Top 5 WWE Women’s Champions of All Time

There has been a long lineage of strong women’s champions in the WWE. From the days of only the Women’s Championship to the short-lived Divas Title to today with the SmackDown and Raw belts, there have been several memorable champions.

The WWE has had at least one women’s championship belt continuously since 1998. The company added the Divas Championship in 2008 and then unified the two titles in 2010. In 2016, the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships were established.

The women’s division has become more competitive through these changes. From the days of serving as add-ons during shows to having a whole Pay-Per-View to headlining WrestleMania 35, women have taken center stage.

But when it comes to the gold, who holds the mantle of the best champion of all time?

5. Mickie James

Mickie James first appeared on the scene as a Trish Stratus fanatic, and she became one of the greatest titleholders in history. She had six reigns for more than 400 combined days. She established herself as a contender by turning on Stratus. That launched her to a title match at WrestleMania 22, which was the night she claimed her first title.

She won the belt again later in 2006 as well as once in each of the next four years. She has also had feuds with Melina, Beth Phoenix, and Michelle McCool.

Add in her five TNA championship reigns, and James has established herself as one of the best winners in pro wrestling.

4. Beth Phoenix

Beth Phoenix was arguably the most dominant women’s champion. She won the Women’s Championship three times and the Divas Championship once. She reigned for a combined 571 days.

The Glamazon won her first title at No Mercy in 2007. She held the belt until April only to regain it at SummerSlam. During this period, she destroyed everyone in her path and looked unbeatable.

After adding another Women’s Championship reign in 2010, she capped off her career with a Divas Title run in 2011.

The WWE Hall of Famer was the second woman to ever compete in the men’s Royal Rumble match in 2010. She famously eliminated The Great Khali and followed it up with a thundering clothesline to CM Punk.

3. Becky Lynch

The pinnacle of Becky Lynch’s career so far came when she won both the SmackDown and Raw Women’s Championships at WrestleMania 35. After winning the Royal Rumble, she faced Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in the main event on the biggest stage. The Man prevailed and became “Becky Two Belts.”

Lynch, a six-time champion, has held a title for more than 800 days. She was the initial SmackDown champ and won the belt in a six-pack elimination challenge. After her WrestleMania win, she had the Raw belt for more than one year and only relinquished the title because she was pregnant.

A flair for the dramatic, she returned at SummerSlam 2021 to win the SmackDown title from Bianca Belair in less than a minute.

2. Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus is the gold standard of the women’s division. She won the Women’s Championship a record seven times. Her final reign came on the final night of her career, which means her more than 800 days as champion came over six reigns.

It’s only fitting that when the title was vacated from Chyna leaving in 2001 that Stratus won the belt for the first time. That victory signified her emergence as the face of the women’s division.

One of the most beloved superstars of all time, she was at her best in her rivalry with Lita, which span the final two years of her career.

She served as one of the catalysts for the women’s revolution, which helped to bolster their spot on the roster.

1. Charlotte Flair

The daughter of 16-time world champion Ric Flair, Charlotte Flair has become one of the best women wrestlers of all time. The current SmackDown Women’s Champion, Flair has held one of the world titles for 900 days and counting.

She reached the mountaintop for the first time in 2015 when she won the Divas Championship. She was the last one to hold that belt as it was replaced by the (Raw) Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 32.

Within the first year of the new belt’s existence, Flair won it four times during her feud with Sasha Banks.

She is a triple crown and grand slam champion. She won the tag team title once and the NXT title twice as well as the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble.

The debate around who is the best will continue to rage on, but these five women deserve the recognition of being the top five ladies to ever earn a championship in WWE.