A Brief History of the Women’s Championship

Recently Naomi debuted a modified WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship belt. Her version features LED lights that mimic her entrance sequence. What is interesting is, she is the first Women’s Champion/Diva’s Champion to introduce a variation of the Women’s Championship. For the men of the WWE, this is not all that new as the WWE has allowed the more iconic, longer running, male performers introduce new belt designs over the years. We are going to look at some of these belt designs.

First the changes to the Women’s Championship

This belt was most famously held by the Fabulous Moola for 28 years (most of the time it was not defended). Up until the 1970’s Moolah actually owned the rights to the NWA Women’s Championship belt (she literally bought it from the organization). She sold the rights to the, then, WWF in the 1970’s and in return the WWE recognized her as their Women’s Champion and claim her legacy from the period when she first won the title in 1956, ignored the title changes that occurred in the NWA (an affiliation WWE at one time participated in) as null and void – as far as WWE was concerned, those title changes didn’t happen (way to go guys). Therefore, according to the WWE, the Fabulous Moolah held the Women’s Championship for a period of nearly three decades. Why? WWE logic.

1990’s Women’s Championship

Up till the middle of 2008 there was just the Women’s Championship in the WWE. During brand splits prior, the title was exclusive to Monday Night Raw, leaving female competitors on Smackdown no women’s exclusive title to compete for. This was rectified in mid-2008 when Vickie Guerrero (acting General Manager of Smackdown) introduced the WWE Diva’s Championship. Michelle McCool defeated Natalya to become the inaugural Diva’s Champion.

Diva’s champ belt

The belt would be unified with the WWE Women’s Championship, becoming the WWE Unified Diva’s Championship, at the 2010 Night of Champions Pay Per View event.

Raw Women’s Championship

The next time the women’s division would receive a new belt was in 2016 at Wrestlemania 32 when a new WWE Women’s Championship was introduced with Charlotte Flair becoming the inaugural WWE Women’s Champion (later this title would become exclusive to Monday Night Raw due to the draft). The WWE recognizes the RAW Women’s Championship as the continuation of both the Diva’s Championship and the Women’s Championship that the Fabulous Moolah brought to the WWE. The Raw Women's Championship is unchanged so far, currently held by Alexa Bliss who is obviously rocking a Harley Quinn inspired in ring look.

Smackdown Women’s Championship

This championship was introduced in 2016 in response to Monday Night Raw taking the Women’s Championship exclusive to their brand. Becky Lynch was the first Smackdown Women’s Champion at the Backlash PPV. Naomi is the current Smackdown Women’s Champion and she is the first woman in company history to receive a modified specifically for her title belt.

Naomi reinvented herself with the “Feel the Glow” gimmick that she currently users. Her entrance involves black lights, light up shoes (the shoes she used since being a member of B.A.D. a few years ago).

Interestingly, Naomi joins a select group of champions that includes Edge (the Rated “R” Superstar), Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ultimate Warrior (with the Intercontinental Championship) and John Cena just to name a few.