{"id":28404,"date":"2018-10-16T12:10:39","date_gmt":"2018-10-16T16:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=28404"},"modified":"2018-10-16T12:10:39","modified_gmt":"2018-10-16T16:10:39","slug":"smackdown-1000-the-women-of-smackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2018\/10\/16\/smackdown-1000-the-women-of-smackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"SmackDown 1000: The Women of SmackDown"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 1000th episode of <em><strong>SmackDown<\/strong><\/em> is finally here! As we prepare to enjoy the festivities of <strong>SmackDown 1000<\/strong>, let\u2019s take a look back at the women who helped build <em>SmackDown<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode of <em>SmackDown<\/em> took place on August 29th, 1999. For the first couple of years, the show served as an extension of regular WWE programming. So you would see women that you would see on <em>Raw<\/em>, such as <strong>Trish Stratus, Lita, Tori<\/strong>, and <strong>Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley<\/strong>. It wasn\u2019t until the brand split that <em>SmackDown<\/em>\u2019s roster had to fend for itself<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Trish Stratus vs. Molly Holly - SmackDown, December 27, 2001\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qHBFDNgJgW8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Women of SmackDown: The Initial Brand Split<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28446\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28446\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/033_Keib_04182005rf_1054-425b51758221fdacb5be775b2fa4be23-e1539705104318.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During the first ever WWE brand split, several women were selected to be sent to the blue brand. WWE mega-stars Trish Stratus and Lita were chosen for RAW, which meant <em>SmackDown<\/em> was lacking incomparable star power. They did, however, come away with names such as <strong>Ivory, Torrie Wilson<\/strong>, <strong>Stacy Keibler<\/strong>, and Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie would rise from superstar to General Manager in the summer of 2002, paving the way for future female authority figures.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28447\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28447\" style=\"width: 445px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28447\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Ivory-e1539705125736.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"445\" height=\"500\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28447\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>The Women of SmackDown: Ruthless Aggression (2002-2005)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28448\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28448\" style=\"width: 431px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28448\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_nbitfyisPE1rg89a6o1_500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"431\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_nbitfyisPE1rg89a6o1_500.jpg 431w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_nbitfyisPE1rg89a6o1_500-253x300.jpg 253w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_nbitfyisPE1rg89a6o1_500-354x420.jpg 354w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 431px) 100vw, 431px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28448\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Joining these ladies after <em><strong>Tough Enough<\/strong><\/em> runs would be <strong>Nidia, Jackie Gayda<\/strong> and <strong>Shaniqua<\/strong> (Linda Miles).\u00a0 Initially, in the wake of the split, both the Undisputed and Women\u2019s Championships were meant to include both rosters. However, the Women\u2019s Championship became exclusive to <em>RAW<\/em> in September of 2002. This left the women of <em>SmackDown<\/em> void of a prize until 2008. During the 2004 draft, Nidia was moved from <em>SmackDown<\/em> while Jackie was added. Nidia had a very memorable tenure on <em>SmackDown<\/em>, as the girlfriend\/valet of <strong>Jamie Noble<\/strong>. The duo would have notable feuds with <strong>The Hurricane<\/strong> and Torrie Wilson. During this era some other valets\/sometimes wrestlers were <strong>Joy Giovanni, Amy Weber, Hiroko, Sharmell<\/strong> and <strong>Jillian Hall.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28449\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28449\" style=\"width: 445px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28449\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Booker-T-Sharmell-e1539705287420.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"445\" height=\"500\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28449\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>The Women of SmackDown: The PG Era (2005-2009)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28450\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28450\" style=\"width: 456px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28450\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Candice-Michelle-Photoshoot-Flashback-candice-michelle-32781200-456-352.