The Americanprofessional wrestling promotionWWE has maintained several men'sworld championships sinceCapitol Wrestling Corporation seceded from theNational Wrestling Alliance in 1963 to become the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), which was later subjected to various name changes, including World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)—in April 2011, the company ceased using its full name and has since just been referred to as WWE. The company's first world championship was theWWE Championship, which was established along with the promotion's creation in 1963 as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship; it is still active today as the Undisputed WWE Championship and is WWE's oldest active title. Whenever theWWE brand extension has been implemented (2002–2011; 2016–present), separate world championships have been created or allocated for each brand.
As of 2025, WWE promotes two men's world championships, with the Undisputed WWE Championship on theSmackDown brand and theWorld Heavyweight Championship onRaw. TheNXT Championship (created in 2012), was the world championship for theNXT brand from 2019 until 2021 when it was viewed a third major brand, though it reverted to its status as adevelopmental championship in 2021.
| No. | Name | Years | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WWE Championship | 1963–present | Active |
| 2 | WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 1991–2001 (became WWF property in 2001)[a] | Unified with the WWE Championship |
| 3 | ECW World Heavyweight Championship | 1994–2001, 2006–2010 (became WWE property in 2003) | Retired |
| 4 | World Heavyweight Championship (original version) | 2002–2013 | Unified with the WWE Championship |
| 5 | WWE Universal Championship | 2016–2024[b] | Unified with the WWE Championship |
| 6 | World Heavyweight Championship (current version) | 2023–present | Active |
TheWWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is the original world heavyweight championship ofWWE, currently defended on theSmackDown brand. It was established by the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on April 25, 1963, as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, afterCapitol Wrestling Corporation seceded from theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) to become the WWWF following a dispute over theNWA World Heavyweight Championship. The inaugural champion wasBuddy Rogers.[1][2] Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes andtitle unifications. The WWWF was renamed to World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979[3] and then World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002[4][5]—since April 2011, the company has operated under thetrade name of WWE, although the legal name is still the full unabbreviated name.[6]
The WWE Championship is the oldest championship currently active in WWE and is presented as being the promotion's most prestigious title.[7] Aside from company name changes that resulted in the championship being renamed accordingly, the most notable name changes were from championship unifications. These included the WWE Undisputed Championship, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. After the retirement of the Universal Championship in April 2024, the WWE Championship has been referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship.[8]
The WWE Undisputed Championship (formerly known as the Undisputed WWF Championship and as the Undisputed WWE Championship) was the result of a unification of the then-WWF Championship and the World Championship (formerlyWCW Championship) in December 2001. Earlier that year in March, the WWF acquiredWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), which shortly after beganThe Invasion storyline, a war between the WWF and the combined faction of former WCW andExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) wrestlers calledThe Alliance. This culminated atSurvivor Series in November where the WWF won The Invasion war, disbanding The Alliance. The WCW Championship was subsequently renamed World Championship. As there was not a need for two world championships, a unification match was scheduled forVengeance the following month. At the event,"Stone Cold" Steve Austin defeatedKurt Angle to retain the WWF Championship, whileChris Jericho defeatedThe Rock for the World Championship. After this, Jericho defeated Austin, unifying the WWF and World Championships, and becoming the first Undisputed WWF Champion; the Undisputed Championship retained the lineage of the WWF Championship while the World Championship was retired.[9]
