Lita

Amy Dumas was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on April 14, 1975. She attended many different schools throughout her childhood and adolescent years and managed to finish high school at Lassiter High School six months before graduation. She majored in education at Georgia State University, but dropped out in 1993 because she felt it was too much like high school.

Later, in Washington, D.C., Dumas played bass guitar in several bands, and worked as a roadie for a band.

Training and independent circuit (1999)

Dumas first became interested in wrestling after watching Rey Mysterio, Jr., a Mexican luchador, wrestle on an episode of World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) Monday Nitro. She traveled to Mexico in 1998 to learn more about the sport and how to wrestle. Dumas financed her training by dancing in a club under the pseudonym Misty. During her stay in Mexico, Dumas trained under numerous wrestlers, including Kevin Quinn and Ricky Santana. Following the completion of her training, Dumas made several appearances with the Empresa Mexicana de la Lucha Libre.

After returning to the United States, Dumas began working as a valet on the independent circuit. She worked in Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) under the ring name Angelica, at one point managing Christopher Daniels. She also made appearances in NWA Mid-Atlantic, where she first met Matt and Jeff Hardy, who offered to train with her.

Extreme Championship Wrestling (1999)

In early 1999, she was approached by Paul Heyman, the owner and booker of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Dumas debuted in ECW as Miss Congeniality, the on-screen girlfriend of Danny Doring. Dumas later began using the name Angelica once again and made her pay-per-view debut on July 18 at Heat Wave where Doring, as part of their storyline, proposed to her.

Dumas was introduced to veteran wrestler Dory Funk, Jr. by ECW wrestler Rob Van Dam, and Funk invited her to attend his wrestling school, The Funkin' Conservatory. Dumas attended Funk's school alongside twenty-three men, graduated from the school in August 1999, and returned to ECW. Meanwhile, Funk and his wife compiled video footage of Dumas and sent it to the World Wrestling Federation. The Federation was sufficiently impressed, and on November 1, 1999, Dumas was signed to a WWF developmental deal. After five months with ECW, she made her final appearance on October 23, 1999.

World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment

Team Xtreme (2000–2001)

After honing her skills at the Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW) developmental territory, Dumas was given the ring name Lita and paired with luchador Essa Rios. Lita and Rios made their WWF debut on the February 13, 2000 episode of Sunday Night Heat, where Rios was booked to win the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship from Gillberg (it was only by watching the episode that the two learned their new ring names, decided post-production). Lita mimicked his moves, notably the moonsault and hurricanrana, immediately after he had performed them on an opponent. Essa Rios and Lita had a feud with Eddie Guerrero and Chyna which led to a European title match between Ríos and then-champion Guerrero at Backlash 2000, which Ríos lost. In May 2000, a storyline was developed in which Lita found Rios cavorting with The Godfather and his "hos", causing tension between them. Rios eventually turned on Lita by powerbombing her after she inadvertently cost him a match. As part of the storyline, Lita was joined by the Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff), and the trio formed a stable known as Team Xtreme.

Lita as Women's Champion with the WWF Tag Team Champions 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.

Team Extreme doing their entrance routine during the King of the Ring event in June 2000

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. The rivalry developed into an off and on long-term feud between the two women that lasted until Stratus retired in 2006. The storyline ended shortly after Fully Loaded, where Lita pinned Stratus in a six-person intergender tag team match. Subsequently, Lita began feuding with WWF Women's Champion Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley. In the main event of the August 21, 2000 episode of Raw is War, Lita defeated Stephanie with a moonsault 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.

Lita held the Women's Championship for seventy-three days, which included retaining her title in a hardcore match against Jacqueline on October 9. In the course of her reign, Lita became embroiled in the storyline feud between the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian. In retaliation for her frequent interference in their matches, Edge and Christian cost Lita the Women's Championship, helping Ivory defeat her in a four way match on the November 2 episode of SmackDown!. Ivory was in a conservative-based stable named Right to Censor at that time, which targeted Lita for her attire and moves. Lita attempted to regain the title on several occasions, wrestling Ivory at Survivor Series and Rebellion, but she was thwarted on each occasion by Steven Richards, Ivory's mentor. She spent the remainder of the year in a storyline with would-be suitor Dean Malenko, on one occasion unsuccessfully challenging him for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship.

