WWE Championship

On this page, you find the full Title History for the WWE Championship, with all Championship Info, Statistics, the Belt Design changes through the years, and the full list of Title Reigns, along with dates, events, and reign durations.

The WWE Championship is a World Title contested in World Wrestling Entertainment on the SmackDown brand, by men wrestlers.

The championship was first established on April 25, 1963, and the inaugural champion was "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers.

Since that time, the biggest names in the business have held the title, including Bruno Sammartino, Andre the Giant, Bret Hart, The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The WWE Championship is widely recognized as the most historic championship in WWE.

The World Heavyweight Championship ('02-'13), WCW World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Universal Championship were previously unified into this championship.

The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who won the title at WWE SummerSlam 2025 on August 3, 2025, and has been reigning for 19 days.

WWE Championship: Title History

WWE Championship: Title Reigns

N.	Champion	Reign
World Wrestling Entertainment: SmackDown
149	Cody Rhodes 2 August 3, 2025 East Rutherford, NJ \| WWE SummerSlam 2025 19+ days	19+ days
148	John Cena 14 April 20, 2025 Paradise, NV \| WWE WrestleMania 41 105 days	105 days
147	Cody Rhodes 1 April 7, 2024 Philadelphia, PA \| WWE WrestleMania XL 378 days The title was being collectively defended with the Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Championship.	378 days
146	Roman Reigns 4 April 3, 2022 Arlington, TX \| WWE WrestleMania 38 735 days The then-WWE Universal Champions Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match. The titles remained independently active, but were collectively defended on any brand as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. The titles (as Undisputed WWE Universal Championship) became exclusive to SmackDown after the 2023 WWE Draft.	735 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: Raw
145	Brock Lesnar 7 February 19, 2022 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia \| WWE Elimination Chamber 2022 43 days	43 days
144	Bobby Lashley 2 January 29, 2022 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Royal Rumble 2022 21 days	21 days
143	Brock Lesnar 6 January 1, 2022 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Day 1 (2022) 28 days	28 days
142	Big E 1 September 13, 2021 Boston, MA \| Raw 110 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	110 days
141	Bobby Lashley 1 March 1, 2021 St. Petersburg, FL \| Raw 196 days	196 days
140	The Miz 2 February 21, 2021 St. Petersburg, FL \| WWE Elimination Chamber 2021 8 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	8 days
139	Drew McIntyre 2 November 16, 2020 Orlando, FL \| Raw 97 days	97 days
138	Randy Orton 10 October 25, 2020 Orlando, FL \| WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 22 days	22 days
137	Drew McIntyre 1 April 5, 2020 Orlando, FL \| WWE WrestleMania 36 203 days	203 days
136	Brock Lesnar 5 October 4, 2019 Los Angeles, CA \| SmackDown Live 184 days The title became exclusive to Raw on November 1, 2019, when Lesnar quit SmackDown and went to Raw.	184 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: SmackDown
135	Kofi Kingston 1 April 7, 2019 East Rutherford, NJ \| WWE WrestleMania 35 180 days	180 days
134	Daniel Bryan 4 November 13, 2018 St. Louis, MO \| SmackDown Live 145 days	145 days
133	AJ Styles 2 November 7, 2017 Manchester, England \| SmackDown Live 371 days	371 days
132	Jinder Mahal 1 May 21, 2017 Rosemont, IL \| WWE Backlash 2017 170 days	170 days
