The following champion history features the WWE Championship.
Champion history[]
| Wrestler: | Reigns: | Date: | Location: | Notes: | Defenses: | Days Held: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buddy Rogers | 1 | April 25, 1963 | Washington, D.C. | Rogers was awarded the title with the explanation that he defeated Antonio Rocca in the finals of a tournament in March 1963 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to become the first WWWF World Heavyweight Champion. | 2 | 22 | |||||
| Bruno Sammartino | 1 | May 17, 1963 | New York, NY | 74 | 2,803 | ||||||
| Ivan Koloff | 1 | January 18, 1971 | New York, NY | . | 1 | 21 | |||||
| Pedro Morales | 1 | February 8. 1971 | New York, NY | The championship loses World status when the WWWF rejoins the NWA in 1971. The title was renamed the WWWF Heavyweight Championship. | 29 | 1,027 | |||||
| Stan Stasiak | 1 | December 1, 1973 | Philadelphia, PA | . | 1 | 9 | |||||
| Bruno Sammartino | 2 | December 10, 1973 | New York, NY | First wrestler to repeat as champion. | 34 | 1,237 | |||||
| Superstar Billy Graham | 1 | April 30, 1977 | Baltimore, MD | Longest reign by a heel. | 11 | 296 | |||||
| Bob Backlund | 1 | February 20, 1978 | New York, NY | The title was renamed the WWF Heavyweight Championship when the World Wide Wrestling Federation became the World Wrestling Federation in March 1979. | 21 | 2,135 | |||||
| The Iron Sheik | 1 | December 26, 1983 | New York, NY | Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel while Backlund was in the Sheik's Camel clutch. | 1 | 28 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 1 | January 23, 1984 | New York, NY | . | 53 | 1,474 | |||||
| André the Giant | 1 | February 5, 1988 | Indianapolis, IN | Won the title at Main Event I. Immediately after winning the title from Hogan, André surrendered the title to Ted DiBiase. The title was immediately declared vacant. | 0 | <1 | |||||
| Ted DiBiase | 1† | February 5, 1988 | Indianapolis, IN | Was given by André the Giant, after he surrendered the title at Main Event I. But it was declared vacant by WWF Presdient Jack Tunney. | 0 | <1 | |||||
| After Andre surrendered the title to Ted DiBiase on February 5, 1988, the title was declared vacant by WWF President Jack Tunney and put up for grabs in a fourteen man tournament at WrestleMania IV. | |||||||||||
| Randy Savage | 1 | March 27, 1988 | Atlantic City, NJ | Defeated three wrestlers in a tournament and Ted DiBiase in the final to win the vacant title, also the first time there was a new champion at a WrestleMania. | 18 | 371 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 2 | April 2, 1989 | Atlantic City, NJ | Won title at WrestleMania V. | 17 | 364 | |||||
| The Ultimate Warrior | 1 | April 1, 1990 | Toronto, ON | Won title at WrestleMania VI, the WWF Intercontinental Championship was also on the line. | 6 | 293 | |||||
| Sgt. Slaughter | 1 | January 19, 1991 | Miami, FL | Won title at the Royal Rumble. | 2 | 64 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 3 | March 24, 1991 | Los Angeles, CA | Won title at WrestleMania VII, first ever three time champion. | 3 | 248 | |||||
| The Undertaker | 1 | November 27, 1991 | Detroit, MI | Won title at Survivor Series. | 1 | 6 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 4 | December 3, 1991 | San Antonio, TX | Won title at Tuesday in Texas. | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Hogan was stripped of the title by WWF President Jack Tunney on December 4, 1991 due to the controversy surrounding both of the previous title changes. Tunney, in an announcement airing on the December 7 edition of WWF Superstars, declared the title would go to the winner of the following month's Royal Rumble match. | |||||||||||
| Ric Flair | 1 | January 19, 1992 | Albany, NY | Last eliminated Sid Justice in the Royal Rumble match to win the vacant title. | 2 | 77 | |||||
| Randy Savage | 2 | April 5, 1992 | Indianapolis, IN | Won title at WrestleMania VIII. | 3 | 149 | |||||
| Ric Flair | 2 | September 1, 1992 | Hershey, PA | . | 3 | 41 | |||||
| Bret Hart | 1 | October 12, 1992 | Saskatoon, SK | Won title at an untelevised house show. | 6 | 174 | |||||
| Yokozuna | 1 | April 4, 1993 | Las Vegas, NV | Won title at WrestleMania IX. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 5 | April 4, 1993 | Las Vegas, NV | Immediately after Yokozuna's victory at WrestleMania IX, Hogan challenged for the title and won after Mr. Fuji accidentally threw salt in Yokozuna's eyes. | 1 | 70 | |||||
