One of the overlooked feuds in WWE is the “Woman of the 90s” battle. This feud featured Sensational Sherri and Luna Vachon. Now, the Women’s Division was revived in late 1994 and featured Alundra Blayze as its crown jewel. This feud—which took place a year prior—was what could’ve reignited it early.
The Woman of the 90s
The feud itself started after Luna attacked Sherri Martel following HBK and Tatanka’s match at WrestleMania IX. Sherri, who backed HBK in past during the start of his heel run was now supporting Tatanka. Luna Vachon had never appeared in WWE at this point. However, she was a veteran and a product of the territories.
This attack kicked off a violent feud that featured some truly aggressive ambushes by both. I mean, watching these attacks they were often more spirited that the run-ins by the superstars. And they kept occurring.
What I also loved about this feud were the promos. These were wild women. Sherri was heated and sick of running into Luna every week. Luna was just demented and with that voice, she sounded like the perfect, terrifying heel for anyone.
The showdowns between the two had all the ingredients for a heated match. Luna Vachon was heel and spent most of her career in that role. Even though she was the face here, Sherri had spent most of her career as a heel and could fight dirty. She knew how to handle Luna.
Their matches weren’t going to be wrestling clinics or 5-star classics. They knew what to do to tell a story with what they were able to do in-ring.
Scenario: Reigniting the Women’s Division
Sherri Martel was a former WWF Women’s Champion and held the belt for a year between 1987 and 1988. WWE’s problem at the time would’ve been hunting down women to wrestle in a tournament to crown a new champion. It’s not that there weren’t women wrestlers available in the early 1990s, it’s just that this is early 1990s WWE we’re talking about here.
The company was making some odd decisions with talent and given how they handled the Women’s title in the late 1990s, the best-case scenario for WWE wouldn’t have been that great anyway. What would’ve been best for that belt would’ve been to reintroduce it during the “Woman of the 90s” feud, establish what they would want to do story-wise with the division and have a company heel waiting for Madusa.
Mixing in Alundra Blayze
WWE’s eventual route would be to bring Alundra Blayze (Madusa) in, have her face some scrubs, establish a working relationship with All Japan Women’s Wrestling and bring in some of their talents. It did result in western fans getting their first exposure of Bull Nakano, Aja Kong, and others. That’s a plus there.
By having Sherri regain the belt then lose it to Luna, that sets up Madusa for a tough threat against the wild lunatic. Madusa is tough as nails herself. Having wrestled for All Japan Women’s Wrestling before getting to WWE, she had gone through one of the toughest women’s promotions on the planet at that time. All Japan’s competition was fierce, the action was stiff, and the pace was go-go-go.
By the time she got to the WWE, she was mainly doing competitive bouts in the division. While she feuded with Bull Nakano, it was one of those “we face each other often” kind of feuds with a little story to it. Her run had some story when Bertha Faye came after her and broke her nose but that was about it before she left the company in 1995 and returned to WCW.
Having Luna Vachon or Sherri Martel—who left the company by this point—in the mix would have caused some much-needed excitement and chaos in the division. Especially if Sherri turned heel. There is the thing of being unable to go the Hogan route with these two and have Blayze face monsters. That said, she would’ve had more threats to her belt and those two would’ve generated a ton of sympathy for someone promoted as the perfect women’s athlete.