131	Randy Orton 9 April 2, 2017 Orlando, FL \| WWE WrestleMania 33 49 days	49 days
130	Bray Wyatt 1 February 12, 2017 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 49 days	49 days
129	John Cena 13 January 29, 2017 San Antonio, TX \| WWE Royal Rumble 2017 14 days	14 days
128	AJ Styles 1 September 11, 2016 Richmond, VA \| WWE Backlash 2016 140 days The title's name reverted to WWE Championship in December 2016.	140 days
127	Dean Ambrose 1 June 19, 2016 Las Vegas, NV \| WWE Money in the Bank 2016 84 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract. The title's name reverted to WWE Championship. The brand extension returned and the title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2016 WWE Draft, and then renamed to WWE World Championship.	84 days
World Wrestling Entertainment
126	Seth Rollins 2 June 19, 2016 Las Vegas, NV \| WWE Money in the Bank 2016 0 days	0 days
125	Roman Reigns 3 April 3, 2016 Arlington, TX \| WWE WrestleMania 32 77 days	77 days
124	Triple H 9 January 24, 2016 Orlando, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2016 70 days Won the Royal Rumble match in which Roman Reigns defended the title.	70 days
123	Roman Reigns 2 December 14, 2015 Philadelphia, PA \| Raw 41 days	41 days
122	Sheamus 3 November 22, 2015 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Survivor Series 2015 22 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	22 days
121	Roman Reigns 1 November 22, 2015 Atlanta, GA \| WWE Survivor Series 2015 0 days Defeated Dean Ambrose in a tournament final to win the vacant title.	0 days
	Vacant November 5, 2015 17 days The title was vacated after Seth Rollins suffered a torn ACL, MCL and a damaged meniscus.	17 days
120	Seth Rollins 1 March 29, 2015 Santa Clara, CA \| WWE WrestleMania 31 221 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract. during a singles match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, converting it into a triple threat match.	221 days
119	Brock Lesnar 4 August 17, 2014 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE SummerSlam 2014 224 days	224 days
118	John Cena 12 June 29, 2014 Boston, MA \| WWE Money in the Bank 2014 49 days Defeated Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Kane, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Sheamus in a 8-way ladder match for the vacant title.	49 days
	Vacant June 9, 2014 Minneapolis, MN \| Raw 20 days Daniel Bryan vacated the title due to a neck injury.	20 days
117	Daniel Bryan 3 April 6, 2014 New Orleans, LA \| WWE WrestleMania XXX 64 days	64 days
116	Randy Orton 8 October 27, 2013 Miami, FL \| WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 161 days Defeated Daniel Bryan in a Hell in a Cell match to win the vacant title. At TLC, Orton defeated John Cena to unify the World Heavyweight Championship with the WWE Championship; the World Heavyweight Championship was then retired and the WWE Championship became known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.	161 days
	Vacant September 16, 2013 Cleveland, OH \| Raw 41 days The title was vacated after a controversial finish when Daniel Bryan defeated Randy Orton to win the title.	41 days
115	Daniel Bryan 2 September 15, 2013 Detroit, MI \| WWE Night of Champions 2013 1 day	1 day
114	Randy Orton 7 August 18, 2013 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE SummerSlam 2013 28 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	28 days
113	Daniel Bryan 1 August 18, 2013 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE SummerSlam 2013 0 days	0 days
112	John Cena 11 April 7, 2013 East Rutherford, NJ \| WWE WrestleMania 29 133 days	133 days