| Yokozuna | 2 | June 13, 1993 | Dayton, OH | Won title at King of the Ring. | 8 | 280 | |||||
| Bret Hart | 2 | March 20, 1994 | New York, NY | Won title at WrestleMania X. | 7 | 248 | |||||
| Bob Backlund | 2 | November 23, 1994 | San Antonio, TX | This was a "Throw in the Towel" match at Survivor Series. Upon being urgently asked by Owen Hart, Helen Hart threw in the towel while Bret was in Backlund's crossface chickenwing, giving Backlund the victory. | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Diesel | 1 | November 26, 1994 | New York, NY | Diesel defeated Backlund at an untelevised house show in a record eight seconds. | 9 | 358 | |||||
| Bret Hart | 3 | November 19, 1995 | Landover, MD | This was a no-disqualification match at Survivor Series. | 6 | 133 | |||||
| Shawn Michaels | 1 | March 31, 1996 | Anaheim, CA | This was a 60-minute Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII. After a 0-0 tie after 60 minutes, Michaels pinned Hart in sudden death overtime after one minute and 52 seconds to win. | 10 | 231 | |||||
| Sycho Sid | 1 | November 17, 1996 | New York, NY | Won title at Survivor Series. | 2 | 63 | |||||
| Shawn Michaels | 2 | January 19, 1997 | San Antonio, TX | Won title at Royal Rumble. | 1 | 25 | |||||
| Michaels forfeited the title on February 13, 1997 due to a knee injury. | |||||||||||
| Bret Hart | 4 | February 16, 1997 | Chattanooga, TN | This was a Fatal Four-Way match also involving Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Vader, held at In Your House: Final Four. | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Sycho Sid | 2 | February 17, 1997 | Nashville, TN | Won title on Monday Night RAW. This was the first time the title changed hands on Raw. | 2 | 34 | |||||
| The Undertaker | 2 | March 23, 1997 | Rosemont, IL | Won title at WrestleMania 13. | 6 | 133 | |||||
| Bret Hart | 5 | August 3, 1997 | East Rutherford, NJ | Won title at SummerSlam with Shawn Michaels as the guest referee. | 5 | 98 | |||||
| Shawn Michaels | 3 | November 9, 1997 | Montreal, QC | Won title at Survivor Series in the Montreal Screwjob. | 3 | 140 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 1 | March 29, 1998 | Boston, MA | Won title at WrestleMania XIV, marked the beginning of the "Attitude Era". | 5 | 90 | |||||
| Kane | 1 | June 28, 1998 | Pittsburgh, PA | This was a first blood match at King of the Ring. | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 2 | June 29, 1998 | Cleveland, OH | Won title on Monday Night RAW. | 2 | 90 | |||||
| The Undertaker and Kane | 2(3)†/1(2)† | September 27, 1998 | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Both won the title on In Your House:Breakdown. | 0 | 1 | |||||
| The title was declared vacant on September 28, 1998 after The Undertaker and Kane simultaneously pinned Austin in a Triple Threat match the previous night in Hamilton, Ontario. | |||||||||||
| The Rock | 1 | November 15, 1998 | St. Louis, MO | Defeated Mankind in a Tournament final at Survivor Series to win the vacant title. | 5 | 44 | |||||
| Mankind | 1 | December 29, 1998 | Worcester, MA | Won title on Monday Night RAW. | 1 | 26 | |||||
| The Rock | 2 | January 24, 1999 | Anaheim, CA | This was an I Quit match at the Royal Rumble. | 2 | 2 | |||||
| Mankind | 2 | January 26, 1999 | Tucson, AZ | This was an empty arena match that aired as a special named Halftime Heat during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII. | 2 | 20 | |||||
| The Rock | 3 | February 15, 1999 | Birmingham, AL | This was a ladder match. | 1 | 41 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 3 | March 28, 1999 | Philadelphia, PA | Won title at WrestleMania XV. | 3 | 56 | |||||
| The Undertaker | 3 | May 23, 1999 | Kansas City, MO | Won title at Over the Edge with Shane McMahon as special guest referee. | 3 | 36 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 4 | June 28, 1999 | Charlotte, NC | Won title on Monday Night RAW. | 2 | 55 | |||||
| Mankind | 3 | August 22, 1999 | Minneapolis, MN | Pinned Steve Austin during a Triple Threat match also involving Triple H with Jesse Ventura as special guest referee at SummerSlam. | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Triple H | 1 | August 23, 1999 | Ames, IA | Won title on Monday Night RAW with Shane McMahon as special guest referee. | 3 | 22 | |||||
