Published: Jun 18, 2026 by Dave Adamson | Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026 by Dave Adamson
Dave has been a website writer for WrestleTalk since October 2022, having previously written for Den of Geek, among a number of wrestling, movie and television-related sites. Dave has been around the independent wrestling scene for more than a decade, including behind-the-scenes.
WWE
Former WWE Women’s Champion Layla doubts she will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on her own terms, though sees a possibility as LayCool.
Layla parted ways with WWE in 2015, retiring as a professional wrestler, following a run that saw her hold the Divas Champion and Women’s Championship.
The winner of WWE Diva Search in 2006, Layla has recently looked at the current women’s roster, naming Chelsea Green as a star that carries the spirit of that particular era.
When it comes to recognition for her time in WWE, Layla appeared on Insight with Chris Van Vliet and suggested that a Hall of Fame induction is unlikely, saying:
“I don’t think so.”
With Michelle McCool having been inducted as part of the Class of 2025, Van Vliet would offer the possibility of a LayCool induction, with Layla responding:
“That would probably be the only way.”
Both members of LayCool have retired from in-ring competition, although Layla has also suggested she’d love to have one more match against McCool.
The Final WWE Women’s Champion
With a history going back to 1956 and the NWA reign of The Fabulous Moolah, the WWE Women’s Championship would be introduced into the then-WWF in 1984 and would continue to be defended until it was retired in 2010, around two years after the introduction of the Divas Championship on SmackDown.
A WWE Raw title, the Women’s Championship would be unified with the Divas Championship at Night of Champions in 2010, with Layla being the last to hold the belt. It was Michelle McCool, as unofficial co-champion, who would go forward as Divas Champion in the post-unification era, having defeated Melina, the Divas Champion, at the September event.
Fast forward to 2016, and a new WWE Women’s Championship, without the history of its predecessor, would be introduced, with Charlotte as the first to hold the title that replaced the Divas Championship, long before the star would get her last name back.
A new title without the lineage of its predecessor may have been a bold move for a company like WWE that often reflects on its history, but over the past decade, it has certainly built up a prestige of its own as a top title, redefining women’s wrestling in an arguably more respectful way than the Divas era did.
Transcript from chrisvanvliet.com.
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