Let me preface this article with a simple statement. The views and opinions expressed within this article are my personal ones. If you disagree, that is your choice, but you’re not going to change my opinion.
I’ve been watching WWE for 31 years. That’s a long time. I’ve seen Superstars come and go and I’ve come to see that Vince and the WWE have a serious problem with pushing and showcasing talent. They tend to hone in on favourites and other talented performers are left to fight for a mid-card spot or are forced to put over the talent that WWE wants to push. It happens in the men’s division and it happens in the women ‘s division.
I recently wrote an article where I expressed my opinion that Charlotte Flair does not need to be in the WWE Women’s Title picture. So to branch off a little bit on that, I’ve decided to do a two-part article where I look at twenty women in WWE who deserve a chance to hold one of the major women’s singles championships. I am including NXT and NXT UK as major since let’s face it NXT and NXT UK are usually a lot better shows than anything from the main roster.
Charlotte Flair has held 13 championships in WWE. She’s a 4-time Raw Women ‘s Champion, a 5-time Smackdown Women ‘s Champion, a 2-time NXT Women’s Champion, a 1-time Diva’s Champion and a 1 time Women’s Tag Team Champion. While WWE has pushed Charlotte to the moon and frequently uses her in the title picture, there are plenty of women in WWE who have never held one of their major singles titles. One of the major problems in WWE is that they tend to push the same talents over and over again and give them their titles. Today, I am going to look at 10 women who have never held a major WWE women’s singles title that deserve the chance to have a reign. I’ll also preface this by saying that these 10 women I think are -better- or will be better in the ring than Charlotte Flair is. I’m not going to go deeply into comparisons between them, I’m just saying it now to avoid doing so in the article too many times. So let’s get this thing going, shall we?
10. Xia Brookside – NXT UK
Xia Brookside is a second-generation talent, the daughter of Robbie Brookside, who is currently signed to the WWE’s NXT UK brand. She’s young at only 22 years old, but she has been active in wrestling since 2014 when she was on the independent circuit. She’s had stints in Stardom, All-Star Wrestling and Empress Pro Wrestling just to name a few. While young, Xia has shown that she is an exceptional talent in the ring. She’s faced and beaten, names like Toni Storm, Kay Lee Ray, Konami and Kris Wolf. Sure, some of them may have been in tag matches but a win is a win. Given time, and a chance to show what she is capable of, there is no doubt in my mind that Xia will be better talent in the ring than Charlotte Flair is. She has many years to hone her skills and I foresee a bright future ahead for Miss Brookside.
9. Nikki Cross – WWE Raw
Nikki Cross has been active in professional wrestling since 2008, giving her thirteen years of experience in the ring. Formerly known as Nikki Storm, she’s competed all over the world in several different promotions. Since coming to WWE, she has had a few championship singles matches but came up short every time. This is a shame. Nikki is an exceptional talent who plays the unhinged character to perfection. The Scottish Superstar has shown that she can be in a top of the card match and put on an impressive performance. She did take Asuka to the limit back in NXT in a brutal match-up. WWE may not see it, but Nikki is more than deserving of a chance to hold a single’s title. If I may say this too, I think she is way more entertaining than Charlotte is and I’d rather see her on the screen anytime.
8. Piper Niven – NXT UK
Piper Niven, formerly known as Viper outside of WWE, is another Scottish athlete who has had major success outside of WWE but has not had the chance to shine in the company so far. She’s performed all over the world in several promotions, from Stardom to WOS Wrestling, and held a few championships in her 12-year career. She definitely doesn’t have the ‘super model’ look that Vince and WWE seem to love, but she is very well rounded and solid in the ring. Given the chance, there is no reason why Piper couldn’t be a great champion for WWE. I think she’d even push Charlotte to the limit in any match between the two. Honestly speaking, the Scottish superstar may not quite be up to Charlotte’s level on the mic, but I believe she is at least equal to her in the ring. Piper deserves a chance to shine and challenge for a single’s championship, give it to her WWE.
7. Ruby Riott – WWE Smackdown
Perhaps better known outside of WWE as Heidi Lovelace, Ruby Riott is yet another Superstar in WWE who has not had the chance to hold a title. Hell, she and the Riott Squad haven’t even had a chance to hold the tag-team titles. This is a damn shame. Ruby Riott is one of the better and more consistent performers that WWE has, she’s an 11-year veteran and has appeared in promotions from Shimmer to Stardom outside of WWE. She’s held several championships outside of WWE as well. Ruby Riott has shown that she is very good in the ring and on the mic but time and time again WWE feeds her to the wolves. Ruby deserves better and she deserves the chance to shine in the brightest light. I’m not going to compare her to Charlotte. There is no comparison in my opinion. She’s also one of several superstars who should have already held a title in WWE.
