Height has proven not to be an obstacle when it comes down to the shortest wrestlers to hold a WWE Women’s Championship.
WWE has traditionally been seen as the land of the giants for their taller talent, but WWE has had some fantastic shorter female wrestlers on their roster. Throughout history, there have been several variations of the WWE Women’s Championship. The original Women’s Championship from 1956-2010, the Divas Championship, the WWE Women’s Championship was reintroduced at WrestleMania 32 with a new lineage and the Women’s World Championship
The likes of Michelle McCool and Chyna are some of the tallest female wrestlers in WWE history and they have held the WWE Women’s Championship among other tall wrestlers. Furthermore, some of the shortest Women’s Champions in history have had superb runs as Women’s Champions and others had forgettable runs. Finally, women who have won a singles Women’s Championship on the main roster will be included in this list.
10Gail Kim – 5’4″
Gail Kim’s WWE career never panned out the way it should have done. Nevertheless, on the June 30, 2003 edition of Raw, Kim won the WWE Women’s Championship in a Battle Royal on her debut which is a phenomenal achievement.
Kim was one of the shortest women on the roster at 5’4″ but her Women’s Championship reign wasn’t memorable. She dropped the gold to Molly Holly a month after she won the Women’s Championship.
9The Kat – 5’3″
The Kat wasn’t a trained wrestler but winning the WWE Women’s Championship summed up the state of women’s wrestling in the Attitude Era. At Armageddon 1999, The Kat defeated Ivory, Jacqueline, and B.B. in a fatal-4-way Evening Gown Pool match for the WWE Women’s Championship.
The Kat was allied with Chyna at the time, and she stood at 5’3″. Her Women’s Championship reign wasn’t memorable, and she dropped the title to Harvey Wippleman in a Lumberjill Snowbunny match on the January 31, 2000 taping of Raw.
8Liv Morgan – 5’3″
Liv Morgan’s popularity grew in late 2021 and early 2022 when she challenged Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship but came up short. Morgan won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and she cashed in the briefcase on the same night and she beat Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Morgan’s SmackDown Women’s Championship run wasn’t the best but she beat Rousey at SummerSlam 2022 and Shayna Baszler at Clash at the Castle 2022. Morgan is one of the shortest and youngest women on WWE’s main roster, and she dropped the title back to Rousey at Extreme Rules 2022. Morgan has won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship with Raquel Rodriguez twice in 2023.
7Asuka – 5’3″
“The Empress of Tomorrow” Asuka is one of the greatest in-ring performers to grace a WWE ring. Asuka stands at 5 feet 3 inches tall but she packs a punch inside the squared circle. She’s a submission specialist with the debilitating Asuka Lock as her finisher.
Asuka is a Grand Slam Champion as she is a three-time WWE Women’s Champion, a former SmackDown Women’s Champion and she has won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship three times with three different partners. Asuka’s Women’s Championship feuds with the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair have seen Asuka perform in some elite-level matches.
6Jacqueline – 5’3″
WWE Hall of Famer Jacqueline is a trailblazer and she’s a history-maker as she’s the first black woman to win the WWE Women’s Championship. Jacqueline was the first WWE Women’s Champion in three years after Jacqueline defeated Sable for the vacant Women’s Championship in September 1998.
Jacqueline and Sable’s feud spilled over to Survivor Series 1998 where Sable ended her two-month Women’s Championship reign. However, Jacqueline had to wait 14 months to win the WWE Women’s Championship again as she beat Harvey Wippleman for the title on the February 3, 2000 edition of SmackDown. Jacqueline only stood at 5 feet 3 inches tall, but she’s one of the strongest women in WWE history.
5Layla – 5’2″
Layla made history on the May 14, 2010, edition of SmackDown as alongside Michelle McCool, she pinned Beth Phoenix in a handicap to become the WWE Women’s Champion for the first time. With the victory, Layla became the first British-born WWE Women’s Champion and she became the final woman to hold the Women’s Championship.
Layla and McCool were the co-holders of the WWE Women’s Championship and McCool sometimes defended the title on McCool’s behalf. The title was retired when McCool beat Melina to unify the Women’s and Divas Championships at Night of Champions 2010. Furthermore, at Extreme Rules 2012, Layla defeated Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship. Layla joined the small group of wrestlers that held both the original WWE Women’s and Divas Championships.
4AJ Lee – 5’2″
AJ Lee is arguably the greatest Divas Champion in WWE history. AJ defeated Kaitlyn for the Divas Championship at Payback 2013. She held the title for 296 days which was a record until Nikki Bella broke her record in 2015 by holding the championship for 301 days.
AJ won the Divas Championship three times which is a joint-record with Eve Torres. AJ retired at the prime of her career, and she was way ahead of her time as women’s wrestling in the PG era wasn’t always the greatest.
3Iyo Sky – 5’1″
Iyo Sky’s potential has always been there as in NXT she won the NXT Women’s Championship once and the NXT Women’s Championship with Zoey Stark. She’s thrived in Damage CTRL and she won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship twice with Dakota Kai.
Sky moved on to bigger and better things as she won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and she successfully cashed in her briefcase on Bianca Belair at SummerSlam 2023 to become WWE Women’s Champion for the first time. Sky only stands at 5 feet 1 inches tall, but she’s a tremendous athlete who should have a successful run as the WWE Women’s Champion.
2Alexa Bliss – 5’1″
Alexa Bliss may not be spoken in the same terms as the Four Horsewomen but she’s just as successful as them. The Goddess became the first woman to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championships in 2017. Bliss deserves credit for the successful WWE career she has carved out for herself.
She’s a Triple Crown Winner in WWE as she’s had three runs as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion to go alongside her multiple Raw and SmackDown Women’s Championship reigns. Bliss is currently on maternity leave as she is pregnant, and she is only 32. The Five Feet of Fury has plenty of time to achieve more things in her WWE career.
1Nikki Cross – 5’0″
Nikki Cross’ WWE career has been filled with ups and downs, but she has had a successful run. She’s the shortest woman in WWE history to clinch a main roster singles championship. Cross won the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match in 2021, and 24 hours later, she cashed it in and beat Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Cross won the championship in her Nikki A.S.H. gimmick but she couldn’t be taken seriously. Cross won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship thrice, two times with Alexa Bliss and once with Rhea Ripley. Moreover, Cross won the 24/7 Championship 11 times and she was the final wrestler to hold the championship.
