At Hell in a Cell on Sunday, SmackDown Women’s Champion Natalya will defend her title against Charlotte Flair. Unfortunately, the match won’t take place inside the Hell in a Cell structure – but the two women are still poised to make history.
Twitter user @bvmbshelled pointed out this fascinating statistic:
After #HIAC, @MsCharlotteWWE & @NatbyNature will be the only women in history to have competed for 4 different titles in singles matches! pic.twitter.com/Yw6zYLvM6d
— Boris (@bvmbshelled) October 4, 2017
That’s crazy coincidental. Here’s a closer look at the four matches that will put Charlotte and Nattie in the history books!
NXT TakeOver: Charlotte vs. Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship
Following her main roster debut, Paige was forced to relinquish the NXT Women’s Championship and a tournament was held to crown a new champion. Natalya was among the competitors, and she squared off against Charlotte in the final match at the first-ever NXT TakeOver on May 29, 2014. The match was a battle of the legacies: Charlotte had her father Ric in her corner, while Natalya had uncle Bret Hart in hers – but it was Charlotte who ultimately emerged victoriously.
Roadblock: Charlotte (C) vs. Natalya for the Divas Championship
In March 2016, Natalya was granted a match against Divas Champion Charlotte at the WWE pay-per-view Roadblock. It was initially a non-title match, but Natalya goaded Charlotte into putting her championship on the line just beforehand. Notably, this match was the last televised Divas Championship match; the title was retired less than a month later following the Women’s Revolution.
Raw: Charlotte (C) vs. Natalya for the WWE Women’s Championship
Less than a month after their Divas Championship match, Charlotte, and Natalya squared off again in another title match on the April 11, 2016, episode of Raw, this time over the newly created WWE Women’s Championship. Natalya was unsuccessful in her challenge of champion Charlotte, but she received a rematch at the subsequent Payback pay-per-view. Unfortunately for Natalya, she came up short again.
Hell in a Cell: Natalya (C) vs. Charlotte for the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Notably, Charlotte and Natalya’s upcoming match at Hell in a Cell will be their only title match where Natalya is going in as champion. Even more notably, Natalya is 0-4 in one-on-one title matches against Charlotte. Will the Queen of Harts be able to retain her SmackDown Women’s Championship? We’ll just have to wait and see!
I don’t know what’s more surprising: that this statistic exists or that Charlotte and Natalya are the ones who will accomplish it. It will be interesting to see if another two women are able to accomplish this feat in the future.
Are you surprised by this statistic? Who do you think will win on Sunday? Share your thoughts and comments below!