WWE Championship
Updated: 1/1/1970, 12:00:00 AM Wikipedia source
The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two men's world titles on WWE's main roster, along with the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw. The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who is in his second reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion John Cena in a Street Fight on Night 2 of SummerSlam on August 3, 2025. The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then-World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on April 25, 1963, as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, after the promotion seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) following a dispute over the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest championship currently active in WWE, and is presented as being the promotion's most prestigious title, with many matches for the title having headlined pay-per-view and livestreaming events—including WWE's flagship event WrestleMania. In professional wrestling in general, it is considered to be one of the most prestigious championships of all time. From its inception until 2001, it was promoted as WWE's sole primary championship. An additional world title, the WCW Championship, was added after the then-World Wrestling Federation's (WWF) purchase of World Championship Wrestling in early 2001. The titles were later unified as the Undisputed WWF Championship. After the first brand split in 2002 and the promotion being renamed to WWE, the championship became exclusive to SmackDown, dropping the "undisputed" moniker, while the World Heavyweight Championship (2002–2013 version) was created for Raw. ECW became a third brand in 2006, adding the ECW Championship. That title was deactivated in 2010, and the World Heavyweight Championship was unified into the WWE Championship in 2013. The championship was again the sole world title of WWE until the introduction of the WWE Universal Championship with the 2016 brand split and then a new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023. From April 2022 until April 2024, the WWE and Universal titles were held and defended together as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, maintaining their individual lineages until the Universal title was deactivated in April 2024, with the WWE title subsequently referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship. During both brand splits, the WWE Championship has switched brands, usually as a result of the WWE Draft; the 2023 draft moved it back to SmackDown.
Infobox
Tables
| Date of transition | Brand | Notes |
| August 26, 2002 | SmackDown! | WWE Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar signed with SmackDown!, making the title exclusive to the brand.The title was renamed to WWE Championship after the World Heavyweight Championship (original) was established for Raw. |
| June 6, 2005 | Raw | WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to Raw during the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. |
| June 11, 2006 | ECW | Following WWE's revival of Extreme Championship Wrestling as a third brand dubbed ECW, Rob Van Dam was chosen by ECW representative Paul Heyman to move to the new brand.At ECW One Night Stand, Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship, thus transferring the title to ECW.The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was reactivated and awarded to Van Dam, who held both titles. |
| July 3, 2006 | Raw | The WWE Championship was returned to Raw after Edge defeated Rob Van Dam and John Cena. |
| June 23, 2008 | SmackDown | WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown during the 2008 WWE Draft. |
| April 13, 2009 | Raw | WWE Champion Triple H was drafted back to Raw during the 2009 WWE Draft.Both the ECW brand and renamed ECW Championship were deactivated in 2010. |
| August 29, 2011 | N/A | End of first brand split. The WWE Champion could appear on both Raw and SmackDown.The WWE Championship and the original World Heavyweight Championship were unified in December 2013, with the World Heavyweight Championship retired as a result. |
| July 19, 2016 | SmackDown | Reintroduction of the brand split.WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown during the 2016 WWE Draft.The WWE Universal Championship was created for Raw. |
| November 1, 2019 | Raw | WWE Champion Brock Lesnar quit SmackDown and transferred to Raw. |
| April 28, 2023 | SmackDown | Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was drafted to SmackDown during the 2023 WWE Draft.A new World Heavyweight Championship was created for Raw.The WWE Championship has then been referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, after the Universal Championship was retired. |
References
- In all three instances, the "Undisputed WWE Championship" name was used in addition to or alongside the "WWE Championshi
- Name used when jointly defended with the WWE Universal Championship as a single title, while both championships continue
- "The 5 shortest WWE Title reigns in history"http://www.wwe.com/article/shortest-wwe-world-heavyweight-title-reigns?
