Naomi & 3 other current stars who were forced to vacate their Women’s Championship in WWE

Professional wrestling has been at its best over the past few months, and WWE is one of the major reasons for most of the content fans have been praising. The company has some of the biggest names in the industry competing against each other, entertaining the WWE Universe.

While the superstars have been giving their best to keep the fans talking, they are putting their bodies on the line to do so. This can, at times, result in superstars getting injured, leaving everyone disappointed. It becomes more disheartening when a star has become a champion after working hard all their career, just to be forced to relinquish it due to an injury.

Let’s check out every woman who has relinquished the Women’s Championship in the past due to an injury or any other reason.

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#4. Asuka (2017)

The Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka, was on a whole other level back in 2017, during her time in NXT. Superstars feared competing against the star, with the latter getting a lot of attention from fans. Asuka held the title for more than 500 days, marking a legendary run as the WWE NXT Women's Champion.

However, the star was forced to relinquish her title after a successful defense due to a broken collarbone that she suffered during a match. This kept her out of action for quite some time and led to her being replaced with a new champion on NXT.

#3. Naomi (2017)

One of the hardest-working and most popular names on the women’s division, Naomi has been at the top of the roster ever since she took control of her singles career on the main roster. After working hard for years, Naomi defeated Alexa Bliss at Elimination Chamber 2017 to become the new WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion.

However, days after her victory, the star suffered a brutal knee injury, which forced the veteran to relinquish her title within 30 days of winning it, leaving her fans disheartened.

#2. Rhea Ripley (2024)

Rhea Ripley has become one of the most prominent names in the industry in recent years, thanks to her incredible talent and hard work keeping her there. Ripley clinched a Women's Championship victory back at WrestleMania 39 and further managed to defy all the odds to hold the title for a significant amount of time.

The star could have held the title even longer, but was forced to relinquish it after a backstage assault from Liv Morgan that ended up injuring her. This led to one of the most popular and intriguing storylines in the women’s wrestling industry, but left those watching in dismay when Ripley was forced to vacate the gold.

#1. Former WWE Women's Champion Becky Lynch (2020)

After her victory at WrestleMania 35, Becky Lynch took the top spot on the women’s roster, which made her almost the focal point in the industry. Lynch managed to hold the WWE RAW Women’s Championship for a significant period, becoming the dream opponent for most of the top names in wrestling.

However, on an episode of RAW, Lynch suddenly crowned the new Women’s Money in the Bank holder (then), Asuka, as the new champion, announcing that she was pregnant with her first child, alongside her husband, Seth Rollins. The segment turned out to be one of the most emotional segments in WWE history, and managed to make the fans fall in love with her all over again.