WWE
A Look at Every Current SmackDown Live Women Superstar Ranked
With Evolution on the horizon, WWE is putting together a pay-per-view that should be one for the ages. The first women exclusive WWE special will air October 28, 2018 on the WWE Network. As both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live’s talent prepare for the groundbreaking event, we at TSJ101Sports have put together a list of every RAW and SmackDown Live Women Superstar ranked from worst to best based on their performance in the last year or so.
This time, the go around is for SmackDown Live. With fifteen female Superstars, where did your favorite end up on the list?
Honorable Mention: Brie Bella
Since she’s teaming with Nikki on RAW as of now, Brie will not be on this list.
For Brie’s RAW ranking, click here.
15: Lana
Inexperience isn’t a singular person’s fault. Lana is a great manager. As a wrestler? There’s room for improvement. She had a decent pre-show mixed tag match at SummerSlam along side Rusev. Strangely enough, she’s dropped her Russian accent.
Lana makes for a great manager, though, so maybe she returns to that role full time.
14: Maria Kanellis
Husband Mika Kanellis is now a 205 Live Superstar, but Maria is still on SmackDown Live’s roster. Managers were almost left off this list, especially since Maria will likely not wrestle again since she started having children. But as a manager, she’s done well getting herself and Mike noticed during their run on SmackDown Live.
13: Maryse
Maryse’s very brief in-ring return peaked with a mixed tag win over Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. She even scored the pinfall. Since then, Maryse has left WWE again to care for her newborn daughter.
12: Tamina
It’s unfortunate when a Superstar has to miss so much time to nurse an injury. This past March, Tamina went in for ankle surgery. She isn’t expected back until January. In any other circumstance, she’d rank much lower. But, sadly, she ranks high simply because she hasn’t been on SmackDown Live at all since the Royal Rumble.
11: Mandy Rose
“God’s Greatest Creation” hasn’t had much luck since moving over to SmackDown Live. Mandy has some singles wins. Like partner Sonya Deville, she isn’t used much on television unless it’s to put over higher ranked Superstars.
10: Sonya Deville
A lot of promise in Sonya, as can be seen when she puts on a match. Why she isn’t being built up as SmackDown Live’s version of Ronda Rousey isn’t really clear. She could make a great challenger for the Women’s Championship. But so far, she’s left to losing to Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair every other week.
9: Asuka
What happened to Asuka? She was undefeated, loved by everyone, won the first Women’s Royal Rumble, and had all the momentum in the world heading into WrestleMania 34. Then she lost, by submission. Since then, she’s been beaten by the IIconics, Carmella, and Charlotte Flair. Luckily, she’s slowly starting to build her momentum back since creating an unlikely alliance with Naomi.
8: Naomi
Speaking of Naomi, she remains one of SmackDown Live’s most popular female Superstars. She’s lost some momentum since losing her title last year. Hopefully, she has a comeback in store.
7: Zelina Vega
A manager in the top ten? In Zelina’s case: Yes. Since she can bounce back and forth between mouthpiece and wrestler with little to no difficulty shows how great she truly is. Her run with Andrade Almas in NXT is nothing short of fantastic. She most likely won’t win the SmackDown Women’s Championship anytime soon, but Andrade Almas may be on the verge of a title run thanks to his manager.
6: Paige
A general manager in the top ten? Now that her in-ring career is over, Paige has taken the role as SmackDown Live general manager. Even out of the ring, she remains loved by fans all over the globe. Paige is arguably more popular as a GM than Daniel Bryan was. She fired James Ellsworth, which is just icing on the cake.
On an unrelated note, #RehireEllsworth is trending worldwide…
5 & 4: Billie Kay and Peyton Royce
The IIconics could easily be swapped in this ranking. They take the five and four spot. Both Australian women are slowly building themselves as top heels on SmackDown Live. They beat Asuka and Naomi at Super Show-Down, and they haven’t shown signs of slowing down since.
3: Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair will always make the top of any list when it comes to the very best. Aside from maybe Becky Lynch, no other woman can match her in-ring skill. With her dad being Ric Flair, maybe it’s just in her blood. This SmackDown Live Women Superstar is one of the most popular among the wrestling fans. She defeated the unbeaten Asuka by submission at WrestleMania 34, and was champion for most of this year.
2: Becky Lynch
It’s been a long time coming to see Becky at the top of the SmackDown Live women’s division once again. She’s re-imagined herself as a Stone Cold Steve Austin version of her previous personality. She was part of the best match of the night at SummerSlam 2018. She’s currently the Women’s Champion. Becky Balboa has finally reached the top once again and fans have been enjoying every second of it.
1: Carmella
Has anyone else had a bigger 2018 than Carmella? She’s beaten Charlotte Flair. Twice. Beaten Asuka, with some help from James Ellsworth, twice. She headlined SummerSlam 2018 in a Triple Threat match that easily stole the show. The crowd went absolutely ballistic when she finally cashed in Money in the Bank. Her run with the SmackDown Women’s Championship may be one of the best heel runs with either brands Women’s titles in a while.
People hated her because they didn’t see her as a worthy champion. And she ran with it. She owned that heat and made people boo her more. Now, she’s a sort of good guy with her alliance with R-Truth. But her 2018 is hands down the best out of anyone on SmackDown Live, which is why she easily tops this list.
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