001-2004, 2006	WWE Women's Champion (x2)

Jazz made her WWE debut at Survivor Series 2001, and she became one of Trish Stratus' main rivals. Jazz was one of the toughest women in WWE history, and she could go inside the squared circle. She wasn't the best on the mic, but she kept her promos short and sweet with aggression.

Jazz won the WWE Women's Championship twice by beating Trish for both of her title reigns. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck Jazz shortly after both of her Women's Championship wins. There's no doubt that she's worthy of going into the WWE Hall of Fame for her efforts.

7 MNM's Melina Became A Successful Wrestler

Melina Held The WWE Women's Championship Three Times

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
3/9/1979	Los Angeles, California	2004-2011	WWE Women's Champion (x3), WWE Divas Champion (x2)

Melina is another underrated wrestler who is deserving of a place in the WWE Hall of Fame in the future. Melina managed Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury as MNM to three WWE Tag Team Championships. Melina wrestled sporadically in 2005 and 2006 but consistently from 2007 onward.

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Melina moved to Raw with Nitro, and Melina clinched the WWE Women's Championship from Mickie James twice in 2007. Melina defended the title at WrestleMania 23 which was a huge moment in her career. Melina was good on the mic, and she deserves credit for improving massively in the ring.

6 Molly Holly Proved That She Was Selfless Behind The Scenes

Molly Holly Was An Unsung Hero

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
9/7/1977	Forest Lake, Minnesota	2000-2005	WWE Women's Champion (x2), WWE Hardcore Champion (x1), WWE Hall of Fame (2021)

Molly Holly was only scratching the surface in the Attitude Era by what she was all about, and the Ruthless Aggression Era was where Molly was at her best inside the ring and on the mic. Molly won the WWE Women's Championship twice by defeating Trish Stratus and Gail Kim for her two title reigns.

Molly's second Women's Championship reign lasted seven months which was a phenomenal achievement. She was a fantastic heel, and she was so selfless that she was willing to get her hair shaved bald at WrestleMania 20 ensuring the WWE Women's Championship was defended on the card.

5 Victoria Was Successful As A Heel And Babyface

Victoria And Steven Richards Were A Good Double Act

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
10/2/1971	Los Angeles, California	2000-2009	WWE Women's Champion (x2)

It's a shame that Victoria constantly gets overlooked but she was one of the top female wrestlers in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Victoria won the WWE Women's Championship two times both as a heel and a babyface.

Victoria made history as the first woman to walk into back-to-back WrestleManias as the WWE Women's Champion which is an outstanding achievement. Her alliance with Steven Richards worked to perfection when she was a psychotic heel, and Victoria had some great battles with Trish Stratus over the Women's Championship.

4 Mickie James Was One Of The Top Stars In The 2000s

Mickie James' Storyline With Trish Stratus Was Captivating

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
8/31/1979	Richmond, Virginia	2005-2010, 2016-2021, 2022	WWE Women's Champion (x5), WWE Divas Champion (x1)

Mickie James debuted in late 2005 and she was obsessed with Trish Stratus. Their storyline was one of the best female feuds in WWE history when Mickie turned heel and defeated Trish for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 22.

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The fans loved Mickie and she inevitably turned face midway in 2006. She's defeated the likes of Trish, Lita, Melina, Beth Phoenix, and Michelle McCool for her five Women's Championship reigns which isn't a bad list. Mickie is one of the all-time greats, and as a six-time WWE Women's Champion, Mickie is a future WWE Hall of Famer.

3 The Glamazon Dominated The Women's Division

Beth Phoenix Had A Stranglehold On The WWE Women's Championship

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
11/24/1980	Buffalo, New York	2004-2012, 2017-2023	WWE Women's Champion (x3), WWE Divas Champion (x1), WWE Hall of Fame (2017)

Undoubtedly, Beth Phoenix was the strongest woman in the locker room in the Ruthless Aggression Era. The Glamazon was dominant after she beat Candice Michelle for her first WWE Women's Championship reign at No Mercy 2007.

Phoenix was at her best as a heel, and barring four months in 2008, Phoenix was the WWE Women's Champion. Mickie James was one of her major rivals, and they had some intriguing matches against each other. Phoenix was confident on the mic and she executed some brilliant promos.

2 Lita's Injuries Limited Her Time In The Ring

Lita Became One Of The Most Detested Wrestlers In WWE

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
4/14/1975	Atlanta, Georgia	2000-2006, 2014-2023	WWE Women's Champion (x4), WWE Women's Tag Team Champion (x1), WWE Hall of Fame (2014)

Lita was on the shelf when the Ruthless Aggression Era began, and she made her return to in-ring competition in 2003. However, Lita beat Trish Stratus in an outstanding main event on Raw to become the WWE Women's Champion for the second time, but her reign was short-lived as the injury bug struck again.

Lita dropped the title back to Trish at New Year's Revolution 2005 as she tore her ACL, and she spent more time on the sidelines. Furthermore, Lita turned heel by having an on-screen relationship with Edge which also happened in real life. She became one of the most hated wrestlers but Lita and Edge were the perfect double act in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Lita clinched three of her four Women's Titles in this time frame, and her first retirement was at Survivor Series 2006.

1 Trish Stratus Returned To The Dark Side

Trish Stratus Had A 448-Day Women's Championship Reign

Date Of Birth	Billed From	WWE Tenure	Notable Accomplishments
12/19/1975	Toronto, Canada	2000-2006, 2007-Present	WWE Women's Champion (x7), WWE Hardcore Champion (x1), WWE Hall of Fame (2013)

Unquestionably, Trish Stratus was the top female wrestler in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Trish was on a roll and her in-ring skills were outstanding. Considering how green she was in the Attitude Era, she cemented her legacy as one of the all-time greats.

2004 was the right time to turn Trish heel after three years as a babyface. She began an on-screen relationship with Christian, and she carried on her love affair with the WWE Women's Championship. Trish was involved in several memorable storylines, and her feud with Lita was off the charts. Trish became a then-record-setting seven-time WWE Women's Champion by beating Lita for the title in her retirement match in front of her hometown fans in Toronto.