111	The Rock 8 January 27, 2013 Phoenix, AZ \| WWE Royal Rumble 2013 70 days	70 days
110	CM Punk 2 November 20, 2011 New York, NY \| WWE Survivor Series 2011 434 days	434 days
109	Alberto Del Rio 2 October 2, 2011 New Orleans, LA \| WWE Hell in a Cell 2011 49 days	49 days
108	John Cena 10 September 18, 2011 Buffalo, NY \| WWE Night of Champions 2011 14 days	14 days
107	Alberto Del Rio 1 August 14, 2011 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE SummerSlam 2011 35 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	35 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: Raw
106	John Cena 9 July 25, 2011 Hampton, VA \| Raw 20 days	20 days
105	Rey Mysterio 1 July 25, 2011 Hampton, VA \| Raw 0 days Defeated The Miz in a tournament final to crown a new champion. CM Punk was also recognized as WWE Champion.	0 days
	Vacant July 18, 2011 Green Bay, WI \| Raw 7 days The title was "vacated" due to CM Punk "leaving" WWE.	7 days
104	CM Punk 1 July 17, 2011 Rosemont, IL \| WWE Money in the Bank 2011 28 days Punk (kayfabe) "left" WWE the day after with the championship, but he returned on the July 25, 2011 episode of Raw and his reign was deemed to continue through this period. He defeated John Cena in a match to determine the undisputed champion at SummerSlam.	28 days
103	John Cena 8 May 1, 2011 Tampa, FL \| WWE Extreme Rules 2011 77 days	77 days
102	The Miz 1 November 22, 2010 Orlando, FL \| Raw 160 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	160 days
101	Randy Orton 6 September 19, 2010 Rosemont, IL \| WWE Night of Champions 2010 64 days	64 days
100	Sheamus 2 June 20, 2010 Uniondale, NY \| WWE Fatal 4-Way 91 days	91 days
99	John Cena 7 March 28, 2010 Glendale, AZ \| WWE WrestleMania XXVI 84 days	84 days
98	Batista 2 February 21, 2010 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Elimination Chamber 2010 35 days Batista, a SmackDown superstar, was transferred to Raw after winning the title.	35 days
97	John Cena 6 February 21, 2010 St. Louis, MO \| WWE Elimination Chamber 2010 0 days	0 days
96	Sheamus 1 December 13, 2009 San Antonio, TX \| WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2009 70 days	70 days
95	John Cena 5 October 25, 2009 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWE Bragging Rights 2009 49 days	49 days
94	Randy Orton 5 October 4, 2009 Newark, NJ \| WWE Hell in a Cell 2009 21 days	21 days
93	John Cena 4 September 13, 2009 Montréal, Québec, Canada \| WWE Breaking Point 2009 21 days	21 days
92	Randy Orton 4 June 15, 2009 Charlotte, NC \| Raw 90 days Defeated Big Show, John Cena and Triple H in a fatal 4-way match for the vacant title.	90 days
	Vacant June 9, 2009 6 days The title was vacated when Batista suffered a torn left biceps.	6 days
91	Batista 1 June 7, 2009 New Orleans, LA \| WWE Extreme Rules 2009 2 days	2 days
90	Randy Orton 3 April 26, 2009 Providence, RI \| WWE Backlash 2009 42 days This was a six-man tag team match with The Legacy (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase) vs. Triple H, Batista & Shane McMahon.	42 days
89	Triple H 8 February 15, 2009 Seattle, WA \| WWE No Way Out 2009 70 days The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE Draft.	70 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: SmackDown
88	Edge 4 January 25, 2009 Detroit, MI \| WWE Royal Rumble 2009 21 days	21 days
87	Jeff Hardy 1 December 14, 2008 Buffalo, NY \| WWE Armageddon 2008 42 days	42 days
86	Edge 3 November 23, 2008 Boston, MA \| WWE Survivor Series 2008 21 days	21 days
85	Triple H 7 April 27, 2008 Baltimore, MD \| WWE Backlash 2008 210 days The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2008 WWE Draft.	210 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: Raw
