7 Best women's matches in WWE history

The WWE Women's revolution began life as a hashtag; #GiveDivasAChance after then WWE performer, AJ Lee incredibly called out her boss, Stephanie McMahon on Twitter in response to McMahon's publicity stunt of praising Patricia Arquette's famous Oscars speech in which she stood up for females in Hollywood stating they did not get the same opportunities as men:

AJ Lee called out McMahon on her hypocrisy stating that WWE's women outperformed some male performers in television ratings and were among the highest merchandise sellers, yet received a fraction of the television time and exposure.

Rattled, McMahon merely replied with a simple tweet:

The hashtag movement #GiveDivasAChance took on a life of its own, trending to such a massive degree that WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon felt the need to pass comment on Twitter as well:

Although you didn't see AJ Lee get any credit on WWE television prior to WWE's inaugural all-female pay per view, Evolution (her marriage to WWE outcast, CM Punk, makes her a pariah in the company), make no mistake as to where the momentum for WWE's women's revolution truly began. It was not Bella's reality TV shows, despite what the company would have you believe.

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Although it wasn't instantaneous, the pressure that built from the hashtag movement saw WWE call up highly rated female performers in Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks to the main roster in July 2015.

The influx of new talent saw an increase in women's bouts and first time ever type matches such as the first-ever female Ironwoman and Hell in a Cell matches in 2016.

In 2018, the women main evented the Royal Rumble pay per view with the first ever all Women 'Rumble match as well as competing in the first ever all women pay per view offering, Evolution in October.

Rumours continue to abound, that the main event of Wrestlemania 35 will feature female performers for the first time.

This slideshow celebrates the finest ever women's matches to ever take place in WWE; many of which have occurred since WWE gave it's "diva's" a chance.

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#7 Trish Stratus vs Mickie James - Wrestlemania 22 (April 2, 2006)

In a storyline that you will definitely not see on WWE television today; new signing Mickie James portrayed a giddy Trish Stratus mark, who gradually turned into a bunny-boiler type lesbian stalker.

It seems a laughable premise when reading on a page but this slow building storyline which commenced on the October 10, 2005 episode of Raw received a lot of TV time and promotion.

Beginning their relationship as allies, things began to turn nasty after James kissed Stratus and the heterosexual Women's Champion rejected James.

The excitable James appeared to have called a truce with Stratus when the pair teamed up at Saturday Night's Main Event special on March 18, 2006 but after James kissed Stratus again and Stratus rejected her, James snapped kicking her idol in the head.

This set up a Women's Championship match at Wrestlemania 22, two weeks later on April 2, 2018 wherein James defeated Stratus to win her first title.

It was a terrific encounter that had the crowd fully invested in every move the participant's made.

Stratus performed her athletic Matrix-style moves while James focussed on her greater power to overwhelm James and used her grappling acumen to attempt to submit the champion.

Stratus appeared to be heading for victory when she put James in position for Stratusfaction but the nutty James distracted Stratus by grabbing her crotch.

In a moment that was edited out of the DVD version of the event, James then licked her hand before attempting a Stratusfaction that was botched horribly.

It appeared to be Stratus who was at fault for not getting James up high enough. Regardless, the error was not enough to blight a brilliant bout and James, thinking on her feet, hit a head kick instead for the win.

#6 Sasha Banks vs Charlotte Flair - Roadblock 2016 (December 18, 2016)

Charlotte Flair defeated Sasha Banks in the first-ever women's Iron Man or Iron Woman match on the WWE main roster at Roadblock: End of the Line to win the Raw Women's Championship for the fourth time.

In a brilliantly constructed and emotional match-up, the pair began exchanging rest holds before upping the pace. Flair earned the first decision 19 minutes into the fight with an incredible Natural Selection off of the top rope. That looked brutal.

Moments later, Banks surprised Flair with a roll up to tie the scores. Banks took the lead with just a few minutes left of the 30-minute time limit with a Banks Statement to earn the submission.

With seconds remaining, the two wrestlers were tied after Flair gained a fall by getting Banks to submit in the Figure-Eight Leglock.

It was a heartbreaking moment for Banks who could barely stand in overtime and Flair, smelling blood wisely targeted Banks' leg and locked in the Figure-Eight Leglock once again, and after failing to reach the ropes, Banks eventually tapped out.

Flair was a four-time women's champion and extended her unbeaten winning streak on pay per view to 18-0.

#5 Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch - Wrestlemania 32 (April 3, 2016)

The women's revolution took another huge step forward with the elimination of the Diva tag to label the female performers.

Reigning Diva's Champion, Charlotte Flair competed with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks for the brand new Women's Championship.

In the early going, Lynch nailed Flair with a dive that had been intended for Banks. While Lynch and Banks were on the floor, Flair hit a beautifully well-timed moonsault on both women that connected perfectly.

When the action returned to the ring, the big moves intensified and Flair hit a double Natural Selection on both women at the same time.

The crowd bit for that near fall. Lynch applied the Disarmer submission on Flair which looked like it might be the finish until Banks broke it up.

Banks then applied her submission finisher, the Banks Statement submission on Lynch that was broken up by Flair who then secured her trademark submission, the Figure-Four, which she turned into the Figure-Eight on Banks. Lynch broke that one up.

Flair tossed Banks out of the ring and put Lynch in Figure-Eight submission instead. Banks tried to break it up, but Flair's father, Ric stationed at ringside pulled her back enabling Flair to secure the tap out and become the first Women's Champion of the new title's lineage.

One of the best triple threat matches you will ever see. Brilliant moves, great interplay by the three women and an excellent finishing stretch.

A truly great Wrestlemania moment for all three participants.

