Ranking the Top 25 WWE Women's Wrestlers of All Time
The emergence of Rhea Ripley as one of the top stars in professional wrestling, the return of AJ Lee after a decade away, the success of Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and Sasha Banks dating back to NXT, and the celebration of revolutionary performances from Chyna, Bull Nakano, and Alundra Blayze in bygone eras has shone a new light on women's wrestling.
Over the last decade, WWE has undergone a revolution of sorts, elevating the sport's significance and its stars to heights previously unattained.
Ahead of Wrestlepalooza, where Lynch and Lee will take center stage on the new ESPN app for WWE's first premium live event on the platform, these are the top 25 women's wrestlers of all time, ranked according to their in-ring ability, historical significance to pro wrestling and its premier promotion, mainstream appeal, and championship resume.
Nos. 25 - 21
1 of 13
25. Michelle McCool
The latest member of the WWE Hall of Fame, McCool became the biggest Diva Search success story, thanks to her commitment to learning her craft and investment in her character. A four-time champion (two-time women's, two-time Divas), she was a central figure during an era before the women's revolution, but still stood out, thanks to her work in the ring and as one-half of the entertaining LayCool tandem.
24. Jacqueline
A double-tough competitor out of Dallas, Jacqueline paid off years of working in Memphis and WCW with a run in WWE that saw her become the first women's champion upon its reintroduction in 1998 and, in 2004, make history as the only woman to win the Cruiserweight title. A wrestler, manager, and even referee, she more than earned her spot in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016.
23. Bull Nakano
Arguably the best pure wrestler on this list, the Japanese star arrived in WWE amid its attempt to launch a women's division in 1993 and engaged in an era-defining rivalry with Alundra Blayze. The two of them introduced a physical, hard-hitting style of women's wrestling that the states had not seen consistently, laying the groundwork for what the division could become. For her efforts, the former women's champion was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2024, a well-deserved honor for one of the sport's greatest.
22. Shayna Baszler
The Queen of Spades was a duel threat, a competitor whose strikes were as potent as her arsenal of submissions. Dominating NXT during her run there, a centerpiece with two women's title reigns, she made the jump to the main roster in 2020 and immediately made an impact, sweeping the Elimination Chamber match in dominant fashion. A three-time tag team champion, the former MMA competitor excelled in every area of competition during her run with the promotion.
21. Alundra Blayze
Blayze, better known to fans as Madusa, arrived in WWE in 1993 and was quickly established as the face of the newly reintroduced women's division. The central figure of the roster, she became champion in quick order and feuded with the likes of Nakano, Bertha Faye, and Aja Kong. Neither the company nor its fans were necessarily ready to support women's wrestling at the time, but Blayze's contributions in the ring helped earn her a spot in the Hall of Fame in 2015.
Nos. 20 - 16
2 of 13
20. Liv Morgan
A two-time women's champion, four-time tag team champion, inaugural Crown Jewel champion, Money in the Bank winner, and the 2025 Slammy winner for Female Superstar of the Year, Morgan has seen her career skyrocket over the last year and that will continue upon her return from injury. A great character, a workhorse for the division, and a constantly improving ring game make her one of today's most prominent women's stars.
19. Alexa Bliss
Little Miss Bliss is a five-time women's champion across Raw and SmackDown, has four tag team titles to her name, captured the WWE 24/7 title, won Money in the Bank, and is the company's second women's triple crown holder. Not bad for someone overlooked in NXT at a time when the Four Horsewomen were at their peak. Like Morgan, Bliss's character endeared her to fans, while her in-ring work eventually caught up. Add to her resume a place in the legacy of the late Bray Wyatt's career and you have a multi-faceted performer whose place on this list is not an indictment, but a testament to those ranked above her.