| Mr. McMahon | 1 | September 14, 1999 | Las Vegas, NV | Vacated title on September 20. | TBA | 6 | |||||
| McMahon vacated the title on September 20, 1999 and declared it be put on the line in a Six Pack Challenge match at Unforgiven. | |||||||||||
| Triple H | 2 | September 26, 1999 | Charlotte, NC | Pinned The Rock in a Six-Pack Challenge match at Unforgiven that also included Mankind, The Big Show, The British Bulldog and Kane to win the vacant title. | 6 | 49 | |||||
| The Big Show | 1 | November 14, 1999 | Detroit, MI | Pinned Triple H in a Triple Threat match at Survivor Series that also included The Rock. | 7 | 50 | |||||
| Triple H | 3 | January 3, 2000 | Miami, FL | Chris Jericho defeated Triple H on April 17, 2000 in State College, PA to win the title, but the decision was reversed and the title returned to Triple H 18 minutes later. | 5 | 118 | |||||
| Chris Jericho | 1† | April 17, 2000 | State College, PA | Chris Jericho defeated Triple H on April 17, 2000 in State College, PA to win the title, but the decision was reversed and the title returned to Triple H 18 minutes later. | 0 | <1 | |||||
| The Rock | 4 | April 30, 2000 | Washington, D.C. | Following interference by Vince McMahon, Steve Austin returned to WWE after several months and came to the aid of The Rock, who later pinned Triple H at Backlash after a Spinebuster and The People's Elbow. | 2 | 21 | |||||
| Triple H | 4 | May 21, 2000 | Louisville, KY | Won a 60-minute Iron Man match 6-5. Special Referee Shawn Michaels awarded him the last fall by disqualification after The Undertaker interfered in favor of The Rock. | 1 | 35 | |||||
| The Rock | 5 | June 25, 2000 | Boston, MA | Defeated Triple H in a six-man tag team match with The Rock, The Undertaker and Kane vs. Triple H, Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon in which if Triple H or one of the McMahons were pinned, the winner would win the title. Chris Benoit defeated The Rock on July 23, 2000 in Dallas, TX, due to a stipulation where if the Rock was disqualified, the title would change hands. During the match, The Rock was disqualified, therefore, the title was awarded to Chris Benoit. However, WWF Commissioner Mick Foley restarted the match and Rock won the restart. Similarly, on September 24, 2000 in Greensboro, NC, Benoit won a Fatal Four-Way match against The Rock, Kane and The Undertaker. Yet as Benoit was leaving the ring, Commissioner Foley came down and restarted the match and Rock won the restart. | 5 | 119 | |||||
| Kurt Angle | 1 | October 22, 2000 | Albany, NY | Won title at No Mercy. | 23 | 126 | |||||
| The Rock | 6 | February 25, 2001 | Las Vegas, NV | Record setting sixth reign, won title at No Way Out. | 1 | 35 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 5 | April 1, 2001 | Houston, TX | Won title at WrestleMania X-Seven after siding with Vince McMahon. | 20 | 175 | |||||
| Kurt Angle | 2 | September 23, 2001 | Pittsburgh, PA | Won title at Unforgiven. | 5 | 15 | |||||
| Steve Austin | 6 | October 8, 2001 | Indianapolis, IN | Won title on Monday Night RAW. | 14 | 62 | |||||
| Chris Jericho | 1 | December 9, 2001 | San Diego, CA | Jericho won a four man one night tournament consisting of himself, The Rock, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle to unify the World Championship, with the WWF Championship at Vengeance. Austin defeated Angle to advance to the finals while Jericho defeated The Rock and subsequently defeated Austin in the finals. | 20 | 98 | |||||
| After being unified with the World Championship, the title was renamed the unified title was named the WWF Undisputed Championship. | |||||||||||
| Triple H | 5 | March 17, 2002 | Toronto, ON | Won title at WrestleMania X8 and was the last WWF Champion before the brand extension was established. | 2 | 35 | |||||
| Hulk Hogan | 6 | April 21, 2002 | Kansas City, MO | Hogan won the title at Backlash. | 3 | 28 | |||||
| Renamed the WWE Undisputed Championship on May 5, 2002. | |||||||||||
| The Undertaker | 4 | May 19, 2002 | Nashville, TN | Won title at Judgment Day. | 6 | 63 | |||||
| The Rock | 7 | July 21, 2002 | Detroit, MI | Pinned Kurt Angle in a Triple Threat match at Vengeance that also involved The Undertaker. Marks his record setting seventh reign. | 2 | 35 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 1 | August 25, 2002 | Uniondale, NY | Won title at Summerslam. The title was renamed the WWE Championship on September 3, 2002 in Uncasville, CT after Lesnar becomes a SmackDown!-exclusive superstar and Eric Bischoff created the World Heavyweight Championship and awarded it to Triple H. | 3 | 84 | |||||
