Every WWE Smackdown Women's Title Reign Ranked From Worst To Best

Alexa Bliss’ defeat of Becky Lynch at TLC 2016 was very controversial and unexpected, getting heel heat by ending the reign of the fan favourite Lynch, and establishing herself as an unlikely contender for Smackdown’s top heel. The tables match that she won the belt in was solid, with both women working well with each other, and the emotion present in the post-match amplified the importance of the new belt.

Her first couple months on Smackdown as the top champion happened during a notable time for the division, with multiple programs going on for the women, with Becky/Mickie James, Natalya/Nikki Bella and her own feud with Naomi dominating parts of television and PPVs. While the reign was only a partial representation of that change, it’s hard not to reflect her ascent as a beacon of hope for layers within the division, hope that’s never truly been replicated since.

There was an aura around her first run and that specific time in Smackdown’s history that makes it stand out as special, she deserves her credit for being a part of how good Smackdown Live was in late 2016. She might not have been the greatest in ring yet, but she did a great job with what she had, and dropped the belt in the aforementioned great match with Naomi. Both of her runs were successes, and her status as one of the top women in the company reflects that.