- This article deals with the achievement as understood in professional wrestling in the United States. For the Japanese championship, which is counted as a single title, see AJPW Triple Crown Championship.
In professional wrestling, a Triple Crown Champion is a term describing a wrestler who has won the three most prestigious belts of their promotion - typically a heavyweight belt, a tag team belt, and a second-tier belt. It is considered a great accomplishment to have won a triple crown. A "multiple triple crown" distinction also exists, with having won the three constituent titles at least a specified number of times. Only five wrestlers have managed to be a triple crown champion in multiple companies (six if you count CM Punk in OVW). Kurt Angle has accomplished this in WWE and TNA while Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Bret Hart and Booker T are triple crown champions in WCW and WWE.
WWE Triple Crown
In World Wrestling Entertainment, the term Triple Crown Champion has traditionally been used to describe a wrestler who has won the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championship. For a span of nearly 18 years, from 1979 up through 1997, these were the three championships of the WWF, and a wrestler who had won all three championships (not necessarily concurrently) was considered a "triple crown champion."
In 1997, a fourth title, the European Championship was introduced. The European Championship, a singles title beneath the world and intercontinental titles, did not count for the purposes of designating triple crown champions, although a wrestler who had won all three primary titles and the European Championship would be recognized as a Grand Slam Champion.
Following the brand extension in 2002, the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Tag Team Championship are alternate titles that can compose part of the Triple Crown.
Official List of WWE Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of WWE Triple Crown Champions with dates indicating the wrestler's first reign with the respective championship.
Text | |
---|---|
Championships in italics | Indicates the title is an alternate title from the original definition of the Triple Crown. |
Dates in italics | The wrestler has won that title, but does not contribute to their Triple Crown because they had already won the Triple Crown or they had already won a title at that the same level. |
Dates in bold | The date the wrestler became a Triple Crown Champion. |
Names in bold | Indicates the wrestler is also a Grand Slam Champion. |
Name colors | |
Won the Triple Crown under the original definition. | |
Won the Triple Crown with one or more alternate titles. | |
Won the Triple Crown with an alternate title, but then went on to win all the titles under the original definition. | |
Won every Triple Crown eligible championship. | |
Date colors | |
Won title as a member of the Raw brand. | |
Won title as a member of the ECW brand. | |
Won title as a member of the SmackDown brand. | |
Won title before the WWE Brand Extension. | |
Notes | |
1 ^ The wrestler is not currently employed by WWE or is retired from professional wrestling, so future reigns are not probable. | |
2 ^ The wrestler is deceased, so future reigns are not possible. | |
3 ^ The World Tag Team Championship was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship on April 5, 2009, so future reigns with this title are not possible. | |
4 ^ The World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the WWE Championship on December 15, 2013, therefore future reigns with this title are not possible. |
Champion | Primary Championships | Tag Team Championships | Secondary Championships | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WWE | World Heavyweight |
World Tag Team |
WWE Tag Team |
Intercontinental | |
Pedro Morales | February 8, 1971 | no future reign probable | August 9, 1980 (with Bob Backlund) |
no future reign probable | December 8, 1980 |
Bret Hart | October 12, 1992 | no future reign probable | January 26, 1987 (with Jim Neidhart) |
no future reign probable | August 26, 1991 |
Diesel | November 26, 1994 | no future reign probable | August 28, 1994 (with Shawn Michaels) |
no future reign probable | April 13, 1994 |
Shawn Michaels | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 2002 | August 28, 1994 (with Diesel) |
December 13, 2009 (with Triple H) |
October 27, 1992 |
Stone Cold Steve Austin | March 29, 1998 | no future reign probable | May 26, 1997 (with Shawn Michaels) |
