Women's Championship

With a half of a century of tradition associated with it, the Women's Championship is the pinnacle of female wrestling. The championship's first titleholder, Fabulous Moolah, is also considered the most successful, as her first reign lasted nearly three decades. Since that original title's inception, Lita, Trish Stratus and many other great names have enjoyed reigns atop the women's division. Michelle McCool unified the Divas Championship and the Women's Championship at Night of Champions on Sept. 19, 2010, when she defeated Melina with the help of Layla to become the first-ever Unified Divas Champion.

## History

### 1956 - 1990: The Fabulous Moolah & Rock 'N Wrestling Era

Fabulous Moolah is undoubtedly the greatest Women's Champion in sports-entertainment history. Her first reign started in 1956 when she defeated Judy Grable in a tournament final. She then went on to hold the championship for close to 30 years.

A longtime WWE fan favorite, Wendi Richter did what many thought was impossible on July 23, 1984, when she ended Fabulous Moolah's near three-decade long reign as Women's Champion. Richter went on to hold the championship for more than a half a year before losing it to Lelani Kai in early 1985.

Wendi Richter came to the ring with recording artist Cyndi Lauper when she defended her Women's Championship against Lelani Kai at Madison Square Garden at the War to Settle the Score. Kai had an ace in the hole, though, as she had the Fabulous Moolah by her side. After failing to win back her Women's Championship from Richter, Moolah decided to try and guide Kai to the title. In the end, Moolah's experience provided more help than Lauper's enthusiasm, as Kai won her only Women's Championship.

Cyndi Lauper accompanied Wendi Richter to the ring once again, and as her famous song goes, "girls just wanna have fun." Well, nothing says fun like winning the Women's Championship, and that's just what Richter did at the first-ever WrestleMania. Kai hit Richter with a flying bodypress, but Richter rolled through for the pinfall and her second Women's Championship.

Wendi Richter was signed to defend her Women's Championship against the Masked Spider Lady. The Masked Spider Lady shocked the sports-entertainment world and pinned Richter, but the bigger shock was when she unmasked to reveal that she was actually the Fabulous Moolah. The devious Moolah won her second Women's Championship, leaving Richter and fans everywhere in shock.

Velvet McIntyre was able to record a major upset win over the Fabulous Moolah in a match in Australia. Unfortunately for McIntyre, she couldn't hold onto that magic and lost her Women's Championship right back to Moolah six days later.

The Fabulous Moolah was caught off guard during a trip to Australia when Velvet McIntyre was able to record a major upset and dethrone her as Women's Champion. But Moolah could not be beaten twice, as she came back strong and won back her title while still in Australia, just six days after losing it. She would go on to hold the Championship for over a year until being dethroned by Sensational Sherri in July 1987.

Sensational Sherri arrived in Paris, France as the Women's Champion, but it was Rockin' Robin who left Europe with the title. Rockin' Robin went on to hold the Women's Championship until 1990, when the title was deemed inactive. Rockin' Robin also had quite the singing voice and sang the national anthem at WrestleMania V.

### 1993 - 1995: New Generation Era

The Women's Championship was deemed inactive in 1990, but it was brought back into the mix in 1993 and put up for grabs in a Women's Championship tournament. Newcomer to WWE Alundra Blayze swept through the tournament and defeated Heidi Lee Morgan in the finals to win her first Women's Championship.

Alundra Blayze took WWE by storm upon her arrival and held on to the Women's Championship for almost a year. But one of her first major threats to that title was Bull Nakano. She proved to be too big a threat to overcome as she won the Women's Championship in her native Japan. Nakano would go on to prove her win was not a fluke as she held onto the Women's Championship for over four months.

Alundra Blayze finally got back at her nemesis Bull Nakano on an edition of RAW. Blayze won her second Women's Championship and all was well until Bertha Faye came along.

Alundra Blayze was giving away several pounds to Bertha Faye, and it proved to be too big of a mountain to climb for the champ. Faye was able to pin Blayze for the Women's Championship.

After losing the Women's Championship to Bertha Faye, Alundra Blayze tooks reassessed the match and figured out what to do differently to win back her title. She put her plan into action to win her third Women's Championship on Oct. 23, 1995. She held the title until she was stripped of it in December when she defected to WCW. This left the Women's Championship vacant until Sept. 21, 1998.

### 1998 - 2001: The Attitude Era

Sable used to be "Wildman" Marc Mero's valet, but after her popularity rose to amazing heights, he became jealous and beat her in a match, forcing her to retire. Upon her departure, he picked up the services of Jacqueline. Sable was allowed back into WWE and the two women kicked off a bitter rivalry. The rivalry was so intense that WWE brought back the Women's Championship. Jacqueline defeated Sable to win that Championship on Sept. 21, 1998.

