TheWWE Intercontinental Championship is aprofessional wrestling championship contested in and owned by the AmericanpromotionWWE on theRaw brand. The title was introduced into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1979.Pat Patterson, holder of theWWE North American Heavyweight Championship, was awarded the title (with thekayfabe explanation that he won a tournament inRio de Janeiro,Brazil and unified the North American and South American titles).[1][2]

The Intercontinental Championship has been called the second most important championship in the company, after theWWE Championship.[3] It has been active in WWE for the second-longest period, but is the third-oldest active title overall, behind the WWE Championship (1963) and theUnited States Championship (1975), the latter of which was acquired fromWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 2001. In 2002, theWWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and the championship was renamed accordingly.[4] Following the2023 WWE Draft, the title is currently exclusive to Raw.
Overall, there have been 189 reigns among 93 different champions.Chris Jericho holds the record for the most reigns with nine.John Cena is the current champion in his first reign. He won the title by defeatingDominik Mysterio on the November 10, 2025, episode ofRaw inBoston, Massachusetts.[5]
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship | September 1, 1979 – 1988 |
| WWF Intercontinental Championship | 1988 - May 6, 2002 |
| WWE Intercontinental Championship | May 6, 2002 – present |
As of November 24, 2025.
| No. | Overall reign number |
|---|---|
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| Days recog. | Number of days held recognized by the promotion |
| † | Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion |
| <1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Days recog. | ||||||
| National Wrestling Alliance:World Wrestling Federation (WWF) | |||||||||||
| 1 | Pat Patterson | September 1, 1979 | — | Rio de Janeiro,Brazil | 1 | 233 | 232 | Patterson became the first champion as a result of defeatingTed DiBiase to win theWWF North American Heavyweight Championship on June 19, 1979 inAllentown, Pennsylvania, and defeatingJohnny Rodz in a fictional tournament final inRio de Janeiro, Brazil to unify the North American Heavyweight Championship with the fictional South American Heavyweight Championship to create the WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship. First mention of the Intercontinental title took place on the August 22, 1979Championship Wrestling program, which aired August 25, 1979 in an interview after Patterson defeatedJohnny Rivera. | [1][6][7] | ||
| 2 | Ken Patera | April 21, 1980 | WWF on MSG Network | New York, NY | 1 | 231 | 230 | [8] | |||
| 3 | Pedro Morales | December 8, 1980 | WWF | New York, NY | 1 | 194 | 193 | [9] | |||
| 4 | Don Muraco | June 20, 1981 | WWF on PRISM Network | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 156 | 155 | [10] | |||
| 5 | Pedro Morales | November 23, 1981 | WWF on MSG Network | New York, NY | 2 | 425 | 424 | [11] | |||
| 6 | Don Muraco | January 22, 1983 | WWF on MSG Network | New York, NY | 2 | 385 | 384 | During his reign, theWWF withdrew from theNWA. | [12] | ||
| World Wrestling Federation (WWF) | |||||||||||
| 7 | Tito Santana | February 11, 1984 | WWF | Boston, MA | 1 | 226 | 225 | [13] | |||
| 8 | Greg Valentine | September 24, 1984 | Maple Leaf Wrestling | London, ON, Canada | 1 | 285 | 284 | Aired ontape delay on October 13, 1984. | [14] | ||
| 9 | Tito Santana | July 6, 1985 | House show | Baltimore, MD | 2 | 217 | 216 | This was asteel cage match. | [15] | ||
| 10 | Randy Savage | February 8, 1986 | WWF on NESN | Boston, MA | 1 | 414 | 414 | [16] | |||
| 11 | Ricky Steamboat | March 29, 1987 | WrestleMania III | Pontiac, MI | 1 | 65 | 64 | [17] | |||
| 12 | The Honky Tonk Man | June 2, 1987 | Superstars of Wrestling | Buffalo, NY | 1 | 454 | 453 | Aired ontape delay on June 13, 1987.[18] | |||
| 13 | The Ultimate Warrior | August 29, 1988 | SummerSlam | New York, NY | 1 | 216 | 215 | [19] | |||
| 14 | Rick Rude | April 2, 1989 | WrestleMania V | Atlantic City, NJ | 1 | 148 | 147 | [20] | |||
| 15 | The Ultimate Warrior | August 28, 1989 | SummerSlam | East Rutherford, NJ | 2 | 218 | 215 | [21][22] | |||
| — | Vacated | April 3, 1990 | Wrestling Challenge | Syracuse, NY | — | — | — | Warrior relinquished the title after winning theWWF Championship in order to focus on defending the latter. WWE recognizes the title as being vacated on April 1, 1990 atWrestleMania VI. | [21][22] | ||
