History
In July 2016, WWE reintroduced the WWE brand extension, brand extension wherein the promotion again divided its roster between the Raw (WWE brand), Raw and SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown brands where wrestlers are exclusively assigned to perform; the first brand split ended in August 2011. During the 2016 WWE draft, 2016 draft, reigning WWE Raw Women's Championship, WWE Women's Champion Charlotte Flair, Charlotte was drafted to Raw, leaving SmackDown without a women's championship. Immediately following SummerSlam (2016), SummerSlam on the August 23, 2016, episode of ''WWE SmackDown, SmackDown'', SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Bryan Danielson, Daniel Bryan unveiled the SmackDown Women's Championship (Raw's title was subsequently renamed). A Professional wrestling match types#Basic elimination matches, six-pack elimination challenge was then scheduled for Backlash (2016), Backlash on September 11, 2016, to determine the inaugural champion. The six women who competed at SummerSlam in the Professional wrestling tag team match types#Multiple man teamed matches, six-woman tag team match were chosen for the six-pack challenge: Alexa Bliss, Becky Lynch, Carmella (wrestler), Carmella, Naomi (wrestler), Naomi, Natalya Neidhart, Natalya, and Nikki Bella. Lynch became the inaugural champion when she last eliminated Carmella. The NXT Women's Championship would become WWE's third main women's title when the NXT (WWE brand), NXT brand, formerly the promotion's Farm team, developmental territory, became WWE's third major brand in September 2019 when it was moved to the USA Network. The championship belt design is physically identical to the WWE Raw Women's Championship#Championship belt design, Raw Women's Championship with the only difference being that the background of the center plate and the default side plates' globes are blue (as opposed to red) to symbolize its exclusivity to SmackDown. In what has become a prominent feature of the majority of WWE's championship belts, the side plates can be customized with the champion's logo. During Naomi's second reign, strips of multi interchanging colored Light-emitting diode, LED lights were placed around the outline of the WWE logo and the outline of the belt to go with her "glow" gimmick. The title headlined a pay-per-view event for the first time at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2018), TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2018, where Becky Lynch defended it in a triple threat match, triple threat Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against Charlotte Flair and Asuka (wrestler), Asuka, which Asuka won; this was also the first women's TLC triple threat match. The title was then on the line in a Professional wrestling match types#Winner Takes All match, winner takes all triple threat match in the main event of WrestleMania 35 in April 2019, where Flair defended the title against Raw Women's Champion Ronda Rousey and Lynch, who won the match. This was the first women's match to main event a WrestleMania – WWE's flagship event. At Super ShowDown (2020), Super ShowDown in February 2020, the title became the first women's championship to be defended in Saudi Arabia, where Bayley (wrestler), Bayley retained the title over Naomi; this was only the second women's match contested in the country. The title would again be on the line in the main event of a WrestleMania, this time Night 1 of WrestleMania 37 in April 2021 where Bianca Belair defeated Sasha Banks to win the title; this was also the first time that two African-Americans headlined a WrestleMania and only the second women's match to main event the annual show. The title was defended for a second time in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel (2021), Crown Jewel in 2021, where Becky Lynch retained against Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks in a triple threat match.Inaugural championship match
Brand designation history
As its name implies, the championship was established for the SmackDown brand. However, the title is still eligible to switch brands during the annual WWE Draft.Reigns
As of , , overall, there have been 24 reigns between 12 champions and 1 Vacant (professional wrestling), vacancy. Becky Lynch was the inaugural champion. Charlotte Flair has the most reigns at six. Bayley's second reign is the longest singular reign at 380 days, while Flair's fourth reign is the shortest at 4 minutes and 55 seconds. Bayley also holds the record for longest combined reign at 520 days. Asuka (wrestler), Asuka is the oldest champion, having won the title at 37, while Alexa Bliss is the youngest when she won it at 25. Ronda Rousey is the current champion in her second reign. She won the title by defeating Liv Morgan in an Extreme Rules match at Extreme Rules (2022), Extreme Rules on October 8, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.References
External links