As the age old adage goes, sex sells – and that has certainly been the case in the WWE over the decades.

Granted, these days the WWE is very much a PG organisation and so there’s nowhere near as much emphasis on sex appeal as there was at certain points in time, but that’s not to say that the company has and still does like to bring viewers in by using performers who are certainly easy on the eyes.

Back in the Attitude Era, of course, nothing was off limits, and it was during this time that the then-WWF really amped up its focus on sex and more content that would bring in the key demographic of males between 18 and 30. And as it happens, that approach totally, totally worked as the company started to hit heights that it had previously rarely seen.

Clearly every wrestling fan has their particular favourites, and many a fan has spent their younger days getting misty-eyed over that one day when they’d get to meet the apple of their eye and somehow get the chance to woo the object of their affection. Ah, we can all dream, can’t we…?

So with that in mind, here’s 17 female WWE talents from over the decades that many a wrestling fan has fantasized over.

17. Kelly Kelly

She may not have been for everyone, but there’s still a huge part of the wrestling fandom that will forever have a thing for Kelly Kelly. So good, they named her twice.

Let’s put it out there, Kelly was absolutely awful in the ring, and she famously has a reputation of putting herself about behind the scenes, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that, to some people, she’s a very attractive woman. Although obviously that’s only if you can get past her incessant, annoying, off-putting in-ring screaming. Then again, some people like a good screamer…

When it comes to the pantheons of great female wrestlers over the decades, Kelly Kelly is someone who will never, ever be considered one of the true greats. Still, she’s a performer who certainly made an impression during her six years under WWE contract.

16. Eva Marie

She may have received nothing but groans from the majority of the WWE Universe whenever she’s attempted to wrestle over the past few years, but there’s a huge portion of the exact same fanbase who are always more than happy to see Eva Marie when she comes to the ring.

All Red Everything may suck at everything when it comes to wrestling skills, yet she’s seen as one of the hottest females in the WWE right now. Granted, so much of what you see is purely down to the skills of surgeons across the United States, but those same surgeons and doctors have put something quite special together when it comes to the aesthetic side of Eva Marie.

When she’ll be back on WWE TV remains to be seen right now, but you can guarantee that Eva Marie will have tongues wagging and blood pumping whenever she resurfaces on Raw or SmackDown next.

15. Emma

Is it Emma or is it Emmalina? Well, I guess until she actually officially re-appears on the main roster as Emmalina, it’ll just be Emma for now. Either way, this Australian is arguably the most attractive female under the WWE umbrella.

Added to that, Emma is an absolute master in the ring when given the chance. For those paying attention, she is easily one of the best female wrestlers that the WWE has, it’s just a shame that they haven’t showcased her in a way that they should do.

As well as being a great in-ring talent, Emma is also naturally stunning, has curves in all the right places, seems like a down-to-earth sort, and is an excellent cook (she even has her own YouTube cooking show!).

Unfortunately for all you single guys out there who were hoping to try their hand with the Lance Storm-trained Emma, she’s currently dating the Long Island Iced Z, Zack Ryder. Woo woo woo, indeed.

14. Torrie Wilson

Ah, the good old days, the days when the WWF/WWE would think nothing of having one of its female talents strip naked in Playboy. Those were the days when many a young male would get hot under the collar as they eagerly awaited which Diva was up next to appear in Hugh Hefner’s famed publication.

Given the current PG nature of the WWE, the whole Playboy thing is clearly a huge no-no right now. But one of the most famous names to adorn the pages of Hefner’s magazine was Torrie Wilson.

In fact, not only did Torrie appear in Playboy, she actually posed nude for the magazine twice – including a second spread that saw her posing naked with fellow WWE Diva, Sable.

Torrie Wilson was always a favourite of many a wrestling fan, and that was only added to further by seeing the Idaho native in her birthday suit.

13. Sasha Banks

It’s no understatement to say that the WWE’s resident Boss has a huge amount of fans, be it for her wrestling skills, her charisma, or her position as a modern-day sex symbol of the wrestling business.

When Banks first appeared on NXT television, she was pretty nondescript. With no defined character and put in for short, nothing matches, it took a little while for Sasha to develop herself as a performer and start her ascension to becoming The Boss and one of the most popular superstars in the WWE and beyond.

In amongst that popularity are a whole lot of fans who see Sasha Banks as the ultimate female performer and the outright sexiest woman in the company. That, obviously, is down to personal taste and opinion, but the personal taste and opinion of many points to Sasha really being The Boss when it comes to the WWE’s top females.

12. Charlotte Flair

She’d likely whoop your ass in a fight, but there’s still something hugely appealing and attractive about the daughter of the legendary Nature Boy Ric Flair, Charlotte.

