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Seven years ago, Paige was crowned the first-ever NXT Women's Champion. Since the title came into existence, we have seen some amazing matches for the Championship with top talent fighting it out to be the Queen of the Black and Gold brand.
Since July 2013, there have been ten different NXT Women’s Champions, with two of them holding the title twice. The NXT Women’s Championship has given fans many incredible moments. There has been the first-ever female double champion, and we have also seen Ironwoman and Last Woman Standing matches.
This list will rank the reigns of the NXT Women’s Championship titleholders so far, taking into account the duration, title defenses, and memorable moments.
#10 Io Shirai
Io Shirai has only recently been crowned champion, so she’s not had as many moments with the title as the other women on this list. Shirai emerged as a singles star in NXT after her former teammate Kairi Sane was moved to RAW to form the Kabuki Warriors with Asuka.
Her character had also taken a complete 180 shortly after the departure of Sane when she attacked former ally Candice LaRae. Shirai promptly returned with a new theme and look, reflecting her darker character.
The Genius of the Sky has come close to gaining the title several times, including being narrowly beaten by Bianca Belair for a chance at a title shot in the NXT Women’s battle royal during the reign of Rhea Ripley.
In April this year, Shirai conquered her competitors in a ladder match for a title shot against then-champion Charlotte Flair. After Flair won the title bout via disqualification, former champion Rhea Ripley became involved in the feud. In a triple threat match that involved Champion Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley, Shirai managed to capture the NXT Women's Championship for the first time in her career.
Since becoming champion, Shirai has squeezed in one title defence against Tegan Nox. The match between the pair was great, and although Nox put up a great fight against her, Shirai emerged victorious and retained the title. Io Shirai is the shining star of the NXT women’s division at the moment, so it will be interesting to see what comes next in her title reign, as she has the potential to be a huge star.
#9 Kairi Sane
Kairi Sane has had one of the shortest NXT Women’s Championship reigns on this list. The Pirate Princess spent 71 days as the champion of the Black and Gold Brand, between two lengthy Shayna Baszler reigns. This does not mean that Sane didn’t have a memorable time as NXT Women's Champion, as she was involved in some solid matches in this period.
Kairi Sane won the title from Baszler in a heated battle at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4. Up until that moment, The Queen of Spades had been dominating the women’s division.
After coming out on top during a number one contender's face-off against Nikki Cross and Candice LaRae, Sane earned the title shot against Baszler. Baszler used her usual failsafe move, the Kirifuda Clutch, against Sane, who was able to counter the move into a shock pin.
Kairi Sane remained the NXT Women’s Champion for two and half months, before dropping the belt to Shayna Baszler at the first-ever all women’s PPV, Evolution. Their match-up was a satisfying one, but Baszler ended up seizing the title back after her allies Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir attacked Sane during the match. As enjoyable as Kairi Sanes's reign was, it would have been great to see some more title defences from her.
#8 Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley’s title win was a huge one for the NXT women’s division. The Nightmare was the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Champion back in 2018, becoming the first-ever female Australian WWE singles champion. She remained on top until 2019 when she lost to Toni Storm and made a return to the Black and Gold Brand later that year.
When Rhea Ripley moved back to NXT, a rivalry between herself and then-champion Shayna Baszler was quickly established. Ripley emerged as a distinct fan favourite at this time. During this conflict, Ripley also made appearances on both RAW and SmackDown in the build-up to Survivor Series, becoming an even more prominent face in WWE.
Also during this time, Ripley’s team went head-to-head with Team Baszler at NXT TakeOver: War Games in the first-ever Women’s War Games match. During this clash, Ripley won for her team by pinning Baszler, adding further fire to their feud.
Further down the line, Baszler risked her championship against Ripley, who managed to battle through interferences from Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir to come out on top as the new NXT Women’s Champion, ending Baszler’s monster reign. When Ripley won she became the first-ever performer to become both the NXT Women’s Champion and NXT UK Women’s Champion.
Ripley protected the gold against Toni Storm at Worlds Collide, retaining before she made a surprise appearance on RAW to confront 2020 Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair. Leading up to the WrestleMania title match with Flair, Ripley had to contend with Bianca Belair, who squared off against her for the title at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
The match was interrupted by Flair, who confirmed that she wanted to fight for the NXT Women’s title, establishing a three-way rivalry.
After an intense contest at WrestleMania 36, Flair managed to overthrow Ripley to emerge victorious with the NXT Women’s title. Ripley’s reign wasn’t the longest or the most memorable, but there were some strong moments and title matches that she was involved in, and the road to her defeating Shayna Baszler was incredibly entertaining.
#7 Charlotte Flair (1st reign)
Back in 2014, the NXT Women’s Championship was vacated by Paige, who had just become the youngest-ever Divas Champion, and the only wrestler to ever win both belts. A tournament was set up for NXT women to compete in after the title was vacated. Charlotte Flair conquered Alicia Fox and Alexa Bliss to reach the finals against Natalya.
Both women were second-generation WWE talents. During their championship battle at NXT: TakeOver, Natalya was accompanied to the ring by her uncle, Bret Hart, and Flair had her father, Ric, cheering her on. After an intense, technical match, Flair was declared the winner after pinning Natalya.
