page_title: Attitude Era
section_title: Lita
hierarchical_section_title: Attitude Era / The women's division / Lita
caption_attribution_description: English: 2000 photo of Lita as Women's Champion.
context_page_description: The Attitude Era was a term used by World Wrestling Entertainment, to describe the company's programming during the Monday Night Wars, a period in which WWF's Monday Night Raw went head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro in a battle for Nielsen ratings each week during the late 1990s and early 2000s. WWF's programming, branded as "WWF Attitude" from 1997 to 2002, featured adult-oriented content, which included an increase in the level of depicted violence, profanity and sexual content. This era was part of a wider surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United States and Canada as television ratings and pay-per-view buy-rates for WWF and its rival promotions saw record highs.
  The Attitude Era marked the rise of many WWF male singles wrestlers, including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley, The Undertaker and Kane. The Steve Austin-Vince McMahon rivalry marked the central feud throughout the era, with Austin labeled as the poster boy of the era. The WWF Women's Championship, which lay dormant since 1995, was reactivated in September 1998.
context_section_description: Lita made her WWF debut as a valet for luchador Essa Rios on the February 13, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat, where Rios was booked to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Gillberg. During the match, Lita mimicked Rios' moves, notably the moonsault and hurricanrana. Lita eventually left Rios' side and allied with the Matt and Jeff Hardy, and the trio formed a stable known as Team Xtreme. 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. During her time with Team Xtreme, Lita became the only female to ever be physically involved in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match in WWF.
  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. Lita also began a concurrent feud with WWF Women's Champion Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, and they became the first two women to main event an episode of Monday Night Raw. On the August 21, 2000 episode of Raw, Lita defeated Stephanie to win the Women's Championship for the first time. The match also featured The Rock as the special guest referee and constant interference from Triple H and Kurt Angle.
caption: Lita as Women's Champion in 2000
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