After the company was renamed to WWE, the championship was renamed Undisputed WWE Championship and then WWE Undisputed Championship. With the introduction of theWWE brand extension in March 2002, the company split its roster into two brands,Raw and SmackDown, where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform.[10] The holder of the Undisputed Championship was the only male wrestler allowed to appear on both brands, as the champion defended the title against challengers from both brands. However, in September 2002, after reigning championBrock Lesnar signed an exclusive deal to only defend the title on SmackDown, the title dropped the "undisputed" moniker, becoming the WWE Championship, while Raw established theoriginal World Heavyweight Championship as its counterpart,[11]spun off from the Undisputed WWE Championship as the successor to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.[12]
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship was the result of a unification of the WWE Championship and theoriginal World Heavyweight Championship in December 2013. Following the end of the first brand extension in August 2011, both the WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion could appear on bothRaw andSmackDown. After two years, as there was no longer a need for two world championships in the company, reigning World Heavyweight ChampionJohn Cena made a challenge to reigning WWE ChampionRandy Orton to determine WWE's undisputed world champion. Orton subsequently defeated Cena in aTables, Ladders, and Chairs match at theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairspay-per-view on December 15, 2013, to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship retained the lineage of the WWE Championship while the World Heavyweight Championship was retired.[13]
AfterDean Ambrose won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship atMoney in the Bank on June 19, 2016, one week later on June 27, the title's name reverted to WWE Championship.[14][15][16] After the reintroduction of the brand extension the following month, the title became exclusive to SmackDown and was renamed to WWE World Championship, although it reverted to WWE Championship in December 2016.[17]
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The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was the term used by WWE to refer to both the WWE Championship and theUniversal Championship being held and defended simultaneously by the same individual. This recognition came as a result of aWinner Takes All match atWrestleMania 38 in April 2022. WWE billed the match as a championship unification match though both titles maintained their individual lineages.[8]
At WrestleMania 38, SmackDown's Universal ChampionRoman Reigns defeated Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to win the latter's title and become recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.[8] As the undisputed champion, Reigns was allowed to appear on both brands; as a result of the2023 WWE Draft, however, he was drafted to SmackDown, thus making both championships under the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship banner exclusive to the brand.[18][19] A new world title, theWorld Heavyweight Championship, was created and subsequently designated to Raw.[20][19]
On the June 2, 2023, episode ofSmackDown, in celebration of Reigns reaching 1,000 days as Universal Champion, he was presented with a single belt, which features the same "Network Logo" design of the individual titles, but with notable differences. It is on a black strap, the WWE logo is encrusted with black gem stones, the background behind the logo is gold with nugget texturing, and the text at the bottom of the plate says "Undisputed Champion", while the side plates featured Reigns' logo.[21][22] His managerPaul Heyman had continued to carry around the standard WWE and Universal Championship belts until the end of July.[23]Cody Rhodes would defeat Reigns atWrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024, to win the title. Following Rhodes's victory, WWE truncated the name to Undisputed WWE Championship. Up until April 20, 2025, WWE had also recognized Rhodes as Universal Champion, but upon his loss atWrestleMania 41, the Universal Championship's history was amended, removing Rhodes, with its lineage to have ended upon Reigns's defeat at WrestleMania XL and Reigns recognized as the final Universal Champion.[24]
TheWCW World Heavyweight Championship was originally the world championship ofWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), and later, defended on the then-WWF's programs. The title was established in 1991 when WCW, a member of the NWA, created the title to replace the NWA's world championship and claimed reigning NWA World Heavyweight ChampionRic Flair as the inaugural WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Flair'sBig Gold Belt simultaneously represented the world championships of both the NWA and WCW until the NWA dropped its recognition of Flair as their champion when Flair left WCW with the Big Gold Belt and joined the WWF. Flair subsequently began appearing on WWF television with the Big Gold Belt, calling himself "The Real World Champion"; however, this was never officially recognized as a world championship in WWF.[25]
