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Wikipedia

WWE Championship

April 09, 2024

This article is about WWE's long-standing world title. For WWE's world title created in 2016, see WWE Universal Championship. For WWE’s world title created in 2023, see World Heavyweight Championship (WWE). For other WWE men's world championships, see WWE World Championship (disambiguation).

The WWE Championship is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. Since April 2022, the title has been jointly held and defended with the WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, but both titles have maintained their individual lineages. It is one of three world titles in WWE, alongside its companion Universal Championship on SmackDown, and the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw. The current champion is Cody Rhodes, who is in his first reign. He won the undisputed title by defeating previous champion Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024.

WWE Championship

Top:
The WWE Championship belt introduced in 2014.
Bottom:
The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt used by current champion Cody Rhodes, which represents both the WWE Championship and Universal Championship (2023–present).
Details
PromotionWWE
BrandUndefined[a]
Date establishedApril 25, 1963
Current champion(s)Cody Rhodes
Date wonApril 7, 2024
Other name(s)
  • WWWF World Heavyweight Championship
    (1963–1971)
  • WWWF Heavyweight Championship
    (1971–1979)
  • WWF Heavyweight Championship
    (1979–1983)
  • WWF World Heavyweight Championship
    (1983–1989)
  • WWF Championship
    (1989–2001)
  • Undisputed WWF Championship
    (2001–2002)
  • Undisputed WWE Championship
    (2002)
  • WWE Undisputed Championship
    (2002)[1]
  • WWE Championship
    (2002–2013, 2016–present)
  • WWE World Heavyweight Championship
    (2013–2016)
  • WWE World Championship
    (2016)
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
    (2022–present)[b]
Statistics
First champion(s)Buddy Rogers
Most reignsJohn Cena
(13 reigns)
Longest reignBruno Sammartino
(1st reign, 2,803 days)
Shortest reignAndré the Giant
(1 minute and 48 seconds)[2]
Oldest championMr. McMahon
(54 years, 21 days)
Youngest championBrock Lesnar
(25 years, 44 days)
Heaviest championYokozuna
(568 lb (258 kg))
Lightest championRey Mysterio
(175 lb (79 kg))

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.[3]

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 Universal Championship with the 2016 brand split and then a new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023. 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.

History

Origin

 
Two-time champion Bruno Sammartino. His first reign is the longest at over seven years (2,803 days) and he has the longest combined reign (4,040 days); he is pictured here in his second reign (1973–1982 belt design) when the title was known as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship.

The title was introduced in 1963 with Buddy Rogers becoming the first champion. However, its origin is attributed to events that began in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which had various territorial member promotions. In the 1950s, Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) was a member of the NWA and by 1963, its executives held a controlling stake over NWA operations. During this time, Buddy Rogers held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship until January 24, when Lou Thesz defeated Rogers for the championship in a one-fall match. Claiming the title can only be contested in a traditional two-out-of-three falls match, CWC disputed the title change, and thus seceded from the NWA and became the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). The WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was then established and awarded to Buddy Rogers with the explanation that he won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, supposedly defeating Antonino Rocca in the finals.[4] After several years, the WWWF became affiliated with the NWA once again, and "World" was dropped from the championship's name. In 1979, the WWWF was renamed World Wrestling Federation (WWF), and then after conclusively ending its affiliation with the NWA in 1983, the championship became known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Although the full name appeared on the championship belts until 1998, the name was often abbreviated to WWF Championship, which became its official name in 1998.

Monday Night War and title unification

Further information: Championship unification
 
A diagram showing the evolution of various world heavyweight championships.

In 1991, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), a member of the NWA, established the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to replace the NWA's world title. In 1993, WCW seceded from the NWA and grew to become a rival promotion to the WWF. Both organizations grew into mainstream prominence and were eventually involved in a television ratings war, dubbed the Monday Night War. Near the end of the ratings war, WCW began a financial decline, which culminated in WWF purchasing WCW in March 2001.[5] As a result of the purchase, the WWF acquired, among other assets, WCW's championships. Thus, there were two world titles in the WWF: the original WWF Championship and the WCW Championship, which was eventually renamed the "World Championship".[6][7]

In December 2001, the two championships were unified at Vengeance. At the event, Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kurt Angle to retain the WWF Championship, while Chris Jericho defeated The Rock for the World Championship. After this, Jericho then defeated Austin, unifying the WWF and World Championships, and becoming the first Undisputed WWF Champion; the Undisputed championship retained the lineage of the WWF Championship and the World Championship was retired.[8] Subsequently, the Big Eagle Belt (formerly representing the WWF Championship) and the Big Gold Belt (formerly representing the World Championship) were used in tandem to represent the Undisputed Championship.[9][10][11] Jericho held the championship for four months until he lost it at WrestleMania X8 against Triple H, who was soon after presented with a single championship belt.[12]

Championship disputes

 
Record 13-time WWE Champion John Cena – shown with the "Spinner Belt", which was used to represent the title from 2005 to 2013

The Undisputed Championship continued up through the beginning of the first brand split, which saw wrestlers being drafted to the company's main television programs, Raw and SmackDown, each show representing the brand of the same name, with championships assigned to and authority figures appointed for each brand.[13] The holder of the Undisputed Championship was the only male wrestler allowed to appear on both shows.