| 16 | Mr. Perfect | April 23, 1990 | Superstars of Wrestling | Austin, TX | 1 | 126 | 125 | DefeatedTito Santana in a tournament final for the vacant title. Aired ontape delay on May 19, 1990. | [23][24] | ||
| 17 | The Texas Tornado | August 27, 1990 | SummerSlam | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 84 | 83 | [25] | |||
| 18 | Mr. Perfect | November 19, 1990 | Superstars of Wrestling | Rochester, NY | 2 | 280 | 279 | Aired ontape delay on December 15, 1990. | [23][26] | ||
| 19 | Bret Hart | August 26, 1991 | SummerSlam | New York, NY | 1 | 144 | 143 | [27] | |||
| 20 | The Mountie | January 17, 1992 | House show | Springfield, MA | 1 | 2 | 1 | [28] | |||
| 21 | Roddy Piper | January 19, 1992 | Royal Rumble | Albany, NY | 1 | 77 | 76 | [29] | |||
| 22 | Bret Hart | April 5, 1992 | WrestleMania VIII | Indianapolis, IN | 2 | 146 | 145 | [30] | |||
| 23 | The British Bulldog | August 29, 1992 | SummerSlam | London, England | 1 | 59 | 58 | [31] | |||
| 24 | Shawn Michaels | October 27, 1992 | Saturday Night's Main Event XXXI | Terre Haute, IN | 1 | 202 | 201 | Aired ontape delay on November 14, 1992. | [32][33] | ||
| 25 | Marty Jannetty | May 17, 1993 | Raw | New York, NY | 1 | 20 | 19 | [34] | |||
| 26 | Shawn Michaels | June 6, 1993 | House show | Albany, NY | 2 | 113 | 112 | [35] | |||
| — | Vacated | September 27, 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | Shawn Michaels was stripped of the title for failing to defend it within 30 days. In reality, Michaels was suspended for testing positive forsteroids.[36] | [37] | ||
| 27 | Razor Ramon | September 27, 1993 | Raw | New Haven, CT | 1 | 198 | 197 | Ramon andRick Martel were the final two participants in abattle royal. Ramon then defeated Martel for the vacant title; The match aired ontape delay on October 11, 1993. However,Shawn Michaels returned in November 1993, claiming to be the legitimate champion as nobody defeated him. Ramon went on to defeat Michaels in aladder match on March 20, 1994 atWrestleMania X. | [37][38] | ||
| 28 | Diesel | April 13, 1994 | Superstars | Rochester, NY | 1 | 138 | 137 | Aired ontape delay on April 30, 1994. | [39] | ||
| 29 | Razor Ramon | August 29, 1994 | SummerSlam | Chicago, IL | 2 | 146 | 145 | [40] | |||
| 30 | Jeff Jarrett | January 22, 1995 | Royal Rumble | Tampa, FL | 1 | 94 | 93 | [41] | |||
| — | Vacated | April 26, 1995 | Action Zone | Moline, IL | — | — | — | Held up when match betweenJeff Jarrett andBob "Spark Plug" Holly ended in controversy. Aired ontape delay on April 30, 1995. | [42] | ||
| 31 | Jeff Jarrett | April 26, 1995 | Action Zone | Moline, IL | 2 | 23 | 22 | DefeatedBob Holly in a rematch for the vacant title. Aired ontape delay on May 7, 1995. | [42] | ||
| 32 | Razor Ramon | May 19, 1995 | House show | Montreal QC, Canada | 3 | 2 | 2 | This was aladder match. WWE recognizes Ramon's reign as ending on May 22, 1995. | [43] | ||
| 33 | Jeff Jarrett | May 21, 1995 | House show | Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada | 3 | 63 | 61 | WWE recognizes Jarrett's reign as beginning on May 22, 1995. | [44] | ||
| 34 | Shawn Michaels | July 23, 1995 | In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks | Nashville, TN | 3 | 91 | 90 | [45] | |||
| 35 | Dean Douglas | October 22, 1995 | In Your House 4: Great White North | Winnipeg, MB, Canada | 1 | <1 | <1 | Won the title by forfeit due toShawn Michaels being attacked outside a nightclub inSyracuse, NY on October 14, 1995. | [46] | ||
| 36 | Razor Ramon | October 22, 1995 | In Your House 4: Great White North | Winnipeg, MB, Canada | 4 | 91 | 90 | [47] | |||
| 37 | Goldust | January 21, 1996 | Royal Rumble | Fresno, CA | 1 | 71 | 63 | WWE recognizes Goldust's reign as ending on March 25, 1996. | [48] | ||
| — | Vacated | April 1, 1996[48] | Raw | San Bernardino, CA | — | — | — | Held up when a title defense againstSavio Vega ended in a no contest. Aired ontape delay on April 15, 1996. | [49][50] | ||
| 38 | Goldust | April 1, 1996 | Raw | San Bernardino, CA | 2 | 83 | 82 | DefeatedSavio Vega in a rematch for the vacant championship. Aired ontape delay on April 22, 1996. | [49][50] | ||
| 39 | Ahmed Johnson | June 23, 1996 | King of the Ring | Milwaukee, WI | 1 | 50 | 57 | WWE recognizes Johnson's reign as ending on August 19, 1996. | [51] | ||
| — | Vacated | August 12, 1996 | Raw | Seattle, WA | — | — | — | Ahmed Johnson forfeited the championship after being attacked by the debutingFaarooq after winning an11-man battle royal. | [51] | ||
| 40 | Marc Mero | September 23, 1996 | Raw | Hershey, PA | 1 | 28 | 27 | DefeatedFaarooq in a tournament final for the vacant championship. | [49][52] | ||