Lita continued to feud with Dean Malenko in early 2001, and she defeated him in a singles bout on the February 19 episode of Raw is War with the assistance of Matt Hardy. Following the match, Hardy kissed Lita, beginning their on-screen relationship and turning their real-life romance into a storyline. The couple wrestled in several intergender tag team matches throughout the early part of the year.

Teaming with Trish Stratus (2001–2004)

In July 2001, Lita and Trish Stratus joined forces to combat Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson, members of The Alliance: Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling wrestlers who were invading the WWF as part of The Invasion storyline. At the Invasion pay-per-view on July 22, Lita and Stratus defeated Keibler and Wilson in the first ever tag team bra and panties match by stripping their opponents to their underwear. Throughout The Invasion, Lita, Stratus, and Jacqueline feuded with Alliance members Keibler, Wilson, Ivory, and Mighty Molly. The Invasion storyline ended on November 18 at Survivor Series, where Lita took part in a six-pack challenge for the WWF Women's Championship, which had been vacated by Chyna earlier that month; Stratus won the match and the title.

In late 2001, the Hardy Boyz began a storyline in which they were feuding with one another. Lita refereed a match between them at Vengeance on December 9. Jeff won the match with a scripted finish that had Lita failing to notice that Matt had placed his leg on the rope during Jeff's successful pin attempt. Continuing the storyline on the following episode of Raw, Matt defeated Lita and Jeff in a handicap match, shortly after informing Lita that both their relationship and the Hardy Boyz were finished. On the December 17 episode of Raw, both Jeff and Lita were sidelined with storyline injuries following a title match between Jeff and WWF Hardcore Champion The Undertaker. The injuring of both his brother and ex-girlfriend led to a reconciliation between the members of Team Xtreme, and on the December 20 episode of SmackDown!, Matt faced The Undertaker but was also injured. All three members of Team Xtreme were then removed from WWF television for several weeks.

The Hardy Boyz, along with Lita, returned to WWF television in February 2002. Lita resumed her pursuit of the WWF Women's Championship and made her in-ring WrestleMania debut at WrestleMania X8 on March 17, facing Stratus and WWF Women's Champion Jazz in a match in which Jazz retained her title by pinning Lita.

Dumas posing for a photo at the Kansas Air National Guard in Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas.

On April 6, Dumas suffered what appeared to be a stinger while filming a fight scene for a role in the season finale of the television program Dark Angel. The rehearsal required that she practice the hurricanrana that would be used in the episode, however, the stunt double Dumas was working with dropped her as she swung through the move, causing her to land on her neck and shoulders. After she underwent a CAT scan, it was revealed that she had suffered three cracks in her vertebrae, necessitating surgery. On April 30, Dumas underwent neck surgery under Dr. Lloyd Youngblood, during which he used a section of her hip to fuse her C5 and C6 vertebrae together. She spent the subsequent year rehabilitating, making appearances on Sunday Night Heat as a color commentator, beginning in October 2002. On the April 21, 2003, episode of Raw, as part of a new storyline, she was fired from her position on commentary by General Manager Eric Bischoff after she rejected his advances and his request that she follow in the footsteps of SmackDown!'s Torrie Wilson and pose for Playboy.