- 411Maniahttps://411mania.com/wrestling/the-magnificent-seven-the-top-7-most-prestigious-american-wrestling-championships-of-all-time/
- "Rogers' 1st reign"https://web.archive.org/web/20160119192144/https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-world-heavyweight-championship/30445411
- National Wrestling Alliance: The Untold Story of the Monopoly that Strangled Pro Wrestling
- "WWE Entertainment, Inc. acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting"https://web.archive.org/web/20050408044957/https://corporate.wwe.com/news/2001/2001_03_23.jsp
- Online World of Wrestlinghttps://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/raw/011119.html
- KB's Wrestling Reviewshttps://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/07/29/monday-night-raw-november-19-2001-thats-one-heck-of-a-reset/
- WWE.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20080215113326/https://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wcwchampionship/3044541104
- The complex history of WWE's era of unification. WWE.com (September 12, 2012). Retrieved on September 5, 2013.https://www.wwe.com/classics/era-of-unification/page-5
- "WWWF/WWF/WWE World Heavyweight Title"https://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwf/wwf-h.html
- "World Heavyweight Championship turns five years old"https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/archive/08312007/articles/worldtitleturnsfive
- "The unification of the WWE Championship and WCW Championship"https://www.wwe.com/classics/era-of-unification/page-5
- "WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands"https://web.archive.org/web/20141017025205/https://corporate.wwe.com/news/2002/2002_03_27.jsp
- SLAM! Sports: Wrestlinghttps://archive.today/20160117225113/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/lesnar.html
- SLAM! Sports: Wrestlinghttps://archive.today/20120629092345/https://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/mcmahon-vince.html
- "Full WWE RAW Results – 9/2/02"https://www.wrestleview.com/news/1031022615.shtml
- "SmackDown results: Truth and Consequences"https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/2011-07-29/results
- www.wwe.comhttps://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2011/cena-punk-wwe-title
- "CALDWELL'S WWE TLC PPV RESULTS 12/15: Live, in-person coverage of Cena vs. Orton unification match from Houston"https://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_75121.shtml
- "Brock Lesnar receives the new WWE title belt on 'Monday Night Raw'"https://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/08/wwe-championship-belt-brock-lesnar
- PWInsider.comhttps://www.pwinsider.com/article/103003/future-of-top-wwe-championship-already-hinted-at-new-battleground-ppv-bout-and-more-wwe-news.html?p=1
- "Seth Rollins addressed 'The Roman Reigns Scandal'"https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2016-06-27/article/seth-rollins-addressed-roman-reigns-controversy
- "WWE Championship"https://web.archive.org/web/20160629011310/https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-championship
- "7/24 WWE Battleground Results – Caldwell's Complete Report"https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/07/24/jcbattlegroundppvreport/
- "WWE Raw live results: title match set for SummerSlam & a new champion is crowned"https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-raw-live-results-title-match-set-summerslam-new-champion-crowned-217286
- "WWE SmackDown Live results, July 26, 2016"https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/smackdown-live-july-26-2016
- "WWE World Championship"https://web.archive.org/web/20160727050411/https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-world-championship
- "WWE Championship"https://web.archive.org/web/20161214011819/https://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwe-championship
- Pro Wrestling Torchhttps://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/11/07/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-117-jinder-vs-styles-wwe-title-usos-vs-jordan-gable-tag-team-titles/
- Pro Wrestling Dot Nethttps://prowrestling.net/site/2019/10/31/wwe-crown-jewel-results-powells-live-review-of-brock-lesnar-vs-cain-velasquez-for-the-wwe-championship-seth-rollins-vs-bray-wyatt-in-a-falls-count-anywhere-match-for-the-wwe-universal-championsh/
- CBSSportshttps://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-shocking-nxt-invasion-brock-lesnar-quits-and-moves-to-raw/