| 41 | Hunter Hearst Helmsley | October 21, 1996 | Raw | Fort Wayne, IN | 1 | 115 | 114 | [53] | |||
| 42 | Rocky Maivia | February 13, 1997 | Raw | Lowell, MA | 1 | 74 | 73 | [54] | |||
| 43 | Owen Hart | April 28, 1997 | Raw | Omaha, NE | 1 | 97 | 96 | [55] | |||
| 44 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | August 3, 1997 | SummerSlam | East Rutherford, NJ | 1 | 36 | 63 | WWE mistakenly lists Austin's reign as lasting 63 days, ending on October 5, 1997. | [56] | ||
| — | Vacated | September 8, 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to a neck injury thatStone Cold Steve Austin suffered in winning the championship. | [56][57] | ||
| 45 | Owen Hart | October 5, 1997 | Badd Blood: In Your House | St. Louis, MO | 2 | 35 | 34 | DefeatedFaarooq in a tournament final for the vacant championship. | [58][59] | ||
| 46 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | November 9, 1997 | Survivor Series | Montreal, QC, Canada | 2 | 29 | 28 | [60] | |||
| 47 | The Rock | December 8, 1997 | Raw | Portland, ME | 2 | 265 | 264 | Stone Cold Steve Austin handed the championship belt to The Rock, who was formerly known as Rocky Maivia. | [61] | ||
| 48 | Triple H | August 30, 1998 | SummerSlam | New York, NY | 2 | 40 | 43 | This was aladder match. Triple H was formerly known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. WWE mistakenly lists Triple H's reign as lasting 43 days, ending on October 12, 1998. | [62] | ||
| — | Vacated | October 9, 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | Vacated due to a knee injury. | [62] | ||
| 49 | Ken Shamrock | October 12, 1998 | Raw | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 125 | 124 | DefeatedX-Pac in a tournament final for the vacant championship. | [63][64] | ||
| 50 | Val Venis | February 14, 1999 | St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House | Memphis, TN | 1 | 29 | 28 | Billy Gunn was theguest referee. | [65][66] | ||
| 51 | Road Dogg | March 15, 1999 | Raw | San Jose, CA | 1 | 14 | 13 | [67] | |||
| 52 | Goldust | March 29, 1999 | Raw | East Rutherford, NJ | 3 | 14 | 13 | [68] | |||
| 53 | The Godfather | April 12, 1999 | Raw | Detroit, MI | 1 | 43 | 42 | [69] | |||
| 54 | Jeff Jarrett | May 25, 1999 | Raw | Moline, IL | 4 | 60 | 53 | WWE recognizes Jarrett's reign as beginning on May 31, 1999, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [70] | ||
| 55 | Edge | July 24, 1999 | House show | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1 | 1 | <1 | [71] | |||
| 56 | Jeff Jarrett | July 25, 1999 | Fully Loaded | Buffalo, NY | 5 | 2 | <1 | WWE recognizes Jarrett's reign as ending on July 26, 1999. | [72] | ||
| 57 | D'Lo Brown | July 27, 1999 | Raw | Columbus, OH | 1 | 26 | 26 | This was aWinner Takes All match, where Brown also defended theEuropean Championship. Brown became the firstEurocontinental Champion. Aired ontape delay on August 2, 1999. WWE recognizes Brown's reign as beginning on July 26, 1999. | [73] | ||
| 58 | Jeff Jarrett | August 22, 1999 | SummerSlam | Minneapolis, MN | 6 | 56 | 55 | Jarrett also won theEuropean Championship in the match to become the secondEurocontinental Champion. | [74] | ||
| 59 | Chyna | October 17, 1999 | No Mercy | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 56 | 55 | This was aGood Housekeeping match. | [75][76] | ||
| 60 | Chris Jericho | December 12, 1999 | Armageddon | Sunrise, FL | 1 | 22 | 21 | [77] | |||
| † | Chris Jericho and Chyna | January 3, 2000 | Raw | Miami, FL | 1 | 20 | — | On December 28, 1999 (aired December 30, 1999) onSmackDown!, a title match between Chyna and Jericho ended in a double pinfall; as a result they were recognized as co-champions. WWE does not recognize this period as an official reign but as a vacancy. | [7][78] | ||
| 61 | Chris Jericho | January 23, 2000 | Royal Rumble | New York, NY | 2 | 35 | 34 | Jericho defeatedChyna andHardcore Holly in atriple threat match to become undisputed champion. | [78] | ||
| 62 | Kurt Angle | February 27, 2000 | No Way Out | Hartford, CT | 1 | 35 | 34 | Earlier that month, Angle had also won theEuropean Championship. This win made Angle the third and finalEurocontinental Champion. | [79] | ||
| 63 | Chris Benoit | April 2, 2000 | WrestleMania 2000 | Anaheim, CA | 1 | 30 | 49 | This was a two-falltriple threat match, also involvingChris Jericho, in whichKurt Angle defended both championships. The person to get the first fall won the Intercontinental Championship and the person to score the second fall won theEuropean Championship; Benoit scored the first fall to win the Intercontinental Championship. WWE recognizes Benoit's reign as ending on May 4, 2000, when the following episode aired ontape delay. They incorrectly list his reign as ending on May 22, 2000, and lasting 49 days. | [80] | ||