no future reign probable | August 3, 1997 |
The Rock | November 15, 1998 | no future reign possible | August 30, 1999 (with Mankind) |
February 13, 1997 | |
Triple H | August 23, 1999 | September 2, 2002 | April 29, 2001 (with Stone Cold Steve Austin) |
December 13, 2009 (with Shawn Michaels) |
October 21, 1996 |
Kane | June 28, 1998 | July 18, 2010 | July 13, 1998 (with Mankind) |
April 19, 2011 (with Big Show) |
May 20, 2001 |
Chris Jericho | December 9, 2001 | September 7, 2008 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Benoit) |
June 28, 2009 (with Edge) |
December 12, 1999 |
Kurt Angle | October 22, 2000 | January 10, 2006 | no future reign possible | October 20, 2002 (with Chris Benoit) |
February 27, 2000 |
Eddie Guerrero | February 15, 2004 | no future reign possible | no future reign possible | November 17, 2002 (with Chavo Guerrero) |
September 5, 2000 |
Chris Benoit | no future reign possible | March 14, 2004 | May 21, 2001 (with Chris Jericho) |
October 20, 2002 (with Kurt Angle) |
April 2, 2000 |
Ric Flair | January 19, 1992 | no future reign probable | December 14, 2003 (with Batista) |
no future reign probable | September 18, 2005 |
Edge | January 8, 2006 | May 8, 2007 | April 2, 2000 (with Christian) |
November 5, 2002 (with Rey Mysterio) |
July 24, 1999 |
Rob Van Dam | June 11, 2006 | no future reign possible | March 31, 2003 (with Kane) |
December 7, 2004 (with Rey Mysterio) |
March 17, 2002 |
Booker T | no future reign probable | July 23, 2006 | November 1, 2001 (with Test) |
no future reign probable | July 7, 2003 |
Randy Orton | October 7, 2007 | August 15, 2004 | November 13, 2006 (with Edge) |
December 14, 2003 | |
Jeff Hardy | December 14, 2008 | June 7, 2009 | June 29, 1999 (with Matt Hardy) |
April 4, 2017 (with Matt Hardy) |
April 10, 2001 |
CM Punk | July 17, 2011 | June 30, 2008 | October 27, 2008 (with Kofi Kingston) |
no future reign probable | January 19, 2009 |
John "Bradshaw" Layfield | June 27, 2004 | no future reign probable | May 25, 1999 (with Faarooq) |
no future reign probable | March 9, 2009 |
Rey Mysterio | July 25, 2011 | April 2, 2006 | no future reign possible | November 5, 2002 (with Edge) |
April 5, 2009 |
Dolph Ziggler | February 15, 2011 | April 3, 2006 (with the Spirit Squad) |
July 28, 2010 | ||
Christian | May 1, 2011 | April 2, 2000 (with Edge) |
September 23, 2001 | ||
Big Show | November 14, 1999 | December 18, 2011 | August 22, 1999 (with The Undertaker) |
July 26, 2009 (with Chris Jericho) |
April 1, 2012 |
The Miz | November 22, 2010 | no future reign possible | December 13, 2008 (with John Morrison) |
November 16, 2007 (with John Morrison) |
July 23, 2012 |
Daniel Bryan | August 18, 2013 | December 18, 2011 | no future reign possible | September 16, 2012 (with Kane) |
March 29, 2014 |
Dean Ambrose | June 19, 2016 | no future reign probable | no future reign probable | August 20, 2017 (with Seth Rollins) |
December 13, 2015 |
United States Championship
After the brand extension, the Intercontinental Championship was re-introduced on RAW as the second tier championship exclusive to that brand, while the United States Championship was introduced on SmackDown as the second tier championship belonging to that brand. Despite the fact that it is a second tier championship, its status as a substitute in the Triple Crown Championship is unconfirmed due to the fact that neither the WWE nor PWI have ever explicitly stated that it is equal to the Intercontinental Championship.
Potential Champions
As of August 20, 2017, the following active (or semi-active) wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions. Those who would be considered potential Triple Crown Champions if the United States Championship is considered an equivalent to the Intercontinental Championship are not included in this list:
Wrestlers currently working for or making appearances in WWE:
- Big E, Curtis Axel, Drew McIntyre, Goldust, Kofi Kingston, Luke Harper, Shelton Benjamin and William Regal need a WWE World Heavyweigh title reign.
- Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Sheamus & The Undertaker need a Intercontinental title reign.
- Kevin Owens need a Tag Team title reign.
WCW Triple Crown
The World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Triple Crown consisted of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (now WWE United States Championship) and the WCW World Tag Team Championship. When Bret Hart and Goldberg won the WCW World Tag Team Championship, they both became Triple Crown Champions at the same time.