18. AJ Lee
Recently returned after a decade away from the squared circle, Lee has the opportunity to add to what is already a glistening resume and, almost certainly, improve her spot on this list. A revolutionary who championed wrestling and personality in an era where neither were necessarily focal points of management, Lee exploded off the screen and became one of the most popular stars in the industry, routinely sharing the screen with world champions like Daniel Bryan and her future husband, CM Punk. A three-time champion, her contributions inspired an entire generation of stars, including Roxanne Perez and former NXT star Cora Jade.
17. Mickie James
If Trish Stratus and Lita championed the golden age of women's wrestling in WWE, Mickie James picked up the mantle and carried it forward, winning the company's top prize five times and competing in strong matches against the likes of Beth Phoenix, Melina, Victoria, Michelle McCool, and Layla. A performer who was as comfortable as an unhinged, obsessive heel as she was a babyface, she helped keep women's wrestling alive when the promotion turned to Diva Searches and modeling catalogs for the next generation of stars.
16. Natalya
The first third-generation star in WWE women's division history, Natalya arrived in 2008. She immediately fused the raw power of her father, the late Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and the technique of her uncle, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, to create a championship-winning formula. In her 17 years with the company, she has won championships in singles and tag team action, but more importantly, she has become the standard-bearer of the division.
The measuring stick for all who hope to find the success she has, she is the longest-running presence in any incarnation of the division in company history, having worked with and helped mold every major star of the last two decades. She has recently reinvented herself as Nattie, showing a harder-hitting side of herself in competition at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport independent events.
No. 15 - 11
3 of 13
15. Beth Phoenix
The Glamazon headlined an era of the women's division that was in transition. She competed against the likes of Melina, Natalya, and LayCool in some excellent matches, but also found herself a valuable teacher to those making the transition from the modeling world to WWE's ring.
A standard of excellence at a time when it was needed, Phoenix probably does not get the credit she deserves for being as essential to the continued growth of the sport as she should, even with a Hall of Fame induction on her resume. Go back and watch some of those Mickie James or Melina matches. Short on time, yes, but they were way ahead of anything else on the show.
14. The Bella Twins
Brie and Nikki Bella may not be traditional wrestlers, and some may argue against their inclusion this far up the list, but there is no denying their impact on women's wrestling and the achievements of female stars in WWE, both in and out of the ring. They championed the #GiveDivasAChance social media movement that forced WWE to make a greater investment in the women's division and ensured they would no longer be subjected to shortened match times.
They transcended the business, becoming reality television stars on E! Network's Total Divas, which helped shine a light on the division's stars outside of the ring. Immensely popular, the twins continue to appear from time to time, with Nikki currently enjoying another stint in the company. The duo was duly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2020.
13. Iyo Sky
One of the best wrestlers in WWE today, regardless of division, Sky has achieved unforgettable feats of athleticism and secured championship reigns. A multiple-time women's champion across NXT and the main roster, her excellence between the ropes helped her get over with audiences and transition from Japan to the United States.
Matches with Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Shayna Baszler, and Bianca Belair helped establish her in the black and gold brand, while her ongoing feud with The Eradicator, against whom she is undefeated, is one of the best in all of WWE.
One-third of two of the best matches of the year in WWE in 2025, Sky is in the midst of her greatest run to date, and it would not at all be surprising if she skyrocketed up this list before her career is complete.
12. Paige
While the Four Horsewomen of NXT get a lot of credit for introducing the women's revolution, it was the meteoric rise of Paige, a second-generation star from Norwich, England, who helped champion the women's wrestling movement of the mid-2010s. A breakout star with all of the potential in the world to carry the women's division forward, Paige won the vacant NXT women's title in the brand's first live special to kick off the WWE Network era, then made the jump to the main roster and immediately defeated AJ Lee to win the Divas Championship.
Though injuries halted her progression and forced her into a premature retirement until a comeback in AEW, there is no denying the impact she had in helping to establish women's wrestling on a grand scale and championing it a full year before Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, and Bayley rewrote the history books.
