In 2016, World Wrestling Entertainment decided to bring back what it calls its “brand extension,” dividing up its main roster between Raw and SmackDown, with stars being exclusive to their assigned shows. This also required the creation of new show-specific titles for the female performers, so that the women of Raw and SmackDown have their own titles to fight for.

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The SmackDown Women’s Championship was established in the fall of 2016, with a majority of the show’s women’s roster battling to become the inaugural champ. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the first 10 matches in the title’s history, starting with the weakest effort.

10 Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 12/13/2016)

Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 12/13/2016)

About a week after winning the title at TLC, Alexa Bliss defended her SmackDown Women’s Title in a rematch against Becky Lynch. Bliss knew she couldn’t keep up with Lynch, so she avoided conflict at all costs, and ultimately faked a knee injury outside the ring, taking a purposeful countout loss. In other words, it was very much a “storyline match” meant to advance their feud rather than give fans a satisfying bout.

9 Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 2/21/2017)

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 2/21/2017)

Naomi had defeated Alexa Bliss for the Women’s Title but was forced to vacate via injury, so the vacant title was up for grabs in a match between the competitors who were competing for it before Naomi entered the mix. The bout lasted less than 10 minutes, and ended with Bliss scoring a cheap shot and rolling Becky Lynch up for an easy heel win. Not the most exciting match in the title’s young history at this point, but it was a largely necessary reset to put the belt back on Bliss.

8 Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 12/27/2016)

La Luchadora (Mickie James) interveres, Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 12/27/2016)

The defining feud in the early months of the SmackDown Women’s Title was Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch, with the story generally centered around Bliss being outclassed by Lynch and thus cheating to get the win.

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At this point, Bliss had already beaten Lynch for the title but still needed to cut corners in order to keep it. In this near-14-minute bout, Bliss had some help in the form of a mysterious masked figure named La Luchadora.

7 Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Carmella (WrestleMania 33, 4/2/2017)

Alexa Bliss vs. Mickie James vs. Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Carmella (WrestleMania 33, 4/2/2017)

The first WrestleMania SmackDown Women’s Title isn’t the most promising set-up, as it’s positioned on the card as a cooldown match between the Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar Universal Title bout and the much-criticized Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker main event.

Despite being a six-way bout, the match only lasts about five minutes or so, with a returning Naomi winning the title back in her hometown of Orlando, Florida. Despite the circumstances, they did a good job with the (lack of) time they were given.

6 Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 1/17/2017)

Steel Cage match: Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch (SmackDown Live, 1/17/2017)

The initial Becky Lynch/Alexa Bliss feud culminated with a steel cage main event match on SmackDown Live for the Women’s Title, a 10-minute affair where once again Lynch failed to put away her rival and win back the belt. But it’s not Lynch’s fault, as La Luchadora once again interfered on Bliss’ behalf. In the aftermath of this match, La Luchadora unmasked to reveal herself as a returning Mickie James.

5 Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 4/4/2017)

Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 4/4/2017)

Naomi was unable to defend the SmackDown Women’s Title in her first reign. But after winning it back at WrestleMania 33, she was able to deliver her first title defense two days later by taking on former champion Alexa Bliss. Running at more than 10 minutes, it’s twice the length of the ‘Mania bout with a third of the competitors and thus gives both Naomi and Bliss a better spotlight than what they were given days earlier.

4 Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 11/8/2016)

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (SmackDown Live, 11/8/2016)

After becoming the inaugural SmackDown Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch defended her newly won title against Alexa Bliss two months after winning it at Backlash, marking the first time that the title was defended on SmackDown itself.

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The result is a pretty solid match that gives Lynch the win -- and her only successful televised title defense in this run -- by tapping out Bliss to the Disarm-her. However, Bliss had her feet on the ropes, creating a way for the feud to continue.

3 Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (TLC, 12/4/2016)

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss (TLC, 12/4/2016)

One month after Lynch’s first title defense, Bliss got a rematch against the champ at the TLC pay-per-view in a tables match, where the goal is to put your opponent through a table. This bout is one of the best in their feud, full of all the intensity that a violent gimmick match allows. The battle ended with Bliss getting the best of Lynch and powerbombing her through a table to win the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

2 Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi (Elimination Chamber, 2/12/2017)

Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi (Elimination Chamber, 2/12/2017)

While Becky Lynch was busy feuding with Mickie James as a result of all that La Luchadora business, Alexa Bliss was free to move on to a new challenger, Naomi. In a roughly eight-minute affair at Elimination Chamber, Naomi ended up defeating Bliss for the Women’s Championship after countering her finisher, Twisted Bliss and responding with a split-legged moonsault. Unfortunately, Naomi would end up vacating the title due to a knee injury a week later.

1 Natalya vs. Becky Lynch vs. Nikki Bella vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella (Backlash, 9/11/2016)

Becky Lynch SmackDown Women's Champion

Given that the SmackDown Women’s Title was newly created for the brand split, an inaugural champion needed to be crowned, which happened in a Six-Pack match opening Backlash 2016. Featuring a majority of the SmackDown women’s roster, this 14-minute six-way match was a great way to show off the whole division, with lots of fun spots and a solid conclusion with Becky Lynch becoming the brand’s first women’s champion.

NEXT: Every Version Of Becky Lynch, Ranked From Worst To Best