| 64 | Chris Jericho | May 2, 2000 | SmackDown! | Richmond, VA | 3 | 6 | 4 | WWE recognizes Jericho's reign as beginning on May 4, 2000, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [81] | ||
| 65 | Chris Benoit | May 8, 2000 | Raw | Uniondale, NY | 2 | 43 | 42 | Triple H was thespecial outside enforcer | [82] | ||
| 66 | Rikishi | June 20, 2000 | SmackDown! | Memphis, TN | 1 | 14 | 13 | WWE recognizes Rikishi's reign as beginning on June 22, 2000 and ending on July 6, 2000, both episodes of which aired ontape delay. | [83] | ||
| 67 | Val Venis | July 4, 2000 | SmackDown! | Sunrise, FL | 2 | 54 | 51 | WWE recognizes Venis's reign as beginning on July 6, 2000, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [84] | ||
| 68 | Chyna | August 27, 2000 | SummerSlam | Raleigh, NC | 2 | 8 | 7 | Won the title in a mixed tag team match that pitted Chyna andEddie Guerrero againstVal Venis andTrish Stratus; Chyna pinned Trish to win Venis' title. | [85] | ||
| 69 | Eddie Guerrero | September 4, 2000 | Raw | Lexington, KY | 1 | 78 | 79 | This was atriple threat match, also involvingKurt Angle. WWE recognizes Guerrero's reign as ending on November 23, 2000, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [86] | ||
| 70 | Billy Gunn | November 21, 2000 | SmackDown! | Sunrise, FL | 1 | 19 | 16 | WWE recognizes Gunn's reign as beginning on November 23, 2000, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [87] | ||
| 71 | Chris Benoit | December 10, 2000 | Armageddon | Birmingham, AL | 3 | 42 | 41 | [88] | |||
| 72 | Chris Jericho | January 21, 2001 | Royal Rumble | New Orleans, LA | 4 | 72 | 73 | This was aladder match. WWE recognizes Jericho's reign as ending on April 5, 2001, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [89] | ||
| 73 | Triple H | April 3, 2001 | SmackDown! | Oklahoma City, OK | 3 | 7 | 6 | WWE recognizes Triple H's reign as beginning on April 5, 2001 and ending on April 12, 2001, both episodes of which aired ontape delay. | [90] | ||
| 74 | Jeff Hardy | April 10, 2001 | SmackDown! | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 6 | 3 | WWE recognizes Hardy's reign as beginning on April 12, 2001, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [91] | ||
| 75 | Triple H | April 16, 2001 | Raw | Knoxville, TN | 4 | 34 | 33 | [92] | |||
| 76 | Kane | May 20, 2001 | Judgment Day | Sacramento, CA | 1 | 37 | 38 | This was achain match. WWE recognizes Kane's reign as ending on June 28, 2001, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [93][94] | ||
| 77 | Albert | June 26, 2001 | SmackDown! | New York, NY | 1 | 27 | 24 | This was ano disqualification match. WWE recognizes Albert's reign as beginning on June 28, 2001, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [95] | ||
| 78 | Lance Storm | July 23, 2001 | Raw | Buffalo, NY | 1 | 27 | 26 | [96] | |||
| 79 | Edge | August 19, 2001 | SummerSlam | San Jose, CA | 2 | 35 | 34 | [97] | |||
| 80 | Christian | September 23, 2001 | Unforgiven | Pittsburgh, PA | 1 | 28 | 27 | [98] | |||
| 81 | Edge | October 21, 2001 | No Mercy | St. Louis, MO | 3 | 15 | 14 | This was aladder match. | [99] | ||
| 82 | Test | November 5, 2001 | Raw | Uniondale, NY | 1 | 13 | 12 | [100] | |||
| 83 | Edge | November 18, 2001 | Survivor Series | Greensboro, NC | 4 | 63 | 62 | This was atitle unification match, where Edge also defended theWCW United States Championship. The United States Championship was deactivated in favor of continuing the Intercontinental Championship. | [101] | ||
| 84 | William Regal | January 20, 2002 | Royal Rumble | Atlanta, GA | 1 | 56 | 55 | [102] | |||
| 85 | Rob Van Dam | March 17, 2002 | WrestleMania X8 | Toronto, ON, Canada | 1 | 35 | 34 | On March 25, thebrand extension began, in which wrestlers and championships became exclusive to either theRaw orSmackDown! brands, represented by the show of the same name. The title became exclusive to Raw when Van Dam wasdrafted to the Raw brand. | [103] | ||
| WWF:Raw | |||||||||||
| 86 | Eddie Guerrero | April 21, 2002 | Backlash | Kansas City, MO | 2 | 36 | 35 | On May 6, 2002, after the World Wrestling Federation was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment" due to a lawsuit by theWorld Wide Fund for Nature, the title was subsequently renamed to WWE Intercontinental Championship. | [104][105] | ||
| WWE:Raw | |||||||||||