- Pro Wrestling Dot Nethttps://prowrestling.net/site/2022/04/03/wrestlemania-38-results-powells-live-review-of-night-two-with-roman-reigns-vs-brock-lesnar-for-the-unified-wwe-championship-rk-bro-vs-the-street-profits-vs-alpha-academy-for-the-raw-tag-titles/
- POST Wrestlinghttps://www.postwrestling.com/2023/04/24/paul-levesque-unveils-new-world-heavyweight-title-champion-to-be-crowned-at-wwe-night-of-champions/
- Pro Wrestling Torchhttps://www.pwtorch.com/site/2023/04/24/4-24-wwe-monday-night-raw-results-kellers-report-on-bad-bunny-appearing-in-person-rey-vs-priest-last-pre-wwe-draft-episode/
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Onlinehttps://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/results/wwe-smackdown-live-results-wwe-draft-begins
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Onlinehttps://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/wwe-unveils-new-undisputed-wwe-universal-championship-belt
- Fightfulhttps://www.patreon.com/posts/more-on-wwe-84385045
- SEScoopshttps://www.sescoops.com/news/wwe/wwe-retires-universal-championship/
- "Draft History"https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/06112007/articles/drafthistory
- "WWE's destiny to be determined during SmackDown's LIVE premiere"https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/article/live-draft-smackdown-premiere
- Pro Wrestling Insiderhttps://pwinsider.com/article/103028/wwe-championship-name-change-official-bellas-and-more-news.html?p=1
- Wrestleviewhttps://www.wrestleview.com/news/1031022615.shtml
- "2005 WWE Draft Lottery"https://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/draftlottery1
- KB's Wrestling Reviewshttps://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/06/26/ecw-on-sci-fi-june-13-2006-debut-episode-complete-with-a-zombie/
- "Edge reclaims WWE Championship"https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/07032006/articles/edgereclaimswwechampionship
- "CALDWELL'S WWE RAW REPORT 6/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live three-hour Draft Raw"https://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TV_Reports_9/article_26020.shtml
- "Rough Draft"https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04132009/mainarticle
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/classics/original-wwe-championship-lost-and-found
- International Professional Wrestling Hall of Famehttps://www.prowrestlinghall.org/post/ipwhf-acquires-bruno-sammartino-title-belt-holy-grail-of-pro-wrestling-artifacts
- International Professional Wrestling Hall of Famehttps://www.prowrestlinghall.org/bruno-belt
- WWE.comhttp://www.wwe.com/classics/history-wwe-championship
- WWE's rare WWE Title collection revealed!https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ssvZxnfVk&feature=youtu.be
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/classics/from-the-vault-championships/page-4
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/inside/the-making-of-the-new-wwe-title
- 411Maniahttps://www.411mania.com/wrestling/news/274043/
- "WWE Champions"https://www.wwe.com/classics/the-esteemed-history-of-wwe-champions-photos
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/32/article/wwe-womens-championship-revealed
- POST Wrestlinghttps://www.postwrestling.com/2023/06/09/new-wwe-womens-championship-belt-presented-to-asuka/
- Wrestleviewhttps://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/64911-wwe-raw-results-72516-live-pittsburgh-fallout-battleground-new-era-raw-begins/
- WrestleViewhttps://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-news/66258-daniel-bryan-reveal-two-new-championships-exclusive-smackdown-live-tonight-connecticut/
- Fightfulhttps://www.fightful.com/wrestling/rhea-ripley-crowned-women-s-world-champion-given-new-title-belt-612-wwe-raw
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Onlinehttps://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/wwe-crown-first-united-kingdom-champion-january-226546
- "WWE announces NXT UK brand with two additional championships to be introduced"https://www.postwrestling.com/2018/06/18/wwe-announces-nxt-uk-brand-with-two-additional-championships-to-be-introduced/
- Monday Night Raw
- SmackDown Live
- SmackDown Live
- Battleground
- SummerSlam
- SmackDown Live
- Sportskeedahttps://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/is-the-wwe-championship-changing-again
- PWTorchhttps://www.pwtorch.com/site/2023/07/29/wwe-smackdown-tv-results-7-28-mcdonalds-alt-perspective-report-on-roman-reigns-and-jey-uso-face-to-face-mysterio-vs-escobar-u-s-title-invitational-final-anderson-vs-kross/
- "7 Championship Secrets Finally Revealed". (July 2009). WWE Magazine, p. 37.
