10 Totally Soul-Crushing WWE Title Changes

You could feel it in the air.

Though not the constant many people assume it to be, WWE still have a nasty habit of humbling a performer in their hometown, dating back to days when what went down in -INSERT YOUR TOWN- would impact ticket sales ahead of the company's return there. From a televisual standpoint too, it was argued that the heel in question would benefit from additional heat at the expense of the local hero.

But like almost every decision made relating to the Raw Women's Title in the first half of 2016, it was the wrong move, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

WWE had already given Bayley a false start with the prize, having her win and retain it against Charlotte Flair in less-than-perfect circumstances in a manner that derailed a potential WrestleMania feud and Flair's intriguing pay-per-view winning streak.

Her defence against Alexa was effectively her first leap outside the comfort zone of the vaunted 'Four Horsewomen' safety net, but the company perplexingly decided to let her fall flat on her face.

'Little Miss Bliss' went on to make an excellent Champion, restoring much-needed stability to the title and proving herself able to overcome woeful storylines, but the localised loss only accelerated Bayley's disparate descent. Now out injured, it's a slide she's unfortunately still failed to arrest.