At the start of her reign, Flair defeated Bayley at NXT: TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way and later that night, marked her face turn by shaking hands with Bayley after the match. After this, Charlotte Flair engaged in a feud with Sasha Banks, who she retained the title against in a must-see clash at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution.
By the time NXT TakeOver: Rival had approached, Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch were the four names dominating the NXT women’s division, and the four of them were set to have a fatal four-way to battle it out over the NXT Women’s Championship. Flair went into the match as the favourite to win, but Banks managed to snatch away the title in a shock victory.
Charlotte Flair's reign was not one of the longest, but we were treated to some first-class moments during that time, including the break up of The BFFs, and the rise of the Four Horsewomen.
#6 Ember Moon
Like Charlotte Flair, Ember Moon won the title after emerging triumphant after a title vacancy. Leading up to her win, The War Goddess had become close to becoming champion a few times, including when she faced Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. That time, Asuka retained, but later vacated the title due to injury.
Later that year, Moon took part in a fatal four-way against Peyton Royce, Kairi Sane, and Nikki Cross. Moon won by pinning Cross, leading to animosity between the pair. When Moon was crowned the new champion, Asuka made an appearance to hand the title over to her successor, which was as unexpected as it was lovely.
During her time at the top, Moon had some standout matches, and she was able to overpower Sonya Deville in her first title defence. When Shayna Baszler debuted in NXT after the match, she immediately set her sights on the title.
Moon was able to keep a hold on the gold against Baszler at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, battling through an arm injury. The day after this match-up, Moon became a part of history when she entered the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble and created a huge moment when she hit Asuka with a one-armed eclipse, dazzling viewers.
However, Ember Moon faced off with Shayna Baszler again at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, where after a fierce bout, she eventually lost the title. Moon was a fantastic NXT Women’s Champion, but sometimes it feels like it would have been enjoyable to see her defend the championship against a few more Superstars.
#5 Sasha Banks
Sasha Banks was involved in some big storylines during her time in NXT, participating in the first-ever NXT Women’s Championship tournament, becoming The Boss, and forming The BFFs with Summer Rae after a loss to Paige.
During the reign of Charlotte Flair, she and Sasha started a dispute, and Bayley aligned with Charlotte and Becky Lynch became the right-hand woman of The Boss. Not long after this, Banks had a shot at stealing the title away from The Queen at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, but she, unfortunately, came up short.
Tensions began to bubble between Banks and Lynch after Becky started to interfere in her and Flair's matches.
This tension began to spill over during the fatal four-way match between Banks, Lynch, Bayley, and Flair at NXT TakeOver: Rival, where Banks successfully pinned Flair to lift the title.
When she was the NXT Women’s Champion, Banks retained against Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and later on, her former ally, Becky Lynch. Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair then became entangled in an on-and-off rivalry which ended after The Boss beat Flair, who later raised her hand after the finish as a gesture of respect.
Sasha Banks then moved on to defend her title against fellow horsewomen Bayley. Banks and Bayley engaged in an amazing face-off, which is still praised as one of the all-time best NXT matches ever. Banks eventually lost to Bayley, and together they celebrated this title change, along with the rest of the four horsewomen.
The championship reign of Sasha Banks was an entertaining one, with lots of twists and turns, and some of the biggest defences that we had seen from the women of WWE so far that that point.
#4 Bayley
During her time at Full Sail, Bayley made a name for herself as the plucky underdog and was a favourite of the younger fans in the audience. Bayley came to the forefront in NXT as a part of the Four Horsewomen, always remaining the face.
In an amazing match between her and Banks at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Bayley managed to triumph and gain the NXT Women’s Championship by pinning The Boss. The Four Horsewomen celebrated together in the ring post-match.
Following on from Bayley’s win, she and Banks were set for a rematch at NXT TakeOver: Respect. The match was the first Iron Woman match for NXT, and still remains the only one ever. The pair treated fans to yet another classic, with Bayley retaining her title.
Bayley’s reign was a fairly long one, clocking in at 223 days. In that period she had some great defences against some of the most popular names in NXT, including Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, and Carmella. Bayley proved throughout her time on top that she was a highly skilled in-ring competitor.
During this reign, Bayley and Asuka teamed up to win a tag match against Eva Marie and Nia Jax. This win led general manager William Regal to establish a championship match between the pair at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. Leading up to the clash between the pair, Asuka proved her dominance, beginning her undefeated streak and cementing herself as a powerful contender for the championship.
As expected, Bayley and Asuka's encounter at NXT TakeOver: Dallas was an outstanding one, with both women displaying their unique in-ring skills. During the match, they both used submissions and technical moves against one another, quickly countering one another time and time again. The Asuka lock was the winning move in the end, with Asuka holding Bayley in the submission for an incredible amount of time in the centre of the ring. However, Bayley refused to tap and eventually passed out, handing the win to Asuka.
Bayley’s NXT Women’s Championship reign was one full of great moments, and even a first in the form of the NXT TakeOver: Respect Iron Man match between her and Sasha Banks. Throughout Bayley’s reign, she was praised by fans and her peers for her consistent hard work and showmanship.