In 1993, WCW seceded from the NWA and grew to become a rival promotion to the WWF. Both organizations grew into mainstream prominence and were eventually involved in atelevision ratings war, dubbed theMonday Night Wars. Near the end of the ratings war, WCW began afinancial decline, which culminated in WWFpurchasing WCW in March 2001.[26] As a result of the purchase, the WWF acquired, among other assets,WCW's championships. Thus, there were two world championships in the WWF: the original WWF Championship and the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, which was shortened to WCW Championship upon WWF's acquisition and was eventually renamed the "World Championship" in November.[27][28] The World Championship was then retired when it was unified into the WWF Championship at Vengeance in December 2001, with the WWF Championship becoming the Undisputed WWF Championship. Chris Jericho was the final WCW Champion.[9]
Theoriginal World Heavyweight Championship was the second world championship to be established by WWE, which occurred in September 2002. After WWE introduced the WWE brand extension in March 2002, the Undisputed Champion was the only male wrestler allowed to appear on both the Raw and SmackDown brands. However, after reigning WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar signed an exclusive deal to only appear on SmackDown, Raw was left without a world championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was subsequently established and awarded toTriple H, who was originally the number one contender to Lesnar's championship, which dropped the "undisputed" moniker.[29][30][31]
Throughout the first brand split (2002–2011), the original World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship switched brands, usually as a result of theWWE Draft. The brand extension was dissolved in August 2011, allowing the World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Champion to appear on both brands. With no longer a need for two world championships, the World Heavyweight Championship was retired when it was unified into the WWE Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2013, with the WWE Championship becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Randy Orton was the final holder of the original World Heavyweight Championship.[13]
TheECW World Heavyweight Championship was originally the world championship ofExtreme Championship Wrestling, and later, WWE'sECW brand. In 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling seceded from the NWA and became Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and established the ECW World Heavyweight Championship with WWE recognizingShane Douglas as the inaugural champion. The championship itself had originally been established as the ECW Heavyweight Championship in 1992 for the previous Eastern Championship Wrestling withJimmy Snuka as the inaugural champion; however, WWE only recognizes the title history from its change over to Extreme Championship Wrestling.[32][33][34] In 2001, the ECW promotion folded due to bankruptcy and WWE bought the assets of ECW in 2003.[34]
In June 2006, WWE established a third brand dubbed ECW on which stars from the former promotion and newer talent competed.[34] When ECW'sRob Van Dam won the WWE Championship atECW One Night Stand, the ECW Championship was subsequently reactivated as the world championship of the ECW brand (and the third concurrently active world championship in WWE) and was awarded to Van Dam, who held both until he lost the WWE Championship to Raw'sEdge the following month. The three world championships at one point or another switched brands over the course of the brand extension, usually as a result of the WWE Draft. The ECW brand was disbanded in 2010, subsequently retiring the ECW Championship. The final champion wasEzekiel Jackson.[34]
TheWWE Universal Championship was created as a result of the reintroduction of the brand extension in July 2016. On the July 25 episode ofRaw, to address the lack of a world championship for the brand since the WWE Championship became exclusive to SmackDown, the Universal Championship was introduced.Finn Bálor subsequently became the inaugural champion atSummerSlam the following month.[35] The titles would switch brands following the events of the2019 Crown Jewel pay-per-view.[36][37]
AtWrestleMania 38 in April 2022, Universal ChampionRoman Reigns defeatedWWE ChampionBrock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match for both titles, becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Although WWE promoted the bout as a championship unification match, both titles maintained their separate lineages and were defended together under the "Undisputed" banner.[8] Reigns held both championships concurrently untilWrestleMania XL in April 2024, where he lost the Undisputed title toCody Rhodes. Initially, Rhodes was listed on WWE.com as the reigning Universal Champion. However, followingJohn Cena's victory over Rhodes for the Undisputed title atWrestleMania 41, WWE retroactively updated the title histories—retiring the Universal Championship and officially recognizing Reigns as the final titleholder after his loss at WrestleMania XL.[24]
