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    WWE Championship

    TWMWrestlingBy Updated:11 Mins Read

    WWE Championship

    The WWE Championship is one of the world titles in WWE, complementing the Universal Championship. It is the first world title established in WWE, having been introduced in 1963 as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Championship. After ending its affiliation with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) the promotion was renamed World Wrestling Federation (WWF) with the title also renamed to reflect the acronym.

    In 2001, it was unified with the World Championship (formerly the WCW Championship) following the WWF’s buyout of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and became the Undisputed Championship. In 2002, the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and split its roster into two franchises, Raw and SmackDown, in a brand extension. The title was then designated to the SmackDown brand, while WWE established an alternate world title known as the World Heavyweight Championship for the Raw brand. The WWE Undisputed Championship has been known as the WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship since.

    The first champion was Buddy Rogers, who won the championship in 1963. The champion with the single longest reign is Bruno Sammartino with a reign of 2803 days. Only seven men in history have held the championship for a continuous reign of one year (365 days) or more. They are Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, Pedro Morales, Randy Savage, John Cena and CM Punk.

    Source: Wikipedia

    History

    No. Wrestler Reign Date Days held Location Event 
    133 AJ Styles 2 November 7, 2017 33+ Manchester, England SmackDown Live 
    132 Jinder Mahal 1 May 21, 2017 170 Rosemont, IL Backlash 
    131 Randy Orton 9 April 2, 2017 49 Orlando, FL WrestleMania 33 
    130 Bray Wyatt 1 February 12, 2017 49 Phoenix, AZ Elimination Chamber 
    129 John Cena 13 January 29, 2017 14 San Antonio, TX Royal Rumble 
    128 AJ Styles 1 September 11, 2016 140 Richmond, VA Backlash 
    126 Seth Rollins 2 June 19, 2016 <1 Las Vegas, NV Money in the Bank 
    127 Dean Ambrose 1 June 19, 2016 84 Las Vegas, NV Money in the Bank 
    125 Roman Reigns 3 April 3, 2016 77 Arlington, TX WrestleMania 32 
    124 Triple H 9 January 24, 2016 70 Orlando, FL Royal Rumble 
    123 Roman Reigns 2 December 14, 2015 41 Philadelphia, PA Raw 
    121 Roman Reigns 1 November 22, 2015 <1 Atlanta, GA Survivor Series 
    122 Sheamus 3 November 22, 2015 22 Atlanta, GA Survivor Series 
    — Vacated — November 4, 2015 — — — 
    120 Seth Rollins 1 March 29, 2015 220 Santa Clara, CA WrestleMania 31 
    119 Brock Lesnar 4 August 17, 2014 224 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam 
    118 John Cena 12 June 29, 2014 49 Boston, MA Money in the Bank 
    — Vacated — June 9, 2014 — Minneapolis, MN Raw 
    117 Daniel Bryan 3 April 6, 2014 64 New Orleans, LA WrestleMania XXX 
    116 Randy Orton 8 October 27, 2013 161 Miami, FL Hell in a Cell 
    — Vacated — September 16, 2013 — Cleveland, OH Raw 
    115 Daniel Bryan 2 September 15, 2013 1 Detroit, MI Night of Champions 
    113 Daniel Bryan 1 August 18, 2013 <1 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam 
    114 Randy Orton 7 August 18, 2013 28 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam 
    112 John Cena 11 April 7, 2013 133 East Rutherford, NJ WrestleMania 29 
    111 The Rock 8 January 27, 2013 70 Phoenix, AZ Royal Rumble 
    110 CM Punk 2 November 20, 2011 434 New York City, NY Survivor Series 
    109 Alberto Del Rio 2 October 2, 2011 49 New Orleans, LA Hell in a Cell 
    108 John Cena 10 September 18, 2011 14 Buffalo, NY Night of Champions 
    — CM Punk 1 August 14, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam 
    107 Alberto Del Rio 1 August 14, 2011 35 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam 
    105 Rey Mysterio
    (and CM Punk)     		1
    (1)     		July 25, 2011 <1 Hampton, VA Raw 