After losing to Jacqueline when the Women's Championship was reintroduced to WWE, Sable got her rematch at the Survivor Series. Shane McMahon was the special guest referee since the rivalry was becoming so heated. Marc Mero interfered on Jacqueline's behalf, but Sable powerbombed Mero on the floor and then powerbombed Jacqueline for the pin and her first Women's Championship.

Debra, who was known primarily as Jeff Jarrett's valet, also had a brief stint as the Women's Champion. She got a shot at Sable's title in an Evening Gown Match and, despite being stripped to her bra and panties, was awarded the Women's Championship.

Ivory came into WWE as the valet for D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry, but she soon focused her attention on the Women's Championship. She formed a brief alliance with Nicole Bass as well, and it was Bass' interference that helped her defeat Debra for the Women's Championship.

The Fabulous Moolah got a shot at her fourth Women's Championship an unprecedented 43 years after she won her first title. She proved that she still had some of her old magic and was able to get a roll up on the much younger and heavily favored Ivory. The magic wouldn't last long, however, as Ivory came back to win her Championship just more than a week later.

Ivory may have let one slip away against WWE Hall of Famer Fabulous Moolah once, but she wasn't about to lose to her again. Ivory proved that experience can only take you so far when she defeated the Fabulous one in a rematch a week after losing the Women's Championship.

After successfully defending her Women's Championship in Evening Gown, Bra and Panties and even Hardcore Matches, Ivory had to defend her title in an Evening Gown in a Pool Match at Armageddon against B.B., Jacqueline and The Kat. It was too much to handle for Ivory, as The Kat stripped her out of her gown to win the Women's Championship. The Kat let her emotions get the best of her after the match when she dropped her top to the delight of the majority of male fans everywhere.

The Kat was set to defend her title against the mysterious "Hervina" in a Lumberjill Snowbunny Match. Hervina had a manly presence about her, but she was able to keep The Kat down for the 1-2-3. After winning the Women's Championship, Hervina revealed that she was actually Harvey Wippleman, as he became the first male to win the Women's Championship.

After winning the Women's Championship on RAW, Harvey Wippleman declared on SmackDown! that there was no woman in WWE that could defeat him. With that, Jacqueline stormed the ring and defeated Wippleman in under a minute. This was Jacquelyn's second title reign.

Stephanie McMahon, who was married to Triple H at the time, got a shot at Jacquelyn's Women's Championship, despite having extremely limited experience in the ring. But although Jacqueline had much more experience, Stephanie had D-Generation X by her side. Stephanie goaded Jacqueline into chasing her around the ring, which allowed X-Pac to trip her setting up a DDT by Tori. Stephanie got her back in the ring and covered her for the pin and her first Women's Championship.

Lita developed a heated rivalry with Stephanie McMahon and she finally got a shot at the Women's Championship on an edition of RAW. The Rock was the special guest referee, and he played a vital role in the match. Kurt Angle and Triple H were by Stephanie's side, and Angle tried to give her the belt to use as a weapon. The Rock spotted this and gave both Angle and Stephanie the Rock Bottom. Lita then connected with a moonsault and Lita had her first Women*s Championship.*

Lita was forced to defend the Women's Championship in a Fatal Fourway against Ivory, Jacqueline and Trish Stratus. T & A, Right to Censor and The Hardy Boyz were all banned form ringside as well. But Edge and Christain came down and attacked Lita just when it looked like she had the match in hand. Ivory took advantage of the situation and pinned Lita for her third Women's Championship.

Chyna was indestructable in the women's division. She faced Ivory at WrestleMania X-Seven and finished her off in short order with a powerbomb and a gorilla press slam. Chyna held the championship until she left WWE at which point there was a six-way match to determine a new champion.

### 2002 - 2006: The Golden Era

With the Women's Championship vacant, a six-way match was set up at Survivor Series to determine a new champion. The participants were Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, Ivory, Lita, Jacquelyn and Jazz, who was a mystery contender. It came down to Trish Stratus and Ivory, and Stratus was able to land a bulldog for the pin and her first Women's Championship.

It didn't take Jazz very long to make a name for herself. Just a few months after her WWE debut, she was fighting one-on-one with Women's Champion Trish Stratus. The champion went for the Stratusfaction, but Jazz reversed it and hit a Fisherman's Suplex for the pin and her first Women's Championship.

Jazz's Women's Championship was put on the line in a rather unique match. Trish Stratus teamed up with Bubba Ray Dudley to take on Jazz and Steven Richards, but it was stipulated that if Trish pinned Jazz, then the Women's Championship could change hands. Trish was able to hit the Stratusfaction on Jazz and pick up the win. After the match Jazz attacked Trish, but the former champ ended up getting powerbombed through a table by Bubba Ray.