TheNXT Championship is the top championship of WWE'sdevelopmental brand,NXT; however, there was a period of time from 2019 to 2021 in which NXT was regarded as WWE's third brand with the championship regarded as a world championship. In June 2012, WWE established the NXT brand as their developmental territory to replaceFlorida Championship Wrestling. The NXT Championship was subsequently established on July 1, 2012, andSeth Rollins defeatedJinder Mahal in the tournament finals to become the inaugural champion.[38][39] In September 2019, after years of growth and expansion, the NXT brand became WWE's third major brand when theNXT program was moved to theUSA Network,[40][41] with the NXT Championship subsequently regarded as a world championship.[42] However, WWE revamped NXT in September 2021 and returned the brand to its original function as a developmental brand, with the title no longer regarded as a world championship.[43]
Ten wrestlers held the NXT Championship when it was officially recognized as a world title:Drew McIntyre,[44]Andrade "Cien" Almas,[45]Aleister Black,[46]Tommaso Ciampa,[47][48]Johnny Gargano,[49]Adam Cole,[50]Keith Lee,[51]Karrion Kross,[52]Finn Bálor,[53] andSamoa Joe.[54] Kross is the only wrestler to have held it twice as a world championship, although Bálor and Joe had both held it prior to its world title status, and Ciampa would have a second reign after NXT becameNXT 2.0.[55][56][57][58]
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Thecurrent World Heavyweight Championship is the fourth world championship to be established by WWE, and is currently defended on the Raw brand. Its creation came as a result of Roman Reigns, who at the time held both the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship to be recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. On the April 24, 2023, episode ofRaw, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H announced that regardless of what brand Reigns was drafted to in the 2023 WWE Draft, he and his undisputed championship would become exclusive to that brand, with Triple H subsequently unveiling the World Heavyweight Championship for the opposing brand. During the draft, SmackDown drafted Reigns, thus the World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to Raw.[59][20][19][38] Seth "Freakin" Rollins became the inaugural champion by defeatingAJ Styles in a tournament final atNight of Champions on May 27, 2023.[60][61]
The following list shows the wrestlers that are currently holding all active men's world championships in WWE.
| Championship | Current champion | Reign | Date won | Days held | Location | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undisputed WWE Championship | .jpg) | Cody Rhodes | 2 | August 3, 2025 | 113 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | DefeatedJohn Cena in aStreet Fight on Night 2 ofSummerSlam. | [62] |
| World Heavyweight Championship (current version) | .png) | CM Punk | 2 | November 1, 2025 | 23 | Salt Lake City, Utah | DefeatedJey Uso to win the vacant title atSaturday Night's Main Event; previous championSeth Rollins relinquished the title due to injury. | [63] |
The following list shows retired men's world championships and the final title holders before the belts were deactivated by WWE.
| Championship | Final champion | Reign | Date retired | Days held | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Chris Jericho | 2 | December 9, 2001 | <1 | Won the title as the World Championship. It wasunified into the thenWWF Championship, which subsequently became known as the Undisputed WWF Championship. |
| ECW World Heavyweight Championship | Ezekiel Jackson | 1 | February 16, 2010 | <1 | Won the title as the ECW Championship. It was retired with the dissolution of theECW brand. |
| World Heavyweight Championship(original version) | Randy Orton | 4 | December 15, 2013 | <1 | The championship wasunified into Orton'sWWE Championship, which subsequently became known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. |
| WWE Universal Championship | Roman Reigns | 2 | April 7, 2024 | 1,316 | Decommissioned in favor of continuing theWWE Championship lineage. Following Reigns's loss, the official title history had originally recognizedCody Rhodes as champion until Rhodes lost the title atWrestleMania 41 the following year. Upon his loss, the official title history was amended, removing Rhodes and instead recognizing Reigns as the final champion, with the title retired the night he lost it at WrestleMania XL. |
The following list shows the inaugural holders for each world championship created and/or promoted by WWE.