- "Edge Interview"https://sports.ign.com/articles/730/730263p2.html
- Vliet, Chris Vanhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwJf5MD-t3Y
- WWE.comhttps://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/gallery/daniel-bryan-eco-friendly-wwe-championship-photos#fid-40319861
- www.wwe.comhttps://www.wwe.com/videos/san-francisco-giants-celebrate-with-the-wwe-world-heavyweight-championship
- www.wwe.comhttps://www.wwe.com/inside/daniel-bryan-joins-the-san-francisco-giants-world-series-parade-photos#fid-26923818
- WWE.comhttps://www.wwe.com/gallery/custom-wwe-world-championships-in-the-sports-world-photos?sf54962304=1#fid-40396764
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/article/triple-h-sends-custom-wwe-title-wnba-champions-seattle-storm
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/661220471602438146
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/794184995288055808
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/926109679213842432
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/article/triple-h-sends-custom-wwe-championship-to-the-2018-world-series-champion-boston-red-sox
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1189921486909444097
- WWEhttps://x.com/WWE/status/1455917584814071809
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/562683249865273348
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/696536804980228097
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/828635145573855232
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/960562920441737226
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/article/triple-h-congratulates-new-england-patriots-super-bowl-53-victory-with-custom-wwe
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/inside/golden-state-warriors-celebrate-2015-nba-championship-wwe-world-heavyweight-title
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/744923513551622144
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/874666649667895303
- WWEhttp://www.wwe.com/article/golden-state-warriors-celebrate-2018-nba-championship-with-custom-wwe-title
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1139571655301316608
- "Triple H Sends WWE Championship Belt to LeBron James, Lakers After Finals Win"https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2913104-triple-h-sends-wwe-championship-belt-to-lebron-james-lakers-after-finals-win
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/inside/megan-rapinoe-womens-soccer-wwe-world-heavyweight-championship
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/sheamus-notre-dame-football-wake-forest
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/742386924539678720
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/874303379366977541
- WWEhttp://www.wwe.com/article/washington-capitals-celebrate-2018-stanley-cup-with-custom-wwe-championship
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/article/st-louis-blues-celebrate-2019-stanley-cup-with-custom-wwe-championship
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/article/triple-h-presents-serena-williams-custom-wwe-championship
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/wwe-and-triple-h-send-custom-championship-to-chelsea-fc
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/triple-h-custom-wwe-championship-premier-league-champions-manchester-city
- "From WWE to FC Bayern München: Five years at Bundesliga... ....ONE Champion! This is headed your way David Alaba & Franck Ribéry"https://x.com/TripleH/status/872073564282814464
- "Mumbai Indians and Rohit Sharma, as promised, the WWE Title is on its way... Congratulations!"https://x.com/TripleH/status/885356282739294210
- "Felicidades a las Chivas por la #12 Here is something to help with the Championship celebration..."https://x.com/TripleH/status/889487581179777024
- WWE.comhttps://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/triple-h-boca-juniors-custom-wwe-championship
- "Champions deserve championship belts. WWE stars stopped by to award Aaron his belt for the HR Derby"https://x.com/Yankees/status/897560973766275073
- "From us at WWE to F1 Champion Lewis Hamilton, finish the season strong at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix...hope to see you when WWE comes to Abu Dhabi on December 7 & 8"https://x.com/TripleH/status/934082011207217152
- WWEhttps://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/real-madrid-custom-wwe-championship-triple-h
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1040216037759897602
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1152171223226281984
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1171151356889063426
- Fox Sportshttps://www.foxsports.com/wwe/story/triple-h-sends-custom-title-to-cfl-grey-cup-champions-the-winnipeg-blue-bombers-011720
- WWE.comhttps://www.wwe.com/worldwide/article/triple-h-visits-police-officer-wounded-london-bridge-attack
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/674402311381233664
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/808835276768473088
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/938212989169106944
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1070106315496648704
- catch-newz.comhttps://catch-newz.com/newz/dernieres-newz/19537-20-ans-de-christophe-agius-et-philippe-chereau-la-wwe-leur-offre-une-ceinture-personnalisee
- Triple Hhttps://x.com/TripleH/status/1757565541563179077
- "WWE Championship"https://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/wwechampionship/
- "Bruno Sammartino"https://www.wwe.com/superstars/bruno-sammartino
- Pro Wrestling Dot Nethttps://prowrestling.net/site/2025/08/03/wwe-summerslam-results-powells-live-review-of-night-two-with-john-cena-vs-cody-rhodes-in-a-street-fight-for-the-wwe-championship-naomi-vs-rhea-ripley-vs-iyo-sky-for-the-womens-world-cham/