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"456\" height=\"352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Candice-Michelle-Photoshoot-Flashback-candice-michelle-32781200-456-352.jpg 456w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Candice-Michelle-Photoshoot-Flashback-candice-michelle-32781200-456-352-300x232.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 456px) 100vw, 456px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28450\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The sultry <strong>Candice Michelle<\/strong> was the lone addition to the <em>SmackDown<\/em> roster in the 2005 draft. Also joining the roster in 2005 would be <strong>Kristal Marshall<\/strong> and <strong>Melina<\/strong>. 2006 would see Torrie, who had been on RAW, move back to SmackDown, as well as sending Sharmell along with her husband to <em>Raw<\/em>. <strong>Victoria<\/strong> (<em>Raw<\/em>) and Jillian (<em>SmackDown<\/em>) would trade places and this would round out the women\u2019s side of that draft. Outside of the draft, 2006 would see the additions of <strong>Ashley Massaro, Michelle McCool<\/strong>, and<strong> Vickie Guerrero<\/strong>. In 2007, the vintage starlet <strong>Cherry<\/strong> would join the <em>SmackDown<\/em> family. Also in 2007, Vickie Guerrero would be named <em>SmackDown<\/em> General Manager, following in the footsteps of Stephanie McMahon.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28451\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28451\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28451\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Vickie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"543\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Vickie.jpg 543w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Vickie-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28451\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>2008 would be a banner year for the SmackDown women with the establishment of the WWE Diva\u2019s Championship. This would finally give them gold to fight for after almost six years. Michelle McCool would become the inaugural Diva\u2019s Champion. <strong>Maria Kanellis<\/strong> would be drafted to <em>SmackDown<\/em> in 2008, as well as see the debuts of <strong>Natalya, Maryse, The Bella Twins<\/strong>, and <strong>Alicia Fox<\/strong>. 2009 saw a big return as Melina rejoined the roster, bringing with her the WWE Women\u2019s Championship. Maryse would take the Diva\u2019s Championship to RAW, completing the championship trade. Also rejoining the blue team would be Alicia Fox, with new additions in <strong>Mickie James<\/strong> and <strong>Layla<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28452\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28452\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28452\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/001_Mcco_07292008rf_046-9bb03c440b84005660bac5cd07adacae-e1539705805178.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28452\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>The Women of SmackDown: The Era of LayCool and The Rise of the Divas (2010-2015)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28453\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28453\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28453\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/lay_cool_renders_1_by_wwepnguploader-d9iokwl-e1539705923300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"415\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28453\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The union of Layla and Michelle McCool, known as <strong>Lay-Cool<\/strong> would take off as 2009 turned into 2010. They would feud with Mickie James, during which the infamous \u201cPiggie James\u201d segment would take place. Other notable feuds happened with the <strong>Blondtourage<\/strong>, <strong>Tiffany<\/strong> and <strong>Kelly Kelly<\/strong>; as well as the <strong>Divas of Doom<\/strong>, Natalya, and <strong>Beth Phoenix<\/strong>. 2010 also saw the additions of <strong>Rosa Mendes<\/strong> and <strong>Kaitlyn<\/strong>. In 2011, <strong>AJ Lee<\/strong> would join the scene; as well as <strong>Tamina<\/strong>, Natalya and Alicia Fox during the draft. Also, as part of the draft, Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly would leave <em>SmackDown<\/em>.\u00a0 This would be the last draft until 2016. Following the dissolution of the draft and inter-brand competition, many superstars, both male and female would be seen on both <em>Raw<\/em> and <em>SmackDown<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28454\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28454\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28454\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_oyqus6d19g1sogsklo1_r1_500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_oyqus6d19g1sogsklo1_r1_500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_oyqus6d19g1sogsklo1_r1_500-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_oyqus6d19g1sogsklo1_r1_500-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/tumblr_oyqus6d19g1sogsklo1_r1_500-420x420.jpg 420w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28454\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><strong>The Women of SmackDown: Women\u2019s Revolution (2015-Present)<\/strong><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28455\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28455\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28455\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/001_Becky_09112016ca_032-8ca3aca15dc59d2ee8774ce687e42c39-e1539706071361.