5 Best WWE Diva's Champions of All Time
The Diva's Championship began life in 2008 as a supplementary title to WWE's original Women's Championship (1956-2010). Introduced as part of the 2008 Draft by then Smackdown General Manager Vickie Guerrero, the Diva's Title sought to capitalise on the "Diva" tag that WWE had used to describe it's female performers for the prior half decade and ensure that both Raw and Smackdown had designated titles for it's women wrestlers.
Michelle McCool became the inaugural champion when she defeated Natalya at the Great American Bash on July 20, 2008. McCool reigned as champion until December, when she dropped the belt to Maryse (yes, The Miz's wife) on an episode of Smackdown. On September 19, 2010 at the Night of Champions pay-per-view, the original Women's Championship then held by McCool was unified into the Diva's Title then held by Melina Perez. The Diva's Championship then became the sole title for WWE's female performers.
The title lasted until 2016, when it was replaced by a brand new WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016. At that event, reigning Diva's Champion, Charlotte Flair defeated Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks to become the inaugural Women's Champion under the new lineage. The eight year old Diva's Title and also the Diva's moniker used to describe the women wrestlers was retired.
The Diva's Championship is not held in particular high esteem by fans or WWE in 2019, but remains an important title as it gave stars such as AJ Lee, Paige and Flair their first (and in Lee and Paige's case, their only) main roster title wins in WWE. Less heralded names such as Eve Torres and Kaitlyn also contested rewarding matches with the Diva's Title at stake. This slideshow looks at the five greatest champions in the eight year history of the Diva's Championship.
#5 Beth Phoenix (One reign, 204 days as champion)
The Glamazon recently returned to the ring at WrestleMania 35, but prior to her retirement, Beth Phoenix knew all about winning titles. She won her first Women's Championship way back at No Mercy 2007, when she crushed then champion, Candice Michelle to claim the gold.
Phoenix was a dominant champion and would go on to hold that version of the Women's Championship on a two further occasions. Her solitary Diva's Championship victory came later in October 2011 which she held all the way until April of 2012, defeating all comers until she dropped the strap to Nikki Bella, six days prior to the 2012 Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
Phoenix then retired to start a family with her future husband Edge. Her Diva's Championship reign was in essence her final hurrah as a full time WWE employee. Phoenix will be remembered as one of the very best wrestlers to hold that title but her lack of effective competition during that run means that she does not place higher on this list.