In May 2002, the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and the championships were renamed accordingly. At first, the championship remained unaffiliated with either brand as wrestlers from both brands could challenge the champion. Following the appointment of Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon as General Managers of Raw and SmackDown, respectively, Stephanie McMahon convinced then-Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar to become exclusive to the SmackDown brand, leaving the Raw brand without a world title.[14][15] In response, on September 2, Bischoff disputed Lesnar's status as champion, stating Lesnar was refusing to defend his title against the designated No. 1 contender, Triple H, and awarded the latter with the newly created World Heavyweight Championship. Immediately afterwards, Lesnar's championship dropped the epithet "Undisputed" and became known as the WWE Championship.[16]

Over the course of the first brand split, the WWE Championship was used as the world title of the SmackDown brand twice and of the Raw brand three times. In all but two cases, the WWE Championship switched brands as a result of the annual draft. In June 2006, WWE established ECW as a third brand, on which former Extreme Championship Wrestling stars and newer talent competed. When ECW's Rob Van Dam won the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand on June 11, 2006, the championship briefly became a world title of the ECW brand; the ECW World Heavyweight Championship was subsequently reactivated for the ECW brand upon Van Dam's title win. Van Dam held both titles until he lost the WWE Championship to Raw's Edge the following month. The ECW brand was disbanded in 2010, subsequently deactivating the ECW Championship. In April 2011, WWE ceased going by its full name with the "WWE" abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism, and the first brand split ended that August.

Just prior to the end of the first brand split, a storyline saw CM Punk vowing to leave the company with the WWE Championship when his contract expired on July 17, 2011, the date of the 2011 Money in the Bank pay-per-view. At the event, Punk succeeded in defeating the defending champion John Cena to win the title, and left the company with the physical championship belt. Subsequently, the championship was vacated and Rey Mysterio won an eight-man tournament by defeating The Miz in the finals to be crowned the new WWE Champion, only to subsequently lose it later that night to Cena, for the latter's record ninth reign. However, following Cena's win, Punk returned to WWE with his own championship belt, disputing Cena's claim to the title.[17] The two WWE Champions wrestled each other at SummerSlam; Punk defeated Cena to solidify his claim on the title.

Title reunified and second brand split

 
Four-time champion Daniel Bryan, shown with the 2013–2014 version of the championship belt (in his right hand) and the Big Gold Belt, which were used in tandem to represent the unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship from December 2013 to August 2014

Following the end of the first brand split in August 2011, both the WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion could appear on both Raw and SmackDown. In November 2013, the night after Survivor Series, reigning World Heavyweight Champion John Cena made a challenge to reigning WWE Champion Randy Orton to determine WWE's undisputed world champion. Orton defeated Cena in a TLC match at the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 15, 2013, to unify the titles. Subsequently, the unified championship was renamed WWE World Heavyweight Championship and retained the lineage of the WWE Championship; the World Heavyweight Championship was retired.[18] Orton and subsequent champions held both championship belts until a single championship belt was given to reigning champion Brock Lesnar in August 2014.[19]

After Dean Ambrose became champion in June 2016, the title's name was reverted to WWE Championship.[20][21][22] In light of the return of the brand split the following month, Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown. Ambrose then retained his title at Battleground on July 24 against Raw draftees Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, making the title exclusive to SmackDown.[23] On the July 25 episode of Raw, to address the lack of a world title for the brand, the WWE Universal Championship was created; Finn Bálor became the inaugural champion at SummerSlam.[24] After the unveiling of the Universal title, the WWE Championship was renamed WWE World Championship, but reverted to WWE Championship in December 2016 during AJ Styles' first reign.[25][26][27]

The title changed hands for the first time outside of North America when AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to win his second WWE Championship in Manchester, England on the November 7, 2017, episode of SmackDown. This was also the first time in nearly 15 years that the championship changed hands on an episode of SmackDown; the last time was in 2003 when Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle for the title.[28]

At Crown Jewel on October 31, 2019, SmackDown wrestler "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt won the Universal Championship, thus transferring the title to SmackDown. Also at that event, after reigning WWE Champion Brock Lesnar had defeated Cain Velasquez to retain the title, he was attacked by Raw's Rey Mysterio, who Lesnar had attacked a few weeks prior.[29] The following night on Friday Night SmackDown, Lesnar quit SmackDown and went to Raw to continue his feud with Mysterio, thus transferring the WWE Championship to Raw.[30]

In tandem with the Universal Championship

 
Four-time and longest-reigning champion of the modern era Roman Reigns, holding the title for 735 consecutive days, shown with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt, which represents both the WWE and Universal Championship.