11. Ronda Rousey
Who knows if women's wrestling would be accepted to the extent it is today without Ronda Rousey. The former UFC champion entered the world of professional wrestling in 2018 and helped lead it to unforeseen heights. A legitimate mainstream sports icon, she transitioned from mixed martial arts to WWE, where she partnered with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in her very first match at WrestleMania 34 before going on to win three world titles, a tag team title, and the Royal Rumble.
Her star power made the first-ever women's main event at WrestleMania 35 possible. As red-hot as Becky Lynch was, and as great as Charlotte Flair has always been, a one-on-one showdown does not earn that spot on the card without Rousey.
Outspoken and not always popular with fans, there is still no denying her impact on the industry and the elevation of women's wrestling to a level in which it could realistically headline premium live events and be accepted in that spot by fans. Controversial or not, she earned this spot on the countdown for that reason alone.
.jpg?w=256)
10. Lita
4 of 13
Lita changed the expectations of women in pro wrestling when she arrived on the scene in WWE in 2000. Her ability to take to the air like the men did, delivering picture-perfect moonsaults and planchas to the outside, wowed fans and ushered in a new era of physicality in the women's division.
Her feud with Trish Stratus not only made stars of both of them but laid the groundwork for a revamped division that would include the likes of Ivory, Jacqueline, Jazz, and Victoria, all of whom worked incredibly hard to reintroduce actual wrestling to a division that did not have much of it at the height of the Attitude Era.
That she was one-third of Team Extreme with The Hardy Boyz and a role model for young women in the crowd, such as AJ Lee, only enhanced her popularity and star.
Lita was a trailblazer who lit a fire under the ass of management and ushered in a new era for women's wrestling. Her Hall of Fame induction in 2014 was the culmination of a career that changed what it meant to be a woman in WWE and, as beloved as she is, probably still does not get mentioned in the same breath as Stratus and the Four Horsewomen enough for changing the game in the manner that she did.
9. Asuka
5 of 13
Asuka exploded onto the scene in NXT in 2015 and wasted no time establishing her dominance. Undefeated for 914 days, The Empress of Tomorrow beat every top star the brand produced during her run, culminating with her NXT Women's Championship victory over Bayley at TakeOver: Dallas.
A master technician who can out-wrestle and submit any opponent, she also possesses one of the greatest striking arsenals in the game today. Above her in-ring skills, though, is her undeniable aura. It is that feeling she creates entering arenas around the world, through the manner in which she carries herself, that has allowed her to connect with audiences and remain a top-tier performer in WWE for the last decade.
As the badass babyface or the calculating, deceitful villain, Asuka has accomplished all that there is to in WWE. A three-time WWE women's champion, SmackDown women's champion, four-time tag team champion, inaugural Royal Rumble winner, Money in the Bank winner, and a member of the triple crown club, she still manages to get fans intrigued by her stories and matches, thanks to the unpredictability of her performance.
8. Chyna
6 of 13
With a physique carved from granite, Chyna arrived in WWE in 1997, a specimen unlike any that pro wrestling had seen before. While she spent the first two years seconding Triple H and D-Generation X as an enforcer of sorts, it was in 1999 that she forever changed the perception of what women in wrestling could achieve.
After nearly earning a spot in the main event of that year's SummerSlam, she set her sights on winning gold, challenging Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Championship. After a close call the month before, Chyna defeated Jarrett for the Intercontinental Championship at No Mercy in October of 1999, becoming the first (and only) woman to hold the title.
She would hold the title once more, all while mixing it up with the likes of Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Hardcore Holly, Kurt Angle, and Rikishi, among others.
When it came time for her to focus her attention on the women's division, she conquered it, too, defeating Ivory for the WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania X-Seven and blowing through Lita, Trish Stratus, and Molly Holly, to name a few, in her final run with the promotion.
The wrestling world lost Chyna far too soon in 2015, but her legacy endures. Already in the Hall of Fame as a member of D-X, the story of women's wrestling cannot be told without her, and hopefully, she will one day get the individual recognition befitting a contributor of her stature.