| Championship | Holder(s) | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| WWE Championship | Buddy Rogers | April 11, 1963 | Won the title as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship which WWE recognizes as happening on April 25, 1963. |
| WCW World Heavyweight Championship | Ric Flair | January 11, 1991 | Flair was the reigningNWA World Heavyweight Champion whenWorld Championship Wrestling began also recognizing him as their world champion. For Flair's 16 world championships, this reign is recognized as one of his 8 NWA reigns. |
| ECW World Heavyweight Championship | Jimmy Snuka | April 25, 1992 | Won the title as the ECW Heavyweight Championship as part ofEastern Championship Wrestling of theNational Wrestling Alliance. This is not recognized by WWE. |
| Shane Douglas | March 26, 1994 | WWE officially recognizes this as the inaugural reign of the title afterEastern Championship Wrestling split from the NWA to becomeExtreme Championship Wrestling with Douglas' reign for the latter officially beginning on August 27, 1994. | |
| World Heavyweight Championship (original version) | Triple H | September 2, 2002 | |
| WWE Universal Championship | Finn Bálor | August 21, 2016 | |
| World Heavyweight Championship (current version) | Seth "Freakin" Rollins | May 27, 2023 |
The following list shows the ten longest world championship reigns in WWE history.
| No. | Champion | Title | Reign | Length (days) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruno Sammartino | WWE Championship | 1 | 2,803 | During this reign, the title was known as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 2 | Hulk Hogan | WWE Championship | 1 | 1,474 | During this reign, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 3 | Bob Backlund | WWE Championship | 1(2) | 1,470 | Backlund first won the title as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. During this reign, it was renamed to WWF Heavyweight Championship when the WWWF was renamed to WWF. WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 2,135 days as they do not recognizeAntonio Inoki's reign or the subsequent vacancies of the title that followed, and thus recognize this period as one continuous reign for Backlund. This is the second part of this reign. |
| 4 | Roman Reigns | WWE Universal Championship | 2 | 1,316 | From April 2022 until April 2024, he held and defended the title together with the WWE Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, although both titles retained their individual lineages. |
| 5 | Bruno Sammartino | WWE Championship | 2 | 1,237 | During this reign, the title was known as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| 6 | Pedro Morales | WWE Championship | 1 | 1,027 | During this reign, the title was known as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. |
| 7 | Roman Reigns | WWE Championship | 4 | 735 | During this reign, the title was jointly held and defended with theWWE Universal Championship as theUndisputed WWE Universal Championship, although both titles retained their individual lineages. |
| 8 | Bob Backlund | WWE Championship | 1(1) | 648 | Backlund first won the title as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. During this reign, it was renamed to WWF Heavyweight Championship when the WWWF was renamed to WWF. WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 2,135 days as they do not recognizeAntonio Inoki's reign or the subsequent vacancies of the title that followed, and thus recognize this period as one continuous reign for Backlund. This is the first part of this reign. |
| 9 | Brock Lesnar | WWE Universal Championship | 1 | 504 | WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 503 days. |
| 10 | CM Punk | WWE Championship | 2 | 434 | WWE recognizes this reign as lasting 434 days. |
The following list shows the longest reigning champion for each world championship created and/or promoted by WWE.
| No. | Champion | Title | Reign | Dates held | Length (days) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bruno Sammartino | WWE Championship | 1 | May 17, 1963 – January 18, 1971 | 2,803 | During this reign, the title was known as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 2 | Roman Reigns | WWE Universal Championship | 2 | August 30, 2020 – April 7, 2024 | 1,316 | From April 2022 until April 2024, he held and defended the title together with theWWE Championship as theUndisputed WWE Universal Championship, although both titles retained their individual lineages. |
| 3 | Hulk Hogan | WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 1 | July 17, 1994 – October 29, 1995 | 469 | |
| 4 | Shane Douglas | ECW World Heavyweight Championship | 4 | November 30, 1997 – January 10, 1999 | 406 | |
| 5 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins | World Heavyweight Championship (current version) | 1 | May 27, 2023 – April 7, 2024 | 316 | |
| 6 | Batista | World Heavyweight Championship (original version) | 1 | April 3, 2005 – January 10, 2006 | 282 |
The following list shows the wrestlers with the most reigns for each world championship created and/or promoted by WWE.
