The OVW Women's Championship is a

women's professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a dramatic enactment of wrestling as a spectator sport. As is the norm for this sport, women's professional wrestling is organized by wrestling federations called Professional wrestling promotion, promotions. Some prom ...

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

championship in

Ohio Valley Wrestling Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promotion and former developmental territory based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow, Matt Jones (radio host), Ma ...

(OVW). The first holder of the title was ODB, who declared herself champion in August 2006. The belt was defended as any other championship in professional wrestling until

Serena Deeb Serena Deeb (born June 29, 1986) is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is well known for her first stint with WWE, appearing on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WWE Brand Extension, brand and also kn ...

declared she would defend the belt under 24/7 rules in May 2008. These rules lasted until Melody won the belt in November 2008. Jessie Belle holds the record for most reigns, with eleven and at 343 days, Josie/Lady JoJo sixth reign is the longest in the title's history. Reggie and The Baroness' first and only reigns are the shortest in the title's history at less than a day. The Bodyguy is the first and only male to hold the title. Overall, there have been 94 reigns shared among 45 wrestlers, with seven vacancies. The current champion is Sophia Rose who is in her first reign.

History

Its initial appearance was at OVW's July 12, 2006 television taping, when ODB appeared with a title belt, claiming she had won it in a tournament in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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(a nod to

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

kayfabe In professional wrestling, kayfabe (pronounced ) is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants. The term has evolved to become a code word ...

stating that the

WWE Championship The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown bran ...

and

WWE Intercontinental Championship The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a men's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the Raw brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, alo ...

originated in tournaments in Rio de Janeiro). It was not recognized as an official OVW title originally, but after ODB began defending it on a regular basis it became an official title, and has since been won by other women. On May 23, 2008, after winning the title for the second time,

proclaimed that she would defend the OVW Women's Championship at all times as long as a referee was present. This new "24/7 rule", which was a nod to the

WWE Hardcore Championship The WWE Hardcore Championship was a hardcore wrestling championship in the WWF (Now WWE) which was contested under "hardcore" rules (no disqualifications, no countouts, and pinfalls count anywhere). In the latter part of the title's history, a ...

, became an official part of the championship and was effectively utilized by several OVW Divas, including Deeb herself. The rule came to an end on November 12 after Melody won the title from Deeb during a fatal four-way match. After being vacated for one year, Jessie Belle won a

battle royal Battle royal (, also battle royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules, where the winner is the one who registers the most wins. In recent times, the term has been ...

at OVW's ''Brews and Bruises'' event on November 21, 2015, to win the championship for the third time. In early July 2016, it was announced that the Championship would be contested under 24/7 rules, with the title even changing hands outside of TV shows or live events. Things could soon revert to normal held rules on August 17, 2016, when Maria James won the Women's Championship back for the sixth time.

Reigns

As of , , there have been 94 reigns between 45 champions and seven vacancies. ODB was the inaugural champion. Lady JoJo's sixth reign is the longest at 343 days, while JoJo's third reign, alongside The Baroness, Jessie Belle's sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth reigns, Maria James' third–fifth reigns are the shortest lasting less than a day. Belle has the most reigns at 11 times. Rebel is the oldest champion at 38 years old, while Madi Maxx is the youngest at 19 years old. The Bodyguy is the first male wrestler to hold the title. Sophia Rose is the current champion in her first reign.

Combined reigns

As of , .

References

External links

Wrestling-Titles.com

OVW Women's Title History
at Cagematch.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Ovw Women's Championship Ohio Valley Wrestling championships Women's professional wrestling championships Recurring sporting events established in 2006 2006 establishments in Kentucky