| The Big Show | 2 | November 17, 2002 | New York, NY | Won title at Survivor Series. | 1 | 28 | |||||
| Kurt Angle | 3 | December 15, 2002 | Sunrise, FL | Won title at Armageddon. | 2 | 105 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 2 | March 30, 2003 | Seattle, WA | Won title at WrestleMania XIX. | 3 | 119 | |||||
| Kurt Angle | 4 | July 27, 2003 | Denver, CO | Pinned Lesnar in a Triple Threat match at Vengeance that also involved The Big Show. | 2 | 51 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 3 | September 16, 2003 | Raleigh, NC | This was a 60-minute Iron Man match that happened on Smackdown. | 5 | 152 | |||||
| Eddie Guerrero | 1 | February 15, 2004 | San Francisco, CA | Won title at No Way Out. | 5 | 133 | |||||
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | 1 | June 27, 2004 | Norfolk, VA | This was a Texas Bullrope match that occurred at the Great American Bash. | 9 | 280 | |||||
| John Cena | 1 | April 3, 2005 | Los Angeles, CA | Won title at WrestleMania 21, the title became RAW-exclusive on June 6, 2005 in St. Louis, MO when Cena moves to RAW as the first pick in the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery. | 11 | 280 | |||||
| Edge | 1 | January 8, 2006 | Albany, NY | Cashed in his "Money in the Bank" contract from WrestleMania 21 after Cena won an Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution just minutes earlier. | 2 | 21 | |||||
| John Cena | 2 | January 29, 2006 | Miami, FL | Won title at the Royal Rumble. | 4 | 133 | |||||
| Rob Van Dam | 1 | June 11, 2006 | New York, NY | Cashed in his "Money in the Bank" contract from WrestleMania 22. This was an Extreme Rules match at One Night Stand. | 3 | 22 | |||||
| Edge | 2 | July 3, 2006 | Philadelphia, PA | Pinned Rob Van Dam in a Triple Threat match on the July 3 edition of Raw that also involved John Cena. | 3 | 76 | |||||
| John Cena | 3 | September 17, 2006 | Toronto, ON | This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at Unforgiven. | 13 | 380 | |||||
| Vacated on the October 2 edition of ECW when Cena suffered a torn right pectoral tendon on the October 1 edition of Raw. | |||||||||||
| Randy Orton | 1 | October 7, 2007 | Rosemont, IL | Awarded the title by Vince McMahon at No Mercy. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Triple H | 6 | October 7, 2007 | Rosemont, IL | Won the title at No Mercy. | 2 | <1 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 2 | October 7, 2007 | Rosemont, IL | This was a Last Man Standing match at No Mercy. | 7 | 203 | |||||
| Triple H | 7 | April 27, 2008 | Baltimore, ML | This was a Fatal Four Way Match at Backlash. | 10 | 210 | |||||
| Edge | 3 | November 23, 2008 | Boston, MA | Won in a Triple Threat match also featuring Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series. | 1 | 21 | |||||
| Jeff Hardy | 1 | December 14, 2008 | Buffalo, NY | Won in a Triple Threat match also featuring Triple H at Armageddon. | 1 | 42 | |||||
| Edge | 4 | January 25, 2009 | Detroit, MI | Won in a no disqualification match at the Royal Rumble. | 2 | 21 | |||||
| Triple H | 8 | February 15, 2009 | Seattle, WA | Won in an Elimination Chamber Match also featuring Edge, Jeff Hardy, The Undertaker, Big Show, and Vladimir Kozlov at No Way Out. | 2 | 70 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 3 | April 26, 2009 | Providence, RI | Won in a six-man tag match at Backlash between Orton and The Legacy vs. Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista after pinning Triple H. | 2 | 42 | |||||
| Batista | 1 | June 7, 2009 | New Orleans, LA | Won in a Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules. | 0 | 2 | |||||
| The title is vacated on June 09, 2009 when Batista suffers a torn left bicep. | |||||||||||
| Randy Orton | 4 | June 15, 2009 | Charlotte, NC | Defeated John Cena, Big Show, and Triple H in a Fatal Four Way for the vacant title on Raw. | 5 | 90 | |||||
| John Cena | 4 | September 13, 2009 | Montreal, Quebec | Defeated Randy Orton in a "I Quit" match at Breaking Point. | 1 | 21 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 5 | October 4, 2009 | Cleveland, OH | Defeated John Cena in a Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell. | 1 | 21 | |||||
