Ranking Every NXT Women's Champion from Worse to Best

Hello everyone and welcome back Talk Wrestling World! I hope you are all well and good and have had another good week! So, the past few days I have dedicated my blog to all things NXT. In the past, I have held NXT month were I spent four weeks uploading specific NXT based content including predictions, lists, and reviews but this week I've tried to keep things a little smaller, focus on what I love writing most and bringing you some up to date content all around the current product. One of the biggest talking points in the world of WWE NXT right now is its women's division. Following Asuka's decision to vacate the NXT women's championship every female superstar in the division has been fighting to get their hands on the gold and next week at the latest NXT Takeover event we will see Peyton Royce, Kairi Sane, Ember Moon, and Nikki Cross will compete in a fatal four way to crown the new NXT Women's champion. In honor of that, I thought it was about time we took a deeper look at the history of this championship before we reach the big up and coming match. So, in today's blog post I'm going to be ranking all five previous NXT women's champions from worse to best. Now, the word "worse" really doesn't sit too well with me. Every single past champion has been fantastic! We've seen them all compete in brilliant matches and have all been apart of a huge movement in women's wrestling but for today's post, you get the gist of things. This list is based on my personal opinions/favorites so of course, I would love to know what you think and what order you would have put these women in so feel free to leave a comment below! As always, any recent blog posts will be linked at the end!

Paige

We kick start today's blog post off with the first ever NXT Women's champion, Paige. On July twenty-fourth two thousand and thirteen Paige made history becoming the first ever NXT women's champion after overcoming an eight women tournament which consisted of WWE veterans such as Alicia Fox and Tamina and it, of course, was her final win against Emma on an episode of NXT that saw the young Brit make history and crowned champion. A true fan favorite, Paige's championship victory came as no big surprise. Despite being the youngest competitor on the roster Paige had built popularity amongst the NXT universe rather quickly thanks to her unique look, in ring skill, and anti-diva persona. She was the different kinda "diva" fans wanted to see in the division and her championship win only increased her following. Setting the bar, Paige kick-started a revolution and it was her championship reign that gave every woman in the locker room the kick up the butt they needed. It started something amazing in women's wrestling, something that to this day has an effect. The problem with her championship reign, however, and the reason she is ranked fifth today was the lack of competition. During this time, NXT wasn't as big as it is today. The women's division was not as strong and the WWE was still at the very start of changing the way they handle women's wrestling and the division. Paige and Emma were the main attractions in the division and while Paige did defend her title against both Summer Rae and Sasha Banks in pretty damn strong matches when you take a look at what the women who came after her did during their title reign it just isn't as strong. However, let's not take anything away from Paige, she is a brilliant in-ring performer and a key figure in the women's evolution.

Sasha Banks

Up next, is Sasha Banks. Now, I'm sure some of you expected to see the boss feature a little higher on this list but honestly, I really do believe number four is the perfect spot. Now, there is no denying that Banks' title reign was one of the best. She carried herself like a true champion and made everyone believe she was a big deal wherever she went. She took the women's division to the next level and gave it some serious character. During her title reign (and prior) Banks had shown what she was capable of. She had proven doubters wrong and had been highlighted as one of the best female wrestlers in the WWE and one of the best wrestlers putting gender aside, in the wrestling world today. She was a convincing heel, had the fans completely obsessed with her and her character and her in-ring work matched the character work we were seeing from her. During her title reign Banks defended her title against the likes of Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and of course, Bayley and every single time she did defend that title Banks was competing in matches we were all saying were some of the best the division had ever seen. Her one on one against Lynch remains one of the most underrated women's matches in recent memories and if you haven't seen it I seriously advise that you go ahead and do so! When you look at the big picture, Banks was the perfect champion. She had it all and the incredible iconic match against Bayley at NXT Takeover Brooklyn was the perfect end to her title reign but the issue I had was the feeling that it had come just that little bit too late. A part of me felt Banks was ready to become champion long before and the perfect time may have been against Charlotte one on one at a previous Takeover event. She had so many opportunities and I just felt as though she deserved to be champion much sooner.

