The 15 months Amy Dumas spent away from wrestling were horrible.

After landing head first while filming a fight scene in the series finale of the TV series Dark Angel, cracking three vertebrae, Dumas was forced to the sidelines. As WWE women's star Lita, Dumas had already been a champion, but she suddenly had to come to grips with being sidelined. It was a frustration that also led to some friction with real-life boyfriend Matt Hardy.

"I would rather go through the physical pain 10 times over than go through that mental pain," says Lita. "I was very alone and in need of a friend. (Matt) was very focused on his career. I wasn't like myself. But it's great now."

She's glad to be back, excited to get a shot at the women's championship against Molly Holly at next Sunday's Survivor Series pay-per-view (8 p.m., Viewer's Choice).

She enjoyed her first women's title reign -- a championship won in a RAW main event against Stephanie McMahon.

And she hopes to recapture that energy next Sunday.

"We all know this is choreographed ... you're not really holding a person's shoulders down to the mat for a count of three," she says. "If you win, it's not like you won the fight, you've won an award.

"But I feel like I owe it to myself ... and to the fans. If (I win), it'll be real emotional, especially coming off the injury."

There has been talk that Hardy will be moved from the Smackdown! roster over to RAW. That would reunite the dynamic duo and allow them to spend some time together.

"Vince (McMahon)is still under the mindset that there won't be any trades until after Wrestlemania," she says. "When I'm on the Smackdown! schedule, (Matt's) at home ... and when he's with RAW, I'm at home. There's a one-day overlap. Hopefully it'll be worked out sooner rather than later."

She says she's had offers to pose naked for men's magazines -- but it won't happen soon, if ever.

"I've been approached," she says. "I wouldn't rule it out. But when I started, I felt my fan base was really young and that I had a responsibility to them. It's not something I'll pursue, but maybe later on, down the road."

- More tragic news from the world of wrestling: Mike Lockwood, who was Crash Holly in WWE and Mad Mikey in NWA:TNA was found dead Thursday at Steven Richards' apartment in Tampa, Fla.

- Here's the rest of the lineup for Survivor Series: Team Austin (The Dudley Boyz, Booker T, Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam) will face Team Bischoff (Christian, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, Randy Orton and Scott Steiner); Team Lesnar (Brock Lesnar, The Big Show, A-Train, Matt Morgan and Nathan Jones) will face Team Angle (Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Bradshaw, John Cena and Hardcore Holly); The Undertaker vs. Vince McMahon in a Buried Alive match; Triple H vs. Goldberg; Shane McMahon vs. Kane in an Ambulance match. It'll be interesting to watch the role of Cena, who's replacing Farooq. Line of the year may go to Cena, who referred to Mysterio as "the Mexican Gary Coleman" on Smackdown!

- The Total Package is back. Lex Luger will team with Jeff Jarrett to face A.J. Styles and Sting on the NWA:TNA show Wednesday.

- The Smackdown! house show at the Corel Centre last Monday night was decent. The Undertaker, Angle, and Benoit defeated Lesnar, A-Train and The Big Show; Mysterio pulled off an upset win over Cena, who, for a guy about to turn face, certainly took some good jabs at Canada; The Basham Brothers beat Rikishi and Scotty 2 Hotty and The Self-Proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team; Tajiri beat Billy Kidman; Bradshaw, who was treated to a beer by the Sun's own Domenic Fiorenza, beat Chuck Palumbo; Torrie Wilson and Dawn Marie shared the win over Sable in the Tiny Teddy Contest with Edge as the master of ceremonies; Johnny Stamboli and Nunzio beat Spanky and Paul London; Rhyno beat Jamie Noble; and Orlando Jordan beat Horshu.

- The Internet Wrestling Syndicate will hold its next show, Payback is a Bitch, Nov. 15, at Le Skratch, 965 Cure Labelle, Chomedey, Laval, Que. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. For more info, visit http://www.syndicatewrestling.com/.

By TIM BAINES - Sun, November 9, 2003 .