Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair and the History-Making WWE Women's Bouts of 2016

There will never be another year like 2016 for WWE women's wrestling.

Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and others led a stampede right through the glass ceiling. Historic battles and groundbreaking rivalries transformed how women are perceived in a male-dominated industry. 

It was a pivotal year—one brimming with firsts. 

Women were a key part of WrestleMania. They headlined a pay-per-view. They voyaged into matches previously limited to male participants.

WWE coined the "Divas Revolution" in 2015, but it wasn't until 2016 that the revolution gained real steam.

The company made a clear but ineffective effort to better showcase its female talent last year. Women garnered more ring time, but issues with paper-thin narratives and shoving too many stars on a single stage stalled progress.

One year later, during Banks and Flair's rivalry and after the brand split in July, a series of trailblazing matches remade the WWE landscape.

Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (WrestleMania 32)

April 3

WrestleMania 32 marked a tangible shift in how WWE presented its women. 

Before Flair, Lynch and Banks collided in front of a record crowd in Dallas, WWE announced it would ditch the term "Diva." Female wrestlers would now be known as "Superstars"—just like their male counterparts. 

The company would also retire the glittery, butterfly-emblazoned Divas Championship in favor of the Women's Championship.

These were more than semantic changes. They represented a move toward a future where WWE took its women more seriously. They were key steps in rethinking women's wrestling.

Thanks to the new title, the popularity and momentum of these three women and the amount of hype the bout received beforehand, it was the biggest women's match in WrestleMania history.

WWE's marquee event had often ignored and neglected its women. The only in-ring representation for The Showcase of the Immortals between WrestleMania III through IX was a mixed tag team match in 1996. Women's title clashes sometimes lasted only a few short minutes.

Flair vs. Lynch vs. Banks was different.

The company made a clear effort to build a buzz around this bout. It featured three top-notch talents, and WWE gave the women room to work once the bell rang.

The Triple Threat match lasted over 16 minutes. Per the Internet Wrestling Database, it was the longest women's match in WrestleMania history. 

On top of everything, it was arguably the night's best bout. Flair, Lynch and Banks proved they belonged on WWE's biggest stage.

Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya (Extreme Rules)

May 22

In a rare move, Extreme Rules invited the women to the party. 

At so many editions of the PPV, the men battled in gimmick bouts, while the women collided in standard contests. The PPV's theme didn't normally apply to the female athletes. 

Or WWE assigned them sillier fare like the Hog Pen match in 2009 and the Extreme Makeover match in 2010. 

When Natalya challenged Flair for the Women's Championship, though, champion and challenger engaged in a more serious gimmick bout. It was a battle of Natalya's Sharpshooter versus Flair's Figure Eight in a Submission match. 

While not exactly a hardcore stipulation, it's one WWE has rarely allotted for women. In fact, this marked the first time the company booked women in one on PPV.

And at nine minutes, 30 seconds, it was the longest women's bout in Extreme Rules history, per the Internet Wrestling Database.

The focus on The Queen's father, Ric Flair, even in his forced absence, may have irked some, but this bout was a sign of progress. The revolution was chugging along.

Six-Pack Challenge (Backlash)

Sept. 11

No matter who emerged the victor, history was set to be made. The winner of the Six-Pack Challenge bout at Backlash would become the inaugural SmackDown women's champ.

After the brand split in July, Raw boasted the only women's title, thanks to the red brand selecting Flair in the draft. SmackDown decided to create its own prize.

Lynch outlasted Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Carmella, Nikki Bella and Natalya in an engaging match to claim the gold.

This was the first time WWE had pitted women against one another in a Six-Pack Challenge. Beyond that, where this bout sat on the card's hierarchy was important, too. In the weeks leading up to the PPV, SmackDown's authority figures often played up how big this was. 

Compare that with how WWE utilized women in the last Backlash before WWE discontinued the event for six years.

In 2009, Santina Marella (Santino Marella in drag) bested Beth Phoenix in three seconds, as seen on CageMatch.net. Women's wrestling's contribution to the PPV was the amount of time it takes for a referee to make a three-count. That was far from the case in 2016.

Lynch and her foes battled in one of the night's longest bouts in the opener, getting a chance to set the tone for the rest of the show.

Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks (Raw)

Oct. 3

Banks unseated Flair as Raw women's champion in an emotional battle to close out WWE's premier show.