84	Randy Orton 2 October 7, 2007 Rosemont, IL \| WWE No Mercy 2007 203 days	203 days
83	Triple H 6 October 7, 2007 Rosemont, IL \| WWE No Mercy 2007 0 days	0 days
82	Randy Orton 1 October 7, 2007 Rosemont, IL \| WWE No Mercy 2007 0 days Vince McMahon awarded the title to Orton at the start of the event.	0 days
	Vacant October 2, 2007 Dayton, OH \| ECW 5 days The title was vacated when John Cena suffered a torn right pectoral tendon.	5 days
81	John Cena 3 September 17, 2006 Toronto, Ontario, Canada \| WWE Unforgiven 2006 380 days	380 days
80	Edge 2 July 3, 2006 Philadelphia, PA \| Raw 76 days The title became exclusive to the Raw brand due to Edge's status as a Raw wrestler.	76 days
79	Rob Van Dam 1 June 11, 2006 New York, NY \| ECW One Night Stand 2006 22 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	22 days
78	John Cena 2 January 29, 2006 Miami, FL \| WWE Royal Rumble 2006 133 days	133 days
77	Edge 1 January 8, 2006 Albany, NY \| WWE New Year's Revolution 2006 21 days Cashed in the Money in the Bank contract.	21 days
76	John Cena 1 April 3, 2005 Los Angeles, CA \| WWE WrestleMania 21 280 days The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery.	280 days
World Wrestling Entertainment: SmackDown
75	John "Bradshaw" Layfield 1 June 27, 2004 Norfolk, VA \| WWE The Great American Bash 2004 280 days	280 days
74	Eddie Guerrero 1 February 15, 2004 Daly City, CA \| WWE No Way Out 2004 133 days	133 days
73	Brock Lesnar 3 September 18, 2003 Raleigh, NC \| SmackDown! 150 days	150 days
72	Kurt Angle 4 July 27, 2003 Denver, CO \| WWE Vengeance 2003 53 days	53 days
71	Brock Lesnar 2 March 30, 2003 Seattle, WA \| WWE WrestleMania XIX 119 days	119 days
70	Kurt Angle 3 December 15, 2002 Sunrise, FL \| WWE Armageddon 2002 105 days	105 days
69	Big Show 2 November 17, 2002 New York, NY \| WWE Survivor Series 2002 28 days	28 days
68	Brock Lesnar 1 August 25, 2002 Uniondale, NY \| WWE SummerSlam 2002 84 days The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand, and the renamed to WWE Championship.	84 days
World Wrestling Entertainment
67	The Rock 7 July 21, 2002 Detroit, MI \| WWE Vengeance 2002 35 days	35 days
66	The Undertaker 4 May 19, 2002 Nashville, TN \| WWE Judgment Day 2002 63 days	63 days
65	Hollywood Hulk Hogan 6 April 21, 2002 Kansas City, MO \| WWF Backlash 2002 28 days The title was renamed Undisputed WWE Championship and then WWE Undisputed Championship, after the WWF was renamed to WWE.	28 days
64	Triple H 5 March 17, 2002 Toronto, Ontario, Canada \| WWF WrestleMania X8 35 days	35 days
63	Chris Jericho 1 December 9, 2001 San Diego, CA \| WWF Vengeance 2001 98 days Earlier the same night, Jericho defeated The Rock for the World Championship, unifying both titles; the World Championship was retired and the WWF Championship became the Undisputed WWF Championship.	98 days
62	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 6 October 8, 2001 Indianapolis, IN \| Raw Is War 62 days	62 days
61	Kurt Angle 2 September 23, 2001 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWF Unforgiven 2001 15 days	15 days
60	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 5 April 1, 2001 Houston, TX \| WWF WrestleMania X-Seven 175 days	175 days
59	The Rock 6 February 25, 2001 Las Vegas, NV \| WWF No Way Out 2001 35 days	35 days
58	Kurt Angle 1 October 22, 2000 Albany, NY \| WWF No Mercy 2000 126 days	126 days
57	The Rock 5 June 25, 2000 Boston, MA \| WWF King of the Ring 2000 119 days This was a six-man tag team match with Kane, The Rock & The Undertaker vs. Triple H, Vince McMahon & Shane McMahon, in which whoever got the fall would win the title.	119 days