List of WCW Triple Crown Champions
Name | WCW World Heavyweight | WCW World Tag Team | WCW United States Heavyweight |
---|---|---|---|
Ric Flair | January 11, 1991 | December 26, 1976 (with Greg Valentine) |
July 29, 1977 |
Lex Luger | July 14, 1991 | March 27, 1988 (with Barry Windham) |
July 11, 1987 |
Sting | February 29, 1992 | January 22, 1996 (with Lex Luger) |
August 25, 1991 |
Diamond Dallas Page | April 11, 1999 | May 31, 1999 (with Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon) |
December 28, 1997 |
Goldberg | July 6, 1998 | December 7, 1999 (with Bret Hart) |
April 20, 1998 |
Bret Hart | November 21, 1999 | December 7, 1999 (with Goldberg) |
July 20, 1998 |
Chris Benoit | January 16, 2000 | March 14, 1999 (with Dean Malenko) |
August 9, 1999 |
Scott Steiner | November 26, 2000 | November 1, 1989 (with Rick Steiner) |
April 11, 1999 |
Booker T | July 9, 2000 | May 3, 1995 (with Stevie Ray) |
March 18, 2001 |
ECW Triple Crown
The Extreme Championship Wrestling version of the Triple Crown consists of the ECW World Championship, ECW Tag Team Championship, and the ECW World Television Championship.
List of ECW Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of ECW Triple Crown Champions. Only the date in which the wrestler's first title was won is indicated. Dates in bold indicate the title that was used to complete the Triple Crown.
Name | ECW World Championship | ECW Tag Team Championship | ECW World Television Championship |
---|---|---|---|
Johnny Hotbody | April 26, 1992 | April 3, 1993 (with Chris Candido and Chris Michaels) | August 12, 1992 |
Sabu | October 2, 1993 | February 4, 1995 (with The Tazmaniac) | November 13, 1993 |
Mikey Whipwreck | October 28, 1995 | August 27, 1994 (with Cactus Jack) | May 13, 1994 |
Taz | January 10, 1999 | December 4, 1993 (with Kevin Sullivan) | March 6, 1994 |
Note:Rob Van Dam's eligibility as an ECW Triple Crown Champion is debated because he won the ECW World Championship under the WWE brand and not the original promotion.
TNA Triple Crown
In Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), the TNA Triple Crown is an accolade bestowed upon those who win (not necessarily concurrently) all three championships regularly contested in TNA - the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, the TNA X Division Championship and (one-half of) the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
List of TNA Triple Crown winners
As of December 2006, there has been only one Triple Crown winner, A.J. Styles. In TNA Wrestling, it is possible to be a multi-time Triple Crown Champion, as noted by Mike Tenay and Don West alluding to Styles as a 2-Time, then a 3-time Triple Crown Champion. Styles is a 3-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, 6-time TNA X Division Champion and 4-time NWA World Tag Team Champion, making him a three-time Triple Crown winner. He completed his first Triple Crown in June 11, 2003 by winning his first NWA World Heavyweight Championship. To become a four-time TNA Triple Crown Champion, A.J. Styles needs to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship again.
Name | World championship | Tag team championship | Secondary Championships | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NWA World Heavyweight Championship |
TNA World Heavyweight Championship |
NWA World Tag Team Championship |
TNA World Tag Team Championship |
TNA X Division Championship | |
A.J. Styles | June 11, 2003 | September 20, 2009 | July 3, 2002 (with Jerry Lynn) | October 14, 2007 (with Tomko) | June 19, 2002 |
Kurt Angle | June 17, 2007 | August 12, 2007 | August 12, 2007 | ||
Samoa Joe | April 13, 2008 | July 15, 2007 | December 11, 2005 | ||
Abyss | November 19. 2006 | February 4, 2004(with A.J. Styles) | September 19, 2014 (with James Storm) | May 16, 2011 | |
Austin Aries | July 8 2012 | January 26, 2013 (with Bobby Roode) | September 11, 2011 | ||
Chris Sabin | July 18, 2013 | July 11, 2010 (with Alex Shelley) | May 14, 2003 | ||
Eric Young | April 10, 2014 | October 12, 2004 (with Bobby Roode) | May 4, 2010 (with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) | December 7, 2008 | |
Eddie Edwards | October 3, 2016 | February 23, 2014
(with Davey Richards) |
June 12, 2016 |
Potential Champions
The following wrestlers require one more title in order to be awarded a Triple Crown. It should be noted that this list excludes NWA World Heavyweight Champions who held a pre-1975 version of the NWA World Tag Team Championship.