In its more than 23 years of existence, Raw had only once previously featured women in the headline match. Lita and Trish Stratus collided in a 2004 Women's Championship match in a main event.

To capitalize on Banks and Flair's surging rivalry, WWE saved their title match for last on the Oct. 3 edition of Raw.

This was not a case of WWE placating and shoehorning Banks and Flair into a spot where they didn't belong. The Boss and The Queen delivered a moving, enthralling title bout that was more than worthy of the main event.

Nikki Bella tweeted following Banks' historic win, "SO proud & happy that the women were main event on #RAW. The Women's Revolution continues! Continues to empower, inspire & motivate!" 

WWE didn't wait 12 years to slot female wrestlers in Raw's main event the next time around. Banks and Flair landed that same spot on the stage on Nov. 28.

Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell)

Oct. 30

WWE embraced the women's division like it never had before at Hell in a Cell.

For the first time, female wrestlers battled inside the steel structure that gives the October PPV its name. The bout's history is filled with brutal battles, complete with flesh colliding with the cell's wall and warriors falling from great heights.

The company had not afforded women the opportunity to tell that kind of story. That is, until Banks and Flair's rivalry led them into The Devil's Playground.

During the match's build, there was sometimes too much talk of the women making history rather than wanting to tear each other apart. But that ill-advised focus was a major improvement over years of excluding women from this contest altogether.

Banks vs. Flair was not only the first women's Hell in a Cell match; it also ended up being the first time WWE headlined a PPV with female wrestlers.

The enemies put on a stirring, hard-hitting spectacle—a violent showdown fit for Hell in a Cell.

Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks (Raw)

Nov. 28

Banks and Flair weren't done trading the Raw Women's Championship at Hell in a Cell, nor were they done battling in matches that are normally reserved for men.

On Nov. 28, The Boss looked to reclaim the title Flair won from her at the October PPV. The match ended with the archenemies brawling in the stands. Raw general manager Mick Foley didn't want to see a title match turn out that way.

He booked a Falls Count Anywhere match between them to close out the show.

Banks battered Flair with a Kendo stick. The Queen moonsaulted from the announce table. And finally, Banks dethroned her foe by bending her back across the railing in the stands. 

Before this year, this kind of savagery was rarely a part of the women's division. In the future, it will be more commonplace, as Banks and Flair blazed a trail in that department. 

This match marked the third time women have main-evented Raw. And these grapplers made sure it wouldn't be the last, putting on yet another memorable outing.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella vs. Carmella (TLC)

Dec. 4

The TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs PPV opened its doors to the SmackDown women's division in 2016.

The event is normally stacked with gimmick matches for male wrestlers, but the women have rarely joined in on that fun. They would not be denied this time around.

Nikki Bella took on Carmella in a No Disqualification match. Lynch defended her SmackDown Women's Championship against Bliss in a tables match.

This was the first time TLC had featured two women's matches on the PPV card. And it ventured into rare air in terms of the bouts' stipulations.

WWE rarely pitted women against each other in No Disqualification contests. And the only other women's tables match saw Natalya and Beth Phoenix battle Lay-Cool in 2010.

Bella and Carmella's feud had reached such a boiling point that a match with no rules was the perfect next step for them. For Lynch vs. Bliss, the tables stipulation allowed WWE to put the title on the NXT transplant without hurting The Lass Kicker's momentum as much as a pinfall would have.

The company appeared to be making booking decisions based on standard storyline reasons rather than gender. That's as much a sign of how far the women's revolution has come as anything.

Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks (Roadblock: End of the Line)

Dec. 18

After all the battles Banks and Flair had during their 2016 rivalry, the climax had to be something special. And it was.

The Boss and The Queen collided in the first women's Iron Man match on WWE proper. Bayley and Banks had wrestled under Iron Man rules for the NXT development brand, but this was uncharted territory for the main roster.

And thanks to the contest heading into overtime, Banks vs. Flair's title clash at Roadblock: End of the Line ended after more than 34 minutes of action, per the Internet Wrestling Database. That's miles apart from the amount of ring time women's bouts had regularly received in the past. 

Banks left the ring with a bloody mouth and her pride splintered. Flair had once again ripped the gold from her hands.

En route to those final images, the women tore down the house, outshining every other match at the PPV. That feat happened so often in 2016 that it's not news anymore.

It's a part of the new norm, where female warriors aren't continually bumping their heads against glass ceilings.