The current WWE Women’s Champion – at least on the Raw side – stands 5’10” and is in absolutely phenomenal shape, yet she’s still stunning to look at as well as obviously being a remarkable talent when it comes to her wrestling character.

In the past year or so, Charlotte Flair has become one of the best characters on WWE TV in the way that she is that seemingly-rare thing these days – an actual heel who is happy to be a total asshole! And in addition to that, she’s constantly proving what a fantastic wrestler she is when it comes to bell time.

Charlotte isn’t going to be going anywhere for many years, and that’s similarly likely the case with the goo-goo eyes that many in the WWE Universe have for this second generation performer.

11. Stacy Keibler

Sure, Stacy Keibler could never really wrestler all that well, but that didn’t stop her amassing quite the fanbase amongst rabid wrestling fans.

Whether it was as Skye of the Nitro Girls, under the guise of Miss Hancock, or simply going be her real name, Keibler made an instant impression due to her long, long, long legs.

As well as wrestlers David Flair and Test, Stacy would actually date Hollywood A-lister George Clooney for a few years between 2011 and 2013, such was her appeal. When you think of the ridiculous amount of bra and panties matches, mud bath matches, pillow fights, and all the other variations of said bouts that were floating around the WWF/WWE during and after the Invasion angle of the early-2000s, you can’t help but think about Stacy Keibler. And to steal a line from Diamond Dallas Page, that is most definitely a good thing.

10. Stephanie McMahon

Man oh man, aren’t we all so, so, so tired of Stephanie McMahon’s arrogant, self-centered, balls-stealing, attention-sapping TV character? But still, when it comes to one of the more attractive and most fantasized about females in the WWE right now, Stephanie is right up there.

Her TV character may be overplayed and tiresome, but there’s still just something about Steph. Maybe it’s her looks, maybe it’s a “power” thing, maybe it’s her exaggerated and enhanced chest, or maybe it’s even just to screw over Triple H for years of burying promising up and coming superstars, but so many of the WWE Universe would love to get to know Stephanie McMahon a little better.

Chances are, though, if you ever were to get some alone time with Stephanie, she’d likely reverse the tables and you’d be the one getting screwed. After all, this is Stephanie McMahon, and nobody tells the Billion Dollar Princess what to do.

9. Becky Lynch

When it comes to the Irish Lass Kicker, she really does have it all. Not only is she phenomenal in the ring, she’s also a perfect mixture of quirky, naturally beautiful, and the type of girl you could have a good giggle with over a few beers. And as such, she’s someone who many wrestling fans hold as one of their favourite female wrestlers of recent years.

Lynch comes across as a true firecracker in her personality, and her energy and enthusiasm is awe-inspiring and contagious, marking her as well and truly standing out from the pack.

Of the current crop of female wrestlers, some tend to prefer Sasha Banks, some like Charlotte Flair, and others go for Bayley, but you know without a shadow of a doubt that if you wanted a truly fun, possibly bonkers night out, Becky Lynch is the girl you should be calling.

8. The Bella Twins

Obviously the Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki, have gone on to have completely separate in-ring careers over the past few years, but upon debuting in the WWE and spending years as a tandem act that was constantly tied together, the whole concept of the Bella Twins gimmick was one that got the pulse of many fans racing.

After all, many a creepy, pervy male has dreamt of being the sausage in a twin-centric hotdog, and wrestling fans are no different. Of course, the WWE was well aware of this, and so they sexed-up the Bellas and played on the whole twin thing perfectly.

Over the years, the two siblings have become their own individual performers, both with their in-ring style and with their physical appearance *cough* Nikki’s boob job *cough* but the Bellas have constantly been one of the more popular female acts of the past decade, even if Brie has retired and rumours are circulating that Nikki will soon follow suit.

7. AJ Lee

Let’s face it, we all love a bit of crazy at times. And when it comes to crazy, nobody ever quite did it as well as the diminutive AJ Lee.

During her tenure with the WWE, AJ was constantly positioned as the quirky, crazy one who was more interested in a good pair of Chuck Taylors than any fancy bling or designer fashion. She was also one of the few WWE females in recent memory who garnered a reception to match or top many of the male wrestlers on the roster.

Another thing that made AJ the darling of so many fans was that she was a genuine and longtime wrestling fan. Considering that her run was at a time when certain of her fellow females were merely models or celebrity wannabes, the fans instantly took to AJ and her legitimate fandom for the business.

These days, AJ Lee has been putting the finishing touches to her autobiography and enjoying married life with CM Punk.

6. Lana

When it comes to the current crop of females in the WWE, none of them are hotter and sexier than the real-life CJ Perry, aka Lana.