7. Bianca Belair
7 of 13
The EST is one of the most athletically gifted competitors in pro wrestling history, a collegiate track star who transitioned into the world of sports entertainment and wasted no time establishing a legacy for herself.
Belair did not have the immediate, championship success that her peers did during her time in NXT but there was little denying that the University of Tennessee export was destined for stardom in WWE.
Upon her arrival on the main roster, she built momentum, rolling into the 2021 Royal Rumble, where she won the namesake match and cashed her ticket to WrestleMania 37 and a date with Sasha Banks for the WWE Women's Championship. In the historic main event, the first time two black women had ever competed for a title and headlined the biggest show of the year, Belair bested her opponent and captured the first of her three world titles.
She has succeeded in singles and tag team action, headlined major events, and become one of the faces of the company, appearing in ad campaigns and major marketing pushes.
And she is just getting started.
Destined to be even closer to the top of this list, if not at it, by the time her career comes to a close, Belair has many more big-time matches, moments, and championship wins awaiting her.
6. Bayley
8 of 13
One quarter of the Four Horsewomen who revolutionized women's wrestling in NXT and carried that movement into WWE's main roster, Bayley is a future Hall of Famer and continues to reinvent and recreate herself well into a decade after she first graced TV screens.
Whether it was as the hug-loving, uber-fan character she first introduced herself as during her NXT days, where she was the most beloved Superstar on the roster, or as the sarcastic Role Model during her heel run, Bayley has found ways to remain relevant and at the top of the women's division.
Any discussion about the four-time world champion, two-time tag team champion, Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble winner is not complete without mentioning the iconic series against Sasha Banks, including one of the greatest matches of the last 20 years at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, where she defeated The Legit Boss to finally win gold. Those matches not only perfectly blended raw emotion with the art of pro wrestling, but also inspired a generation of women who are currently racking up wins and blazing their own trails today.
One of the greatest to lace a pair of boots, she is poised to captivate audiences with a split-personality character that will bring all elements of her persona from the last decade into one.
5. Sasha Banks
9 of 13
Banks was ahead of the curve in NXT, establishing a character for herself that was an extension of her own personality and one that fans immediately flocked to. While her peers were still trying to discover that side of their performance, Banks stood out as the egomaniacal, arrogant Legit Boss. So much so that it was only a matter of time before she got some gold to go along with her panache.
She won the NXT Women's Championship from Charlotte Flair. She immediately reached a new level of stardom, even after losing the gold to Bayley in a series that included the aforementioned Brooklyn classic and a follow-up, a 30-minute Ironwoman Match.
By the time she made it to the main roster, she was the surest thing of the bunch, a young performer who had perfectly blended in-ring excellence with a character that could make WWE money. A belt collector long before she was ever Mercedes Mone in AEW, Banks won six world titles and three tag titles and earning her spot in the triple crown and grand slam clubs.
Her exit from the company was not on great terms, and there are real questions about whether she will ever compete in a WWE ring again, but what she already accomplished in that promotion is undeniable and will eventually earn her a spot in the Hall of Fame, alongside the women she forever changed the industry with.
4. Rhea Ripley
10 of 13
Emerging from Adelaide, South Australia, Ripley struggled early in her WWE run to establish her identity. After beginning her career with the stereotypical WWE look, she allowed bits and pieces of herself to be more omnipresent in her presentation, evolving into the Eradicator that has become one of the top stars in the company today.
A champion in every brand of WWE for which she has competed, be it NXT UK, NXT, Raw, or SmackDown, she has steadily evolved throughout her eight years with the company. A dynamic performer whose aura is as important as her in-ring work, she has connected with audiences, excelling as both a heel and a babyface.
Whether it is as Dominik Mysterio's Mami as part of The Judgment Day, or as her own woman atop the company, Ripley has managed to remain immensely popular, with her fandom transcending pro wrestling, thanks to social media.
