Mattel Tackles Trish's "Bestie"...Lita

I've always loved Lita. She truly took the ball and ran with it. In what was then known as the Divas division, Amy Dumas began in a role that could have lingered as a one-dimensional valet. Instead, she became a hero to millions. High-flying moves, a unique look, and an undeniable sex appeal made her stand out from the crowd. On the opposite end, a woman who took a very similar, yet in ways very different, path to the top of the Divas mountain would end up marketing herself, along with Lita, as "Team Bestie." Trish Stratus and Amy Dumas are indeed best friends, former in-ring foes, WWE Hall of Famers, and finally both part of the Mattel WWE figure line.

As soon as collectors received the first Trish Stratus figure from Mattel nearly three years ago, I began the call for Lita. It was only fair that Mattel produce the female member of Team Xtreme, especially since Stratus was already available. We have now gotten our wish as part of Mattel's WWE Elite Series 41.

Lita does not suffer from the packaging being too big, and actually looks just right. I think it's likely due to the bulkiness of her pants and one arm being raised. It's the female figures that usually suffer here the most and at times look as if they're "floating" in the bubble.

When I first picked up the figure, I wasn't completely sold on the likeness. Out of the package it looks a lot better to me. I'm not sure that it's the best Lita facial ever done. Looking back, Jakks really nailed her on a number of occasions. Nonetheless, it works. I can picture what they were aiming for with the particular hair mold used and again, it works. Everything in this department is very good, just not perfect.

The Mattel body and articulation is great for her. Litacanranas will be had from all directions. As far as painted detail, most notable here are the two Lita trademarks: the shoulder tattoo and the thong. Yes, the latter had to be mentioned. It helped her become the sex symbol that she is, as if she needed any help in that department. The shoulder tattoo looks just right. I do believe that she has more tattoos now, but this was the only visible one at the point in time in which this figure represents.

Included with Lita are two shirts. One is made of rubber and is a white wrap-around. The other is actually made of a thin cloth and is supposed to be the yellow mesh top that made it into several of her more memorable promotional photos. Both fit well enough, but I wouldn't be surprised if many just pose her without them. The black bra, again, was a Lita staple. I could see both of the shirts actually tearing if placed and removed too much. The yellow cloth one is very thing and the white one has a thin rubber "snap."

Despite debuting over sixteen years ago, Lita's popularity hasn't waned. Her older fans are still supporting her while she continues to gain new ones. She has been back with WWE in varying capacities in the past several years, and I still think that the day will come when we see her back in the ring for at least one more match. The only potential match involving The Bella Twins that ever piqued my interest was a rumored one pitting the sisters against Trish and Lita. That won't likely happen now, but it definitely would've been worthy of the WrestleMania marquee from intrigue alone.

That aforementioned popularity guarantees two things: this figure will be a popular one, but it likely won't be the only one. I can see Mattel wanting to insert Lita into their basic line and possibly even a more modern version in their Hall of Fame series to match the second Trish figure. With Lita's varying looks and styles, there are plenty of possibilities.

There are plenty of cookie-cutter females in professional wrestling, but there will only ever be one Lita...and that's why we love her.