The pinnacle of theWWEcalendar isWrestleMania. Every wrestler who works forWWEwants to appear on aWrestleManiacard and get theirWrestleManiamoment, especially in a championship match. That remains true for the upcomingWrestleMania 39,as there will be at least five championship matches.
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While many look at the men who make up theWrestleManiacard, many times the women have broken through the glass ceiling with their own championship matches. While the treatment of women inWWEhas been less than stellar over the years, when they got their chance to shine, these women grabbed the ball and ran with it.
7Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey - WrestleMania 35
Much likeWrestleMania 35as a whole, the women’s championship match is a perfect example of less is more. The women were finally given the chance to main event WrestleMania, but the show was just one night and seven hours long. The crowd was never going to be into this match due to sheer exhaustion. This would’ve been the perfect year to expand to two nights to make the shows shorter.
Meanwhile, the build shoehorned Charlotte into the battle fans wanted to see between Becky and Ronda. This came after Charlotte was shoehorned into Becky’s chase for the belt at the previousSummerslam. The match itself was a good watch in a vacuum until the botched ending. It’s still unclear whose fault that was, but it deflated what should’ve been a great moment for Becky. The match was good, but the length of the card and the overbooking of the build brought its quality down.
6Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley - WrestleMania 36
What happens when you have two of your best in-ring performer square off in front of an empty arena? You get a great match that feels a little flat due to the lack of fans. Charlotte Flair andRhea Ripleysquared off for the NXT Women’s Championship during theWWE’sattempt to make NXT a third main roster brand rather than a developmental brand.
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The 20-minute match was as good in the ring as fans expected, but the lack of crowd made the big moves feel weird. Also, the decision to put the belt on the already established Charlotte seemed odd at the time, although with pandemic restrictions affecting both travel and international visas, it made sense in hindsight to put the belt on an American who could make the shows rather than keep it on an Aussie who may have had to return home during the height of quarantines and restrictions.
5Mickie James vs. Trish Stratus - WrestleMania 22
This is an example of what two talented women can do with the correct build.WWEbuilt up Mickie James as a deranged fan who turned on her idol,Trish Stratus. While Stratus was the perfect example of someone hired to just be eye candy, she put in the work to become a solid wrestler in her own right, setting up this match.
Mickie and Trish were given less than ten minutes to tell their story. While that’s not a lot of time, it’s a lot more than most women’s matches at the time got, showing thatWWEhad some faith in the pair. This match was never going to steal the show, but it demonstrated that giving the right women wrestlers more time to tell their stories was worthwhile.
4Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair - WrestleMania 34
WWEtried to recreate the ending of Undertaker’sWrestleManiastreak with this match. Asuka was undefeated inNXTand remained undefeated upon promotion to the main roster. She won the inauguralWomen’sRoyal Rumbleto set up this championship match. Asuka and Charlotte are both accomplished wrestlers whose styles meshed well for this match.
The problem with this match is the ending. The entire storyline was building to Asuka winning the title, butWWE’sattempt to not be predictable ended the unbeaten streak prematurely to a superstar who didn’t need the win. But the disappointing ending shouldn’t overlook the great work these two women put in before the final bell.
3Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks - WrestleMania 32
The three top women to come from theNXTdevelopmental show squared off in a triple-threat match for the newly reinstated WWE Women’s Championship. This marked the end of the Divas Era of WWE. It was also before the second brand split, setting up just one women’s world champion.
These three women showed that women’s wrestling wasgoing to look differentgoing forward and put on a good match with the 16 minutes they were given. This match helped usher in an improved era of women’s wrestling onWWE’smain roster and set all three of them up for multiple future world title reigns.
2Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch - WrestleMania 38 Night 1
Bianca Belair began her second championship reign by getting revenge on the woman who ended her first reign. A returning Becky Lynch defeated Bianca Belair in 26 seconds atSummerSlam 2021to win the Smackdown Women’s Championship. This booking backfired againstWWEas fans wanted to see what the two women could do together, and many were outraged about Bianca losing the title in such a short match.
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The tables were eventually turned with Becky Lynch going intoWrestleManiaas theRaw Women’s Champion, and Bianca Belair was the number one contender. The pair got 20 minutes to show what they could do and put on arguably the best match ofWrestleMania’sfirst night. The match launched Belair on her current year-long title reign, which has been one of the best for any woman in the company’s history.
1Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks - WrestleMania 37 Night 1
One year beforeBianca Belairgot her revenge on Becky Lynch, she won her first World Championship in the main event of night one ofWrestleMania 37. After winning the2021 Royal Rumble, Belair earned the right to challenge Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. This was a great use of the dualRoyal Rumbles,with the women main eventing night one and the men main eventing night two.
This was also theWWE’s return to performing in front of a crowd after a year of shows under pandemic restrictions. The fans were eager to be back, and the wrestlers were eager to perform in front of people again. Some fans might believe Bianca vs. Becky was a better-wrestled match, but the atmosphere gives Bianca vs. Sasha a boost in excitement.