Sure, she is indeed the very real wife of the hulking Rusev, so you’ll have to get through the Bulgarian Brute to get to Lana, but maybe that’d be worth it.

Now, there are a whole load of “interesting” photos online of Lana before her WWE days, back when she was partaking in regular risqué photoshoots. The results of said photoshoots are, quite simply, pretty breathtaking, but it’s best to keep things relatively censored here for now.

Regardless of her past as a model, her acting work, or her WWE tenure, CJ Perry is absolutely drop dread gorgeous, and Rusev is one extremely lucky guy.

5. Lita

The fact that the WWE Network’s only Rivalry show to focus on females showcases the feud between Lita and Trish Stratus shows you how highly Vince McMahon’s company thinks of the sassy, explosive Lita.

Her longstanding feud with Trish is rightly seen as the stuff of legend where women’s wrestling is concerned, and Lita herself is a four-time Women’s Champion and a Hall of Famer in her own right.

But while Trish was so often deemed the pretty girl, the small, petite blond bombshell, Lita was the rock chick of the female division at the time. As many commentators commented over the years, Trish was the one you’d want to take home to your parents, but Lita was the one you’d go out with and have some real fun with.

With her punk rock attitude and high octane offense, Lita had a special place in the hearts of the more alternative WWE fans, and that’s something that still remains true to this day, with her looking ever better than ever during her recent appearances on some of the WWE’s PPV pre-shows and panel shows.

4. Miss Elizabeth

When it comes to legendary female figures of the wrestling business, Miss Elizabeth is often placed on a special pedestal by longtime wrestling fans.

During her run at the side of real-life husband Randy Savage, Liz won the hearts of everyone who put eyes on her, be they man, woman or child. And even in her later years in WCW, there was still a certain level of class to Elizabeth that marked her out as different to her peers.

Elizabeth wasn’t a wrestler, she wasn’t a Diva, she was simply what her moniker said she was: the First Lady of Wrestling. Truly beautiful and carrying herself with a level of dignity and style that no others had at that point or have since, Liz was a one-in-a-kind special attraction during her heyday.

It’s just tragic that Elizabeth Hulette’s life had such a tragic end, with her dying from a drug and alcohol overdose in 2003.

3. Trish Stratus

To many wrestling fans, Trish Stratus would be at the very top of the list when it comes to their favourite females. Whilst she may have initially been depicted as just eye candy during her early days managing T&A – Test and Albert – Stratus would become a great all-round talent over the years, and she’s revered as one of the greatest female wrestlers of all time, as shown by her Hall of Fame induction.

Diminutive but feisty, classy yet ready to brawl, whenever Trish was on screen, it was always 100% Stratusfaction guaranteed.

Many a viewer spent their weeks eagerly awaiting the next episode of Raw or SmackDown merely so they could just get another look at this beloved Canadian.

By the time all was said and done with Stratus’ in-ring career, as well as claiming the hearts of many, she also took home the WWE Women’s Championship a record seven times.

2. Sunny

Even to this day, some wrestling fans are actually willing to pay cold, hard cash just to have a picture taken in a bed with Sunny. Seriously, Google it – that stuff actually happened a few years back!

During the mid-‘90s, Tammy Sytch as Sunny became what is largely considered the first Diva of the wrestling business. In the WWF, Sunny was as popular as anyone on the roster. Her theme song featured the line “You know you want me”, and many a wrestling fan most certainly did.

While she wasn’t particularly a wrestler, Sunny as a valet and manager was hugely popular and drew in the eyes of a whole host of hot-blooded males. Such was her impact on the wrestling business, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Of course, for anybody who had hoped for so many years to see just a little bit more of Sunny – even more than those naked photos with Missy Hyatt – they got their wish when last year saw Sytch make her adult film debut in the does-exactly-as-it-says-on-the-tin Sunny Side Up: In Through The Backdoor.

1. Sable

When it comes to the Attitude Era, if one person could match Stone Cold Steve Austin for popularity in his heyday, it was Sable.

The real-life wife of Marc Mero at the time, Sable went from valet to wrestler to one of – if not the – hottest talents in the business. At the time, the popularity of Rena “Sable” Mero was absolutely insane.

Of course, this popularity was down to ratings-grabbing acts such as having Sable appear in a “bikini” that was simply some painted handprints over her breasts. And then, obviously, there was Sable’s famous appearance in Playboy, with her April 1999 issue becoming one of the highest selling issues of the magazine in its history. Sable returning to the WWE in the 2000s to partake in another Playboy spread – this time alongside Torrie Wilson – also helped introduce the bombshell to a whole other generation of fans.

These days, mind you, it’s likely best not to get too interested in Sable, for she’s now married to The Beast himself, Brock Lesnar.

Sources: www.wikipedia.com, www.playboy.com