The following wrestlers are potential Triple Crown Champions:
- Trevor Lee need a TNA World Heavyweight Championship reign.
- Lashley needs a TNA Tag Team Championship Reign.
ROH Triple Crown
The Ring of Honor (ROH) Triple Crown originally was defined as the ROH World Championship, the ROH World Tag Team Championship, and the ROH World Television Championship.It was later amended so that the World Title and any combination of the TV, Tag Team or defunct ROH Pure Championship would qualify.
Current ROH wrestlers who are one title away from the Triple Crown include:
- Kenny King and Matt Taven require the ROH World Championship
- Jay Briscoe require the TV Championship (as the Pure Championship is no longer active).
List of ROH Triple Crown Champions
Name | ROH World | ROH World Tag Team | ROH World Television | ROH Pure |
---|---|---|---|---|
Eddie Edwards | March 19, 2011 | April 10, 2009 (with Davey Richards) |
March 5, 2010 | N/A (Title Defunct) |
Roderick Strong | September 11, 2010 | December 12, 2005 (with Austin Aries) |
March 31, 2012 | N/A (Title Defunct) |
Jay Lethal | June 19, 2015 | August 13, 2011 | March 5, 2005 | |
Christopher Daniels | March 10, 2017 | September 21, 2002
(with Donovan Morgan) |
December 10, 2010 | N/A (Title Defunct) |
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling has a hierarchy similar to WWE, with a Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team titles. This is a less notable triple crown, because it is technically on the independent circuit, but is possible to make an impressive resume for a wrestler.
List of OVW Triple Crown Champions
The following is a list of individuals who have won the OVW Heavyweight, Television, and Tag Team titles.
Name | OVW Heavyweight Championship | OVW Southern Tag Team Championship | OVW Television Championship |
---|---|---|---|
Brent Albright | April 25, 2005 | March 31, 2004 (with Chris Masters) | January 5, 2005 |
CM Punk | May 3, 2006 | July 28, 2006 (with Seth Skyfire) | November 9, 2005 |
Idol Stevens | March 14, 2007 | October 10, 2003 (with Nova) | January 4, 2006 |
Cody Runnels | February 17, 2007 | October 18, 2006 (with Shawn Spears) |
July 6, 2007 |
James "Moose" Thomas | January 6, 2010 | September 27, 2009 (with Tilo) |
September 9, 2009 |
Mike Mondo | May 29, 2010 | November 11, 2009 (with Turcan Celik) |
February 4, 2009 |
Rudy Switchblade | November 2, 2011 | February 22, 2012 (with Jessie Godderz & Rob Terry) |
August 27, 2008 |
Rob Terry | May 12, 2012 | February 22, 2012 (with Jessie Godderz & Rudy Switchblade) |
April 21, 2012 |
Cliff Compton | January 8, 2011 | March 19, 2006 (with Deuce) |
October 17, 2012 |
Jason Wayne | July 1, 2011 | January 16, 2013 (with Crimson) |
September 21, 2011 |
Jamin Olivencia | April 10, 2013 | August 1, 2007 (with T.J. Dalton) |
February 20, 2008 |
Flash Flanagan | November 26, 1999 | August 1, 1997 (with Nick Dinsmore) |
August 3, 2013 |
Adam Revolver | December 6, 2014 | March 27, 2010 (with Ted McNaler) |
September 14, 2011 |
Mohamad Ali Vaez | February 7, 2015 | May 14, 2008 (with Omar Akbar) |
June 4, 2010 |
Chris Silvio | July 24, 2015 | December 10, 2008 (with Kamikaze Kid) |
December 21, 2011 |
Elijah Burke | December 8, 2004 | December 5, 2015 (with Private Anthony) |
September 11, 2013 |
Big Jon | April 16, 2016 | July 5, 2014 (with The Bodyguy) |
March 5, 2016 |
Rocco Bellagio | May 14, 2016 | August 6, 2011 (with James "Moose" Thomas) |
October 5, 2011 |
Devin Driscoll | March 19, 2016 | January 25, 2017
(with Tony Gunn) |
October 11, 2006 |
References
[1] WWE's Championship Chart.