    106 John Cena
    (and CM Punk)     		9
    (1)     		July 25, 2011 20 Hampton, VA Raw 
    104 CM Punk 1 July 17, 2011 28 Rosemont, IL Money in the Bank 
    103 John Cena 8 May 1, 2011 77 Tampa, FL Extreme Rules 
    102 The Miz 1 November 22, 2010 160 Orlando, FL Raw 
    101 Randy Orton 6 September 19, 2010 64 Rosemont, IL Night of Champions 
    100 Sheamus 2 June 20, 2010 91 Uniondale, NY Fatal 4-Way 
    99 John Cena 7 March 28, 2010 84 Glendale, AZ WrestleMania XXVI 
    97 John Cena 6 February 21, 2010 <1 St. Louis, MO Elimination Chamber 
    98 Batista 2 February 21, 2010 35 St. Louis, MO Elimination Chamber 
    96 Sheamus 1 December 13, 2009 70 San Antonio, TX TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 
    95 John Cena 5 October 25, 2009 49 Pittsburgh, PA Bragging Rights 
    94 Randy Orton 5 October 4, 2009 21 Newark, NJ Hell in a Cell 
    93 John Cena 4 September 13, 2009 21 Montreal, QC Breaking Point 
    92 Randy Orton 4 June 15, 2009 90 Charlotte, NC Raw 
    — Vacated — June 9, 2009 — — — 
    91 Batista 1 June 7, 2009 2 New Orleans, LA Extreme Rules 
    90 Randy Orton 3 April 26, 2009 42 Providence, RI Backlash 
    89 Triple H 8 February 15, 2009 70 Seattle, WA No Way Out 
    88 Edge 4 January 25, 2009 21 Detroit, MI Royal Rumble 
    87 Jeff Hardy 1 December 14, 2008 42 Buffalo, NY Armageddon 
    86 Edge 3 November 23, 2008 21 Boston, MA Survivor Series 
    85 Triple H 7 April 27, 2008 210 Baltimore, MD Backlash 
    82 Randy Orton 1 October 7, 2007 <1 Rosemont, IL No Mercy 
    83 Triple H 6 October 7, 2007 <1 Rosemont, IL No Mercy 
    84 Randy Orton 2 October 7, 2007 203 Rosemont, IL No Mercy 
    — Vacated — October 2, 2007 — Dayton, OH ECW 
    81 John Cena 3 September 17, 2006 380 Toronto, ON Unforgiven 
    80 Edge 2 July 3, 2006 76 Philadelphia, PA Raw 
    79 Rob Van Dam 1 June 11, 2006 22 New York City, NY ECW One Night Stand 
    78 John Cena 2 January 29, 2006 133 Miami, FL Royal Rumble 
    77 Edge 1 January 8, 2006 21 Albany, NY New Year’s Revolution 
    76 John Cena 1 April 3, 2005 280 Los Angeles, CA WrestleMania 21 
    75 John “Bradshaw” Layfield 1 June 27, 2004 280 Norfolk, VA The Great American Bash 
    74 Eddie Guerrero 1 February 15, 2004 133 Daly City, CA No Way Out 
    73 Brock Lesnar 3 September 16, 2003 152 Raleigh, NC SmackDown! 
    72 Kurt Angle 4 July 27, 2003 51 Denver, CO Vengeance 
    71 Brock Lesnar 2 March 30, 2003 119 Seattle, WA WrestleMania XIX 
    70 Kurt Angle 3 December 15, 2002 105 Sunrise, FL Armageddon 
    69 Big Show 2 November 17, 2002 28 New York, NY Survivor Series 
    68 Brock Lesnar 1 August 25, 2002 84 Uniondale, NY SummerSlam 
    67 The Rock 7 July 21, 2002 35 Detroit, MI Vengeance 
    66 The Undertaker 4 May 19, 2002 63 Nashville, TN Judgment Day 
    65 Hollywood Hulk Hogan 6 April 21, 2002 28 Kansas City, MO Backlash 
    64 Triple H 5 March 17, 2002 35 Toronto, ON WrestleMania X8 
    63 Chris Jericho 1 December 9, 2001 98 San Diego, CA Vengeance 
    62 Stone Cold Steve Austin 6 October 8, 2001 62 Indianapolis, IN Raw 
    61 Kurt Angle 2 September 23, 2001 15 Pittsburgh, PA Unforgiven 
    60 Stone Cold Steve Austin 5 April 1, 2001 175 Houston, TX WrestleMania X-Seven 
    59 The Rock 6 February 25, 2001 35 Las Vegas, NV No Way Out 
    58 Kurt Angle 1 October 22, 2000 126 Albany, NY No Mercy 
    57 The Rock 5 June 25, 2000 119 Boston, MA King of the Ring 
    56 Triple H 4 May 21, 2000 35 Louisville, KY Judgment Day 
    55 The Rock 4 April 30, 2000 21 Washington, D.C. Backlash 
    54 Triple H 3 January 3, 2000 118 Miami, FL Raw Is War 
    53 Big Show 1 November 14, 1999 50 Detroit, MI Survivor Series 
    52 Triple H 2 September 26, 1999 49 Charlotte, NC Unforgiven 
    — Vacated — September 20, 1999 — Houston, TX Raw Is War 
    51 Vince McMahon 1 September 14, 1999 6 Las Vegas, NV SmackDown! 
    50 Triple H 1 August 23, 1999 22 Ames, IA Raw Is War 
    49 Mankind 3 August 22, 1999 1 Minneapolis, MN SummerSlam 
    48 Stone Cold Steve Austin 4 June 28, 1999 55 Charlotte, NC Raw Is War 