At WrestleMania 38 Night 2 on April 3, 2022, SmackDown's Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated reigning WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match to claim both world championships and then become recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. WWE had billed the match as a championship unification match; however, both titles have remained independently active with Reigns being a double champion, defending both titles together across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.[31] On the April 24, 2023, episode of Raw, WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H announced that regardless of what brand Reigns was drafted to in the 2023 WWE Draft, he and his undisputed championship would become exclusive to that brand. Triple H subsequently unveiled a new World Heavyweight Championship for the opposing brand as the counterpart to Reigns' Undisputed Championship, which was won by Seth "Freakin" Rollins at Night of Champions.[32][33] As Reigns was drafted to SmackDown, the World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to Raw.[34]

On the June 2, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Triple H presented Reigns with a new singular championship belt to represent the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.[35] Amidst confusion of the lineages, Fightful reported that WWE confirmed to them that the two championships are still in fact separate lineages despite there being only one belt.[36]

Brand designation

With the first brand split, an annual draft was established in 2002. Each year (except 2003), the General Managers participated in a draft lottery in which select members of WWE's roster were assigned to a brand. The revived ECW became a third brand from 2006 to 2010.[37] On August 29, 2011, WWE ended the brand extension and wrestlers (including all champions), were then free to appear on any program.

On July 19, 2016, SmackDown moved to Tuesdays and became a live show with its own set of wrestlers and writers, separate from Raw, thus reintroducing the brand split. The draft took place on the live premiere of SmackDown.[38] On the July 18 episode of Raw, SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon named Daniel Bryan the SmackDown General Manager and Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon named Mick Foley the Raw General Manager.[22][39]

Below is a list of dates indicating the transitions of the WWE Championship between the Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brands.

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.[40]
June 6, 2005 Raw WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to Raw during the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery.[41]
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.[42]
July 3, 2006 Raw The WWE Championship was returned to Raw after Edge defeated Rob Van Dam and John Cena.[43]
June 23, 2008 SmackDown WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown during the 2008 WWE Draft.[44]
April 13, 2009 Raw WWE Champion Triple H was drafted back to Raw during the 2009 WWE Draft.[45]
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.
April 7, 2024 Uncertain Following Cody Rhodes, a wrestler from the Raw brand, winning the WWE Championship, the brand status of the title has become uncertain. As of this writing, WWE has not made an official statement regarding the championship's brand designation.

Championship belt designs

1963–1982

 
Bruno Sammartino with the original title belt used to represent the then-WWWF World Heavyweight Championship

When introduced in 1963, the original WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was represented by a United States championship belt that Buddy Rogers had defended in various territories prior to becoming the inaugural WWWF world champion. The center plate of this belt was an outline of the continental United States and there were two shield-shaped side plates with grapplers on them; the plates were on a red leather strap. On the center plate, there was a circle flanked by grapplers, and the circle was designed to contain a photograph of the titleholder. Above the circle was a shield with an eagle atop it with stars on opposite sides of the shield. The caption "World's Champion" was added below the circle. This title belt was worn by the inaugural champion Buddy Rogers in 1963 and the second champion Bruno Sammartino.[46]

After Sammartino became champion, a new title belt on a blue strap was created and used until 1965. The enlarged center piece contained a crowned globe and two grapplers, and read "WWWF World Champion"; the two side plates commemorated Sammartino's title win. This belt was stolen in September 1965; a new belt was created with a mostly similar design with a couple of minor differences with the design of the side plates. This is the most recognizable version of Sammartino's belt that was used until 1971 and has been called the "holy grail of professional wrestling artifacts". After defeating Sammartino in January 1971, Ivan Koloff held Sammartino's belt for three weeks before losing it to Pedro Morales.[47][48][49][50]

 
"Superstar" Billy Graham with his red leather variation of the then-WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1977

During Morales's reign, the championship belt was updated several times. First in 1971, this design was on an indigo colored strap and contained three shield-shaped plates. Below the center plate, which read "World Heavyweight Champion" and had a cross at its center, a separate horizontal plate read "WWWF". This was replaced with another design in 1972. This version, on a red strap, read "WWWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion" around the edges with an eagle at the center, while six side plates represented several countries. 1973 saw the introduction of another yet similar design; this one was on a black strap and contained two grapplers above a differently designed eagle. This version was subsequently held by Stan Stasiak, Bruno Sammartino, "Superstar" Billy Graham – who wore a red leather variation – and Bob Backlund. During the latter's reign, the promotion's name was shortened to World Wrestling Federation (WWF), but the physical championship belt still read "WWWF".[49][50]