56	Triple H 4 May 21, 2000 Louisville, KY \| WWF Judgment Day 2000 35 days	35 days
55	The Rock 4 April 30, 2000 Washington, D.C. \| WWF Backlash 2000 21 days	21 days
54	Triple H 3 January 3, 2000 Miami, FL \| Raw Is War 118 days	118 days
53	Big Show 1 November 14, 1999 Detroit, MI \| WWF Survivor Series 1999 50 days	50 days
52	Triple H 2 September 26, 1999 Charlotte, NC \| WWF Unforgiven 1999 49 days Defeated Big Show, Davey Boy Smith, Kane, Mankind and The Rock in a six-pack challenge for the vacant title.	49 days
	Vacant September 20, 1999 Houston, TX \| Raw Is War 6 days Vince McMahon vacated the title due to the Fully Loaded stipulation after losing his feud with Steve Austin.	6 days
51	Mr. McMahon 1 September 16, 1999 Las Vegas, NV \| SmackDown! 4 days	4 days
50	Triple H 1 August 23, 1999 Ames, IA \| Raw Is War 24 days	24 days
49	Mankind 3 August 22, 1999 Minneapolis, MN \| WWF SummerSlam 1999 1 day	1 day
48	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 4 June 28, 1999 Charlotte, NC \| Raw Is War 55 days	55 days
47	The Undertaker 3 May 23, 1999 Kansas City, MO \| WWF Over the Edge 1999 36 days	36 days
46	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 3 March 28, 1999 Philadelphia, PA \| WWF WrestleMania XV 56 days	56 days
45	The Rock 3 February 15, 1999 Birmingham, AL \| Raw Is War 41 days	41 days
44	Mankind 2 January 31, 1999 Tucson, AZ \| WWF Halftime Heat 15 days	15 days
43	The Rock 2 January 24, 1999 Anaheim, CA \| WWF Royal Rumble 1999 7 days	7 days
42	Mankind 1 January 4, 1999 Worcester, MA \| Raw Is War 20 days	20 days
41	The Rock 1 November 15, 1998 St. Louis, MO \| WWF Survivor Series 1998 50 days Defeated Mankind in the finals of the Deadly Game tournament ito win the vacant title.	50 days
	Vacant September 27, 1998 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada \| WWF Breakdown: In Your House 49 days The title was vacated after Kane and The Undertaker simultaneously pinned Steve Austin in a triple threat match.	49 days
40	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 2 June 29, 1998 Cleveland, OH \| Raw Is War 90 days	90 days
39	Kane 1 June 28, 1998 Pittsburgh, PA \| WWF King of the Ring 1998 1 day	1 day
38	"Stone Cold" Steve Austin 1 March 29, 1998 Boston, MA \| WWF WrestleMania XIV 91 days	91 days
37	Shawn Michaels 3 November 9, 1997 Montréal, Québec, Canada \| WWF Survivor Series 1997 140 days This was the Montreal Screwjob.	140 days
36	Bret "The Hitman" Hart 5 August 3, 1997 East Rutherford, NJ \| WWF SummerSlam: Hart & Soul (1997) 98 days	98 days
35	The Undertaker 2 March 23, 1997 Rosemont, IL \| WWF WrestleMania 13 133 days	133 days
34	Sycho Sid 2 February 17, 1997 Nashville, TN \| Raw Is War 34 days	34 days
33	Bret "The Hitman" Hart 4 February 16, 1997 Chattanooga, TN \| WWF In Your House 13: Final Four 1 day Defeated Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Vader in a 4-way elimination match for the vacant title.	1 day
	Vacant February 13, 1997 Lowell, MA \| Raw Is War 3 days Shawn Michaels forfeited the title due to a knee injury.	3 days
32	Shawn Michaels 2 January 19, 1997 San Antonio, TX \| WWF Royal Rumble 1997 25 days	25 days
31	Sycho Sid 1 November 17, 1996 New York, NY \| WWF Survivor Series 1996 63 days	63 days
30	Shawn Michaels 1 March 31, 1996 Anaheim, CA \| WWF WrestleMania XII 231 days	231 days
29	Bret "The Hitman" Hart 3 November 19, 1995 Landover, MD \| WWF Survivor Series 1995 133 days	133 days
28	Diesel 1 November 26, 1994 New York, NY \| House Show 358 days	358 days
27	Bob Backlund 2 November 23, 1994 San Antonio, TX \| WWF Survivor Series 1994 3 days	3 days
26	Bret "The Hitman" Hart 2 March 20, 1994 New York, NY \| WWF WrestleMania X 248 days	248 days