6. Mia Yim – WWE Smackdown
Perhaps best known for her time in TNA under the name Jade, Mia Yim is superb in the ring. She’s got the look, she’s got the charisma and she has the talent to carry any women’s division in the world. She’s held several titles in her 12-year career but so far has been relegated to a crappy storyline since being called up to the main roster. Let’s face it, the Retribution thing was a failure and Mia deserves so much better. Calling herself the HBIC (Head Baddie in Charge), Mia has crafted this image that perfectly matches her capabilities in the ring. If only WWE could see what they have in her. From Combat Zone Wrestling to Shine, Shimmer and eventually TNA, Mia Yim has had a successful career thus far and has had matches with the likes of the legendary Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Maria and even Allie. I don’t understand why WWE won’t give Mia a chance, I really don’t. She could be a great champion for them.
5. Sarray – WWE NXT
Sarray, fka Sarreee in Japan, is a newcomer to WWE but is in no way a rookie. Sarray is a 10-year veteran and an almost legendary name in Japan. She’s held many major titles, fought a who’s who of Superstars in Japan, and has recently come to America to try her luck. Given what I’ve seen of her from her time in Japan, it is only a matter of time until Sarray has a championship on her shoulder. The thing about it is, I don’t know if WWE will see the same thing that the Japanese saw in her. Sarray is a strong and fast competitor, easily on par with the likes of Asuka, Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani. I trust NXT to let her show the world what Japan already knows, but the main roster is another story entirely. There’s little doubt in my mind that given time, NXT will see exactly what they have in Sarray and will treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Saying that I don’t trust Vince and the WWE main roster to give her the same treatment if she is ever called up. Until Asuka, WWE has had a bad track record with their Japanese talents. It remains to be seen what WWE and NXT will do with Sarray, but rest assured, she is leaps and bounds ahead of Charlotte Flair in the ring.
4. Liv Morgan – WWE Smackdown
If you haven’t seen the videos, by now, of Liv Morgan training then stop reading right now and go watch them. Seriously. Liv Morgan is amazing! She’s fast, athletic and looks like a luchador in there during her training. Why in the world won’t WWE let her showcase that talent? I really want to know. She is said to be a strong locker room presence, she’s got a unique look and she is super talented. I cannot stress that enough. Liv Morgan could shine brighter than any woman on the WWE roster if she was given the chance. She’s shown she is good in the ring, she’s shown she has command of her gimmick and dammit she has suffered in lower-mid card long enough. Let her Liv already WWE, seriously. Give her a title run and stop holding her back. She’s every bit as deserving as any woman on this list, even Charlotte. Time will tell if WWE sees this for themselves or not.
3. Meiko Satomura – WWE NXT UK
Where do I even begin with this entry? Meiko Satomura is a legend. She’s defeated a who’s who during her time in Japan and proven time and again that she deserves her status as a legend of the ring. Like Bull Nakano or Aja Kong, Meiko ranks among the all-time greats in Japan and has a stellar track record in the ring to prove it. She’s taken Kay Lee Rae to the limit once and looks poised to do it again. Who knows, she may win her first WWE single’s title soon. Until now though, she has not and has focused more on being a trainer than an in-ring talent for the brand. I know she’s not as young as she once was, but there is no reason to think that the Niigata, Japan native doesn’t have at least one more phenomenal run as a champion left in her. The 26-year veteran deserves respect, admiration and the chance to add more title reigns to her hall-of-fame career.
2. Dakota Kai – WWE NXT
Our runner-up today is the Captain of Team Kick, Capt. Kota herself, Dakota Kai. Dakota Kai is one of the best women in NXT to never hold the championship and I don’t understand why. Sure she has had some injury troubles during her tenure but she has come back as a great heel character and picked up right where she left off. Great on the mic and in the ring, the Kiwi Superstar is more than deserving of a shot as champion. She is a 14 year veteran with time in the independents as well as Stardom. You may know her as Evie from the indies and Stardom. She’s had great matches against Io Shirai, who is arguably the best female wrestler on the planet today, so WWE needs to give her a chance to hold one of the singles titles available to the women sooner rather than later. She’s definitely more deserving of a title run than her partner Raquel González is in my opinion.
1. Candice LeRae – WWE NXT
The Poison Pixie earns the top spot on this list today. The 19-year veteran has not held a single’s championship in WWE and that is a crime. Outside of Io Shirai, Candice LeRae is without a doubt one of the best and most consistent performers in NXT. She can put on an amazing match against anyone and is entertaining as hell. I’m not too big of a fan of The Way, but she and hubby Johnny Gargano are definitely a power couple within WWE. I think it’s only a matter of time until she gets her chance to hold a single’s title in WWE, but the fact that she hasn’t yet is why she takes the top spot. It’s criminal that she hasn’t had that chance yet. She pushed Io Shirai to the limit, she’s had stellar matches and she is more than solid on the mic. She even has a great look for the ring. I don’t see why WWE hasn’t pulled the trigger on this yet. To me, it’s a no brainer. Candice LeRae is more than deserving of a chance to hold the WWE NXT Women ‘s Championship or any Women ‘s Championships on the main roster. Know what? She may even be able to draw a five-star match out of Charlotte.
Be on the lookout for part 2 where I will look at women who have held a major single’s title in WWE. That one is where I’ll go into more detail about why they are better than Charlotte Flair, but I hope that you enjoyed the look at these 10 Superstars today. See you again soon.