#4 Sasha Banks vs Bayley - NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (August 22, 2015)

The match began with Sasha Banks mocking Bayley but Bayley displayed a hitherto unseen intensity with her repeatedly countering Bank's offence.

Banks brutally pinned Bayley's hand in between the steps and the apron and crushed it by kicking the steps. She then hit a stunning tope.

Heading into the bout's final stages, the big moves intensified when Bank's locked in the Banks statement and repeatedly kicked Bayley’s injured hand.

Fans bit for a great near fall off a Bayley to belly.

Battling on the top rope, Bayley hit a reverse hurricanrana. That was an incredible move. Another Bayley to belly followed for the win.

A sensational bout which solidified the women's revolution, fans were into this from start to finish and demonstrated how female wrestling could be mainstream.

A beautifully worked match-up by two of the very best the company has to offer.

#3 Charlotte Flair vs Asuka - Wrestlemania 34 (April 8, 2018)

It was perhaps the most anticipated women's match in WWE history. Flair, the five-time champion defending against Asuka, who had not tasted defeat in 914 days, set up a battle for the ages.

There was a tremendous sense of urgency in the early going with counter after counter as the two women seemed to be evenly matched.

Asuka began working over Flair's arm with the intention being to soften it up for the Asuka Lock deeper into the match.

In a terrific spot, Flair hit a moonsault but Asuka countered into a triangle.

The action began to intensify as Asuka hit an apron suplex to the floor. That looked painful. Asuka continued to work over Flair's arm as the champion struggled to soften up Asuka.

Flair brilliantly sold the arm and forced herself to inflict a one-armed Figure Eight and Asuka shockingly tapped out for the clean submission win.

An incredible match with a surprise finish. The only black mark is the depressing decline of Asuka following this match.

Her performance displayed exactly what she is capable of and Flair secured her legacy as probably the greatest female performer of her generation.

#2 Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte Flair - Survivor Series (November 18, 2018)

WrestleMania came early at Survivor Series. The expectation was that Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair would clash at the biggest show of the year but when Becky Lynch, Rousey's original opponent was injured, Flair took her place instead.

What a fight this was! Flair was in need of a big performance to re-heat her after losing her feud with Lynch and recover her aura after fans began to boo her despite the fact that she was the babyface.

The pair began the bout at a frantic pace with some UFC-style dirty boxing. It was terrific and felt completely different from the traditional WWE-type contest.

The brilliance of this encounter was that no one expected Rousey to lose but the booking of the match was so excellent that fans bit for Flair's near falls on the former UFC Bantamweight Champion.

Flair displayed a much more intense attitude in this match, which seemed to tie in logically as character progression from the Lynch feud affecting her psyche. Flair was the more dominant of the two performers in this encounter but could not put the resilient Rousey away.

Incensed, Flair took a kendo stick that she broke over Rousey's back as she pounded away. Visible on Rousey's body were welts from the brutal assault. She then hit Natural Selection on a steel chair and continued the assault on the Raw Women's Champion.

Rousey won the match via DQ but Flair was all anybody was talking about following the clash.

Terrifically intense and beautifully crisp in their movements. This was a brilliant piece of work from two of the company's premier performers.

#1 Becky Lynch vs Charlotte Flair - Evolution (October 28, 2018)

In their feud ending collision, Becky Lynch clashed with Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing encounter. Lasting 30 minutes, it was the longest non-gimmicked women's match in promotion history.

This was an all-out war rather than a wrestling match and the pair exchanged stiff clotheslines and forearms early in the bout.

Lynch mocked the Flair strut and hit and a running leg drop before following Flair to the top rope and to hit a big slam and Bexploder Suplex.

Weapons entered the fray when Lynch introduced a kendo stick into the match, brutalising Flair with it.

In a spot straight out of a Terry Funk match, both women threw chair after chair into the ring.

Flair hit an overhead belly to belly suplex on Lynch on the floor before Lynch took Lynch a chair and smashed Flair in the back and ribs with it.

Lynch tossed Flair back first onto the chairs but as she attempted to do the same again, Flair countered and hit a belly to back suplex that sent Lynch onto the chairs.

Flair pulled out a table and set Lynch up on top and hit a moonsault off the top rope. Only thing was, the table was set up slightly too close to the turnbuckle and Flair grazed Lynch and did not put her through the table as planned.

However, in a move that showed how strong a performer she is, Flair undeterred, returned to the top rope and hit a Swanton Bomb instead to drive Lynch through the table.

In an innovative move, Flair set up a ladder in the ring and wrapped up Lynch's legs around it, locking in a Figure-Eight. Somehow, Lynch managed to make it to her feet before the 10 count.

Seemingly giving up on the bout, Lynch took the title and limped her way to the back but Flair chased after her and brought Lynch to the announcer's desks.

Flair set up a ladder by the announce table but Lynch sent Flair face first into it before hitting a leg drop off the ladder through Flair and the announce table.

Flair made it back to her feet, so Lynch smashed her with a kick and dumped broken table, chairs and everything she could find, burying her opponent. Somehow, like a phoenix from the flames, Flair emerged through the wreckage to a vertical base once more.

Lynch, incensed, cracked Flair with yet more kendo sticks but Flair countered with a huge spear.

Flair placed Lynch on a table outside the ring but when Flair tried to climb to the top, Lynch hit a Powerbomb off the middle ropes that sent Flair through the table to the floor. Flair got back to her knees, but she couldn’t stand up and Lynch was the victor.

Intense, emotional with some innovative offensive moves, this was everything you could want from a pro-wrestling match and more.

The best ever women's match in WWE history. A stunning performance by both participants.