The '80s may go down as the decade when wrestling went national, it was a time when Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair emerged as definitive world champions that embodied their brands. In the '90s we saw the business reinvent itself between the Monday Night War, and the arrival of legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, DX, and the New World Order. The 2000s brought wrestling to settle back into the family-friendly territory as WWE dominated the landscape with John Cena at the fore of a new generation of stars.
There are a number of ways in which fans might remember the 2010s, but none may be more noteworthy than women’s wrestling evolving from side attraction to a viable part of the business. WWE wasn’t necessarily at the fore of this movement but did quite arguably define it as the Divas model transformed into a more serious division that could main event PPVs.
Women’s wrestling in WWE wasn’t all great in the 2010s, though. This article takes a look back at the decades best and worst women’s matches.
10 10. Best: The Women's Royal Rumble 2018
In 2018, women got their first Royal Rumble. The match felt something like a celebration of women’s wrestling in WWE, not only featuring the top stars of the day but functioning as a homecoming for past legends.
While the ringwork wasn’t all great in this Rumble—in part because of the presence of a number of legends who were never great workers—the plotting and layout for the match was among the best in Rumble history to make the most of surprise returns, fun spots, and big eliminations.
9 9. Worst: Team PCB Vs. Team BAD Vs. Team Bella, SummerSlam 2015
The Women’s Revolution looked promising when Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch all moved up to the main roster together. While wedging them all into three-woman factions with existing main roster talents felt contrived, it nonetheless did succeed in setting up natural lines for rivalries to develop.
The coming-out party for this new wave took place at SummerSlam 2015 in a three-way match between the small stables. Rather than showcasing new talents alongside the best of the old guard, the match was a forgettable mess with too man people involved without a cohesive story to tell.
8 8. Best: Sasha Banks Vs. Charlotte Flair, Raw December 2016
The rivalry between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair grew into one of the best women’s feuds in WWE history over the course of 2016. While the pairing may have reached its highest-profile encounter when they were the main event inside Hell in a Cell, their best match would come two months later on an episode of Raw.
Working the main event again, The Boss and The Queen tore into one another in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The awesome brawl culminated in an innovative spot when Banks used a segment of railing in the stands to augment her Banks Statement and collect the submission victory.
7 7. Worst: Layla Vs. Nikki Bella, Extreme Rules 2012
Divas Champion Nikki Bella was set to defend her title against a mystery opponent at Extreme Rules 2012. In that era, there wasn’t exactly the reason for optimism about whom WWE would conjure up (though the general consensus is that fans were hoping for Kharma). Regardless, Layla’s entrance fell pretty flat.
The match was as poor as one would expect given the talents involved and the way WWE shoehorned in women’s wrestling at the time. In the end, Layla won, not by pinning Nikki, but rather her sister Brie after their Twin Magic scheme went awry.
6 6. Best: Asuka Vs. Becky Lynch, Royal Rumble 2019
As 2018 wrapped up, Becky Lynch had cemented her place as the fan-favorite among the women’s division. The prospect of her facing Asuka for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at the first PPV of 2019 had potential as a first-time bout between two top talents. WWE had protected them both well well, and there was some added intrigue because Lynch looked to be on a collision course with Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey.
The match was superb as the two demonstrated instant chemistry, culminating in the Japanese star winning with a brutal bridging modification of the Asuka Lock. Moreover, the match set up Lynch as a defeated woman, en route to some of the biggest victories of her career.
5 5. Worst: Mae Young Vs. LayCool, Old School Raw 2010
The early 2010s weren’t a particularly sterling time for women’s wrestling in WWE. LayCool—the tandem of Michelle McCool and Layla El—was among the best-established women’s acts at the time, offering up better-defined characters than most of their peers, and passable wrestling talent.
That WWE would make a mockery of one of its top tier female acts was telling. So it was that they picked a fight with geriatric Mae Young on a special Old School episode of Raw in 2010. They’d go on to have a farce of a match with other female talent incapacitating the heels so Young could put one foot on them for the pin in a farce of a match.
4 4. Best: Becky Lynch Vs. Charlotte Flair, Evolution 2018
A heel turn for Becky Lynch meant that she caught fire in the late summer of 2018, setting up a heated feud between her and fellow top female talent Charlotte Flair. Their issue culminated in a Last Woman Standing title match at the all-female Evolution PPV.
To say that Lynch and Flair stole the show would be an understatement. Despite the PPV on the whole being well-received, this near half-hour match elevated the entire show to another level with stiff action, drama, and the satisfying conclusion of Lynch vanquishing The Queen.
3 3. Worst: Naomi And Tamina Vs. The Bella Twins, Payback 2015
Before the Women’s Revolution got going, the PPV tag team bout between The Bella Twins and Naomi and Tamina embodied many of the problems with women’s wrestling at the time.
Wedged in between John Cena blowing off his rivalry with a still-hot Rusev and the main event, this tag team match was largely booked to give the crowd a breather, and lived down to those expectations in a clunky affair that meant very little in the broader scheme of WWE storytelling.
2 2. Best: The Women's Royal Rumble 2019
While the original women’s Royal Rumble was largely a nostalgia trip—albeit a very well executed one—the second iteration focused much more on the current main roster and NXT talents. As a result, it was quite arguably the better worked Rumble and benefited from a very fun turn when Becky Lynch made her impromptu entry into the match.
After Lynch had lost to Asuka earlier in the night, the Rumble marked her last chance for WrestleMania's relevance, not to mention a natural bridge to chase Ronda Rousey’s Raw Women’s Championship. Her entrance was a lot of fun, and she more than delivered in a dramatic final sequence opposite Charlotte Flair.
1 1. Worst: Kelly Kelly Vs. Brie Bella, Over The Limit 2011
In spring 2011, Brie Bella reigned as Divas Champion and defended her title at Over the Limit against Kelly Kelly. Kelly never has been a good in-ring worker, but even by her own standards, she hadn’t peaked in 2011. The two worked a four-minute match that felt much longer, including Kelly overtly playing off her sexuality with a stink face that got a flat response.
To be kind to this match, it could be seen as forgettable but contributed to an overall underwhelming show during a down stretch for WWE.