| No. | Champion | Title | No. of reigns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cena | WWE Championship | 14 | During Cena's 12th reign, the title was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and during his 14th reign, the title was known as the Undisputed WWE Championship. |
| 2 | Edge | World Heavyweight Championship (original version) | 7 | |
| 3 | Ric Flair | WCW World Heavyweight Championship | 6 | InWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW), Flair was recognized as an 8-time champion, but WWE only recognizes 6, counting his first reign as one of his 8NWA World Heavyweight Championship reigns and ignoring a title vacancy that occurred in 1994 and instead viewing that as one continuous reign. |
| Hulk Hogan | ||||
| Sting | ||||
| 4 | The Sandman | ECW World Heavyweight Championship | 5 | |
| 5 | Brock Lesnar | WWE Universal Championship | 3 | |
| 6 | Gunther | World Heavyweight Championship (current version) | 2 | |
| Seth Rollins | ||||
| CM Punk |
The following list shows the wrestlers who have the most world championship reigns in total, combining all titles they have held as recognized by WWE. This list also shows the titles that they won to achieve this record (minimum five world championship reigns).
| No. | Champion | Titles | No. of Reigns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | John Cena |
| 17 | During his 12th reign as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and during his 14th reign, it was known as the Undisputed WWE Championship. |
| 2 | Ric Flair |
| 16 | WWE officially recognizes that Flair is a 16-time world champion, with other promotions also recognizing this number. His actual number of world championships exceeds that. Depending on recognition, Flair is variously recognized as a 16-time world champion (8 NWA, 6 WCW, and 2 WWF), 18-time world champion (8 NWA, 8 WCW, and 2 WWF), and 20-time world champion (8 NWA, 8 WCW, 2 WWF, and 2 WCW International), with the number of WCW World title between 6 and 8. InWCW, Flair was recognized as an eight-time champion but WWE only recognizes 6, counting his first reign as one of his 8 NWA title reigns and ignoring a title vacancy that occurred in 1994 and instead viewing that as one continuous reign. WWE also does not recognize his twoWCW International World Championship reigns, recognizing the first reign as an NWA title reign, and not counting the second, which he won via a title unification match.[64][65][66] During his two reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| 3 | Triple H |
| 14 | During his first four reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF Championship. During his fifth reign, the title was known as the Undisputed WWF Championship. During his ninth reign, the title was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Triple H was the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion, which subsequently made him the first wrestler to hold the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship. |
| Randy Orton |
| Orton was the youngest holder of the World Heavyweight Championship at 24, which also makes him the youngest world champion in WWE history. Orton is also the final holder of the title when he unified the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship to become the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; this occurred during Orton's eighth reign as WWE Champion. By the time of his ninth reign, the title reverted to being called the WWE Championship. | ||
| 5 | Hulk Hogan |
| 12 | During his first five reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, although often abbreviated to WWF Championship. During his sixth reign, the title had three names, and he won it as the Undisputed WWF Championship but was shortly after renamed to Undisputed WWE Championship (due to the company being renamed from WWF to WWE) before being renamed again to WWE Undisputed Championship. Hogan is a 13-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his reign with the original version ofNew Japan Pro-Wrestling'sIWGP Heavyweight Championship. |
| 6 | Edge |
| 11 | |
| 7 | Brock Lesnar |
| 10 | Lesnar first won the WWE Championship when it was called the WWE Undisputed Championship; during that same reign, it was renamed to WWE Championship. During his fourth reign, it was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Lesnar holds the record for being the youngest wrestler to hold the WWE Championship at 25. With the WWE Universal Championship, Lesnar holds the record for most reigns, and he was also the first wrestler to hold the WWE Championship and the WWE Universal Championship. Lesnar is an 11-time World Champion, but WWE doesn't recognize hisIWGP Heavyweight Championship reign. |
| The Rock |