| 87 | Rob Van Dam | May 27, 2002 | Raw | Edmonton, AB, Canada | 2 | 63 | 62 | This was aladder match. On July 22, 2002, Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy to unify theEuropean Championship into the Intercontinental Championship, retiring the European title. | [106] | ||
| 88 | Chris Benoit | July 29, 2002 | Raw | Greensboro, NC | 4 | 27 | 27 | The title became exclusive toSmackDown! when Benoit defected to SmackDown! on July 30, 2002. Aired ontape delay on August 1, 2002. WWE incorrectly lists Benoit's reign as ending on August 26, 2002. | [107][108] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown | |||||||||||
| 89 | Rob Van Dam | August 25, 2002 | SummerSlam | Uniondale, NY | 3 | 22 | 40 | The title was returned toRaw due to Van Dam's status as a Raw wrestler. The following night onRaw, Van Dam defeatedTommy Dreamer to unifyHardcore Championship into the Intercontinental Championship, retiring the Hardcore title. WWE incorrectly list Van Dam's reign as beginning on August 6, 2002, and lasting 40 days. | [108][109] | ||
| WWE:Raw | |||||||||||
| 90 | Chris Jericho | September 16, 2002 | Raw | Denver, CO | 5 | 14 | 13 | [110] | |||
| 91 | Kane | September 30, 2002 | Raw | Houston, TX | 2 | 20 | 19 | [111] | |||
| 92 | Triple H | October 20, 2002 | No Mercy | North Little Rock, AR | 5 | <1 | <1 | This was atitle unification match to unify the Intercontinental Championship with Triple H'sWorld Heavyweight Championship. | [112] | ||
| — | Unified | October 20, 2002 | No Mercy | North Little Rock, AR | — | — | — | Unified withTriple H'sWorld Heavyweight Championship; the Intercontinental Championship was deactivated. | [112] | ||
| 93 | Christian | May 18, 2003 | Judgment Day | Charlotte, NC | 2 | 50 | 49 | Raw Co-General ManagerStone Cold Steve Austin reactivated the title. Christian won the revived title in abattle royal. | [113] | ||
| 94 | Booker T | July 7, 2003 | Raw | Montreal, QC, Canada | 1 | 34 | 33 | That same month, theUnited States Championship was reactivated for theSmackDown brand as the Intercontinental title's counterpart. | [114] | ||
| 95 | Christian | August 10, 2003 | House show | Des Moines, IA | 3 | 50 | 49 | [115] | |||
| 96 | Rob Van Dam | September 29, 2003 | Raw | Rosemont, IL | 4 | 28 | 27 | This was aladder match. | [116] | ||
| 97 | Chris Jericho | October 27, 2003 | Raw | Fayetteville, NC | 6 | <1 | <1 | [117] | |||
| 98 | Rob Van Dam | October 27, 2003 | Raw | Fayetteville, NC | 5 | 48 | 47 | This was asteel cage match. | [118] | ||
| 99 | Randy Orton | December 14, 2003 | Armageddon | Orlando, FL | 1 | 210 | 209 | Mick Foley was theguest referee. | [119] | ||
| 100 | Edge | July 11, 2004 | Vengeance | Hartford, CT | 5 | 57 | 56 | [120] | |||
| — | Vacated | September 6, 2004 | Raw | Wichita Falls, TX | — | — | — | Vacated due to a groin injury. | [120] | ||
| 101 | Chris Jericho | September 12, 2004 | Unforgiven | Portland, OR | 7 | 37 | 36 | DefeatedChristian in aladder match for the vacant title. | [121] | ||
| 102 | Shelton Benjamin | October 19, 2004 | Taboo Tuesday | Milwaukee, WI | 1 | 244 | 244 | Due to the stipulation of the event, fans could vote for who would faceChris Jericho for the title; Benjamin had the most votes. | [122] | ||
| 103 | Carlito | June 20, 2005 | Raw | Phoenix, AZ | 1 | 90 | 90 | WWE incorrectly list Carlito's reign as ending on September 19, 2005. | [123] | ||
| 104 | Ric Flair | September 18, 2005 | Unforgiven | Oklahoma City, OK | 1 | 155 | 153 | WWE incorrectly list Flair's reign as beginning on September 19, 2005, and lasting 153 days. | [124] | ||
| 105 | Shelton Benjamin | February 20, 2006 | Raw | Trenton, NJ | 2 | 69 | 68 | [125] | |||
| 106 | Rob Van Dam | April 30, 2006 | Backlash | Lexington, KY | 6 | 15 | 14 | This was aWinner Takes All match, where Van Dam also defended hisMoney in the Bank contract. | [126] | ||
| 107 | Shelton Benjamin | May 15, 2006 | Raw | Lubbock, TX | 3 | 41 | 40 | This was a 3-on-2 handicap Texas tornado match, featuring Benjamin,Chris Masters, andTriple H againstWWE ChampionJohn Cena and Intercontinental ChampionRob Van Dam, where if someone pinned Cena or Van Dam, they would win their respective title; Benjamin pinned Van Dam. | [127] | ||
| 108 | Johnny Nitro | June 25, 2006 | Vengeance | Charlotte, NC | 1 | 99 | 98 | This was atriple threat match, also involvingCarlito. | [128] | ||
| 109 | Jeff Hardy | October 2, 2006 | Raw | Topeka, KS | 2 | 35 | 34 | [129] | |||
| 110 | Johnny Nitro | November 6, 2006 | Raw | Columbus, OH | 2 | 7 | 6 | This was ano disqualification match. | [130] | ||
| 111 | Jeff Hardy | November 13, 2006 | Raw | Manchester, England | 3 | 98 | 97 | [131] | |||
| 112 | Umaga | February 19, 2007 | Raw | Bakersfield, CA | 1 | 56 | 55 | [132] | |||