She returned to the ring after an absence of seventeen months on the September 15 episode of Raw, saving Trish Stratus from a beating at the hands of Molly Holly and Gail Kim. Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin later explained to Eric Bischoff that he had rehired Lita. Lita and Stratus went on to defeat Holly and Kim in a tag team match on September 21 at Unforgiven. Lita feuded with Holly into late 2003, unsuccessfully challenging her for the Women's Championship on November 16 at Survivor Series. On the November 17 episode of Raw, Lita and Matt Hardy were reunited after Hardy was moved from SmackDown! to Raw. Continuing the storyline, Holly interrupted as Hardy was about to propose to Lita, challenging the duo to face her and Bischoff in an intergender tag team match later that evening. Bischoff later added the stipulation that Lita would earn a title shot if she won but would be fired if she lost. Hardy and Lita lost the match after Hardy refused to tag in, with Hardy berating Lita for "selfishly" returning to Raw instead of SmackDown!, claiming that this showed that she cared more about the Women's Championship than about him. Lita was rehired later that evening when Christian informed her that he had used his Survivor Series favor to get Bischoff to reinstate her. One week later, Lita lost to Victoria in the first ever women's steel cage match in WWE history, due to interference from Hardy.

As Lita and Christian appeared to be developing an on-screen relationship, so did Stratus and Chris Jericho. Subsequently, Stratus and Lita participated in an intergender tag team match as partners on the December 1 episode of Raw. After the match, Stratus overheard Jericho talking to then-heel, Christian, about who could sleep with their respective woman first. One week later, Stratus and Lita confronted the men about their real intentions, leading to a feud between the two men and women which resulted in a "Battle of the Sexes" match at Armageddon, which the women lost. A rematch ended in a no contest the next night. On February 23, 2004, Lita was involved in a fatal-4-way elimination match for the Women's Championship which also included Molly Holly, Jazz, and Victoria, who won the match.

Storyline with Kane and feuding with Trish Stratus (2004–2005)

Lita competed in the women's division throughout early 2004, winning a battle royal to become the number one contender for the Women's Championship on the April 5 episode of Raw. Victoria defeated Lita to retain the Women's Championship at Backlash on April 18. The next night on Raw, Lita was reunited with Matt Hardy when Hardy attacked Kane in an attempt to prevent him from harming Lita, beginning a new storyline involving the trio. In the following weeks, Kane began repeatedly assaulting Hardy and attempting to seduce Lita. During the course of the storyline, he kidnapped Lita and held her tied up backstage, and he persuaded Eric Bischoff to give her a title shot at Bad Blood on June 13, where she was defeated by Trish Stratus in a Fatal Four Way match that also included Gail Kim and defending champion Victoria. The next night on Raw, Lita revealed that she was pregnant. One week later, it appeared that Hardy was going to propose to Lita, but he was interrupted by Kane, who claimed to be the father of Lita's child. Two months later, it was revealed that Kane was, in fact, the father. Hardy and Kane feuded for several months, culminating in a "Till Death Do Us Part" match on August 15 at SummerSlam, with the stipulation that Lita would be obliged to marry the winner of the match. Kane won the match, leading to he and a reluctant Lita marrying one another on the August 23 episode of Raw. Despite being married to Kane, Lita thwarted him during his matches, constantly aiding his opponents. On the September 13 episode of Raw, Lita miscarried after Gene Snitsky struck Kane with a chair, resulting in him falling on Lita. The miscarriage led to Lita and Kane joining forces in order to take revenge on Snitsky.

With the pregnancy storyline over, Lita returned to the women's division in November 2004. She began a feud with Trish Stratus, who had constantly degraded her during her pregnancy storyline. When Stratus referred to her as "chubby" because of her weight gain, she retaliated by attacking Stratus backstage due to no longer carrying a child. Lita challenged Stratus to a Women's Championship match at Survivor Series, however, due to the months of humiliation and being verbally berated by Stratus, Lita was more concerned with doing as much damage as possible, leading to her disqualification. The feud continued, and on December 6, Lita defeated Stratus in the main event of Raw to win her second WWE Women's Championship. During the course of the match, Lita botched a suicide dive to the outside when she over rotated by a fraction, barely escaping serious injury. This move was later used in the buildup to the title rematch she was booked for at New Year's Revolution against Stratus, who claimed, "Lita had to practically kill herself, just to beat me". However, Lita's title reign that was supposed to gain more momentum and length came to a short end almost a month later when Stratus defeated Lita on January 9, 2005, at New Year's Revolution. In the course of the match, Lita tore her left ACL after executing a Thesz press off the ring apron, which left her unable to properly continue the match and led to a rushed finish.

