In late 2024, WWE made a significant move by launching women’s mid-card championships on its main roster, adding the WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship and the WWE Women’s United States Championship to its lineup. These titles aim to enhance opportunities for female talent across WWE’s multiple brands, spotlighting the importance of the Chelsea Green women’s titles in the evolving women’s division.
The WWE Women’s United States Championship first appeared on SmackDown in November 2024, introduced by General Manager Nick Aldis. Following a tournament, Chelsea Green claimed the inaugural title by defeating Lyra Valkyria in the finals. The next month, WWE debuted the Women’s Intercontinental Championship on Raw, with Lyra Valkyria becoming the first champion by overcoming Dakota Kai in January 2025. These championships followed the NXT Women’s North American Championship, which NXT launched earlier in April 2024, making it WWE’s first women’s mid-card title. Kelani Jordan became its initial holder in June 2024.
Chelsea Green Advocates for Greater Spotlight on Women’s Secondary Titles
Chelsea Green, as the first WWE Women’s United States Champion, recently expressed her support for the introduction of the new women’s mid-card championships. In an interview with CinemaBlend, she highlighted the need for these titles to represent the growing women’s roster effectively.
“I definitely am so happy that we introduced those titles, because I felt like for a long time we were missing opportunities for a bunch of the girls. We just have such a stacked roster between Raw SmackDown, NXT.I mean, now we’ve got ID, we’ve got Evolve, we’ve got LFG. We have so many different brands, and we just didn’t have enough titles to really represent all the girls and the variety of women. I think that they’ve been a beautiful addition in terms of getting people in the mix, getting women to have a spot on TV.”
– Chelsea Green, WWE Women’s United States Champion
Green emphasized how the women’s division has expanded across WWE’s brands, including Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and other associated shows like ID, Evolve, and LFG. She sees the new titles as a vital step toward providing more wrestlers the chance to compete and be featured regularly.
Despite her praise, Green also voiced concerns that WWE is not fully capitalizing on these championships to promote women’s wrestling on television.
“Do I think that we’re doing all we can with them? No. I would love to see more being done with them. I want Giulia to be wrestling on TV every single week with that title. I wanted Zelina on TV every single week. I want Michin to win the title and be on TV every single week. There’s so many hours of WWE, and we can find a place for those championships if we try. It’s tough.”
– Chelsea Green, WWE Women’s United States Champion
Her remarks underscore the missed opportunities to maximize airtime and storytelling potential for women holding these mid-card belts. Green specifically named Giulia, Zelina, and Michin as talents who deserve more frequent exposure with the titles, calling for increased emphasis within WWE’s programming schedule.
Background on the Creation and Champions of the Women’s Mid-Card Titles
Before these latest developments on the main roster, WWE’s NXT brand launched the NXT Women’s North American Championship as the first women’s mid-tier title in April 2024. This paved the way for the main roster to follow suit later that year. The United States and Intercontinental women’s titles serve as additional stepping stones for competitors who aim to climb the ranks between the lower-tier belts and women’s world championships.
Nick Aldis played a key executive role in introducing the Women’s United States Championship during a SmackDown segment, setting the stage for a tournament that showcased top female wrestlers from across WWE’s brands. Chelsea Green’s victory over Lyra Valkyria in the tournament finals brought instant recognition to the championship and its potential significance.
Meanwhile, Lyra Valkyria, after her loss in the United States title finals, succeeded in capturing the Women’s Intercontinental Championship in January 2025 on Raw, reinforcing the competitive depth of the division. Her win over Dakota Kai marked the beginning of a new era for women’s mid-card championship competition on WWE’s flagship shows.
Potential Impact and Future of WWE’s Women’s Midcard Championships
With multiple championship belts now available, the WWE women’s division is positioned for greater narrative diversity and more matchups. However, Chelsea Green’s appeal indicates that WWE still faces challenges in integrating these titles fully into weekly programming. Increasing visibility for mid-card titles could elevate the profiles of emerging talents and provide more meaningful storylines within the women’s ranks.
The expansion into several brands—including developmental shows and partner promotions such as ID and Evolve—means WWE has the scope to showcase a wider array of female wrestlers. If WWE responds to calls for better utilization, champions like Giulia, Zelina, and Michin could become more prominent fixtures on television, driving fan engagement and competitive intensity.
As WWE continues to develop its women’s division, the growth and emphasis on secondary championships might serve as a critical factor in maintaining roster depth, increasing match quality, and enhancing the overall presentation of women’s wrestling across all WWE programming.
