The reputation of the Divas Championship was primarily negative since it felt like a downgrade from the Women’s Championship. WWE went all in on the branding of the Divas division by renaming the title with the infamous butterfly design. The title was born in 2008 when WWE needed a new belt and lasted all the way until 2016.
Nikki Bella, Brie Bella and Beth Phoenix each entering the Hall of Fame proved the title didn’t take away from legacies even with its flaws. Most of the women wanted the change, when the transition to the Women’s Championship was approved. There were plenty of confusing or foolish things regarding the title that lacked logic when looking back. Find out just what things made no sense when it came to the Divas Championship.
10 AJ Lee & Paige Playing Hot Potato
Paige and AJ Lee are two of the women fans most associate with the Divas Championship. The debut of Paige on the main roster saw her winning the title on her first night, on the Raw after WrestleMania 30 to a massive ovation.
WWE unfortunately ruined the appeal of the feud by having the title switch too many times. AJ and Paige would exchange the Divas Championship four times in just five months. The character shifts were also overdone to harm the credibility Lee gave the title.
9 Women's Championship Being Removed After A Unification Match
WWE decided to unify the Women’s Championship and Divas Championship in 2010. Michelle McCool and Maryse faced off to declare the one champ moving forward for both Raw and Smackdown, with the brand split loosening.
The win for McCool saw her winning the Divas Championship and retiring the Women’s Championship. Fans were shocked about the move considering the latter had more prestige with years of history. WWE didn’t explain why the less credible title won out, which added to the disdain for it.
8 Natalya Winning The Title In A Handicap Match
The first title win for Natalya in WWE came with the Divas Championship heading her way. Natalya actually didn’t even have a one-on-one shot at the title, as it turned out to be a handicap match against Michelle McCool and Layla.
WWE hoped that the story of Natalya overcoming the odds would add to the moment, but it just felt off. Titles would usually never be on the line in such a dynamic since it can spark confusion. Natalya didn’t have as strong of a reign as expected, partially due to the odd start.
7 Layla Pinning The Wrong Bella To Win The Gold
Both Nikki and Brie Bella scored the accomplishment of winning the Divas Championship at various points. The first reign of Nikki only lasted six days before she dropped it to Layla at Extreme Rules 2012.
However, there was confusion and controversy involved in the finish. Nikki and Brie tried to pull the “twin magic” move to cheat when Brie entered the ring. Layla ended up getting the last laugh pinning Brie to win Nikki’s belt, but the finish probably should have been overturned logically.
6 Jillian Hall's Short Title Reign
The most unlikely Divas Champion was Jillian Hall who won it after months of being stuck in the undercard. Hall was playing the intentionally bad singer who got heel heat by performing bad songs. The shocking moment came on Raw when Jillian defeated Mickie James to win the belt.
WWE would book this moment to be interrupted by a returning Melina. The instant defense from Hall saw her dropping the Divas Championship to Melina. It made little sense since Melina was the face, taking advantage of someone minutes after a hard-fought match.
5 Nikki Retaining The Title Just To Break A Record
WWE set up a huge match for Raw, with Charlotte Flair challenging Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship days before the record as longest-reigning champ would be broken. The appeal of Charlotte trying to stop Nikki from making history added to her chase.
Booking went with the cheapest cop-out finish, with Nikki getting outside interference to end the match in a DQ to retain the title. Charlotte won the title days later, but it was a huge mess to have this finish, just to have Nikki break the record for the sake of it.
4 Randomly Announcing The End Of The Title
There were complaints for years by the fans and various wrestlers about wanting to end the term 'Diva' and getting rid of the Divas Championship. WWE started to treat the women’s division with more respect in NXT.
The call-ups of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch would see them battling it out for the title at WrestleMania 32. Lita announced on the pre-show that the belt was being replaced with the Women’s Championship. It was great news, but WWE could have easily made that part of the story instead of announcing it without much purpose.
3 Brie Bella Helping Nikki Beat AJ Lee
WWE splitting up the Bella Twins was one of the bigger stories in the women’s division back in 2014. Nikki helped Stephanie McMahon defeat Brie when claiming she was tired of having to live in her sister’s shadow.
The Bella Twins feuded for months with Brie losing a match that made her the assistant of Nikki. WWE would eventually have the sisters reunite, when Brie helped Nikki win the Divas Championship by distracting AJ Lee. The failed feud would see WWE ending it without any strong logic, since fans didn’t buy into it.
2 Gail Kim Losing A Tournament Final To Maryse
An injury to Melina forced her to vacate the Divas Championship leading to a tournament to crown the next champ. The final would see Gail Kim on the face side going up against Maryse. Most fans wanted Kim to win, coming off her incredible run in TNA.
WWE still did not believe in Gail and had the significantly worse wrestler Maryse win. Vince McMahon was higher on Maryse and decided to give her another Divas Championship run. This was the last realistic chance Kim had at a stronger WWE run, which would just end in disappointment.
1 Zero Singles Matches For The Title At WrestleMania
A slot on the WrestleMania card is the goal every wrestler hopes to accomplish at the end of each wrestling year. WWE unfortunately showed little interest in the women’s division for the biggest show of the year during the Divas Championship era.
There was only one defense of the title, that came in a battle royal with everyone involved. WWE typically ran tag matches for the women and didn’t value the Divas Championship as anything important. The WrestleMania 32 match was going to be the first major title defense, but it was changed to the Women’s Championship before the bout.