Lita returned to WWE television in March 2005, mentoring Christy Hemme, who was in the midst of a storyline with Stratus that featured a title match between them at WrestleMania 21. Despite Lita's coaching, Hemme was defeated by Stratus. Lita continued to feud with Stratus by proxy over the following weeks, with Kane defeating Stratus' companion, Viscera, at Backlash on May 1.

Relationship with Edge and retirement (2005–2006)

The relationship between Lita and Kane lasted until the May 16 episode of Raw, when Lita turned on Kane, by helping Edge defeat him in the finals of the Raw Gold Rush Tournament, while also revealing she had been faking her knee injury. This made Lita become a villain for the first and only time in her career. On the May 30 episode of Raw, Lita announced that she had filed for divorce, and said things such as Kane was like a 4th grader in the bedroom, that she would not have to deal with things such as his sweaty body, the "stupid little" laugh he does, and the wedding ring being flushed down a toilet. She then attempted to marry Edge on the June 20 episode of Raw, but the marriage ceremony was interrupted by a vengeful Kane, who emerged from beneath the ring, destroyed the ceremony, and as Edge and Lita escaped from the ring, Kane tombstoned their priest. The storyline with Kane ended shortly thereafter.

Off-screen, at this time, Dumas had been involved with Matt Hardy romantically, but began a relationship with Adam Copeland (Edge). WWE then began to use the real-life issues between the three as an on-screen storyline. In April, Hardy was released from WWE, only to be rehired several months later. Lita continued to act as Edge's valet, and Edge defeated Hardy at SummerSlam. On the October 3 episode of Raw, Edge, with the assistance of Lita, defeated Hardy in a ladder match, and Hardy was obligated to leave Raw as a stipulation of the match. Edge defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship on January 8 at New Year's Revolution.

In an interview conducted after the event, on WWE.com, Edge announced that he and Lita would have "hot, unbridled sex" in the middle of the ring on Raw the following night to celebrate his victory. On Raw, Edge held up to that promise by engaging in foreplay with Lita until they were interrupted by Ric Flair, who called Edge a disgrace and "that he was horrible in the sack." Flair, however, ended up on the receiving end of a con-chair-to on the announcers' table until Cena came out to Flair's aid and performed an FU on Lita. The "Live Sex Celebration" segment earned Raw a 5.2 rating, the highest Raw rating in over a year, leading Edge to call himself the "most watched champion ever".

On the February 6 episode of Raw, Lita teamed with Edge in a loss to Cena and Maria. She continued to manage Edge into mid-2006, frequently interfering on his behalf during his feud with Mick Foley. In May 2006, Foley joined forces with Edge and Lita, with the trio defeating Foley's ECW rivals Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, and Beulah McGillicutty in an impromptu six-person tag team match at One Night Stand after Edge speared and pinned Beulah. On the August 14 episode of Raw, Lita won her third Women's Championship by defeating Mickie James. She lost the title to longtime rival, Trish Stratus, at Unforgiven in Stratus's retirement match. The next night on Raw, the Women's Championship was vacated and a tournament was scheduled to crown a new champion. Lita won the tournament on November 5 at Cyber Sunday defeating Mickie James in a lumberjill match. Throughout the month, Lita made James compete in several handicap matches, such as having one hand tied behind her back and being blindfolded. On the November 20, episode of Raw, Lita announced that her final match would be at Survivor Series. Lita lost her final match and the Women's title to rival, Mickie James. Due to Lita's retirement, her relationship with Edge abruptly ended at the event, with no explanation.

Return to the independent circuit (2007, 2017)

Dumas made her debut for United Wrestling Federation (UWF) on April 21, 2007, where she served as a special guest referee for the match between Christy Hemme and April Hunter. The following day, Dumas made her in-ring debut teaming up with Jerry Lynn in a winning effort defeating Austin Starr and Christy Hemme. Dumas made her debut for Family Wrestling Entertainment on the April 28 episode of FWE Television, as a special guest referee for the match where Winter retained the FWE Women's Championship against Melina Perez.

