Diksha Arya
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is the largest professional wrestling promotion in the world, with a long and storied history dating back to the 1950s. The company has thus produced some of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, including Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. And of the most popular and successful female wrestlers in its history is Lita, whose real name is Amy Dumas.
Lita made her WWE debut in 2000, following which she quickly became one of the most well-received Superstars in the company. Her high-flying moves, her punk rock attitude, and her good looks are what allured people to her the most. Even though she retired from full-time wrestling in 2006, she has since made occasional appearances in the WWE Universe. So, where is she now? Is she still involved in the wrestling industry? Let’s get answers to these questions.
Why Did Lita Leave WWE?
Lita’s departure from WWE in 2006 left fans shocked and saddened, as she was undeniably one of the most beloved female wrestlers of her era. However, the truth her her decision to step away from the ring was influenced by several significant factors. One of the pivotal moments in Lita’s WWE career was her involvement in a controversial storyline alongside Edge in 2005-06. This storyline culminated in the infamous “live s*x celebration: segment, which generated immense negative attention and backlash from fans. In other words, she faced severe criticism and hate following this provocative angle.
The real-life love triangle involving Lita, Matt Hardy, and Edge also cast a long shadow over her career. Moreover, WWE’s decision to release Matt Hardy in the midst of the drama surrounding the love triangle also caused outrage among fans. Lita and Edge hence found themselves facing hostile crowds with chants like “You screwed Matt” and “We want Matt.” This situation added a significant amount of unscripted drama to their on-screen personas, making it a challenging period for her.
Even after Matt was brought back, the WWE audience continued to be a bit hostile towards Lita. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that her best friend, Trish Stratus, had retired, leaving her without the emotional support she had relied on during tough times around the ring. Injuries further exacerbated her physical issues. Therefore, despite WWE’s attempts to entice her with more money, Lita made the announcement that she was leaving WWE when her contract ended at Survivor Series 2006.
Fans believe that the mental toll of feeling miserable every week at work was a significant factor in her decision. Even though she continued to perform at a high level as a heel character, her emotional and physical well-being deteriorated, and she was falling out of love with wrestling. Her final match against Mickie James even concluded with her being humiliated as Cryme Tyme stole her luggage and sold her personal items to the crowd. This constant negative reception from fans and being placed in uncomfortable situations further contributed to her decision to retire.
Where is Lita Now?
In her post-WWE career, Lita ventured into the world of independent wrestling. On April 21, 2007, she debuted for the United Wrestling Federation (UWF) as a special guest referee. The following day, she stepped back into the ring, teaming up with Jerry Lynn to defeat Austin Starr and Christy Hemme in a tag team match. Lita also made an appearance for Family Wrestling Entertainment (FWE) as a special guest referee.
One of the most noteworthy ventures Lita undertook was her foray into music. A punk rock enthusiast, she formed a band called The Luchagors in mid-2006. They made their debut at a rock n’ wrestling event called Rock-N-Shock at The Masquerade in Atlanta and released their self-titled debut album on September 11, 2007. Her passion for music allowed her to channel her love for punk rock into a productive, creative outlet.
Back then, Lita even extended her support to other music acts, lending her vocals to “From The Shadows,” a track from the debut album of the English band JD & the FDCs, titled Recognise. This album hit the music scene in July 2012, followed by the release of its accompanying video eight months later. However, reportedly due to financial issues, The Luchagors had to disband for good in 2014, bringing her music career to a halt too.
So, despite having retired from wrestling, Lita couldn’t stay away from the ring for too long. She returned to this industry on a part-time basis, making occasional appearances in different settings. She worked as a trainer on the sixth season of ‘Tough Enough,’ alongside wrestling legends Booker T and Billy Gunn. In May 2013, Diva Dirt organized a WWE Diva of the Decade tournament, where fans voted to determine the best WWE Diva from 2003 to 2013, and Lita emerged as the winner from a bracket of 16 WWE Divas.
Then, in 2014, Trish Stratus inducted Lita into the WWE Hall of Fame. Additionally, she served as a backstage producer and creative writer for WWE from October 2015 to July 2016, contributing her expertise to shaping the company’s storylines and talent development. She also participated as a commentator for the first edition of the Mae Young Classic alongside legendary announcer Jim Ross. Lita later took part in the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2018 and had a match at WWE Evolution, the first all-women’s pay-per-view event, where she teamed up with Trish Stratus against Mickie James and Alicia Fox. Following this, she expanded her presence into a different realm of entertainment by hosting a local Atlanta radio show called ‘Amy’s Discordia’ in 2013.
Lita has since made appearances on television shows as well, including a guest feature on ‘The Bachelorette’ in November 2020, where she joined Tatiana Suarez of the UFC. In March 2020, Lita, alongside Christy Hemme and Gail Kim, announced “KAYfABE,” a wrestling show blending scripted drama with pro wrestling inspired by true events. They launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the pilot episode but fell short of their $400,000 goal, raising only $62,919.96. The team later cited the financial impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic for the campaign’s difficulties and assured fans of securing funding at a later date.
As if all this wasn’t enough, when Digital Spy held a World Cup tournament in August 2020 to determine the greatest female WWE wrestler of all time, Lita was declared the winner from a list of 32 fellow professional athletes. Then came her return to WWE in 2022, only for her to soon win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Becky Lynch on February 27 2023. This made her the first female Hall of Famer to capture a championship post-induction. Lita’s comeback demonstrated her enduring love for the sport and her ability to perform at a high level even after years away from the ring.
We should also mention that in 2022, Lita participated in the WWE Raw Women’s Championship at Elimination Chamber in Jeddah to take on Becky Lynch but wasn’t able to win. Then, in 2023, Lita joined WWE Studios’ A&E reality series, ‘WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures,’ as a co-host alongside Booker T and Mick Foley. The show focused on the search for collectibles related to various wrestlers, adding another dimension to Lita’s involvement with WWE.
Beyond her professional endeavors, Lita has embraced her dating life as well. She dated fellow band member Shane Morton from 2006 to 2008 and had a relationship with CM Punk from 2009 to 2010 and again from late 2012 to September 2013. Lita also split her time between her home in Atlanta and her house in Nicaragua, where she enjoyed surfing. She did face legal issues when she was arrested on December 9, 2011, in Columbia County, Georgia, for speeding and driving with a suspended license, but she spent just one night in jail and was released on a $2,200 bond.
As of now, Lita is devoting her life to ventures like music, animal charity, and other causes that she believes in. She used to regularly appear on ‘WWE Raw’ and often spent her time at the WWE Performance Center too, but she parted ways with the organization again in April 2023 owing to some unnecessary attacks on her. Nevertheless, she is in incredible shape to this day and still is capable of pulling off the Moonsault, her signature move, which is quite impressive.
In a final interview with WWE, Lita expressed that even though she thinks she’ll be remembered as a joke in the immediate future owing to her brief comeback, she hopes that she will eventually be remembered and respected for her long-lasting career and her contributions to the business. While her journey in WWE was marked by challenges and controversies, Lita’s legacy endures as one of the pioneering female professional wrestlers who left an indelible mark on the industry. While she may have left the squared circle, her impact on the wrestling world remains undeniable, and her legacy as a WWE Hall of Famer continues to shine brightly.
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