10 Worst Ways The WWE Women’s Championship Has Been Defended

10. Evening Gown Pool Match (Armageddon 1999)

How many of Ric Flair’s sixteen title reigns began in an above ground pool as his opponents tried to strip him to his underwear? That brand of activity no doubt occurred in the aftermath, yet the answer is still zero.

At Armageddon 1999, an event infamous for its lack of quality, Miss Kitty defeated Jacqueline, B.B and Ivory in a Four Corners Evening Gown Match to become Women’s Champion. Mae Young and Moolah were on hand as special guest referees, presumably to ensure the strict rules of the match were upheld.

Competitors were eliminated when any one of their opponents stripped them out of their evening gown and down to their underwear. The last person dressed was declared the winner.

For three agonizing minutes, fans listened to Jerry Lawler screech (a running theme on this list I’m afraid) before his future wife Miss Kitty celebrated her win by flashing her breasts. This intentional piece of nudity even angered WWE’s UK broadcast partner, Sky Television, but did create the “anything can happen” buzz that the WWF were trying to perpetuate with more and more desperation in the Attitude Era.

You can try and make the "product of the time" argument, but this match stands as a distilled example of the titillation of an entire division that stands in stark contrast to the more progressive work WWE were doing with the likes of Chyna, who entered the same event as Intercontinental Champion.