1982–2005

 
Eight-time champion The Rock with the "Big Eagle"/"Attitude Era" (1998–2002) version of the then-WWF Championship; this design was used in tandem with the Big Gold Belt to represent the Undisputed Championship from December 2001 until April 2002

After the previous design was destroyed, a new design was introduced in January 1983, nicknamed the "Big Green Belt" due to its size and the color of its strap. This was the first to be created under the WWF name. It included eight (later ten) side plates dedicated to the previous champions. The center plate featured a wrestler holding up a championship belt with a globe behind him. This design, held by Bob Backlund, The Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan, was replaced first by the "Hogan '84" design during the spring of 1984, then by the nearly identical "Hogan '85" design, which first appeared at WrestleMania 1. Both were called "Hogan" belts as they were only worn by Hulk Hogan, and they were similar in design to the NWA Television Championship at the time. The '84 belt consisted of a dual-plated gold and silver main plate as well as two dual-plated side plates on each side. The main plate was engraved with red lettering. The '85 belt had a silver and black main plate with raised silver lettering and the same side plates as the '84 belt. Both belts included black straps. Both center plates read "WWF" at the top, below that was an eagle with two banners below it reading "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion". The bottom read "World Wrestling Federation" and above that was a name plate commemorating Hogan's title win, while the side plates noted previous champions. In October 1985, a new belt was introduced and was again only worn by Hogan. This belt is erroneously known as the "Hogan '86" belt. The center plate featured a globe in the center, along with Roman columns and olive branches. It read "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion" and included the famous WWF block logo at the top, while four side plates had flags (two flags per side plate) representing the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Soviet Union, and Italy.[49][50]

On February 5, 1988, just before ending his first championship reign, Hogan introduced another new design, the "Winged Eagle" championship belt, which became the primary design for the next decade with many wrestlers holding this version, and is considered the most popular design of the championship. Its nickname is derived from the eagle's wings seemingly coming off of the center plate, which included the block WWF logo and read "World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion". The championship belt also had four identical side plates. Apart from the usual black leather strap, The Ultimate Warrior wore white, light blue, yellow, and purple variations, with the latter also worn by Sgt. Slaughter. In March 1998, after "Stone Cold" Steve Austin became champion, he was presented with a new design, often dubbed the "Big Eagle" or "Attitude Era" championship belt. The center plate was similar to the previous design, but became fully rounded, and the side plates were updated with the inner side plates containing the McMahon family crest of a lion holding a shield that had the WWF logo. When it was unveiled, it originally contained the block WWF logo and was on a blue strap, but was updated in November 1998 to the WWF scratch logo and on a black strap. In addition to the logo, it read "World Wrestling Federation Champion".[49][50]

 
 
Seven-time and youngest champion Brock Lesnar.
Top: Lesnar with the Undisputed Championship belt (2002–2005); he was the last Undisputed Champion as the title became the WWE Championship in September 2002
Bottom: Lesnar with the "Network Logo" belt (2014–present); he was the first wrestler to hold this design

After Chris Jericho unified the WWF and World Championships into the Undisputed WWF Championship, the "Big Eagle" championship belt was used in tandem with the "Big Gold Belt", the former WCW Championship belt, until a single Undisputed Championship belt was introduced to champion Triple H on the April 1, 2002, episode of Raw.[12] This new belt, dubbed the "Undisputed Championship Belt", was designed by New York-based tattoo artist Keith Ciaramello. Taking inspiration from WCW, this design included a name plate, and like the previous two designs, it had an eagle atop the globe. There were also stars seemingly shooting out from the globe. It originally had the WWF scratch logo and read "World Wrestling Federation Champion"; after the promotion was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in May 2002, both the scratch logo and wording were changed accordingly. The inner side plates on this design also contained the McMahon family crest of a lion holding a shield that had the company logo.[51] The championship would drop the "undisputed" moniker in September 2002, becoming the WWE Championship again when it became exclusive to SmackDown!, while the Big Gold Belt was resurrected to represent the World Heavyweight Championship for Raw.[49][50]

2005–2014

 
CM Punk wearing the "Spinner Belt" (2005–2013) version of the WWE Championship

After John Cena won the WWE Championship in April 2005, he introduced his own custom belt, the "Spinner Belt", which had a gold and diamond bling-bling style reflecting his hip hop character at the time. Although originally a custom belt for Cena, it became the WWE Championship's primary design from April 12, 2005, until February 18, 2013. The scratch WWE logo, placed between an eagle on top and the word "Champ" and a name plate below, could be spun like spinner wheels or a turntable in keeping with the hip-hop theme. The WWE logo was encrusted with diamonds while other parts of the championship were emblazoned with various other jewels. The inner side plates read "WWE Champion", though before 2008, one side plate indicated the brand the title was designated to. The spinning function was phased out in later years and the logo set in a fixed place, most notably during The Miz's first reign (2010–2011) when the logo was turned upside down to look like an "M".[50]