Lita made her in-ring return, for the first time in five years as part of an eight-person tag match for MCW Pro Wrestling in Joppa, Maryland on March, 3, 2017, where she teamed with The Bruiser, and The Hell Cats to defeat MCW champion Sean Studd, Andy Vineberg, Rayo & Jeremiah.

Return to WWE

Post-retirement appearances (2007–2014)

Lita made a special appearance on December 10, 2007, on Raw's 15th Anniversary Special by teaming up with Trish Stratus to rid the ring of Jillian Hall. Later that night, she had a backstage reunion with Kane, her former on-screen husband.

She appeared on the November 1, 2010, episode of Raw in a backstage segment with Pee Wee Herman. On December 12, 2011, Lita presented a Slammy Award to Kelly Kelly for Divalicious Moment of the Year. Lita also appeared on the 1000th episode of Raw on July 23, 2012, defeating Heath Slater in a no disqualification, no countout match with the help from the WWE legends who had defeated Slater during the past weeks, as well as the APA.

She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2014, by Trish Stratus.

Trainer and producer (2015–present)

Lita presenting the WWE Women's Championship on Raw in April 2016

Lita served as a trainer on the sixth season of Tough Enough, alongside Booker T and Billy Gunn. She appeared on the July 13, 2015 episode of Raw to introduce the Tough Enough contestants. In October of that year, it was announced that Dumas had become a creative writer for the WWE on a full-time basis.

During the WrestleMania 32 pre-show on April 3, 2016, Lita unveiled the new WWE Women's Championship belt, in addition to announcing the retirement of the WWE Divas Championship. Charlotte defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match later that night to win the title, becoming the first Women's Champion of the modern era. She was working as one of the pre-show hosts for Raw, SmackDown and pay-per-view events. By December, Lita was no longer with the company.

Lita appeared during the WrestleMania 33 pre-show on April 2, 2017. She will be on commentary for the Mae Young Classic, alongside Jim Ross.

Lita was involved in the first two Raw main events featuring women. She won both matches, the first against Stephanie McMahon on August 21, 2000, and the second against Trish Stratus on December 6, 2004. This match against Stratus has been considered one of the best Women's Championship match in WWE history. The match had also been reported to have been used during female training segments, to show new women joining WWE how significant and influential this match is in terms of performance. In 2003, she faced Victoria in the first ever women's steel cage match.

WWE mentions Lita as "A Diva who always kept the WWE Universe on their toes. Whether she was flying high with The Hardy Boyz or shocking censors alongside Edge, the four-time Women's Champion knew how to elicit a reaction around the world."

Her Women’s Championship match against Trish Stratus on Unforgiven 2006 was ranked No. 3 by WWE in 2015 on the "10 greatest Divas Matches of all time" list. This match is also cited as one of the most unforgettable Divas matches along with her match against Mickie James at Survivor Series, and against Victoria in a cage match on Raw.

Dumas formed the band The Luchagors in mid-2006, and they debuted in September 2006 at a rock n' wrestling event called Rock -N- Shock at The Masquerade in Atlanta. Dumas wore a top emblazoned with the symbol of the band during her final match in WWE. The band released their self-titled debut CD, The Luchagors, on September 11, 2007.

Dumas contributed vocals to the song "From The Shadows" (appearing on the track alongside Dez Cadena of Black Flag/Misfits) from Recognise, the debut album from UK band JD & the FDCs, which was released in July 2012. A video for the song was released in March 2013.

Lita signing autographs in March 2012

Lita was featured in the June 2001 video and DVD release Lita: It Just Feels Right. The video featured discussions of Lita's career to that point and showcased several of her matches. Dumas' autobiography, written with Michael Krugman, Lita: A Less Traveled R.O.A.D. – The Reality of Amy Dumas was published in 2003. The book covered topics such as her family, childhood years, wrestling career, relationship with Matt Hardy, and her neck surgery and subsequent rehabilitation. Lita is considered to be a sex symbol.

