List of WWE Champions

This article is about a list of wrestlers who have held the current WWE Championship. For a list of wrestlers who have the now-retired World Heavyweight Championship defended from 2002 to 2013, see List of World Heavyweight Champions (WWE, 2002–2013). For the wrestlers who have held the current World Heavyweight Championship, see World Heavyweight Championship (WWE). For a list of current title holders in WWE, see List of current champions in WWE.

Current champion Cody Rhodes, who holds the title in tandem with the WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Championship

The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand. It was the first world title established in WWE, at the time known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), having been introduced in 1963 as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. The WWWF, a National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory, did not recognize Lou Thesz's victory over reigning NWA champion Buddy Rogers and sought to create its own world title upon exiting the body.[a] The WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971; however, one of the caveats of rejoining is that the championship would no longer be recognised as a "world championship", and only as a regional heavyweight championship.[1] The promotion was renamed World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979 and ended its affiliation with the (NWA) in 1983, with the title also renamed to reflect the changes; it regained its world championship status upon leaving the NWA. In 2001, it was unified with the World Championship and became the Undisputed WWF Championship.[2][3] In 2002, the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and split its roster into two brands, Raw and SmackDown.[4][5] The title, now renamed the WWE Championship, was then designated to the SmackDown brand while WWE established an alternate world title known as the World Heavyweight Championship for the Raw brand. A third alternate world title, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship, was reactivated for the ECW brand in 2006. It was vacated and decommissioned when the ECW brand disbanded in 2010.[6]

When WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view event on December 15, 2013, in a Tables, ladders, and chairs match, the World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the WWE Championship, resulting in the retiring of the former,[7] as well as the renaming of the latter to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. On June 27, 2016, the name was shortened back to the WWE Championship,[8] before assuming the WWE World Championship name on July 26, when the brand split returned. It became designated to the SmackDown brand and WWE again established an alternate world title known as the WWE Universal Championship for the Raw brand. In December 2016, WWE again shortened the title's name back to WWE Championship.[9] Since April 2022, the title has represented one-half of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, with the other half represented by the Universal Championship, but both titles have retained their individual lineages. Under the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship moniker, the title was moved to SmackDown in the 2023 draft and Raw established a new World Heavyweight Championship as an alternative title.

The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. Some reigns were held by champions using a ring name while others use their real name. Cody Rhodes is the current champion in his first reign. He won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (WWE and Universal Championships) by defeating Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Following his win, the undisputed title's name was truncated to Undisputed WWE Championship.

As of November 18, 2024, there have been 147 recognized reigns between 55 recognized champions and 11 recognized vacancies (there are 4 reigns, 2 people, and 2 vacancies that are not recognized by the WWE). The first champion was Buddy Rogers, who was awarded the championship in 1963. The champion with the single longest reign is Bruno Sammartino with a reign of 2,803 days while the record for longest combined reign is also held by Sammartino at 4,040. John Cena has the most reigns with 13. Nine men in history have held the championship for a continuous reign of one year (365 days) or more: Bruno Sammartino (who achieved the feat on two occasions), Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, John Cena, CM Punk, AJ Styles, and Roman Reigns. Of those nine, four held the championship for a continuous reign of 1,000 days or more: Bruno Sammartino (who achieved the feat on two occasions), Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan.[10]


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  1. ^ Hornbaker, Tim (2007). National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling. ECW Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-1-4596-5345-0. Mindful of the pros and cons of being a member, McMahon rejoined the NWA at the 1971 convention in Mexico City. One requirement by the Alliance was that Morales' WWWF championship be recognized as a regional heavyweight title, and not a "world" title.
  2. ^ "WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting". WWE. March 21, 2001. Archived from the original on April 8, 2005. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  3. ^ "Chris Jericho Becomes First Undisputed Champion of Professional Wrestling". WWE. December 9, 2001. Archived from the original on January 17, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  4. ^ "World Wrestling Federation Entertainment Drops The "F" To Emphasize the "E" for Entertainment". WWE. May 6, 2002. Archived from the original on March 21, 2005. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  5. ^ "WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SmackDown Distinct Television Brands". WWE. March 27, 2002. Archived from the original on March 21, 2005. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  6. ^ "WWE Championship History". WrestleView. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  7. ^ "Retired Championships". WWE. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  8. ^ Johnson, Mike. "Future of top WWE championship already hinted at". Pro Wrestling Insider. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  9. ^ "WWE Championship". WWE. Archived from the original on December 14, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  10. ^ "WWE Championship Title History". WWE. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2008.