The WWE Divas Championship was a women's professional wrestling championship in the WWE promotion. The championship was generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants executed scripted finishes rather than contending in direct competition. The word "Divas" in the championship's name refers to the pseudonym WWE Diva, which WWE used to refer to its female wrestlers.
The creation of the championship was announced on June 6, 2008, by then SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as a counterpart to the Raw brand's WWE Women's Championship.[1] The inaugural champion was Michelle McCool, who defeated Natalya on July 20, 2008, at The Great American Bash.[2][3] On April 13, 2009, the title was moved from SmackDown to Raw as a result of then Divas Champion Maryse being drafted to Raw in the 2009 WWE draft.[4][5] On September 19, 2010, at the Night of Champions pay-per-view event, Michelle McCool (defending the Women's Championship on behalf of tag team partner and official champion, Layla) defeated Divas Champion Melina, retiring the Women's Championship and unifying it with the Divas Championship.[6]
The title was retired on April 3, 2016, at WrestleMania 32, after Lita revealed the new WWE Women's Championship would replace the Divas Championship.[7] Reigning champion Charlotte defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match at the event to become the new Women's Champion and therefore the final Divas Champion.[8]
Overall, there were 17 different champions. Eve Torres and AJ Lee held the record for most reigns as Divas Champion with three. AJ Lee also had the longest combined reign as Divas Champion at 406 days. Nikki Bella had the longest individual title reign at 301 days, while Jillian Hall had the shortest reign at 5 minutes.
Title history
editNames
editName[9] | Years[9] |
---|---|
WWE Divas Championship | July 20, 2008 – April 3, 2016 |
Unified WWE Divas Championship | September 19, 2010 |
Reigns
editNo. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Days recog. | Number of days held recognized by the promotion |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Days recog. | |||||
WWE: SmackDown | ||||||||||
1 | Michelle McCool | July 20, 2008 | The Great American Bash | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 155 | 158 | From September 2002 until July 2008, the SmackDown brand was without a women's championship as the WWE Women's Championship was exclusive to the Raw brand. To remedy this, SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero established the Divas Championship as the counterpart title to the Women's Championship. McCool defeated Natalya to become the inaugural champion. WWE recognizes McCool's reign as ending on December 26, 2008, when the episode aired on tape delay. |
[10] | |
2 | Maryse | December 22, 2008 | SmackDown | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1 | 216 | 211 | Maria was the special guest referee. The championship became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE draft. WWE recognizes Maryse's reign as beginning on December 26, 2008, when the episode aired on tape delay. |
[11][12][13][14] | |
WWE: Raw | ||||||||||
3 | Mickie James | July 26, 2009 | Night of Champions | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 78 | 78 | [15] | ||
4 | Jillian Hall | October 12, 2009 | Raw | Indianapolis, IN | 1 | <1 | <1 | [16] | ||
5 | Melina | October 12, 2009 | Raw | Indianapolis, IN | 1 | 84 | 83 | [17] | ||
— | Vacated | January 4, 2010 | Raw | Dayton, OH | — | — | — | The title was vacated after Melina sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament. | [18] | |
6 | Maryse | February 22, 2010 | Raw | Indianapolis, IN | 2 | 49 | 48 | Defeated Gail Kim in a tournament final to win the vacant title. | [19] | |
7 | Eve Torres | April 12, 2010 | Raw | London, England | 1 | 69 | 68 | [20] | ||
8 | Alicia Fox | June 20, 2010 | Fatal 4-Way | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 56 | 55 | This was a fatal four-way match also involving Gail Kim and Maryse. Fox pinned Maryse to win the championship. | [21] | |
9 | Melina | August 15, 2010 | SummerSlam | Los Angeles, CA | 2 | 35 | 34 | [22] | ||
WWE (unbranded) | ||||||||||
10 | Michelle McCool | September 19, 2010 | Night of Champions | Rosemont, IL | 2 | 63 | 62 | This was a lumberjill match where the Women's Championship was unified with the Divas Championship. The title subsequently became defended on both the Raw and SmackDown brands and was briefly referred to as the Unified WWE Divas Championship, keeping the lineage of the Divas Championship while the Women's Championship was retired. Layla was unofficially the co-champion during this reign; she defended the championship in McCool's place on some occasions. | [23][24][25][26] | |
11 | Natalya | November 21, 2010 | Survivor Series | Miami, FL | 1 | 70 | 69 | This was a handicap match also involving Layla as Michelle McCool's tag team partner. | [27] | |
12 | Eve Torres | January 30, 2011 | Royal Rumble | Boston, MA | 2 | 71 | 70 | This was a fatal four-way match also involving Layla and Michelle McCool. Eve pinned Layla to win the championship. | [28] | |
13 | Brie Bella | April 11, 2011 | Raw | Bridgeport, CT | 1 | 70 | 70 | [29] | ||
14 | Kelly Kelly | June 20, 2011 | Raw: Power to the People | Baltimore, MD | 1 | 104 | 103 | This was a "Power to the People" special episode of Raw, where Brie Bella's opponent was determined by a fan-voted poll. Kelly Kelly received the highest number of votes over Beth Phoenix and Eve Torres. | [30] | |
15 | Beth Phoenix | October 2, 2011 | Hell in a Cell | New Orleans, LA | 1 | 204 | 203 | [31] | ||
16 | Nikki Bella | April 23, 2012 | Raw | Detroit, MI | 1 | 6 | 5 | This was a lumberjill match. | [32] | |
17 | Layla | April 29, 2012 | Extreme Rules | Rosemont, IL | 1 | 140 | 139 | Beth Phoenix was originally scheduled to challenge for the title, but was not medically cleared at the time before the match got started. Layla made her return as a surprise challenger for the title. Layla pinned Brie Bella to win the title from Nikki Bella after the twins switched places during the match while the referee was distracted. | [33] | |
18 | Eve Torres | September 16, 2012 | Night of Champions | Boston, MA | 3 | 120 | 120 | [34] | ||
