Alundra Blayze

Alundra Blayze’s dangerous combination of athleticism and sex appeal made her the ultimate female force in the ring. When WWE reintroduced its Women’s Championship in December 1993, Blayze appeared from out of nowhere to win a tournament to crow the new titleholder. The buxom blonde went on to dominate the division for nearly one year before being toppled by Bull Nakano in November 1994.

Early the next year, Blayze gained her revenge by upending Nakano on Monday Night Raw to regain the title. Unfortunately, however, she was derailed by yet another colossal competitor when Bertha Faye defeated her at the 1995 SummerSlam. The loss to Faye proved to just be a blip on the screen, as Blayze quickly recaptured the gold in less than two months.

Blayze held the title until she defected to WCW in December 1995.

Madusa Becomes Alundra Blayze

In 1991, Debrah Miceli, famously known as Madusa, found work in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where she spent two years in a primarily non-wrestling role before drawing the biggest break of her grappling career. The legendary Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, her ex-boyfriend, had put in a good word with World Wrestling Federation (WWF) officials, which signed Miceli to revitalize its dormant women’s division. She declined to sign over rights to the Madusa name, prompting a rechristening as the WWF-trademarked Alundra Blayze. Miceli worried the name dispute would anger company owner Vince McMahon before she had even set foot in his squared circle. Her new boss put her fears to rest with an act of kindness.

“I remember Vince saying, ‘Is there anything that you need?’” Miceli recalled in a 2015 interview with Sports Illustrated. “Jokingly, I said, ‘Yeah, I got this big IRS bill I need to fuckin’ pay off.’ He goes, ‘How much is it?’ I remember telling him it was 35 grand. I got a check in the mail.”