| 113 | Santino Marella | April 16, 2007 | Raw | Milan, Italy | 1 | 77 | 76 | This was aNo Holds Barred match. Santino was "picked out of the audience" byVince McMahon. | [133] | ||
| 114 | Umaga | July 2, 2007 | Raw | Dallas, TX | 2 | 62 | 62 | WWE recognizes Umaga's reign as ending on September 3, 2007, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [134] | ||
| 115 | Jeff Hardy | September 2, 2007 | Raw | Columbus, OH | 4 | 190 | 189 | WWE recognizes Hardy's reign as beginning on September 3, 2007, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [135][136] | ||
| 116 | Chris Jericho | March 10, 2008 | Raw | Milwaukee, WI | 8 | 111 | 110 | [137] | |||
| 117 | Kofi Kingston | June 29, 2008 | Night of Champions | Dallas, TX | 1 | 49 | 48 | [138] | |||
| 118 | Santino Marella | August 17, 2008 | SummerSlam | Indianapolis, IN | 2 | 85 | 84 | This was aWinners Take All mixed tag team match in which bothKofi Kingston's Intercontinental andMickie James'sWomen's Championship were on the line. Marella won Kingston's title when his partner,Beth Phoenix, pinned James. | [139] | ||
| 119 | William Regal | November 10, 2008 | Raw | Manchester, England | 2 | 70 | 69 | [140] | |||
| 120 | CM Punk | January 19, 2009 | Raw | Rosemont, IL | 1 | 49 | 48 | This was ano disqualification match. | [141] | ||
| 121 | John "Bradshaw" Layfield | March 9, 2009 | Raw | Jacksonville, FL | 1 | 27 | 26 | [142] | |||
| 122 | Rey Mysterio | April 5, 2009 | WrestleMania 25 | Houston, TX | 1 | 63 | 62 | The title became exclusive toSmackDown following the2009 WWE Draft. | [143] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown | |||||||||||
| 123 | Chris Jericho | June 7, 2009 | Extreme Rules | New Orleans, LA | 9 | 21 | 20 | This was aNo Holds Barred match. | [144] | ||
| 124 | Rey Mysterio | June 28, 2009 | The Bash | Sacramento, CA | 2 | 65 | 67 | This was amask vs. title match. WWE recognizes Mysterio's reign as ending on September 4, 2009, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [145] | ||
| 125 | John Morrison | September 1, 2009 | SmackDown | Cleveland, OH | 3 | 103 | 99 | WWE recognizes Morrison's reign as beginning on September 4, 2009, when the episode aired ontape delay. John Morrison was formerly known as Johnny Nitro. | [146] | ||
| 126 | Drew McIntyre | December 13, 2009 | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | San Antonio, TX | 1 | 161 | 160 | On May 7, 2010,SmackDown General ManagerTheodore Long suspended McIntyre and vacated the title. The following week onSmackDown,Kofi Kingston won a tournament to declare a new champion, butVince McMahon reverted Long's decision, nullifying Kingston's win and continuing McIntyre's. | [147] | ||
| 127 | Kofi Kingston | May 23, 2010 | Over the Limit | Detroit, MI | 2 | 66 | 74 | WWE recognizes Kingston's reign as ending on August 6, 2010, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [148] | ||
| 128 | Dolph Ziggler | July 28, 2010 | SmackDown | Laredo, TX | 1 | 160 | 153 | WWE recognizes Ziggler's reign as beginning on August 6, 2010, and ending on January 7, 2011, both episodes of which aired ontape delay. | [149] | ||
| 129 | Kofi Kingston | January 4, 2011 | SmackDown | Tucson, AZ | 3 | 77 | 76 | WWE recognizes Kingston's reign as beginning on January 7, 2011 and ending on March 25, 2011, both episodes of which aired ontape delay. | [150] | ||
| 130 | Wade Barrett | March 22, 2011 | SmackDown | Columbus, OH | 1 | 89 | 85 | WWE recognizes Barrett's reign as beginning on March 25, 2011, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [151] | ||
| 131 | Ezekiel Jackson | June 19, 2011 | Capitol Punishment | Washington, D.C. | 1 | 51 | 53 | WWE recognizes Jackson's reign as ending on August 12, 2011, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [152] | ||
| 132 | Cody Rhodes | August 9, 2011 | SmackDown | Sacramento, CA | 1 | 236 | 233 | WWE recognizes Rhodes's reign as beginning on August 12, 2011, when the episode aired ontape delay. On August 29, 2011, thebrand extension ended, allowing the Intercontinental Champion to appear on bothRaw andSmackDown. | [153] | ||
| WWE (unbranded) | |||||||||||
| 133 | Big Show | April 1, 2012 | WrestleMania XXVIII | Miami Gardens, FL | 1 | 28 | 27 | [154] | |||
| 134 | Cody Rhodes | April 29, 2012 | Extreme Rules | Rosemont, IL | 2 | 21 | 21 | This was atables match. | [155] | ||
| 135 | Christian | May 20, 2012 | Over the Limit | Raleigh, NC | 4 | 64 | 63 | [156] | |||
| 136 | The Miz | July 23, 2012 | Raw 1000 | St. Louis,MO | 1 | 85 | 84 | [157] | |||