| John Cena | 5 | October 25, 2009 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Defeated Randy Orton in a Iron Man Match at Bragging Rights | 2 | 49 | |||||
| Sheamus | 1 | December 13, 2009 | San Antonio, Texas | Defeated John Cena in a Tables Match at TLC 2009 | 3 | 70 | |||||
| John Cena | 6 | February 21, 2010 | St. Louis, Missouri | Defeated Sheamus, Triple H, Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase and Kofi Kingston in an Elimination Chamber Match at Elimination Chamber 2010 | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Batista | 2 | February 21, 2010 | St. Louis, Missouri | Defeated John Cena after the Elimination Chamber Match at Elimination Chamber 2010 | 2 | 35 | |||||
| John Cena | 7 | March 28, 2010 | Glendale, Arizona | Defeated Batista at WrestleMania XXVI | 7 | 84 | |||||
| Sheamus | 2 | June 20, 2010 | Uniondale, New York | Defeated John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge at Fatal 4-Way 2010 | 6 | 91 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 6 | September 19, 2010 | Chicago, Illinois | This was a Six-Pack Challenge Elimination match also involving Edge, John Cena, Chris Jericho and Wade Barrett. | 8 | 64 | |||||
| The Miz | 1 | November 22, 2010 | Orlando, Florida | Won after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract on Raw. | 9 | 160 | |||||
| John Cena | 8 | May 1, 2011 | Tampa, FL | Won at Extreme Rules 2011 in a Triple Threat Steel Cage match that also included John Morrison. | 9 | 77 | |||||
| CM Punk | 1 | July 17, 2011 | Rosemont, IL | Won at Money in the Bank 2011 and left the company with the belt. Punk returned just two weeks later on RAW, still claiming to be champion. This led to an Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2011. | 1 | 28 | |||||
|
Rey Mysterio (and CM Punk) |
1
(1) |
July 25, 2011 | Hampton, Virginia | Won a tournament on Raw after Punk had left the company with the title. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| John Cena
(and CM Punk) |
9
(1) |
July 25, 2011 | Hampton, Virginia | Won on Raw after Mysterio was forced to defend his title the same night he won it. CM Punk would return, leading to the Undisputed WWE Championship match at SummerSlam 2011 | 1 | 20 | |||||
| CM Punk | 1 | August 14, 2011 | Los Angeles, California | Defeated John Cena in a match to determine the undisputed champion. This is considered a continuation of Punk's first reign, lasting a total of 28 days. Triple H was the special guest referee. | 1 | - | |||||
| Alberto Del Rio | 1 | August 14, 2011 | Los Angeles, California | Defeated CM Punk, who had just become undisputed WWE Champion after defeating John Cena. Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Punk had been attacked by Kevin Nash. | 2 | 35 | |||||
| John Cena | 10 | September 18, 2011 | Buffalo, New York | Won at Night of Champions 2011. | 2 | 14 | |||||
| Alberto Del Rio | 2 | October 2, 2011 | New Orleans, Louisiana | This was a Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match also involving CM Punk. Del Rio pinned Punk to win the title. | 2 | 49 | |||||
| CM Punk | 2 | November 20, 2011 | New York City, New York | Won at Survivor Series 2011. | 21 | 434 | |||||
| The Rock | 8 | January 27, 2013 | Phoenix, AZ | Won at Royal Rumble 2013. | 2 | 70 | |||||
| John Cena | 11 | April 7, 2013 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Won at WrestleMania 29. | 4 | 133 | |||||
| Daniel Bryan | 1 | August 18, 2013 | Los Angeles, California | Won at SummerSlam 2013. Triple H was the special guest referee. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 7 | August 18, 2013 | Los Angeles, California | Cashed in his "Money in the Bank" contract from Money in the Bank 2013 to win at SummerSlam 2013 after special guest referee Triple H attacked Daniel Bryan | 1 | 28 | |||||
| Daniel Bryan | 2 | September 15, 2013 | Detroit, Michigan | Won at Night of Champions 2013 | 0 | 1 | |||||
| Vacated after a controversial finish between Bryan and Orton the next night on Raw. | |||||||||||
| Randy Orton | 8 | October 27, 2013 | Miami, Florida | Won at Hell in a Cell 2013 in a Hell in a Cell match. Shawn Michaels was the special guest referee. Title was unified with the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2013 thus becoming the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. | 5 | 161 | |||||