Asuka

Deciding on a number three spot was not easy but in the end, I did decide to go with Asuka. Now, again, I'm sure some of you reading this were expecting to see Asuka ranked higher on this list and I'm sure she would take the number one spot for many of you guys but the truth is, I wasn't always the biggest fan of her title reign. Come towards the end I was all for it. She had established her dominance, she felt like a massive deal and I personally had finally jumped on the hype surrounding her but her title reign as a whole wasn't as strong as it could have been. We saw Asuka defend her title against the likes of Bayely, Nia Jax, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Ember Moon, Mickie James and Nikki Cross but I didn't feel as though we got the best of the best. As one of the longest reigning champions in WWE history a part of me expected more. More stipulation matches, bigger feuds, better build-ups to matches and stronger storyline's and we didn't get that. I didn't feel as though we saw enough of her which was one of the reasons I didn't jump on the hype so quickly and come to the end of her title reign while she does feel massively important and like a major deal her run wasn't as strong as others in terms of entertainment and diversity.

Bayley

In at number two is Bayley. Okay, so if you have been following me and reading my blogs for a while I'm pretty sure you will be aware of the fact that I haven't always been the biggest Bayley fan. It took me a while to join the hype and understand it with my lack of interest in her character and matches really not winning me over, it took time before I became a Bayley fan. But she did do it, I did become a fan and my opinions changed massively! When did that happen? NXT Takeover Brooklyn. As we just touched on, Bayley vs Sasha Banks will forever be known as an iconic match in women's wrestling. It raised the bar, changed the game and took the women's revolution to a whole new level. Bayley's performance on the night completely changed my perception of her as she proved just how good she is in the ring. We had seen her chase after the title before during Charlotte's run as champion and in the fatal four way consisting of all four of the four horsewomen, but it was on this night Bayley proved her self to a new level and her championship victory felt right. She had earned the respect and love from the fans and had become one of the most popular NXT stars and one of the biggest babyfaces in all of the WWE. Her reign itself was very very strong. The roster at this time was stacked full of talent and Bayley defended her title both at Takeover events, live events and recorded episodes of NXT against the likes of Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks, Carmella, Emma, Eva Marie and of course Asuka. She was constantly delivering top quality matches and worked some amazing feuds that established her as a phenomenal in-ring performer, strong character, and true fan favorite. Her title reign was a long one, not as long as Asuka's but the reason she ranks higher in this post than Askua really boils down to entertainment and how often she defended it. Asuka was champion for a very long time but as I touched on before, I didn't feel as though we got the most from her title run, unlike Bayley who I really did feel as though pushed the limit and gave us everything.

Charlotte

And finally, taking the number one spot is Charlotte. Now, in all honesty, I went back and forth with the number two and number one spot for ages! I'm personally a fan of both Charlotte and Bayley and I really enjoyed both their titles reigns but what it came down to in the end were the effect their reigns had and the impact. Bayley did compete in some amazing matches including an Ironman match and she was and always will be a huge part of the women's revolution but there is no denying that in terms of some of the best women's champions in history, Charlotte is ranked near the very very top. After Paige was forced to vacate the NXT Women's championship big opportunities came to the way of the women of NXT but there always was just that one woman who stood out more than any, one

woman on the roster that felt like a big deal and felt like the right women to take on the role as the next NXT Women's champion and that women were of course Charlotte. Making her way through and eight women tournament, Charlotte took out the likes of Emma and Alexa Bliss to finally defeat Natalya in a classic match at NXT Takeover to be crowned the second ever NXT Women's champion. It was throughout this tournament Charlotte showed focus, determination, and power and more than earned her title run. For two hundred and fifty-eight days Charlotte owned the women's division. She was the alpha female and managed to defend her title against the likes of Bayley, Summer Rae, and Sasha Banks and would only drop the title in a fatal four-way. The fact she never lost the title one on one adds to the reason why she is number one on this list. The only women on this list to not lose her title in one on one action it highlights just how much of a dominant champion she really was. She was so clearly the perfect champion and raised the bar extremely high. While her run didn't last as long as Askua's Charlotte had an interesting and entertaining title run that felt like it would never end. She was constantly delivering, improving and taking the women's division to the next level and that is why she is ranked number one in today's blog post.

And there we have it! Every NXT Women's champion ranked from worst to best. I had so much fun writing this post despite it being rather last minute and I really hoped you guys enjoyed it. If you would be interested in seeing an NXT Championship and NXT Tag team championship version of this post then do let me know down in the comments below. Also, while you're there, you can let me know what you think and what order you would have put these women in so feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me over at @TezangiVictoria! As always, any recent blog posts will be linked at the end!

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