    47 The Undertaker 3 May 23, 1999 36 Kansas City, MO Over the Edge 
    46 Stone Cold Steve Austin 3 March 28, 1999 56 Philadelphia, PA WrestleMania XV 
    45 The Rock 3 February 15, 1999 41 Birmingham, AL Raw Is War 
    44 Mankind 2 January 26, 1999 20 Tucson, AZ Halftime Heat 
    43 The Rock 2 January 24, 1999 2 Anaheim, CA Royal Rumble 
    42 Mankind 1 December 29, 1998 26 Worcester, MA Raw Is War 
    41 The Rock 1 November 15, 1998 44 St. Louis, MO Survivor Series 
    — Vacated — September 27, 1998 — Hamilton, ON Breakdown: In Your House 
    40 Stone Cold Steve Austin 2 June 29, 1998 90 Cleveland, OH Raw Is War 
    39 Kane 1 June 28, 1998 1 Pittsburgh, PA King of the Ring 
    38 Stone Cold Steve Austin 1 March 29, 1998 91 Boston, MA WrestleMania XIV 
    37 Shawn Michaels 3 November 9, 1997 140 Montreal, QC Survivor Series 
    36 Bret Hart 5 August 3, 1997 98 East Rutherford, NJ SummerSlam 
    35 The Undertaker 2 March 23, 1997 133 Rosemont, IL WrestleMania 13 
    34 Sycho Sid 2 February 17, 1997 34 Nashville, TN Raw 
    33 Bret Hart 4 February 16, 1997 1 Chattanooga, TN In Your House 13: Final Four 
    — Vacated — February 13, 1997 — Lowell, MA Raw 
    32 Shawn Michaels 2 January 19, 1997 25 San Antonio, TX Royal Rumble 
    31 Sycho Sid 1 November 17, 1996 63 New York City, NY Survivor Series 
    30 Shawn Michaels 1 March 31, 1996 231 Anaheim, CA WrestleMania XII 
    29 Bret Hart 3 November 19, 1995 133 Landover, MD Survivor Series 
    28 Diesel 1 November 26, 1994 358 New York City, NY House show 
    27 Bob Backlund 2(3) November 23, 1994 3 San Antonio, TX Survivor Series 
    26 Bret Hart 2 March 20, 1994 248 New York City, NY WrestleMania X 
    25 Yokozuna 2 June 13, 1993 280 Dayton, OH King of the Ring 
    23 Yokozuna 1 April 4, 1993 <1 Las Vegas, NV WrestleMania IX 
    24 Hulk Hogan 5 April 4, 1993 70 Las Vegas, NV WrestleMania IX 
    22 Bret Hart 1 October 12, 1992 174 Saskatoon, SK House show 
    21 Ric Flair 2 September 1, 1992 41 Hershey, PA Prime Time Wrestling 
    20 Randy Savage 2 April 5, 1992 149 Indianapolis, IN WrestleMania VIII 
    19 Ric Flair 1 January 19, 1992 77 Albany, NY Royal Rumble 
    — Vacated — December 4, 1991 — New Haven, CT Superstars of Wrestling 
    18 Hulk Hogan 4 December 3, 1991 1 San Antonio, TX This Tuesday in Texas 
    17 The Undertaker 1 November 27, 1991 6 Detroit, MI Survivor Series 
    16 Hulk Hogan 3 March 24, 1991 248 Los Angeles, CA WrestleMania VII 
    15 Sgt. Slaughter 1 January 19, 1991 64 Miami, FL Royal Rumble 
    14 The Ultimate Warrior 1 April 1, 1990 293 Toronto, ON WrestleMania VI 
    13 Hulk Hogan 2 April 2, 1989 364 Atlantic City, NJ WrestleMania V 
    12 Randy Savage 1 March 27, 1988 371 Atlantic City, NJ WrestleMania IV 
    11 André the Giant 1 February 5, 1988 <1 Indianapolis, IN The Main Event I 
    — Vacated — February 5, 1988 — Indianapolis, IN The Main Event I 
    10 Hulk Hogan 1 January 23, 1984 1,474 New York City, NY House show 
    9 The Iron Sheik 1 December 26, 1983 28 New York City, NY House show 
    — Bob Backlund 2† December 17, 1979 1,470 New York City, NY House show 
    — Vacated — December 6, 1979 — Tokyo, Japan House show 
    — Antonio Inoki 1† November 30, 1979 6 Tokushima, Japan House show 
    8 Bob Backlund 1 February 20, 1978 2,135
    (648)    		New York, NY House show 
    7 Superstar Billy Graham 1 April 30, 1977 296 Baltimore, MD House show 
    6 Bruno Sammartino 2 December 10, 1973 1,237 New York, NY House show 
    5 Stan Stasiak 1 December 1, 1973 9 Philadelphia, PA House show 
    4 Pedro Morales 1 February 8, 1971 1,027 New York, NY House show 
    3 Ivan Koloff 1 January 18, 1971 21 New York, NY House show 
    2 Bruno Sammartino 1 May 17, 1963 2,803 New York, NY House show 
    1 Buddy Rogers 1 April 25, 1963 22 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 

    Longest reign: Bruno Sammartino (2803 days)
    Shortest reign: Seth Rollins (2 minutes)

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