Top 5 SmackDown Women's Champions so far
In 2016, there was only one women's title in WWE. When champion Charlotte Flair was drafted to RAW in the reintroduction of the brand split, the title became exclusive to the red brand. After SummerSlam, the SmackDown Women's Championship was born.
It was unveiled by Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan, who were SmackDown commissioner and general manager respectively at the time. The pair announced that a six-pack elimination challenge would determine the inaugural champion at the upcoming Backlash pay-per-view.
The women who faced off against one another for the title were Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella, Naomi, Natalya and eventual winner Becky Lynch. Many women have held the SmackDown Women's Champion over the past four years, and here are the top five holders so far.
#5 Smackdown's Carmella
In 2017, Carmella became the inaugural Miss Money in the Bank, helped by James Ellsworth. Carmella held onto her Money in the Bank contract for a record-breaking 287 days, before cashing in on SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair following a beating from The IIconics.
Carmella had an entertaining reign and was involved in some great matches. She managed to defend the championship against Charlotte at Backlash 2018, followed by successful defences against Asuka at both Money in the Bank and Extreme Rules.
At the time, Carmella was performing under more of a heel persona and often resorted to underhanded tactics and back-up from Ellsworth to keep hold of the belt.
After an eventful 131-day reign, Carmella lost the title to Charlotte at SummerSlam in a triple threat match between the pair and Becky Lynch. The match was decided after both Flair and Lynch defeated Carmella on separate occasions.
Carmella is currently absent from WWE television, but maybe she could contend for the SmackDown Women's Champion again upon her return?