.... Lita who was really just a spot monkey- albeit an extremely spectacular one.
Want to relate a Lita story that illustrates the "spot monkey" facet that punctuated her career.
Remember Rico Constantino? He had a "gay" gimmick in WWE that got some mileage on Smackdown about 10 years ago. He was an adequate wrestler with a big belly that prevented his movements from coming off as graceful, but one thing he did always stuck out in my memory.
Rico was standing outside the ring in a mixed tag match, waiting for Lita to perform her Hurricanrana, flying off the top rope and wrapping her ankles around his neck to execute the flip. Problem was, she flat out missed her target and had launched herself head-first toward the announcer's table.
Somehow, Rico grabbed her ankles as she sailed by him, wrapped them around his neck and flipped himself into a somersault, simultaneously halting her momentum toward the table. Yes, the move still looked horseshit, but Rico (1) saved the planned spot and (2) saved Lita from injury.
I mention all this because as exciting as Lita could look, she was always one step away from disaster. I remember her flying head first out of the ring in a match against Trish
after her neck surgery (they still show that sequence in flashback) and having her land on her chin and neck. It scared the living hell out of me.....and now, when it comes to a choice between flashy Lita and solid, effective Mickie, I'll take the latter lusting after Trish Stratus and bringing effective matches than waiting for the next Lita mishap.