Molly Holly turned over a new leaf a couple of months prior to the King of the Ring when she brutally attacked Trish Stratus. She had been following the Women's Champion for weeks until she finally got a non-title shot against Stratus on an edition of RAW. Molly picked up the win and earned a title shot in the process. They met up again at King of the Ring. Molly missed her Molly Go Round, but she was able to reverse a Trish rollup for the win and her first Women's Championship.

Molly Holly and Trish Stratus continued their rivalry long after Molly won the belt at King of the Ring. Molly successfully defended her title against Trish in July on RAW, but the two met up again at Unforgiven. Trish didn't repeat her mistakes and was able to pin Molly with a bulldog.

Victoria debuted with WWE in early July of 2002 and she began targeting Trish Stratus almost immediately. She scored an upset win in their first encounter and haunted her until they finally met up for the Women's Championship at Survivor Series in a Hardcore Match. The fire extinguisher proved to be Victoria's weapon of choice as she clocked the champ and then suplexed her to become Women's Champion for the first time. Victoria would go on to have a lengthy title reign of four and a half months.

Victoria had to put her Women's Championship on the line at WrestleMania XIX in a Triple Threat Match against Trish Stratus and Jazz. Jazz looked to have things in control, but Steven Richards, who was in Victoria's corner, interfered and took Jazz out of the ring. Victoria then set up Trish for the Widow's Peak, but she reversed it and scored the pinfall for her record-tying fourth Women's Championship. Only WWE Hall of Famer, the Fabulous Moolah had also recorded four title reigns.

After coming up short at WrestleMania XIX, Jazz earned herself a one-on-one match against Trish Stratus at Backlash for the Women's Championship. With Teddy Long by her side and with the help of the ropes for leverage, Jazz was able to roll up Trish for the win and her second Women's Championship.

Jazz had to put her Women's Championship on the line in a seven-Diva, over the top rope, Battle Royal on an edition of RAW. The only way for Jazz to retain would be to outlast six other Divas. Gail Kim, who made her WWE debut during the match, made sure that would not happen. Kim eliminated Victoria in the end to become the Women's Champion in her very first match.

Gail Kim had taken WWE by storm and won the Women's Championship in her very first match, a seven-Diva Battle Royal. But Molly Holly was able to catch her on an off night. Holly hadn't had a taste of the gold in over a year, but she changed all of that on en edition of RAW. She caught Kim with the Molly Go Round and pinned her for her second Women's Championship. Molly would go on to hold the title for almost seven months defeating the likes of Kim, Trish Stratus and Lita in the process.

Molly Holly put her Women's Championship on the line in a Fatal Four Way on Raw against Lita, Victoria and Jazz. Lita went to work on Jazz right away and eliminated her with a vicious DDT. Molly Holly was the next to go, solidifying that there would be a new Women's Champion. Once it was down to two Divas, Lita and Victoria went back and forth. Lita had the upperhand, but Victoria came from out of nowhere to pick up the victory and her second Women's Championship.

The Women's Championship was once again on the line in a Fatal Four Way, this time at Bad Blood. Lita looked ready to score the pin after she gave a DDT to Gail Kim, but Trish Stratus swooped in and rolled up Lita for the win and her record-breaking fifth Women's Championship. Trish and Lita would go on to form arguably the most bitter rivalry in WWE history over the next few months.

WWE Women's Champion Trish Stratus started barking up the wrong tree and it eventually came back to cost her. Stratus constantly antagonized Lita about everything from the breakup of the Hardy Boyz to the miscarriage of her child and the injury to her husband, Kane. Lita had a shot at Stratus at Survivor Series, but she couldn't keep her cool and choked out Stratus earning her a disqualification. After the match she brutalized her nemesis even more and broke her nose. When Chris Jericho was the General Manager of RAW for a night, he booked a match between Trish and as she put it, the Kiss of Death. Lita kept her cool this time, and took it to the champ, ultimately ending it with a moonsault. The title reign was Lita's second.

Trish Stratus and Lita continued their heated rivalry at New Year's Revolution, as Lita put her Women's Championship up for grabs. The two Divas didn't waste any time going at it as they engaged in a physical battle. Lita, however, suffered a torn ACL when she hit a Lou Thesz Press off the apron and onto the floor. Trish clearly had the upper hand after the injury. Lita made one comeback attempt, but after she had Trish set for a DDT, her knee buckled and Trish nailed her with the Chick Kick for her record sixth Women's Championship.

She may be psycho, but Mickie James is one hell of a vicious competitor between the ropes. At WrestleMania 22, Mickie traded holds, kicks and punches in a highly charged Women's Championship Match between two Divas with a great deal of checkered history. Trish took out all her frustration and anger for the emotional toll Mickie has taken over the past months with her obsessive behavior. Trish seemed to take control of the match. But ultimately, Mickie managed to kick out of a massive Stratus powerbomb. Mickie followed with a sharp Mick Kick to Trish's head, knocking Stratus unconscious. Mickie then covered Trish for the huge victory and the Women's Championship.