| Daniel Bryan | 3 | April 6, 2014 | New Orleans | Won at WrestleMania XXX in a triple threat match which also included Batista. | 2 | 64 | |||||
| Bryan was stripped of the title due to a neck injury on Raw. | |||||||||||
| John Cena | 12 | June 29, 2014 | Boston, Massachusetts | Defeated Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Kane, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Sheamus in a Ladder match to win the vacant title at Money in the Bank 2014. | 2 | 49 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 4 | August 17, 2014 | Los Angeles | Won at SummerSlam 2014 | 3 | 224 | |||||
| Seth Rollins | 1 | March 29, 2015 | Santa Clara | Won at WrestleMania XXXI after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract during the main event between Lesnar and Roman Reigns making the singles match a triple threat match. Rollins pinned Reigns to win the title. | 10 | 221 | |||||
| Vacated after Rollins injured his knee at a house show in Dublin, Ireland on November 4, 2015. | |||||||||||
| Roman Reigns | 1 | November 22, 2015 | Atlanta, Georgia | Won at Survivor Series 2015, Defeated Dean Ambrose in a tournament final for the vacant title. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Sheamus | 3 | November 22, 2015 | Atlanta, Georgia | Won at Survivor Series 2015. Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. | 3 | 22 | |||||
| Roman Reigns | 2 | December 14, 2015 | Philadelphia, PA | Defeated Sheamus on Raw. | 2 | 41 | |||||
| Triple H | 9 | January 24, 2016 | Orlando, Florida | This was the Royal Rumble match, in which Triple H last eliminated Dean Ambrose. | 2 | 70 | |||||
| Roman Reigns | 3 | April 3, 2016 | Arlington, Texas | Won at WrestleMania 32 defeating Triple H. | 3 | 77 | |||||
| Seth Rollins | 2 | June 19, 2016 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Won at Money in the Bank defeating Roman Reigns. | 1 | <1 | |||||
| Dean Ambrose | 1 | June 19, 2016 | Las Vegas, Nevada | Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. | 5 | 84 | |||||
| AJ Styles | 1 | September 11, 2016 | Richmond, Virginia | In December 2016, the title's name was shortened back to WWE Championship. | 7 | 140 | |||||
| John Cena | 13 | January 29, 2017 | San Antonio, Texas | This was Cena's record-tying 16th world championship reign tying with Ric Flair. | 1 | 14 | |||||
| Bray Wyatt | 1 | February 12, 2017 | Phoenix, Arizona | This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, and Baron Corbin. | 2 | 49 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 9 | April 2, 2017 | Orlando, Florida | Won at WrestleMania XXXIII | 1 | 49 | |||||
| Jinder Mahal | 1 | May 21, 2017 | Rosemont, Illinois | Won at Backlash 2017 | 6 | 170 | |||||
| AJ Styles | 2 | November 7, 2017 | Manchester, England | Won on SmackDown Live! | 14 | 371 | |||||
| Daniel Bryan | 4 | November 13, 2018 | St. Louis, Missouri | Won on Smackdown | 5 | 145 | |||||
| Kofi Kingston | 1 | April 7, 2019 | East Rutherford, New Jersey | Won at WrestleMania 35 | 11 | 180 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 5 | October 4, 2019 | Los Angeles, California | Won at Friday Night Smackdown | 4 | 184 | |||||
| Drew McIntyre | 1 | April 5, 2020 | Orlando, Florida | Won at WrestleMania 36 | 9 | 203 | |||||
| Randy Orton | 10 | October 25, 2020 | Orlando, Florida | Won at Hell in a Cell | 1 | 22 | |||||
| Drew McIntyre | 2 | November 16, 2020 | Orlando, Florida | Won on Raw | 5 | 97 | |||||
| The Miz | 2 | February 21, 2021 | St. Petersburg, Florida | Cashed in Money in the Bank contract at Elimination Chamber | 2 | 8 | |||||
| Bobby Lashley | 1 | March 1, 2021 | St. Petersburg, Florida | Won on Raw | 9 | 196 | |||||
| Big E | 1 | September 13, 2021 | Boston, Massachusetts | Won after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract on Raw. | 4 | 110 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 6 | January 1, 2022 | Atlanta, Georgia | Won in a Five Way Match at Day 1 | 0 | 28 | |||||
| Bobby Lashley | 2 | January 29, 2022 | St. Louis, Missouri | Won at the Royal Rumble | 0 | 21 | |||||
| Brock Lesnar | 7 | February 19, 2022 | Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | Won at the Elimination Chamber | 0 | 43 | |||||
| Roman Reigns | 4 | April 3, 2022 | Dallas, Texas | Won at WrestleMania 38. | 11 | 735 | |||||
| Cody Rhodes | 1 | April 7, 2024 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Won at WrestleMania XL. | 249+ | ||||||
