The Women's Championship has had many incarnations throughout WWE history and has been held by stellar athletes who are legendary in women's wrestling. Hall of Famers such as The Fabulous Moolah, Trish Stratus, and Lita are some of the most recognizable champions in WWE history, though many other Superstars have also reigned atop the division.
Not every former Women's or Divas Champion has achieved the same success, despite capturing the top prize in the Women's Division. Whether it was poor booking or backstage politics, some champions found themselves as placeholders rather than trailblazers. Some female athletes are true superstars, though, and certainly deserve to be recognized as such. To celebrate these talented ladies, let's take a look at ten of the most underrated Women's Champions in WWE history.
10 AJ Lee
AJ Lee's legacy has been mostly buried by WWE due to the controversy surrounding her husband CM Punk's departure from the company. Her record-breaking reign as longest-reigning Divas Champion was broken, with Nikki Bella taking the title from the Black Widow in 2014.
Despite this, AJ Lee still had three excellent reigns with the butterfly belt, brought fans some great matches and helped establish the division during a dark time for women's wrestling. A consistent in-ring worker, Lee was also the first Diva to have merchandise, in addition to a brief stint as General Manager.
9 Chyna
Like AJ Lee, Chyna is another female Superstar from WWE's past that they prefer not to talk about. Chyna's exclusion from the Hall of Fame has been a topic of controversy for many years, with WWE compromising by inducting her alongside D-Generation X in 2019.
Chyna's legacy is undeniable. She was a trailblazer for women's wrestling and is the only female Superstar to capture the Intercontinental Championship as well as challenge for the WWF Championship.
8 Michelle McCool
Michelle McCool is a female Superstar spawned from the Diva Search era, but that doesn't make her reign with the Women's and Divas Championships less credible. She excelled in the ring and played an excellent heel alongside Layla as villainous tag-team Laycool.
McCool was the inaugural Divas Champion after she defeated Natalya for the butterfly belt at The Great American Bash in 2008. She defeated Melina for the Women's Championship in 2009, becoming the first woman to hold both titles.
7 Melina
Melina had a unique arsenal that set her apart in the Women's Division, as well as an impressive entrance to the ring.
She won the Women's Championship three times and the Divas Championship twice, becoming the first woman to hold both belts multiple times. She is also famed for her tenure as a tag-team alongside Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury as MNM.
6 Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn only had one reign with the Divas Championship, holding the butterfly belt for 153 days after winning it from Eve Torres. She dropped the title to former best friend AJ Lee at Payback in 2013.
Kaitlyn and AJ's rivalry was the first legit feud in the Divas division for years and was instrumental in the journey of women's wrestling, despite being overshadowed by the work of the NXT Four Horsewomen. Kaitlyn returned to WWE to compete in the 2019 Mae Young Classic and was eliminated in the second round by Mia Yim.
5 Jacqueline
Trish Stratus and Lita are rightfully hailed as the heroines of women's wrestling during the Attitude Era, but other talented Superstars deserve equal recognition. Jacqueline won her first Women's Championship in 1998 and it was her feud with Sable that brought the belt out of retirement.
Jacqueline held the Women's Championship twice and has wrestled for other promotions such as WCW and TNA. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.
4 Ember Moon
Ember Moon's reign as NXT Women's Champion should have been the start of a winning streak for the War Goddess, but WWE has failed to capitalize on her momentum since moving to the main roster. Moon won the title in 2017, defeating Peyton Royce, Kairi Sane and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way match.
Moon is yet to win a title on the main roster, having unsuccessfully challenged Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship at SummerSlam. However, considering her talent and popularity, it should only be a matter of time before she wins gold again.
3 Natalya
Natalya is a veteran in WWE. The first female third-generation Superstar has been with the company since 2007 and is a two-time champion, having won the Divas Championship in 2010 and the SmackDown Women's Championship in 2017.
The Queen of Harts is often overlooked when it comes to the Women's Division, despite her in-ring talent. However, Natalya recently made history alongside Lacey Evans after wrestling in the first-ever women's match in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel.
2 Carmella
Carmella had a controversial beginning to her reign as SmackDown Women's Champion. The Princess of Staten Island competed in the first-ever women's Money In The Bank ladder match and won after James Ellsworth climbed the ladder for her to retrieve the briefcase.
This decision was rectified in a rematch, with Carmella winning the briefcase by herself this time. She cashed in her contract on Charlotte Flair in 2017 to win her first and only Women's Championship, as well as having two brief reigns with the 24/7 Championship.
1 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss and Carmella are two Superstars from NXT who were overshadowed by the Four Horsewomen during their time in development. Despite this, the Goddess found her footing after moving to SmackDown during the 2016 WWE draft, defeating Becky Lynch in a Tables match at TLC to win her first championship.
Bliss has since held the SmackDown Women's Championship twice and the Raw Women's Championship three times, as well as winning the 2018 Money In The Bank ladder match. She won the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships in 2019 alongside Nikki Cross, making her the second Women's Triple Crown Champion.