 
The Rock unveiling the "Big Logo" (2013–2014) version of the WWE Championship

On the February 18, 2013, episode of Raw, The Rock unveiled a new WWE Championship belt, often dubbed the "Big Logo Belt".[49] The new title was partially designed by Orange County Choppers of American Chopper fame, as well as well-known belt maker Dave Millican.[52] The championship included a large cut-out of the scratch WWE logo (encrusted with diamonds) inside a large irregular heptagonal plate. The word "Champion" appeared in a large gold banner underneath the logo. Gold divider bars separated the center plate from its two large side plates. The side plates featured a removable center section that could be customized with the champion's logo in lieu of a nameplate; the default side plates consisted of a red globe with the WWE logo on the globe underneath a crown.[53][50]

After Randy Orton unified the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the "Big Logo Belt" was used in tandem with the "Big Gold Belt" to represent the renamed WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[54][49]

2014–present

On the August 18, 2014, episode of Raw, reigning champion Brock Lesnar, who had won the title the night before at SummerSlam, was presented with a single championship belt, retiring the Big Gold Belt in the process. This new standard belt, often dubbed the "Network Logo" belt, has a slightly updated design from the belt introduced by The Rock in 2013 as a result of WWE changing their corporate logo which was originally used for the WWE Network. It includes a large center plate dominated by a cut out of the current WWE logo (encrusted with diamonds) inside an irregular heptagon with the capital words "World Heavyweight Champion" along the bottom edges, in very small print. The belt retains the gold divider bars introduced in the previous design. The large side plates, like the previous design, include removable round center sections, allowing the holder's personal logo to be added to the championship belt; the default plates show gold and red world maps with the WWE logo over them but without the crown from the previous design. Customizable side plates have now become a prominent feature with the majority of WWE's championship belts.[c][19][49][50]

The "Network Logo" design would become a blueprint for WWE's men's and women's world championships, with the only differences being the name at the bottom of the center plate and the colors, as well as the women's being smaller. First was the WWE Women's Championship in April 2016,[55] which became the Raw Women's Championship later that year, although it reverted to its original name in June 2023.[56] After the WWE World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to SmackDown as a result of the 2016 brand split, the design would also be used for the WWE Universal Championship that was introduced for the Raw brand.[57] The design was also used for the SmackDown Women's Championship introduced in August[58] until that title received a new design in June 2023 when it was renamed as Women's World Championship.[59] The NXT United Kingdom Championship and NXT UK Women's Championship belts also used the same base outline but with a different design on the center plate itself.[60][61] After the introduction of the Universal Championship, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship subsequently reverted to being called the WWE Championship, although from July to December 2016, it was called the "WWE World Championship";[62][63][64][65][66][67] however, the physical belt has retained the text "World Heavyweight Champion".

Custom designs

 
The Rock pictured with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's custom "Smoking Skull" belt after he had stolen it from Austin in storyline in 1999

Custom championship belts have been created to honor certain reigning champions or match their characters. During Hogan's reign in 1986, he had a modified version of the Hogan '86 made, which included a picture of himself at the center. Not much is known about this "mystery belt" as he quickly reverted to the Hogan '86 version. A much larger version similar to the Hogan '86 championship belt was created for André the Giant before WrestleMania III, although he never wore it as champion.[68][49]

 
Four-time champion Edge, pictured with his custom "Rated R Spinner" belt that he used during his second reign in 2006

A custom championship belt was used by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin during his second reign (1998), which included his "Smoking Skull" logo as well as rattle snakes. As an answer, The Rock also had a custom championship belt designed and constructed, including his trademark "Brahma Bull" logo, but due to creative reasons, it never appeared on television.[51] The Spinner Belt, originally a customized belt for John Cena, remained the standard title belt from 2005 to 2013. During Edge's second reign in 2006, he introduced his own variation, the "Rated R Spinner" design, replacing the WWE scratch logo with his "Rated R Superstar" logo. Edge was going to have a completely new custom belt designed, but due to time constraints, it did not get made.[69][49] During Daniel Bryan's fourth reign (2018–2019) as part of his environmentalist heel gimmick, he threw the standard title belt in a garbage can (bemoaning the fact it was made from leather) and introduced a new custom belt, dubbed the "Planet's Championship", featuring the same design as the "Network Logo" belt, but made from "entirely sustainable materials" (such as the strap being made from hemp and the center and side plates carved from wood of a naturally fallen oak tree; the side plates also had his name instead of the WWE logo).[70]

After Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022, both the standard versions of the WWE Championship and Universal Championship belts were used in tandem to represent the undisputed title, although both titles retained their individual lineages. On the June 2, 2023, episode of SmackDown, in celebration of Reigns reaching 1,000 days as Universal Champion, he was presented with a special custom belt, which features the same "Network Logo" design on a black strap, but with the WWE logo encrusted with black diamonds, a gold nugget-textured background behind the logo, text at the bottom of the plate that says "Undisputed Champion", and custom side plates.[35] Despite this, his manager Paul Heyman had continued to carry around the standard WWE and Universal Championship belts until the end of July.[71] On WWE's website, pictures of the standard titles are still used for the individual title histories of each championship.

Other sports championship belts

In October 2014, WWE presented the San Francisco Giants a replica of the "Network Logo" belt for winning the 2014 World Series.[72][73] This began a tradition for WWE, and they have since created custom WWE Championship belts for winners in professional sports, with the side plates commemorating the achievement. They have also presented a custom belt to exceptionally notable people for their efforts in their profession.[74] WWE had originally presented custom WWE Championships to winners in both male and female sports, but in 2018, they began presenting those in female sports with custom Women's Championship belts.[75]

Since that original gift in 2014, WWE has presented custom WWE Championship belts to winners of the World Series,[76][77][78][79][80][81] Super Bowl,[82][83][84][85][86] NBA Finals,[87][88][89][90][91][92] FIFA Women's World Cup,[93] College Football Playoff National Championship,[94] Stanley Cup Finals,[95][96][97][98] Australian Open,[99] Premier League,[100][101] Bundesliga,[102] Indian Premier League,[103] Liga MX,[104] Argentine Primera División,[105] Major League Baseball Home Run Derby,[106] Formula One World Championship,[107] UEFA Champions League,[108] Overwatch League,[109] Cricket World Cup,[110] Men's US Open,[111] and Canadian Football League Grey Cup.[112] WWE also presented a title to London police officer Charlie Guenigault for his "exceptional bravery" during the 2017 London Bridge attack,[113] and to the U.S. servicemen and women who have helped in hosting WWE Tribute to the Troops (since 2015) as well as for their continued service to the country.[114][115][116][117] In 2020, WWE Championship belts were also presented to Christophe Agius and Philippe Chéreau, WWE announcers in France for 20 consecutive years presenting WWE on French television.[118] With the introduction of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt in June 2023, WWE have since presented custom versions of it.[119]

Reigns

 
Current Cody Rhodes, who holds the title in tandem with the WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
Main article: List of WWE Champions

The WWE Championship was the first world championship introduced into the promotion in 1963. The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers, and there have been 55 different official champions overall and 11 vacancies.[120] The longest reigning champion is Bruno Sammartino, who held the title from May 17, 1963, to January 18, 1971, for a total of 2,803 days (7 years, 8 months, and 1 day); Sammartino also holds the record for longest combined reign at 4,040 days.[121] André the Giant is the shortest reigning champion, officially holding the title for 1 minute, 48 seconds due to selling the title to Ted DiBiase following his title win.[2] The youngest champion is Brock Lesnar, who won the title for the first time at the age of 25 years, 44 days during Summerslam 2002 in August 2002, while the oldest champion is Mr. McMahon, who won the title for the first and only time at the age of 54 years, 21 days during the September 16, 1999 episode of Smackdown. John Cena holds the record for most reigns with 13 which occurred between 2005 and 2017.[120]

Cody Rhodes is the current champion in his first reign. He won the title by defeating Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match for both the WWE Championship and Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With both championships, Rhodes is referred to as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.[120]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Since Cody Rhodes, affiliated with the Raw brand, won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, a combination of both the WWE Championship and the WWE Universal Championship, that is associated with SmackDown, the brand status of the championship is uncertain.
  2. ^ In tandem with the WWE Universal Championship.
  3. ^ Of WWE's currently active championships, the only belt designs that have not been updated to include customizable side plates are the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships.