| 137 | Kofi Kingston | October 16, 2012 | Main Event | Memphis, TN | 4 | 74 | 74 | Aired ontape delay on October 17, 2012. | [158] | ||
| 138 | Wade Barrett | December 29, 2012 | Raw | Washington, D.C. | 2 | 99 | 98 | Aired ontape delay on December 31, 2012. | [159] | ||
| 139 | The Miz | April 7, 2013 | WrestleMania 29 Pre-Show | East Rutherford, NJ | 2 | 1 | 1 | [160] | |||
| 140 | Wade Barrett | April 8, 2013 | Raw | East Rutherford, NJ | 3 | 69 | 68 | [161] | |||
| 141 | Curtis Axel | June 16, 2013 | Payback | Rosemont, IL | 1 | 155 | 155 | This was atriple threat match, also involvingThe Miz. | [162] | ||
| 142 | Big E Langston | November 18, 2013 | Raw | Nashville, TN | 1 | 167 | 166 | On February 12, 2014, Big E Langston's ring name was shortened to Big E. | [163] | ||
| 143 | Bad News Barrett | May 4, 2014 | Extreme Rules | East Rutherford, NJ | 4 | 57 | 57 | Bad News Barrett was formerly known as Wade Barrett. | [164] | ||
| — | Vacated | June 30, 2014 | Raw | Hartford, CT | — | — | — | Title vacated due to a shoulder injury. | [165] | ||
| 144 | The Miz | July 20, 2014 | Battleground | Tampa, FL | 3 | 28 | 27 | This was a 19-manbattle royal. Miz last eliminatedDolph Ziggler to win the vacant title. | [166] | ||
| 145 | Dolph Ziggler | August 17, 2014 | SummerSlam | Los Angeles, CA | 2 | 35 | 35 | [167] | |||
| 146 | The Miz | September 21, 2014 | Night of Champions | Nashville, TN | 4 | 1 | <1 | [168] | |||
| 147 | Dolph Ziggler | September 22, 2014 | Raw | Memphis, TN | 3 | 56 | 56 | [169] | |||
| 148 | Luke Harper | November 17, 2014 | Raw | Roanoke, VA | 1 | 27 | 26 | [170] | |||
| 149 | Dolph Ziggler | December 14, 2014 | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Cleveland, OH | 4 | 22 | 22 | This was aladder match. | [171] | ||
| 150 | Bad News Barrett | January 5, 2015 | Raw | Corpus Christi, TX | 5 | 83 | 82 | Dolph Ziggler originally retained his title against Barrett, but Director of OperationsKane made the match atwo-out-of-three falls match, which Barrett won. | [172] | ||
| 151 | Daniel Bryan | March 29, 2015 | WrestleMania 31 | Santa Clara,CA | 1 | 43 | 43 | This was a seven-wayladder match, also involvingDean Ambrose,Dolph Ziggler,Luke Harper,R-Truth, andStardust. | [173] | ||
| — | Vacated | May 11, 2015 | Raw | Cincinnati, OH | — | — | — | Daniel Bryan was forced to relinquish the title due to a concussion-related injury. | [174] | ||
| 152 | Ryback | May 31, 2015 | Elimination Chamber | Corpus Christi, TX | 1 | 112 | 111 | This was anElimination Chamber match for the vacant title, also involvingSheamus,Dolph Ziggler,Mark Henry,R-Truth, andKing Barrett. | [175] | ||
| 153 | Kevin Owens | September 20, 2015 | Night of Champions | Houston, TX | 1 | 84 | 84 | [176] | |||
| 154 | Dean Ambrose | December 13, 2015 | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | Boston, MA | 1 | 64 | 63 | [177] | |||
| 155 | Kevin Owens | February 15, 2016 | Raw | Anaheim, CA | 2 | 48 | 47 | This was afatal five-way match, also involvingTyler Breeze,Stardust, andDolph Ziggler. | [178] | ||
| 156 | Zack Ryder | April 3, 2016 | WrestleMania 32 | Arlington, TX | 1 | 1 | 1 | This was a seven-wayladder match, also involvingDolph Ziggler,Sami Zayn,Stardust,Sin Cara, andThe Miz. | [179] | ||
| 157 | The Miz | April 4, 2016 | Raw | Dallas, TX | 5 | 188 | 188 | Thebrand extension returned and the title became exclusive to theSmackDown brand following the2016 WWE Draft. | [180] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown | |||||||||||
| 158 | Dolph Ziggler | October 9, 2016 | No Mercy | Sacramento, CA | 5 | 37 | 36 | This was atitle vs. career match. | [181] | ||
| 159 | The Miz | November 15, 2016 | SmackDown | Wilkes-Barre, PA | 6 | 49 | 48 | [182] | |||
| 160 | Dean Ambrose | January 3, 2017 | SmackDown | Jacksonville, FL | 2 | 152 | 151 | The title became exclusive to theRaw brand following the2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up. | [183] | ||
| WWE:Raw | |||||||||||
| 161 | The Miz | June 4, 2017 | Extreme Rules | Baltimore, MD | 7 | 169 | 169 | If Ambrose was disqualified, he would have lost the title. | [184] | ||
| 162 | Roman Reigns | November 20, 2017 | Raw | Houston, TX | 1 | 63 | 62 | [185] | |||
| 163 | The Miz | January 22, 2018 | Raw 25 Years | Brooklyn, NY | 8 | 76 | 75 | [186] | |||
| 164 | Seth Rollins | April 8, 2018 | WrestleMania 34 | New Orleans, LA | 1 | 71 | 71 | This was atriple threat match, also involvingFinn Bálor. | [187] | ||
| 165 | Dolph Ziggler | June 18, 2018 | Raw | Grand Rapids, MI | 6 | 62 | 61 | [188] | |||
| 166 | Seth Rollins | August 19, 2018 | SummerSlam | Brooklyn, NY | 2 | 119 | 119 | [189] | |||