Dumas also appeared on a variety of television shows including Dark Angel, Fear Factor, and The Weakest Link's "WWF Superstars Edition" in 2002. In 2004, she appeared on an episode of Headbangers Ball.

Lita began hosting a radio show called Amy's Discordia in 2013.

She is a playable character in WWE SmackDown! Here Comes The Pain, WWE '13, WWE 2K14, WWE 2K16 (as downloadable content), and WWE 2K17.

Lita was interviewed and profiled for the 2016 Nine Legends movie.

Dumas had breast augmentation surgery in late 1999. She has a wide variety of tattoos and had two piercings in her tongue and another two in her nose. Dumas is a known animal lover. In 2003, she founded the animal charity Amy Dumas Operation Rescue and Education (A.D.O.R.E.).

On December 9, 2011, Dumas was arrested in Georgia for speeding and driving with a suspended license.

In 1999, Dumas began dating Matt Hardy. They first met in January 1999 at a NWA Mid-Atlantic show, and began dating a few months later. In February 2005, it was revealed that Dumas had been romantically involved with fellow wrestler Adam "Edge" Copeland for several months while still in a relationship with Hardy, who had been at home recovering from a knee injury. Following Matt Hardy's actions of repeatedly breaking kayfabe on the Internet by making the Edge–Lita affair public knowledge, along with his ranting against Dumas and Copeland, Hardy was released by WWE. Hardy was rehired several months later and the real-life situation was translated into a storyline.

Dumas dated fellow band member Shane Morton from 2006 to 2008. Dumas also dated CM Punk between 2009 and 2013.

• Finishing moves
  • Lita DDT (Snap DDT) – 2003–present
  • Litasault (Moonsault) – 2000–present
  • Twist of Fate (Front facelock cutter) – 2000–present; adopted from Team Xtreme
• Signature moves
  • Diving crossbody
  • Hangman's choke
  • Headscissors takedown
  • Lita Bomb (Release powerbomb or spin-out powerbomb) – 2003–2004
  • Litacanrana (Diving hurricanrana)
  • One-legged monkey flip
  • Rear naked choke
  • Roll-up
  • Russian legsweep floated over into a pin
  • Snap suplex, sometimes followed by a kip-up
  • Spear – parodied from Edge
  • Suicide dive
  • Superplex
  • Tilt-a-whirl slam
  • Tornado DDT
• Double team signature moves
  • Poetry in Motion
• Wrestlers managed
  • Christopher Daniels
  • Danny Doring
  • Danny Doring and Roadkill
  • El Dandy
  • Essa Rios
  • Team Xtreme (Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy)
  • Christian
  • Kane
  • Christy Hemme
  • Edge
  • Randy Orton
• Entrance themes
  • "Super Bon Bon" by Soul Coughing (ECW)
  • "Simply Ravishing (Instrumental)" by Harry Slash & The Slashtones (ECW)
  • ″Crazy Loop″ (Used while teaming with Essa Rios) (2000)
  • "Electron" by Jim Johnston (2000)
  • "Loaded" by Zack Tempest (May 2000 – 2002; used with The Hardy Boyz as Team Xtreme)
  • "It Just Feels Right" by Jim Johnston featuring Lita (September 2000 – 2002)
  • "Lovefurypassionenergy (Remix)" by Boy Hits Car (2002–2016)

Lita during her induction speech at the WWE Hall of Fame in April 7, 2014

• Pro Wrestling Illustrated
  • Feud of the Year (2005) with Edge vs. Matt Hardy
  • Woman of the Year (2001)
• World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment
  • WWF/E Women's Championship (4 times)
  • WWE Women's Championship tournament (2006)
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2014)
• Wrestling Observer Newsletter
  • Worst Feud of the Year (2004) with Matt Hardy vs. Kane