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28455\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following the historic women\u2019s revolution highlighted in 2015, the brand split was reinstated in 2016. The Women\u2019s Champion at the time, <strong>Charlotte<\/strong>, was made exclusive to <em>Raw<\/em>. This necessitated the creation of the SmackDown Women\u2019s Championship. <strong>Becky Lynch<\/strong> would eventually become the first ever SmackDown Women\u2019s Champion. On the roster, she was joined by Natalya, <strong>Naomi, Alexa Bliss, Eva Marie<\/strong>, and <strong>Carmella<\/strong>. These were all selections made during the 2016 draft. Nikki Bella and Mickie James would also return to the brand in 2016.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28456\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/naomi-knight-wwe-belt1-e1539706087690.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"337\"><\/p>\n<p>The 2017 shake-up would have Alexa and Mickie leave while Charlotte,<strong> Lana<\/strong>, and Tamina arrived. Also in the same time frame, Nikki Bella took some time off of wrestling and leaving <em>SmackDown<\/em>. Later in 2017, the <strong>Riott Squad<\/strong> (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan &amp; Sarah Logan), as well as Maria Kanellis, joined the <em>SmackDown<\/em> crew. Kanellis would go on hiatus, however, in September. 2018 would bring many changes as the Riott Squad departed, as well as longtime <em>SmackDown<\/em> mainstay Natalya. <strong>Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Asuka<\/strong>, and <strong>Zelina Vega<\/strong> would all join the ranks of <em>SmackDown<\/em> women.<strong> The IIconics<\/strong>, <strong>Billie Kay<\/strong> and <strong>Peyton Royce<\/strong> would be added as well.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28457\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28457\" style=\"width: 590px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28457\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosonprowrestling.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Charlotte-Flair-938051.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"590\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Charlotte-Flair-938051.jpg 590w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2018\/10\/Charlotte-Flair-938051-300x178.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 590px) 100vw, 590px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28457\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: WWE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To recap, the full roster now is Asuka, Becky Lynch, Billie Kay, Carmella, Charlotte Flair, Lana, Mandy Rose, Naomi, Peyton Royce, Sonya Deville, and Zelina Vega. Paige is also the SmackDown General Manager. In a poetic mirroring moment, Becky Lynch is also your current SmackDown Women\u2019s Champion.<\/p>\n<p>In looking through the history and contributions of women to the success of <em>SmackDown<\/em>, it appears to be safe to say that they will continue to flourish. While there may have been a drought in terms of championship competition, the women always managed to play a prominent role. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly, the women of <em>SmackDown<\/em> have continually evolved. With the current trends in WWE and women\u2019s wrestling in general, there is no doubt that will also continue. Here\u2019s to another 1,000 episodes of SmackDown and the women who steal the show!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 1000th episode of SmackDown is finally here! As we prepare to enjoy the festivities of SmackDown 1000, let\u2019s take a look back at the women who helped build SmackDown. The first episode of SmackDown took place on August 29th, 1999. For the first couple of years, the show served as an extension of regular [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2695,"featured_media":28458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,26,317,320],"tags":[918,3669,459,3665,3671,3672,3668,3676,3664,3675,3673,3674,3670,266,356,3666,2086,333,404,3663,52,3213,326,2004,1850,3667],"class_list":["post-28404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-smackdown","category-women","category-wwe-women","tag-alicia-fox","tag-ashley-massaro","tag-beth-phoenix","tag-candice-michelle","tag-eve","tag-eve-torres","tag-jillian-hall","tag-kelly-kelly","tag-kristal-marshall","tag-laycool","tag-layla","tag-layla-el","tag-maria","tag-maria-kanellis","tag-maryse","tag-melina","tag-michelle-mccool","tag-mickie-james","tag-natalya","tag-nidia","tag-smackdown","tag-smackdown-1000","tag-stephanie-mcmahon","tag-torrie-wilson","tag-vickie-guerrero","tag-victoria"],"modified_by":"Jamie Greer","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2695"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}