19 | Kaitlyn | January 14, 2013 | Raw 20th Anniversary Special | Houston, TX | 1 | 153 | 152 | [35][36] | ||
20 | AJ Lee | June 16, 2013 | Payback | Rosemont, IL | 1 | 295 | 295 | [37] | ||
21 | Paige | April 7, 2014 | Raw | New Orleans, LA | 1 | 84 | 84 | [38] | ||
22 | AJ Lee | June 30, 2014 | Raw | Hartford, CT | 2 | 48 | 47 | [39] | ||
23 | Paige | August 17, 2014 | SummerSlam | Los Angeles, CA | 2 | 35 | 35 | [40] | ||
24 | AJ Lee | September 21, 2014 | Night of Champions | Nashville, TN | 3 | 63 | 63 | This was a triple threat match also involving Nikki Bella. | [41] | |
25 | Nikki Bella | November 23, 2014 | Survivor Series | St. Louis, MO | 2 | 301 | 300 | [42] | ||
26 | Charlotte | September 20, 2015 | Night of Champions | Houston, TX | 1 | 196 | 195 | If Nikki Bella was counted out or disqualified, she would lose the title per the stipulation. | [43] | |
— | Deactivated | April 3, 2016 | WrestleMania 32 | Arlington, TX | — | — | — | WWE Hall of Famer Lita announced that the winner of the triple threat match in which Charlotte was to defend the Divas Championship against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks would instead be for the new WWE Women's Championship, subsequently retiring the Divas Championship. | [44] |
Combined reigns
editRank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined days |
Combined days recognized by WWE |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | AJ Lee | 3 | 406 | 405 |
2 | Nikki Bella | 2 | 307 | 305 |
3 | Maryse | 2 | 265 | 259 |
4 | Eve Torres | 3 | 260 | 258 |
5 | Michelle McCool | 2 | 218 | 220 |
6 | Beth Phoenix | 1 | 204 | 203 |
7 | Charlotte | 1 | 196 | 195 |
8 | Kaitlyn | 1 | 153 | 152 |
9 | Layla | 1 | 140 | 139 |
10 | Paige | 2 | 119 | |
Melina | 2 | 119 | 117 | |
12 | Kelly Kelly | 1 | 104 | 103 |
13 | Mickie James | 1 | 78 | |
14 | Brie Bella | 1 | 70 | |
Natalya | 1 | 70 | 69 | |
16 | Alicia Fox | 1 | 56 | 55 |
17 | Jillian Hall | 1 | <1 |
See also
editReferences
edit- General
- Oliver, Earl. "WWE Divas Championship Title History". Solie.org. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- "History of the Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
- Specific
- ^ Verma, Manish (4 January 2016). "History of the WWE Divas Championship". Www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Hillhouse, Dave (July 24, 2008). "The Great American Soap Opera". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Michelle McCool wins the inaugural Divas Championship". YouTube.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Martin, Adam (April 14, 2009). "Raw results – 4/13/09". WrestleView.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
- ^ STAEHLE, ADRIAN. "WWE Draft 2009: Who Went Where?". Www.syndication.bleacherreport.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ Tylwalk, Nick (September 19, 2010). "Few gimmicks, more title changes at Night of Champions". SLAM! Sports: Wrestling. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Caldwell, James (April 3, 2016). "4/3 WrestleMania 32 PPV Pre-Show Results – Caldwell's Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
- ^ Caldwell, James (April 3, 2016). "4/3 WrestleMania 32 PPV Results – Caldwell's Complete Live Report on Mainland PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "WWE Divas Title". Wrestling-titles.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2007.
- ^ "Michelle McCool wins the inaugural Divas Championship". YouTube.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Maryse's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ Beauvais, Mike (December 23, 2008). "WWE News: Complete WWE Smackdown 12/22 tapings report – Spoilers on title change, Jeff Hardy in main event". PW Torch. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ Sitterson, Aubrey (April 13, 2009). "Results: Rough draft". WWE. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
- ^ STAEHLE, ADRIAN. "WWE Draft 2009: Who Went Where?". Www.syndication.bleacherreport.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Melina's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2009.
- ^ "Divas Champion Melina injured". WWE. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Adkins, Greg (September 20, 2010). "Results: CU in Hell!". WWE. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ "NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS". Wwe.com. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Michelle McCool vs Melina: Divas Championship Unification Match, Night of Champions 2010". WWE / YouTube.com. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ LOTT, CHRISTI. "Goodbye Women's and Divas Championship, Hello Unified DivasTitle". Www.bleacherreport.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2022. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
- ^ "Natalya's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2010.
- ^ "Eve's second reign". WWE. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ "Brie Bella's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Kelly Kelly's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Beth Phoenix's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
- ^ "Nikki Bella's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
- ^ "Layla's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on May 28, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
- ^ "Eve's third reign". WWE. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
- ^ "Kaitlyn's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ^ "Kaitlyn def. Eve to win the Divas Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
- ^ "AJ Lee's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ "Paige's first reign". WWE. Archived from the original on April 11, 2014. Retrieved April 7, 2014.
- ^ "AJ Lee's second reign". WWE. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
- ^ "Paige's second reign". WWE. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
- ^ "AJ Lee's third reign". WWE. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ "Divas Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ Caldwell, James (April 3, 2016). "4/3 WrestleMania 32 PPV Pre-Show Results – Caldwell's Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
External links
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