#3 Shayna Baszler (2nd reign)
Shayna Baszler won the Women’s Championship twice during her time in NXT. The reign that made the biggest impact is her second, which lasted an impressive 416 days. From Shayna’s debut, she was a dominant force in NXT and often deployed her allies Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, to aid her with underhanded tactics.
Shayna Baszler snatched up the title on the Black and Gold brand not long after her Full Sail debut. After a shorter reign, the title was dropped to Kairi Sane, however, The Queen of Spades snared the title back at Evolution, becoming the first-ever two-time NXT Women’s Champion.
At the start of Baszler’s lengthy second reign, she became entangled in a feud with Bianca Belair, defending her title against her in two matches. Following on from this, she then began to build a rivalry with future champion Io Shirai and put the title on the line against her. Later in her reign, she also defended against Mia Yim and Candice LaRae, staying on top each time.
The Queen of Spades again proved dominant during the lead up to Survivor Series when she became the first NXT wrestler to invade SmackDown, attacking the Women’s Champion Bayley as well as Sasha Banks and Nikki Cross. At Survivor Series, Baszler again displayed her power when she main evented against RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in a triple threat match.
Baszler won by using her signature submission move, the Kirifuda Clutch, on Bayley, forcing the Role Model to tap out. Post-match, a rivalry between Baszler and Becky Lynch was hinted towards when Lynch made an onslaught on her and smashed her through the announce table.
Not long after Survivor Series, Baszler dropped the title to Rhea Ripley, after a bitter feud that captured the attention of fans. During her match against Ripley, Baszler tried to use the Kirifuda Clutch again - the move that had won her most of her title defences - but Ripley was able to counter this.
Although the Queen of Spades had dropped the title, she remained powerful, decimating Shotzi Blackheart in her final NXT match, and tying with Bianca Belair for the most eliminations in a women’s Royal Rumble match shortly after. Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship reign was one of the longest, and certainly, one of the most commanding overall reigns in the last few years, which catapulted her straight into the RAW Women’s Championship picture shortly after her loss to Rhea Ripley.
#2 Paige
Paige’s NXT Women’s Championship reign was the first-ever, making WWE history. Paige was crowned champion seven years ago and remains the youngest ever NXT Women’s Championship holder. On her journey to becoming champion, Paige was able to defeat much more established stars like Alicia Fox and Tamina, and beat Emma in a great final - and she was just 20 years old at the time.
The Anti-Diva quickly established herself as a powerful champion, coming out on top over Summer Rae in her first title defence. The feud with Summer Rae was extended for some time, with Emma aligning with Paige, and then-newbie Sasha Banks teaming with Summer.
Later in her reign, Paige again successfully defended her title against Natalya, who, like Paige, comes from a wrestling family. Paige’s third and final title defence was against former friend Emma, at NXT Arrival. Again, Paige held onto the NXT gold after another show-stopping match.
Not long after Paige overcame Emma, she made her debut on RAW. On the day of her debut, she shockingly beat AJ Lee in a spur-of-the-moment title match, winning the Divas title at 21 years old. Paige became the youngest-ever Divas champion, another record.
The Anti-Diva was also the first and only woman to hold both the Divas Championship and the NXT Women’s Championship. Following her win, Paige was made to relinquish her NXT Women’s Championship by JBL, who was NXT general manager at the time.
It would have been enjoyable to see Paige have some more title defences during her 301-day reign as the first-ever NXT Women’s Champion, but she left the Black and Gold Brand strong, never losing the title. Paige winning the title was a huge moment in the history of women in the WWE, and she was the first in a list of amazing women to hold the belt.
#1 Asuka
A list of NXT Women’s Champions would not be complete without Asuka at the top. Asuka was a force to be reckoned with from the day of her NXT debut, and was quickly thrust into the title picture. Asuka defeated Bayley to become the new champion at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, winning by submission.
Asuka defended the belt against Nia Jax, before resuming her feud with former champion Bayley, who she crushed in their match-up. Asuka also managed to keep a tight hold on her title against Mickie James, before fending off Billie Kay, Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way to again remain champion.
It was during this time that Asuka’s reign broke the record for being the longest NXT singles reign at the time, with The Empress of Tomorrow remaining undefeated.
Also around this time, Asuka was becoming established as more of a heelish character than before. The Empress of Tomorrow began a lengthy feud with Ember Moon, with them both delivering exceptional matches together.
Asuka defeated Ember at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, and during Ember’s time away from NXT due to injury, she took part in the first-ever NXT Last Woman Standing match with Nikki Cross, another fantastic title defence that Asuka won.
Upon the return of Ember Moon, Asuka once again successfully kept the belt in close grip against her at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III – another memorable clash for the pair. Unfortunately, Asuka suffered an injury during the match and had to relinquish the title, ending her reign at a record-breaking 510 days.
Asuka’s time as NXT Women’s Champion still holds the record for the longest reign ever. Over the 510 days of her championship, she had one of the lengthiest undefeated streaks in WWE history, lasting 914 days, until her defeat at the hands of Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34.
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