| 167 | Dean Ambrose | December 16, 2018 | TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs | San Jose, CA | 3 | 29 | 28 | [190] | |||
| 168 | Bobby Lashley | January 14, 2019 | Raw | Memphis, TN | 1 | 34 | 33 | This was atriple threat match, also involvingSeth Rollins. | [191] | ||
| 169 | Finn Bálor | February 17, 2019 | Elimination Chamber | Houston, TX | 1 | 22 | 21 | This was a2-on-1 handicap match, featuringLio Rush asBobby Lashley's partner. Bálor pinned Rush to win Lashley's title. | [192] | ||
| 170 | Bobby Lashley | March 11, 2019 | Raw | Pittsburgh, PA | 2 | 27 | 27 | [193] | |||
| 171 | Finn Bálor | April 7, 2019 | WrestleMania 35 | East Rutherford, NJ | 2 | 98 | 97 | The title became exclusive to theSmackDown brand following the2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up. | [194] | ||
| WWE:SmackDown | |||||||||||
| 172 | Shinsuke Nakamura | July 14, 2019 | Extreme Rules Kickoff | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 201 | 201 | [195] | |||
| 173 | Braun Strowman | January 31, 2020 | SmackDown | Tulsa, OK | 1 | 37 | 36 | [196] | |||
| 174 | Sami Zayn | March 8, 2020 | Elimination Chamber | Philadelphia, PA | 1 | 65 | 65 | This was a3-on-1 Handicap match, also involvingShinsuke Nakamura andCesaro who teamed with Zayn. Zayn pinnedBraun Strowman to win the title. | [197] | ||
| — | Vacated | May 12, 2020 | Backstage | — | — | — | — | Sami Zayn was stripped of the title after electing to refrain from competing during theCOVID-19 pandemic.In storyline, he claimed to still be the champion, and continued to carry around his copy of the belt after he returned in August 2020. | [198] | ||
| 175 | AJ Styles | June 8, 2020 | SmackDown | Orlando, FL | 1 | 74 | 71 | DefeatedDaniel Bryan in a tournament final for the vacant title. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on June 12, 2020, when the match aired ontape delay. WWE incorrectly lists Styles' reign as lasting 71 days, ending on August 22, 2020. | [199][200] | ||
| 176 | Jeff Hardy | August 21, 2020 | SmackDown | Orlando, FL | 5 | 37 | 36 | On August 28, 2020,Sami Zayn returned with his own title belt, claiming to be the legitimate champion as he was never defeated. WWE did not recognize Zayn as champion; however, this led to the following match to determine the undisputed champion. | [201] | ||
| 177 | Sami Zayn | September 27, 2020 | Clash of Champions | Orlando, FL | 2 | 86 | 89 | This was a triple threatladder match also involvingAJ Styles in which the winner had to retrieve bothJeff Hardy's belt and Zayn's faux belt to determine the undisputed champion. WWE recognizes Zayn's reign as ending on December 25, 2020, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [202] | ||
| 178 | Big E | December 22, 2020 | SmackDown | St. Petersburg, FL | 2 | 110 | 106 | This was alumberjack match. WWE recognizes Big E's reign as beginning on December 25, 2020, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [203][204] | ||
| 179 | Apollo Crews | April 11, 2021 | WrestleMania 37 Night 2 | Tampa, FL | 1 | 124 | 123 | This was aNigerian Drum Fight. | [205] | ||
| 180 | King Nakamura | August 13, 2021 | SmackDown | Tulsa, OK | 2 | 182 | 189 | Nakamura won the title under the name King Nakamura; name reverted back to Shinsuke Nakamura on October 8, 2021. WWE recognizes Nakamura's reign as ending on February 18, 2022, when the following episode aired ontape delay. | [206] | ||
| 181 | Sami Zayn | February 11, 2022 | SmackDown | New Orleans, LA | 3 | 21 | 13 | WWE recognizes Zayn's reign as beginning on February 18, 2022, when the episode aired ontape delay. | [207] | ||
| 182 | Ricochet | March 4, 2022 | SmackDown | Miami, FL | 1 | 98 | 98 | [208] | |||
| 183 | Gunther | June 10, 2022 | SmackDown | Baton Rouge, LA | 1 | 666 | 666 | The title became exclusive to theRaw brand following the2023 WWE Draft. | [209] | ||
| WWE:Raw | |||||||||||
| 184 | Sami Zayn | April 6, 2024 | WrestleMania XL Night 1 | Philadelphia, PA | 4 | 119 | 118 | [210] | |||
| 185 | Bron Breakker | August 3, 2024 | SummerSlam | Cleveland, OH | 1 | 51 | 51 | [211] | |||
| 186 | Jey Uso | September 23, 2024 | Raw | Ontario, CA | 1 | 28 | 27 | [212] | |||
| 187 | Bron Breakker | October 21, 2024 | Raw | Philadelphia, PA | 2 | 181 | 180 | [213] | |||
| 188 | Dominik Mysterio | April 20, 2025 | WrestleMania 41 Night 2 | Paradise, NV | 1 | 204 | 204 | This was afatal four-way match, also involvingPenta andFinn Bálor, the latter of whom Mysterio pinned. | [214] | ||
| 189 | John Cena | November 10, 2025 | Raw | Boston, MA | 1 | 14+ | 14+ | [215] | |||


| † | Indicates the current champion |
|---|
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)