On November 25, 2985, Wendi Richter lost the WWE Women's Championship to a masked Fabulous Moolah, who went by The Spider Lady.
The finish saw Moolah pin Richter, who got her shoulder up at one, but the referee counted to three. Nearly a decade before the infamous Montreal Screwjob, Richter was screwed over in Madison Square Garden.
On "Mr. McMahon," Richter and Vince gave their side of the story.
Vince: When it was time to do the honors and pass the championship to someone else, she resisted. 'This is show business. I'm writing a script. You're holding my championship belt. It's mine. It's not yours.' 'I'm not gonna give it up.' Alright, I'm going to make you give it up then.
Wendi: The referee counted one. I lifted my shoulder up, and he counted 'two, three' even with my shoulders off the mat. That was a very painful night. My dreams were completely shattered. I was humiliated and it was on television.
Vince: I didn't care. It was like, the public being in an uproar, 'Oh my God, it really wasn't a fair count.' My answer to that is, 'Life is not fair sometimes.' I don't fight fair.
Wendi: There's a saying in wrestling, 'It's nothing personal. It's just just business.' That's what Vince McMahon is. He's a businessman.
Vince: Wendi came back after the match, she looked at me, and walked out. That's the last I ever saw of Wendi. For me, it was nothing personal. This is business. There's nothing I wouldn't do for our business.
Richter was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010 and appeared on a 2012 episode of WWE Raw.
She has recently been called out by Toni Storm.
Janel Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a lawsuit in January against Vince McMahon, WWE, and John Laurinaitis. The lawsuit accuses McMahon of sexual assault and sex trafficking. On May 30, Grant agreed to pause the lawsuit for six months while the federal investigation continued against McMahon, who resigned from TKO/WWE following the lawsuit being filed.
Victim Resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline
Hours: Available 24 hours
1-800-656-4673
