List of WWE Champions

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The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE, 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.Template:Efn The WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971; however, one of the caveats of rejoining is that the championship would no longer be recognized as a "world championship", and only as a regional heavyweight championship.<ref name="Hornbaker">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Undisputed">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2002, the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and split its roster into two brands, Raw and SmackDown.<ref name="WWF3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name="WWEChampionshipDec2016">Template:Cite web</ref> From April 2022 to April 2024, the title represented one-half of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, with the other half represented by the Universal Championship, but both titles 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 second reign. He won the Undisputed WWE Championship by defeating John Cena in a Street Fight at SummerSlam Night 2 on August 3, 2025, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

As of January 15, 2026, there have been 149 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 14. Ten 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, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes. Of those ten, 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Title history

Names

Name	Years
WWWF World Heavyweight Championship	April 11, 1963 – February 8, 1971
WWWF Heavyweight Championship	February 8, 1971 – March 1, 1979
WWF Heavyweight Championship	March 1, 1979 – December 26, 1983
WWF World Heavyweight Championship	December 26, 1983 – May 27, 1989
WWF Championship	May 27, 1989Template:Cn – December 9, 2001
Undisputed WWF Championship	December 9, 2001<ref name="Undisputed"/> – May 6, 2002<ref name="WWF3"/>
Undisputed WWE Championship	May 6, 2002<ref name="WWF3"/> – May 19, 2002
WWE Undisputed Championship	May 19, 2002 – September 2, 2002<ref name="TitleDisputed">Template:Cite web</ref>
WWE Championship	September 2, 2002<ref name="TitleDisputed"/> – December 15, 2013
Undisputed WWE Championship	August 14, 2011<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – August 15, 2011
WWE World Heavyweight Championship	December 15, 2013 – June 27, 2016
WWE Championship	June 27, 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – July 24, 2016
WWE World Championship	July 25, 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – December 9, 2016
WWE Championship	December 10, 2016<ref name="WWEChampionshipDec2016" /> – present
Undisputed WWE Universal Championship	April 3, 2022 – April 7, 2024
Undisputed WWE Championship	April 7, 2024 – present

Reigns

Combined reigns

Template:Multiple image As of January 15, 2026.

Key
Rec	Recognized by the promotion
†	Current champion; reign changing daily
<1	Reign was less than a day

Rank	Champion	No. of reigns	Combined days
Rank	Champion	No. of reigns	Actual	Recognized by WWE
1	Template:Sortname	2	4,040
2	Template:Sortname	6	2,185
3	Template:Sortname	2	2,121	2,138
4	Template:Sortname	14	1,360
5	Template:Sortname	1	1,027
6	Template:Sortname	4	853	855
7	Template:Sortname	7	823	828
8	Template:Sortname	10	680	685
9	Template:Sortname	5	654
10	Template:Sortname	9	609	605
11	Template:Sortname	6	529	528
12	Template:Sortname	2	520
13	Template:Sortname	2	511
14	Template:Sortname †	2	Template:Age in days+
15	Template:Sortname	2	462
16	Template:Sortname	3	396
17	Template:Sortname	8	367	377
18	Template:Sortname	1	358
19	Template:Sortname	2	311	300
20	Template:Sortname	4	297	295
21	Template:Sortname	1	296
22	Template:Sortname	1	293
23	Template:Sortname	2	280
23	Template:Sortname	1	280	279
25	Template:Sortname	4	238	237
26	Template:Sortname	2	221	220
27	Template:Sortname	2	217	215
28	Template:Sortname	4	210	209
29	Template:Sortname	3	183	182
30	Template:Sortname	1	180
31	Template:Sortname	1	170	169
32	Template:Sortname	2	168	167
33	Template:Sortname	4	139	135
34	Template:Sortname	1	133	132
35	Template:Sortname	2	118
36	Big E	1	110
37	Template:Sortname	1	98	97
38	Template:Sortname	2	97
39	Template:Sortname	2	84	82
39	Template:Sortname	1	84	83
41	Template:Sortname	2	78	77
42	Template:Sortname	1	64
43	Template:Sortname	1	49	48
44	Template:Sortname	3	47	36
45	Template:Sortname	1	42	41
46	Template:Sortname	2	37	36
47	Template:Sortname	1	36	21
48	Template:Sortname	1	28
49	Template:Sortname	1	22	21
50	Template:Sortname	1	21
51	Template:Sortname	1	9
—	Ted DiBiase	—	8	—
—	Antonio Inoki	—	6	—
52	Template:Sortname	1	6	4
53	Template:Sortname	1	1
54	Template:Sortname	1	<1
54	Template:Sortname	1	<1

Notes

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References

Template:Reflist

External links

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List of WWE Champions

Contents

Title history

Names

Reigns

Combined reigns

See also

Notes

References

External links

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List of WWE Champions

Title history

Names

Reigns

Combined reigns

See also

Notes

References

External links

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