References

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External links

  • Official WWE Championship Title History
  • Wrestling-Titles.com: WWE Championship
  • WWE Title Belts: A Guide to the Gold
  • Wikimedia Commons contain images and other files on WWE Championship

April 09, 2024
championship, this, article, about, long, standing, world, title, world, title, created, 2016, universal, championship, world, title, created, 2023, world, heavyweight, championship, other, world, championships, world, championship, disambiguation, professiona. This article is about WWE s long standing world title For WWE s world title created in 2016 see WWE Universal Championship For WWE s world title created in 2023 see World Heavyweight Championship WWE For other WWE men s world championships see WWE World Championship disambiguation The WWE Championship is a men s professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE defended on the SmackDown brand division Since April 2022 the title has been jointly held and defended with the WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship but both titles have maintained their individual lineages It is one of three world titles in WWE alongside its companion Universal Championship on SmackDown and the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw The current champion is Cody Rhodes who is in his first reign He won the undisputed title by defeating previous champion Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7 2024 WWE ChampionshipTop The WWE Championship belt introduced in 2014 Bottom The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt used by current champion Cody Rhodes which represents both the WWE Championship and Universal Championship 2023 present DetailsPromotionWWEBrandUndefined a Date establishedApril 25 1963Current champion s Cody RhodesDate wonApril 7 2024Other name s WWWF World Heavyweight Championship 1963 1971 WWWF Heavyweight Championship 1971 1979 WWF Heavyweight Championship 1979 1983 WWF World Heavyweight Championship 1983 1989 WWF Championship 1989 2001 Undisputed WWF Championship 2001 2002 Undisputed WWE Championship 2002 WWE Undisputed Championship 2002 1 WWE Championship 2002 2013 2016 present WWE World Heavyweight Championship 2013 2016 WWE World Championship 2016 Undisputed WWE Universal Championship 2022 present b StatisticsFirst champion s Buddy RogersMost reignsJohn Cena 13 reigns Longest reignBruno Sammartino 1st reign 2 803 days Shortest reignAndre the Giant 1 minute and 48 seconds 2 Oldest championMr McMahon 54 years 21 days Youngest championBrock Lesnar 25 years 44 days Heaviest championYokozuna 568 lb 258 kg Lightest championRey Mysterio 175 lb 79 kg 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 3 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 Universal Championship with the 2016 brand split and then a new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023 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 Contents 1 History 1 1 Origin 1 2 Monday Night War and title unification 1 3 Championship disputes 1 4 Title reunified and second brand split 1 4 1 In tandem with the Universal Championship 2 Brand designation 3 Championship belt designs 3 1 1963 1982 3 2 1982 2005 3 3 2005 2014 3 4 2014 present 3 5 Custom designs 3 6 Other sports championship belts 4 Reigns 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksHistoryOrigin nbsp Two time champion Bruno Sammartino His first reign is the longest at over seven years 2 803 days and he has the longest combined reign 4 040 days he is pictured here in his second reign 1973 1982 belt design when the title was known as the WWWF Heavyweight Championship The title was introduced in 1963 with Buddy Rogers becoming the first champion However its origin is attributed to events that began in the National Wrestling Alliance NWA which had various territorial member promotions In the 1950s Capitol Wrestling Corporation CWC was a member of the NWA and by 1963 its executives held a controlling stake over NWA operations During this time Buddy Rogers held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship until January 24 when Lou Thesz defeated Rogers for the championship in a one fall match Claiming the title can only be contested in a traditional two out of three falls match CWC disputed the title change and thus seceded from the NWA and became the World Wide Wrestling Federation WWWF The WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was then established and awarded to Buddy Rogers with the explanation that he won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro supposedly defeating Antonino Rocca in the finals 4 After several years the WWWF became affiliated with the NWA once again and World was dropped from the championship s name In 1979 the WWWF was renamed World Wrestling Federation WWF and then after conclusively ending its affiliation with the NWA in 1983 the championship became known as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship Although the full name appeared on the championship belts until 1998 the name was often abbreviated to WWF Championship which became its official name in 1998 Monday Night War and title unification Further information Championship unification nbsp A diagram showing the evolution of various world heavyweight championships In 1991 World Championship Wrestling WCW a member of the NWA established the WCW World Heavyweight Championship to replace the NWA s world title In 1993 WCW seceded from the NWA and grew to become a rival promotion to the WWF Both organizations grew into mainstream prominence and were eventually involved in a television ratings war dubbed the Monday Night War Near the end of the ratings war WCW began a financial decline which culminated in WWF purchasing WCW in March 2001 5 As a result of the purchase the WWF acquired among other assets WCW s championships Thus there were two world titles in the WWF the original WWF Championship and the WCW Championship which was eventually renamed the World Championship 6 7 In December 2001 the two championships were unified at Vengeance At the event Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Kurt Angle to retain the WWF Championship while Chris Jericho defeated The Rock for the World Championship After this Jericho then defeated Austin unifying the WWF and World Championships and becoming the first Undisputed WWF Champion the Undisputed championship retained the lineage of the WWF Championship and the World Championship was retired 8 Subsequently the Big Eagle Belt formerly