List of reign lengths[]
- As of December 12, 2024.
| Wrestler | Days Held | Date Won | Date Lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Sammartino | 2,803 | May 17, 1963 | January 18, 1971 |
| Bob Backlund | 2,135 | February 20, 1978 | December 26, 1983 |
| Hulk Hogan | 1,474 | January 23, 1984 | February 5, 1988 |
| Bruno Sammartino (2) | 1,237 | December 10, 1973 | April 30, 1977 |
| Pedro Morales | 1,027 | February 8, 1971 | December 1, 1973 |
| Roman Reigns (4) | 735 | April 3, 2022 | April 7, 2024 |
| CM Punk (2) | 434 | November 20, 2011 | January 27, 2013 |
| John Cena (3) | 380 | September 17, 2006 | October 2, 2007 |
| AJ Styles (2) | 371 | November 7, 2017 | November 13, 2018 |
| Randy Savage | 371 | March 27, 1988 | April 2, 1989 |
| Hulk Hogan (2) | 364 | April 2, 1989 | April 1, 1990 |
| Diesel | 358 | November 26, 1994 | November 19, 1995 |
| Superstar Billy Graham | 296 | April 30, 1977 | February 20, 1978 |
| The Ultimate Warrior | 293 | April 1, 1990 | January 19, 1991 |
| Yokozuna (2) | 280 | June 13, 1993 | March 20, 1994 |
| John "Bradshaw" Layfield | 280 | June 27, 2004 | April 3, 2005 |
| John Cena | 280 | April 3, 2005 | January 8, 2006 |
| Hulk Hogan (3) | 248 | March 24, 1991 | November 27, 1991 |
| Bret Hart (2) | 248 | March 20, 1994 | November 23, 1994 |
| Shawn Michaels | 231 | March 31, 1996 | November 17, 1996 |
| Brock Lesnar (4) | 224 | August 17, 2014 | March 29, 2015 |
| Seth Rollins | 221 | March 29, 2015 | November 5, 2015 |
| Triple H (7) | 210 | April 27, 2008 | November 23, 2008 |
| Randy Orton (2) | 203 | October 7, 2007 | April 27, 2008 |
| Drew McIntyre | 203 | April 5, 2020 | October 25, 2020 |
| Bobby Lashley | 196 | March 1, 2021 | September 13, 2021 |
| Brock Lesnar (5) | 184 | October 4, 2019 | April 5, 2020 |
| Kofi Kingston | 180 | April 7, 2019 | October 4, 2019 |
| Steve Austin (5) | 175 | April 1, 2001 | September 23, 2001 |
| Bret Hart | 174 | October 12, 1992 | April 4, 1993 |
| Jinder Mahal | 170 | May 21, 2017 | November 7, 2017 |
| Randy Orton (8) | 161 | October 27, 2013 | April 6, 2014 |
| The Miz | 160 | November 22, 2010 | May 1, 2011 |
| Brock Lesnar (3) | 152 | September 16, 2003 | February 15, 2004 |
| Randy Savage (2) | 149 | April 5, 1992 | September 1, 1992 |
| Daniel Bryan (4) | 145 | November 13, 2018 | April 7, 2019 |
| AJ Styles | 140 | September 11, 2016 | January 29, 2017 |
| Shawn Michaels (3) | 140 | November 9, 1997 | March 29, 1998 |
| John Cena (11) | 133 | April 7, 2013 | August 18, 2013 |
| Bret Hart (3) | 133 | November 19, 1995 | March 31, 1996 |
| The Undertaker (2) | 133 | March 23, 1997 | August 3, 1997 |
| Eddie Guerrero | 133 | February 15, 2004 | June 27, 2004 |
| John Cena (2) | 133 | January 29, 2006 | June 11, 2006 |
| Kurt Angle | 126 | October 22, 2000 | February 25, 2001 |
| The Rock (5) | 119 | June 25, 2000 | October 22, 2000 |
| Brock Lesnar (2) | 119 | March 30, 2003 | July 27, 2003 |
| Triple H (3) | 118 | January 3, 2000 | April 30, 2000 |
| Big E | 110 | September 13, 2021 | January 1, 2022 |
| Kurt Angle (3) | 105 | December 15, 2002 | March 30, 2003 |
| Bret Hart (5) | 98 | August 3, 1997 | November 9, 1997 |
| Chris Jericho | 98 | December 9, 2001 | March 17, 2002 |
| Drew McIntyre (2) | 97 | November 16, 2020 | February 21, 2021 |
| Steve Austin | 91 | March 29, 1998 | June 28, 1998 |
| Sheamus (2) | 91 | June 20, 2010 | September 19, 2010 |
| Steve Austin (2) | 90 | June 29, 1998 | September 28, 1998 |
| Randy Orton (4) | 90 | June 15, 2009 | September 13, 2009 |
| Dean Ambrose | 84 | June 19, 2016 | September 11, 2016 |
| John Cena (7) | 84 | March 28, 2010 | June 20, 2010 |
| Brock Lesnar | 84 | August 25, 2002 | November 17, 2002 |
| Roman Reigns (3) | 77 | April 3, 2016 | June 19, 2016 |
| John Cena (8) | 77 | May 1, 2011 | July 17, 2011 |
| Ric Flair | 77 | January 19, 1992 | April 5, 1992 |
| Edge (2) | 76 | July 3, 2006 | September 17, 2006 |
| Triple H (9) | 70 | January 24, 2016 | April 3, 2016 |
| The Rock (8) | 70 | January 27, 2013 | April 7, 2013 |
| Sheamus | 70 | December 13, 2009 | February 21, 2010 |
| Hulk Hogan (5) | 70 | April 4, 1993 | June 13, 1993 |
| Triple H (8) | 70 | February 15, 2009 | April 26, 2009 |
| Daniel Bryan (3) | 64 | April 6, 2014 | June 9, 2014 |
| Randy Orton (6) | 64 | September 19, 2010 | November 22, 2010 |
| Sgt. Slaughter | 64 | January 19, 1991 | March 24, 1991 |