25	Yokozuna 2 June 13, 1993 Dayton, OH \| WWF King of the Ring 1993 280 days	280 days
24	Hulk Hogan 5 April 4, 1993 Las Vegas, NV \| WWF WrestleMania IX 70 days After Yokozuna won the title, his manager, Mr. Fuji, issued a challenge for the championship to Hogan, who won the impromptu match.	70 days
23	Yokozuna 1 April 4, 1993 Las Vegas, NV \| WWF WrestleMania IX 0 days	0 days
22	Bret "The Hitman" Hart 1 October 12, 1992 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada \| House Show 174 days	174 days
21	Ric Flair 2 September 14, 1992 Hershey, PA \| Prime Time Wrestling 28 days	28 days
20	"Macho Man" Randy Savage 2 April 5, 1992 Indianapolis, IN \| WWF WrestleMania VIII 162 days	162 days
19	Ric Flair 1 January 19, 1992 Albany, NY \| WWF Royal Rumble 1992 77 days Won the Royal Rumble match for the vacant title.	77 days
	Vacant December 7, 1991 New Haven, CT \| Superstars of Wrestling 43 days Hogan was stripped of the title due to the controversial ending of his previous title defenses against The Undertaker.	43 days
18	Hulk Hogan 4 December 3, 1991 San Antonio, TX \| WWF This Tuesday in Texas 4 days	4 days
17	The Undertaker 1 November 27, 1991 Detroit, MI \| WWF Survivor Series 1991 6 days	6 days
16	Hulk Hogan 3 March 24, 1991 Los Angeles, CA \| WWF WrestleMania VII 248 days	248 days
15	Sgt. Slaughter 1 January 19, 1991 Miami, FL \| WWF Royal Rumble 1991 64 days	64 days
14	The Ultimate Warrior 1 April 1, 1990 Toronto, Ontario, Canada \| WWF WrestleMania VI 293 days	293 days
13	Hulk Hogan 2 April 2, 1989 Atlantic City, NJ \| WWF WrestleMania V 364 days The title was renamed WWF Championship in May 1989.	364 days
12	"Macho Man" Randy Savage 1 March 27, 1988 Atlantic City, NJ \| WWF WrestleMania IV 371 days Defeated Ted DiBiase in a tournament final to win the vacant title.	371 days
	Vacant February 5, 1988 Indianapolis, IN \| WWF The Main Event 51 days Immediately after winning the title, André the Giant handed the championship belt to Ted DiBiase, but this was ruled as vacating the title.	51 days
11	André the Giant 1 February 5, 1988 Indianapolis, IN \| WWF The Main Event 0 days	0 days
10	Hulk Hogan 1 January 23, 1984 New York, NY \| WWF on MSG Network 1474 days	1474 days
9	The Iron Sheik 1 December 26, 1983 New York, NY \| WWF on MSG Network 28 days The title was renamed WWF World Heavyweight Championship when WWF ended its affiliation with NWA.	28 days
8	Bob Backlund 1 February 20, 1978 New York, NY \| WWF on MSG Network 2135 days The title was renamed WWF Heavyweight Championship when WWWF became WWF in March 1979. Backlund lost the title to Antonio Inoki in Japan in 1979 but regained the belt within a week, and the WWF never acknowledged the title change in the USA.	2135 days
7	"Superstar" Billy Graham 1 April 30, 1977 Baltimore, MD \| House Show 296 days	296 days
6	Bruno Sammartino 2 December 10, 1973 New York, NY \| House Show 1237 days	1237 days
5	Stan Stasiak 1 December 1, 1973 Philadelphia, PA \| House Show 9 days	9 days
4	Pedro Morales 1 February 8, 1971 New York, NY \| House Show 1027 days The title was renamed WWWF Heavyweight Championship when WWWF rejoined NWA in 1971.	1027 days
3	Ivan Koloff 1 January 18, 1971 New York, NY \| House Show 21 days	21 days
2	Bruno Sammartino 1 May 17, 1963 New York, NY \| House Show 2803 days	2803 days
1	"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers 1 April 11, 1963 Washington, D.C. \| Heavyweight Wrestling 36 days Rogers won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on June 30, 1961; in 1963 Northeast promoters refused to recognize, thus breaking away from the NWA to form the WWWF and recognizing Rogers as the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion.	36 days