A major merchandise mover on top of it all, Ripley is just 28 years old, with a bright, long future ahead of her. Already in the top 5 of this countdown, it would not be surprising whatsoever if she sits atop a revised one years from now.
3. Trish Stratus
11 of 13
Trish Stratus arrived in WWE in 2000 as a modeling catalog hire, someone who looked the part of a star but had no experience outside of her fandom growing up in Toronto. As a manager of the team of Test and Albert, there were few expectations that she would evolve into much more.
All she did was obliterate all preconceived notions, leading the way for a women's wrestling renaissance that began with her first championship win in 2001 and lasted until she retired from full-time competition in 2006. During that time, she amassed seven world title reigns, a WWE Hardcore Championship, and status as the No. 1 greatest women's wrestler in company history in a list produced by WWE Network.
That initial six-year run was merely chapter one, as Stratus has returned for short runs on numerous occasions, including matches with Charlotte Flair at the 2019 SummerSlam and a feud with Becky Lynch in 2023.
In 2025, she partnered with WWE women's champion Tiffany Stratton to defeat Nia Jax and Candice LeRae, then put Stratton over at Money in the Bank. In nearly every match in which she competes, Stratus continuously reminds fans why she is often discussed among the best of all time, hence her ranking in the top three of this one.
2. Charlotte Flair
12 of 13
The Queen has been destined for greatness from day one.
The daughter of the great "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, she easily could have coasted on her father's name, but instead, she forged a reputation and legacy of her own, beginning with her first high-profile NXT match against Natalya at NXT TakeOver in 2014, in which she won the brand's women's title, and continuing through today.
Fast-tracked for success on the main roster, Flair has already done everything there is to do in WWE. From 14 world title reigns to a Royal Rumble victory and the main event of WrestleMania 35, she has stood atop the highest mountains in professional wrestling. Her matches with former friend turned rival Becky Lynch have been nothing short of extraordinary, and her WrestleMania 39 showdown with Rhea Ripley is one of the best matches of the last decade.
An extraordinary professional wrestler with a flair for showmanship and a second gear she finds in her most important matches, she has earned rave reviews for her in-ring exploits, and deservedly so.
While there have long been complaints online about her name earning her opportunities that others have not received, she has long since earned every bit of stardom she has enjoyed since first setting foot inside the squared circle.
Her current tag team with Alexa Bliss allowed her to step out of the ultra-serious Queen persona and have fun, which has opened her up to audiences in a way she had not been before.
1. Becky Lynch
13 of 13
Becky Lynch is The Man...and the greatest women's wrestler in company history.
An overlooked member of the WWE roster despite her exploits in NXT as one of the Four Horsewomen, she emerged from near irrelevancy in the summer of 2018, turning heel and betraying Charlotte Flair. Instead of facing jeers in arenas across the country, she was greeted with cheers from fans who had long appreciated her work and the personality she showcased on social media and whenever she was allowed to express herself on TV.
Defiant, rebellious, and confident, Lynch launched her "The Man" persona shortly thereafter and has not looked back since. Undeniable popularity earned her a spot in the historic main event of WrestleMania 35, where she defeated Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey to leave MetLife Stadium with the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships.
Even when her year-long run at the top of the division was cut short by her pregnancy, she returned after well over a year away and seamlessly transitioned into Big Time Becks, a heel persona that was instrumental in elevating Bianca Belair's star entering WrestleMania 38.
And therein lies what makes Lynch great. As big a star as she is, with appearances in mainstream media and on the New York Times Bestseller's List, she has also proven selfless, using her stature to help elevate others, such as Belair and, more recently, Lyra Valkyria.
Now embroiled in a rivalry with the returning AJ Lee, and enjoying her first sustained on-screen partnership with husband Seth Rollins at the top of the Raw brand, there are no signs that Lynch is ready to, or will, relinquish her spot at the top of this list.
.jpg?w=480)