| During his first six reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF Championship. During his seventh reign, it was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship. During his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, the title was known as the WCW Championship. During his second reign, it was known simply as the World Championship. | ||
| 9 | Sting |
| 9 | Sting is a 15-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his oneWWA World Heavyweight Championship reign, one NWA World Heavyweight title in TNA or his fourTNA World Heavyweight Championship reigns. |
| 10 | Harley Race |
| 8 | |
| CM Punk |
| During his reign as ECW World Heavyweight Champion, the title was known as the ECW Championship. CM Punk is the only wrestler to hold both original and current versions of the World Heavyweight Championship. CM Punk is a 11-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his oneROH World Championship reign and twoAEW World Championship reigns. | ||
| 12 | Bret Hart |
| 7 | During his five reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. |
| The Undertaker |
| During his first two reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. During his third reign, it was known as the WWF Championship. During his fourth reign, it was known as the WWE Undisputed Championship. | ||
| Big Show |
| During his first reign as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF Championship. During his reign as ECW World Heavyweight Champion, the title was known as the ECW World Championship. Big Show is the only wrestler to have held all of these championships. | ||
| 15 | Kurt Angle |
| 6 | During his first two reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF Championship. During his sole reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, the title was known as the WCW Championship. Angle is a 13-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his oneIWGP Heavyweight Championship (Inoki Genome Federation version) reign and his sixTNA World Heavyweight Championship reigns. |
| Roman Reigns |
| During his first three reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Reigns is the only wrestler to hold both titles together as theUndisputed WWE Universal Championship. | ||
| Randy Savage |
| During his two reigns as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Savage is a 10-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize oneUSWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship reign and his 3ICW World Heavyweight Championship reigns | ||
| "Stone Cold" Steve Austin |
| During all six of his reigns, the title was known as the WWF Championship. | ||
| Booker T |
| In his fourth reign, the WCW World Heavyweight Championship was renamed as the WCW Championship after WWF purchased WCW in 2001. Booker T won his fifth WCW World Heavyweight Championship as the WCW Championship. | ||
| Chris Jericho |
| During his first reign as WCW World Heavyweight Champion, the title was known as the WCW Championship. During his second reign, it was known simply as the World Championship. Jericho was also the final holder of the WCW title as he unified it with the then-WWF Championship to become the Undisputed WWF Champion (his only reign of what is now the WWE Championship). Jericho is an 9-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his oneAEW World Championship reign and twoROH World Championship reigns. | ||
| Batista |
| |||
| Kevin Nash |
| During his reign as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. | ||
| Seth "Freakin" Rollins |
| Rollins won the WWE Championship as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in both of his reigns. Rollins was the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion (current version). Rollins is a 7-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize hisROH World Championship reign. | ||
| 24 | ||||
| Daniel Bryan |
| 5 | During his third reign as WWE Champion, the title was known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Bryan is a 10-time world champion, but WWE does not recognize his oneROH World Championship reign, oneAEW World Championship reign, his twoPWG World Championship reigns, or his onewXw World Heavyweight Championship reign. | |
| The Sandman |
| Despite WWE not recognizing any ECW Championship reigns before 1994, Sandman is described as a 5-time ECW Champion. |
After the July 22 episode ofRaw, Lesnar defected to Stephanie McMahon's SmackDown. Lesnar decided to remain exclusively on SmackDown, forcing Eric Bischoff's Raw brand to create its own World Championship.
The entire WWE roster was broken up into two separate camps, yahoo, with some rivalry (especially between future General Managers Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon) occurring.
In the wake of his Herculean effort, The Rated-R Superstar [Edge] traveled to Raw, NXT and SmackDown to scope out the World Champions before declaring that he would not announce which World Champion he would challenge until after WWE Elimination Chamber [2021].
Fact be known, it's 21 times. 16, I'll take credit for.