WWE Championship: Names & Belt Designs

- WWE ChampionshipApril 21, 2025
- Undisputed WWE ChampionshipApril 7, 2024April 20, 2025
- WWE ChampionshipJune 2, 2023April 7, 2024
- WWE ChampionshipApril 7, 2019June 1, 2023
- WWE Championship (eco-friendly - Daniel Bryan)January 29, 2019April 6, 2019
- WWE ChampionshipDecember 10, 2016January 28, 2019
- WWE World ChampionshipJuly 19, 2016December 9, 2016
- WWE ChampionshipJune 27, 2016July 18, 2016
- WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAugust 18, 2014June 26, 2016
- WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 16, 2013August 17, 2014
- WWE ChampionshipFebruary 18, 2013December 15, 2013
- WWE ChampionshipMay 2, 2011February 17, 2013
- WWE Championship (The Miz)November 22, 2010May 1, 2011
- WWE ChampionshipSeptember 18, 2006November 21, 2010
- WWE Championship (Edge)August 21, 2006September 17, 2006
- WWE Championship (spinner - John Cena)April 12, 2005August 20, 2006
- WWE ChampionshipSeptember 2, 2002April 11, 2005
- WWE Undisputed ChampionshipMay 19, 2002September 2, 2002
- WWF Undisputed ChampionshipMay 6, 2002May 19, 2002
- Undisputed WWF ChampionshipDecember 9, 2001May 6, 2002
- WWF ChampionshipSeptember 28, 1998December 9, 2001
- WWF Championship (smoking skull - Steve Austin)July 27, 1998September 27, 1998
- WWF ChampionshipMarch 30, 1998July 27, 1998
- WWF ChampionshipJanuary 19, 1991March 29, 1998
- WWF Championship (Warrior's Belt)April 1, 1990January 19, 1991
- WWF Championship (Warrior's Belt)April 1, 1990January 19, 1991
- WWF Championship (Warrior's Belt)April 1, 1990January 19, 1991
- WWF Championship (Warrior's Belt)April 1, 1990January 19, 1991
- WWF ChampionshipFebruary 6, 1988April 1, 1990
- WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipFebruary 6, 1988May 26, 1989
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship (André Belt)February 5, 1988February 5, 1988
- WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipOctober 9, 1986February 4, 1988
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship (Hogan Belt)October 1, 1986October 8, 1986
- WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipMarch 31, 1985October 1, 1986
- WWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipMarch 31, 1984March 30, 1985
- WWF Heavyweight ChampionshipJanuary 3, 1983March 31, 1984
- WWF Heavyweight ChampionshipMarch 1, 1979January 2, 1983
- WWF Heavyweight ChampionshipMarch 1, 1979January 2, 1983
- WWF Heavyweight ChampionshipMarch 1, 1979January 2, 1983
- WWF Heavyweight ChampionshipFebruary 28, 1979January 3, 1983
- WWWF Heavyweight ChampionshipDecember 1, 1973February 28, 1979
- WWWF Heavyweight ChampionshipFebruary 18, 1972November 30, 1973
- WWWF Heavyweight ChampionshipFebruary 8, 1971February 17, 1972
- WWWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipMay 18, 1963February 8, 1971
- WWWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipApril 25, 1963May 17, 1963