Live on RAW from the University of Virginia, Lita defeated Mickie James in Mickie's home state to become a three-time Women's Champion.
In the end of the match, both women traded near-falls. But when Lita's boyfriend Edge jumped up on the ring apron, Lita grabbed the Women's Championship and blasted Mickie in the head. She then made the pinfall to pick up the victory and the championship, giving her Women's gold to match her boyfriend's WWE Championship.

In her hometown of Toronto, Trish Stratus wrote a storybook ending to her incredible WWE career when she defeated long-time rival Lita at Unforgiven to capture the Women's Championship. In her final WWE match, Stratus captured her record seventh Women's Championship, riding off into the sunset after making Lita tap out to the Sharpshooter. With Trish retiring following Unforgiven, the championship was declared vacant the next night on RAW.

More than one month later, Lita defeated Mickie James at Cyber Sunday in a WWE fan-voted Diva Lumberjacks Match to reclaim the title. Having defeated Candice Michelle, Maria Kanellis and ultimately, Mickie James in a tournament for the vacated gold, Lita earned her fourth Women's Championship.

Mickie James became a two-time WWE Women's Champion by defeating the retiring Lita at Survivor Series 2006 in Philadelphia. After weeks of torturous matches that saw Mickie up against the odds, the fiery Diva was able to overcome Lita and capture the title.

### 2007 - 2010: Final Years & Retirement

Melina won her first WWE Women's Championship on the Feb. 19 edition of Raw. With the paparazzi stationed at ringside, the loud Diva took the title off her bitter rival Mickie James in a back and forth battle.

WWE fans in Paris saw the Women's Championship change hands twice on the final night of Raw's April 2007 European Tour. First, Mickie James shocked all in attendance when she defeated Victoria and champion Melina in a Triple Threat Match to claim the gold.

Later, however, Mr. McMahon's Executive Assistant, Jonathan Coachman, decided that since Mickie had pinned Victoria and not the champion, Melina was due an immediate rematch. When the dust settled at the end of that rematch, Melina pinned Mickie with her feet on the ropes to regain the championship. The wins made Mickie a three-time champion and Melina a two-time champion, and also gave Mickie the shortest Women's Championship reign on record.

After several victories against Melina in tag-team matches, non-title matches and in chocolate pudding, Candice secured the Women's Championship at Vengeance: Night of Champions, beating her nemesis when it counted with the title on the line. After being whipped into the ropes by the champion, Candice came back with a spinning roundhouse kick to Melina's head, stunning the champ long enough for the former cover girl to gain the three-count and the gold.

To hear Beth Phoenix tell it, her victory over reigning Women's Champion Candice was a foregone conclusion. After her loss to the Candy-coated Diva at Unforgiven, the Glamazon was determined not to let the gold slip through her powerful hands once again. At No Mercy in Chicago, Candice left nothing on the mat, throwing everything she had at the Glamazon. But Phoenix proved simply too powerful to handle.

Mickie James did the impossible on Raw from London when she defeated the impressive Beth Phoenix. James showed resilience and the heart of a champion to reverse a Phoenix hold to earn the victory and the title.

In a Winners Take All Match with both the Intercontinental and Women's Championships on the line at SummerSlam 2008, Beth Phoenix used her impressive strength to lead her & Santino Marella to victory overy Mickie James & Kofi Kingston.

On what is considered the first night on the Road to WrestleMania XXV, Melina defeated Beth Phoenix at the 2009 Royal Rumble to begin her third reign as Women's Champion.

Michelle McCool became the first Diva to hold both the Divas Championship and the Women's Championship when she defeated Melina at The Bash.

After suffering through weeks of torment, Mickie James finally made Michelle McCool and Layla eat their words by defeating McCool at the Royal Rumble beginning her fifth reign as Women's Champion.

With help from Special Guest Referee Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool delivered a devastating kick to Mickie James to recapture the Women's Championship on SmackDown.

At Extreme Rules, Beth Phoenix battled Michelle McCool in the first-ever Extreme Makeover Match and defeated the arrogant Diva with a devastating Glam Slam.

With Michelle McCool at her side, Layla pinned Beth Phoenix on SmackDown to become the first ever British Women's Champion in a rare Women's Championship 2-on-1 Handicap Match orchestrated by Raw General Manger and Official SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero.

At Night of Champions 2010, the title was unified with Divas Championship and officially retired.

In 2016 at WrestleMania 32, the WWE Women's Championship was brought back what is now known as the Raw Women’s Championship. It does not carry the previous this title's history.