The brand split was reintroduced in the summer of 2016, and that led to the creation of the SmackDown Women's Championship. Four-time champion Becky Lynch was the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion. It's the championship that every woman on SmackDown wants to win. The SmackDown Women's Championship has featured strongly on WWE's premium live events with the title closing out two of the last four WrestleManias which is an outstanding achievement.
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Alexa Bliss was the first woman to clinch both the SmackDown and Raw Women's Championships, and Sasha Banks became a Grand Slam Champion after she won the title in late 2020. Nevertheless, some of the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Championship reigns, saw the champions booked strongly and featured in marquee programs with others disappointing.
10 Liv Morgan - 97 Days
Liv Morgan had been knocking on the door to clinch some silverware for some time after she feuded with Becky Lynch over the Raw Women's Championship but came up short at the start of 2022. However, Morgan was given a new lease on life as she won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match in the summer.
Morgan wasted no time in cashing in her briefcase as she stunned Ronda Rousey to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. Morgan's time as SmackDown Women's Champion saw her overcoming the odds by beating Rousey again at SummerSlam, and she beat Shayna Baszler at Clash at the Castle. Morgan almost reached the 100-day landmark, but she dropped the championship back to Rousey in an Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules.
9 Asuka - 99 Days
The Empress of Tomorrow, Asuka had a helping hand from Ronda Rousey as she defeated Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat TLC match at TLC 2018 to become SmackDown Women's Champion for the first time.
Asuka's SmackDown Women's Championship reign was decent, and she defeated Becky Lynch in a superb championship match at the 2019 Royal Rumble. She also successfully defended the title against Mandy Rose at Fastlane, but just nine days before WrestleMania 35, Asuka was beaten by Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.
8 Carmella - 130 Days
On the SmackDown after WrestleMania 34, Carmella cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase at Charlotte Flair's expense to become SmackDown Women's Champion for the first time. Carmella grew in confidence during her championship reign and she bested some heavy hitters.
She retained the title against Charlotte at Backlash, and she overcame Asuka in title bouts at Money in the Bank and Extreme Rules. Ultimately, the Queen regained the championship from Carmella in a triple threat match at SummerSlam 2018, which also included Becky Lynch, who turned heel afterward by laying out Charlotte.
7 Bianca Belair - 132 Days
Bianca Belair won the 2021 women's Royal Rumble match, and she challenged Sasha Banks for the SmackDown Women's Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 37. This was a historical moment as it was the first time that two black women headlined WrestleMania.
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Belair dethroned the Boss for the SmackDown Women's Championship. The EST of WWE had a fantastic run as SmackDown Women's Champion and she feuded with Bayley. She beat the Role Model at WrestleMania Backlash and inside Hell in a Cell. However, Belair's SmackDown Women's Championship reign ended in the worst possible way with Becky Lynch returning at SummerSlam 2021 and beating her in just 26 seconds for the title.
6 Naomi - 139 Days (2nd Reign)
Fans were firmly behind Naomi after she defeated Alexa Bliss for the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time at Elimination Chamber 2017. However, she had to relinquish the title because of an injury that almost ruled her out of WrestleMania 33 which was in her hometown of Orlando.
Naomi wasn't going to miss WrestleMania for the world and she clinched her second SmackDown Women's Championship in front of her hometown fans. Naomi may have held the title for 140 days but her reign was lackluster. After title defenses against Bliss, and Charlotte Flair, she made short work of Lana in their title matches. Natalya brought the curtain down on her title reign at SummerSlam with her patented Sharpshooter.
5 Bayley - 140 Days (1st Reign)
Money in the Bank 2019 was a historic night for the SmackDown Women's Championship. It was the first time that the title had changed hands twice on the same night. Charlotte regained the SmackDown Women's Championship from Becky Lynch, but Bayley who won the women's Money in the Bank ladder match earlier on, cashed in her briefcase to become SmackDown Women's Champion by overcoming Charlotte.
Her victory was significant as she became the first women's Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. Bayley defended her title on premium live events against the likes of Alexa Bliss, Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, and Charlotte. Ultimately, Charlotte recaptured the gold from Bayley, 140 days later at Hell in a Cell.
4 Charlotte Flair - 146 Days (1st Reign)
Charlotte Flair moved over to SmackDown in the Superstar Shake-Up in April 2017, but she wouldn't get her hands on the SmackDown Women's Championship until November. She dethroned Natalya in front of her hometown fans in Charlotte, North Carolina to become SmackDown Women's Champion for the first time in her career.
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The Queen held the SmackDown Women's Championship for 146 days and it was an average reign for her standards. The highlight of her reign was ending Asuka's unbeaten streak at WrestleMania 34, where she was visibly emotional afterward. Days later, Carmella beat her for the SmackDown Women's Championship by way of a Money in the Bank cash-in.
3 Sasha Banks - 167 Days
It's well documented that Sasha Banks' record as Raw Women's Champion was dreadful as she would lose the title each time in her first title defense. However, her fortunes changed when she defeated her former tag team partner Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship inside Hell in a Cell.
The Boss completed her set as a Grand Slam Champion with the victory. She defeated Bayley, Carmella twice and Nia Jax in her following SmackDown Women's Championship matches. The Boss did a magnificent job as SmackDown Women's Champion but her reign was curtailed by Bianca Belair in a historic main event at WrestleMania 37.
2 Charlotte Flair - 198 Days (6th Reign)
Charlotte Flair moved over to SmackDown in the fall of 2021 and Becky Lynch went the other way to Raw. However, their title switch flopped, and Charlotte kickstarted her record-extending sixth reign as SmackDown Women's Champion.
Charlotte's 198-day SmackDown Women's Championship reign was bitterly disappointing. She only defended the title four times against Toni Storm, Naomi, and twice against Ronda Rousey including a shock win at WrestleMania 38. Ultimately, the Baddest Woman on the Planet forced Charlotte to quit at WrestleMania Backlash with Rousey clinching the SmackDown Women's Championship for the first time.
1 Bayley - 380 Days (2nd Reign)
Unquestionably, Bayley's record 380-day reign as SmackDown Women's Champion is one of the greatest Women's Championship reigns of all time. The Role Model recaptured the gold from Charlotte, and she took the ball and ran with it.
Bayley introduced "Deliverance" as her new theme song and her long locks were now short. Bayley made history during her second SmackDown Women's Championship reign as her title defense against Naomi was the first Women's Championship match to take place in Saudi Arabia. Bayley was a double champion briefly as she held the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship with Sasha Banks for the second time. All good things must come to an end, and Bayley's record SmackDown Women's Championship reign was ended by Sasha in a fantastic Hell in a Cell match.