WWE Championship: Statistics

Promotions History

Promotion	from	to
PromotionWWEBrand SmackDown	April 28, 2023	Present
PromotionWWEBrand Raw	November 1, 2019	April 27, 2023
PromotionWWEBrand SmackDown	July 19, 2016	October 31, 2019
PromotionWWE	August 29, 2011	July 18, 2016
PromotionWWEBrand Raw	April 13, 2009	August 28, 2011
PromotionWWEBrand SmackDown	June 23, 2008	April 12, 2009
PromotionWWEBrand Raw	June 6, 2005	June 22, 2008
PromotionWWEBrand SmackDown	August 26, 2002	June 5, 2005
PromotionWWF	April 25, 1963	August 25, 2002

Defended With
- WWE Universal Championship - Undisputed WWE Championship (April 8, 2024 - April 20, 2025)
- WWE Universal Championship - Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (April 3, 2022 - April 7, 2024)

Promotion World Wrestling Entertainment
Brand SmackDown
GenderMale
Title TypeMain / World
Date EstablishedApril 25, 1963
Unified With World Heavyweight Championship ('02-'13)WCW World Heavyweight Championship WWE Universal Championship

First Champion"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers
Current ChampionCody Rhodes

Most Number of Reigns

Rank	Wrestler	Reigns
	John Cena	14
	Randy Orton	10
	Triple H	9
	The Rock	8
	Brock Lesnar	7

Most Combined Days

Rank	Wrestler	Days
	Bruno Sammartino	4040
	Hulk Hogan	2188
	Bob Backlund	2138
	John Cena	1359
	Pedro Morales	1027

Longest Reigns

Wrestler	Reign	Days
Bruno Sammartino	May 17, 1963 - January 18, 1971	2803
Bob Backlund	February 20, 1978 - December 26, 1983	2135
Hulk Hogan	January 23, 1984 - February 5, 1988	1474
Bruno Sammartino	December 10, 1973 - April 30, 1977	1237
Pedro Morales	February 8, 1971 - December 1, 1973	1027

WWE Championship: Title History

WWE Championship: Title Reigns

Cody Rhodes 2

John Cena 14

Cody Rhodes 1

Roman Reigns 4

Brock Lesnar 7

Bobby Lashley 2

Brock Lesnar 6

Big E 1

Bobby Lashley 1

The Miz 2

Drew McIntyre 2

Randy Orton 10

Drew McIntyre 1

Brock Lesnar 5

Kofi Kingston 1

Daniel Bryan 4

AJ Styles 2

Jinder Mahal 1

Randy Orton 9

Bray Wyatt 1

John Cena 13

AJ Styles 1

Dean Ambrose 1

Seth Rollins 2

Roman Reigns 3

Triple H 9

Roman Reigns 2

Sheamus 3

Roman Reigns 1

Vacant

Seth Rollins 1

Brock Lesnar 4

John Cena 12

Vacant

Daniel Bryan 3

Randy Orton 8

Vacant

Daniel Bryan 2

Randy Orton 7

Daniel Bryan 1

John Cena 11

The Rock 8

CM Punk 2

Alberto Del Rio 2

John Cena 10

Alberto Del Rio 1

John Cena 9

Rey Mysterio 1

Vacant

CM Punk 1

John Cena 8

The Miz 1

Randy Orton 6

Sheamus 2

John Cena 7

Batista 2

John Cena 6

Sheamus 1

John Cena 5

Randy Orton 5

John Cena 4

Randy Orton 4

Vacant

Batista 1

Randy Orton 3

Triple H 8

Edge 4

Jeff Hardy 1

Edge 3

Triple H 7

Randy Orton 2

Triple H 6

Randy Orton 1

Vacant

John Cena 3

Edge 2

Rob Van Dam 1