| Sycho Sid | 63 | November 17, 1996 | January 19, 1997 |
| The Undertaker (4) | 63 | May 19, 2002 | July 21, 2002 |
| Steve Austin (6) | 62 | October 8, 2001 | December 9, 2001 |
| Steve Austin (3) | 56 | March 28, 1999 | May 23, 1999 |
| Steve Austin (4) | 55 | June 28, 1999 | August 22, 1999 |
| Kurt Angle (4) | 51 | July 27, 2003 | September 16, 2003 |
| The Big Show | 50 | November 14, 1999 | January 3, 2000 |
| Randy Orton (9) | 49 | April 2, 2017 | May 21, 2017 |
| Bray Wyatt | 49 | February 12, 2017 | April 1, 2017 |
| Triple H (2) | 49 | September 26, 1999 | November 14, 1999 |
| John Cena (5) | 49 | October 25, 2009 | December 13, 2009 |
| Alberto Del Rio (2) | 49 | October 2, 2011 | November 20, 2011 |
| John Cena (12) | 49 | June 29, 2014 | August 17, 2014 |
| The Rock | 44 | November 15, 1998 | December 29, 1998 |
| Brock Lesnar (7) | 43 | February 19, 2022 | April 3, 2022 |
| Jeff Hardy | 42 | December 14, 2008 | January 25, 2009 |
| Randy Orton (3) | 42 | April 26, 2009 | June 7, 2009 |
| Ric Flair (2) | 41 | September 1, 1992 | October 12, 1992 |
| The Rock (3) | 41 | February 15, 1999 | March 28, 1999 |
| Roman Reigns (2) | 41 | December 14, 2015 | January 24, 2016 |
| The Undertaker (3) | 36 | May 23, 1999 | June 28, 1999 |
| Alberto Del Rio | 35 | August 14, 2011 | September 18, 2011 |
| Triple H (4) | 35 | May 21, 2000 | June 25, 2000 |
| The Rock (6) | 35 | February 25, 2001 | April 1, 2001 |
| Triple H (5) | 35 | March 17, 2002 | April 21, 2002 |
| The Rock (7) | 35 | July 21, 2002 | August 25, 2002 |
| Batista (2) | 35 | February 21, 2010 | March 28, 2010 |
| Sycho Sid (2) | 34 | February 17, 1997 | March 23, 1997 |
| Brock Lesnar (6) | 28 | January 1, 2022 | January 29, 2022 |
| The Iron Sheik | 28 | December 26, 1983 | January 23, 1984 |
| Hulk Hogan (6) | 28 | April 21, 2002 | May 19, 2002 |
| The Big Show (2) | 28 | November 17, 2002 | December 15, 2002 |
| CM Punk | 28 | July 17, 2011 | August 14, 2011 |
| Randy Orton (7) | 28 | August 18, 2013 | September 15, 2013 |
| Mankind | 26 | December 29, 1998 | January 24, 1999 |
| Shawn Michaels (2) | 25 | January 19, 1997 | February 13, 1997 |
| Randy Orton (10) | 22 | October 25, 2020 | November 16, 2020 |
| Sheamus (3) | 22 | November 22, 2015 | December 14, 2015 |
| Triple H | 22 | August 23, 1999 | September 14, 1999 |
| Rob Van Dam | 22 | June 11, 2006 | July 3, 2006 |
| Buddy Rogers | 22 | April 25, 1963 | May 17, 1963 |
| Bobby Lashley (2) | 21 | January 29, 2022 | February 19, 2022 |
| Ivan Koloff | 21 | January 18, 1971 | February 8, 1971 |
| The Rock (4) | 21 | April 30, 2000 | May 21, 2000 |
| Edge | 21 | January 8, 2006 | January 29, 2006 |
| Edge (3) | 21 | November 23, 2008 | December 14, 2008 |
| Edge (4) | 21 | January 25, 2009 | February 15, 2009 |
| John Cena (4) | 21 | September 13, 2009 | October 4, 2009 |
| Randy Orton (5) | 21 | October 4, 2009 | October 25, 2009 |
| John Cena (9) | 20 | July 25, 2011 | August 14, 2011 |
| Mankind (2) | 20 | January 26, 1999 | February 15, 1999 |
| Kurt Angle (2) | 15 | September 23, 2001 | October 8, 2001 |
| John Cena (13) | 14 | January 29, 2017 | February 12, 2017 |
| John Cena (10) | 14 | September 18, 2011 | October 2, 2011 |
| Stan Stasiak | 9 | December 1, 1973 | December 10, 1973 |
| The Miz (2) | 8 | February 21, 2021 | March 1, 2021 |
| The Undertaker | 6 | November 27, 1991 | December 3, 1991 |
| Vince McMahon | 6 | September 14, 1999 | September 20, 1999 |
| Bob Backlund (2) | 3 | November 23, 1994 | November 26, 1994 |
| The Rock (2) | 2 | January 24, 1999 | January 26, 1999 |
| Batista | 2 | June 7, 2009 | June 9, 2009 |
| Hulk Hogan (4) | 1 | December 3, 1991 | December 4, 1991 |
| Bret Hart (4) | 1 | February 16, 1997 | February 17, 1997 |
| Kane | 1 | June 28, 1998 | June 29, 1998 |
| Mankind (3) | 1 | August 22, 1999 | August 23, 1999 |
| Daniel Bryan (2) | 1 | September 15, 2013 | September 16, 2013 |
| Cody Rhodes | 249+ | April 7, 2024 | Current Champion |
| Triple H (6) | 0 (2:30:00) |
October 7, 2007 | |
| Rey Mysterio | 0 (02:00:00) |
July 25, 2011 | |
| Randy Orton | 0 (24:00) |
October 7, 2007 | |
| Daniel Bryan | 0 (05:25) |
August 18, 2013 | |
| Roman Reigns | 0 (05:15) |
November 22, 2015 | |
| Yokozuna | 0 (02:30) |
April 4, 1993 | |
| Seth Rollins (2) | 0 | June 19, 2016 | |
| John Cena (6) | 0 (01:10) |
February 21, 2010 | |
| André the Giant | 0 (00:45) |
February 5, 1988 | |