representing the WWF Championship and the Big Gold Belt formerly representing the World Championship were used in tandem to represent the Undisputed Championship 9 10 11 Jericho held the championship for four months until he lost it at WrestleMania X8 against Triple H who was soon after presented with a single championship belt 12 Championship disputes nbsp Record 13 time WWE Champion John Cena shown with the Spinner Belt which was used to represent the title from 2005 to 2013The Undisputed Championship continued up through the beginning of the first brand split which saw wrestlers being drafted to the company s main television programs Raw and SmackDown each show representing the brand of the same name with championships assigned to and authority figures appointed for each brand 13 The holder of the Undisputed Championship was the only male wrestler allowed to appear on both shows In May 2002 the WWF was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment WWE and the championships were renamed accordingly At first the championship remained unaffiliated with either brand as wrestlers from both brands could challenge the champion Following the appointment of Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon as General Managers of Raw and SmackDown respectively Stephanie McMahon convinced then Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar to become exclusive to the SmackDown brand leaving the Raw brand without a world title 14 15 In response on September 2 Bischoff disputed Lesnar s status as champion stating Lesnar was refusing to defend his title against the designated No 1 contender Triple H and awarded the latter with the newly created World Heavyweight Championship Immediately afterwards Lesnar s championship dropped the epithet Undisputed and became known as the WWE Championship 16 Over the course of the first brand split the WWE Championship was used as the world title of the SmackDown brand twice and of the Raw brand three times In all but two cases the WWE Championship switched brands as a result of the annual draft In June 2006 WWE established ECW as a third brand on which former Extreme Championship Wrestling stars and newer talent competed When ECW s Rob Van Dam won the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand on June 11 2006 the championship briefly became a world title of the ECW brand the ECW World Heavyweight Championship was subsequently reactivated for the ECW brand upon Van Dam s title win Van Dam held both titles until he lost the WWE Championship to Raw s Edge the following month The ECW brand was disbanded in 2010 subsequently deactivating the ECW Championship In April 2011 WWE ceased going by its full name with the WWE abbreviation becoming an orphaned initialism and the first brand split ended that August Just prior to the end of the first brand split a storyline saw CM Punk vowing to leave the company with the WWE Championship when his contract expired on July 17 2011 the date of the 2011 Money in the Bank pay per view At the event Punk succeeded in defeating the defending champion John Cena to win the title and left the company with the physical championship belt Subsequently the championship was vacated and Rey Mysterio won an eight man tournament by defeating The Miz in the finals to be crowned the new WWE Champion only to subsequently lose it later that night to Cena for the latter s record ninth reign However following Cena s win Punk returned to WWE with his own championship belt disputing Cena s claim to the title 17 The two WWE Champions wrestled each other at SummerSlam Punk defeated Cena to solidify his claim on the title Title reunified and second brand split nbsp Four time champion Daniel Bryan shown with the 2013 2014 version of the championship belt in his right hand and the Big Gold Belt which were used in tandem to represent the unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship from December 2013 to August 2014Following the end of the first brand split in August 2011 both the WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion could appear on both Raw and SmackDown In November 2013 the night after Survivor Series reigning World Heavyweight Champion John Cena made a challenge to reigning WWE Champion Randy Orton to determine WWE s undisputed world champion Orton defeated Cena in a TLC match at the TLC Tables Ladders amp Chairs pay per view on December 15 2013 to unify the titles Subsequently the unified championship was renamed WWE World Heavyweight Championship and retained the lineage of the WWE Championship the World Heavyweight Championship was retired 18 Orton and subsequent champions held both championship belts until a single championship belt was given to reigning champion Brock Lesnar in August 2014 19 After Dean Ambrose became champion in June 2016 the title s name was reverted to WWE Championship 20 21 22 In light of the return of the brand split the following month Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown Ambrose then retained his title at Battleground on July 24 against Raw draftees Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns making the title exclusive to SmackDown 23 On the July 25 episode of Raw to address the lack of a world title for the brand the WWE Universal Championship was created Finn Balor became the inaugural champion at SummerSlam 24 After the unveiling of the Universal title the WWE Championship was renamed WWE World Championship but reverted to WWE Championship in December 2016 during AJ Styles first reign 25 26 27 The title changed hands for the first time outside of North America when AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal to win his second WWE Championship in Manchester England on the November 7 2017 episode of SmackDown This was also the first time in nearly 15 years that the championship changed hands on an episode of SmackDown the last time was in 2003 when Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle for the title 28 At Crown Jewel on October 31 2019 SmackDown wrestler The Fiend Bray Wyatt won the Universal Championship thus transferring the title to SmackDown Also at that event after reigning WWE Champion Brock Lesnar had defeated Cain Velasquez to retain the title he was attacked by Raw s Rey Mysterio who Lesnar had attacked a few weeks prior 29 The following night on Friday Night SmackDown Lesnar quit SmackDown and went to Raw to continue his feud with Mysterio thus transferring the WWE Championship to Raw 30 In tandem with the Universal Championship nbsp Four time and longest reigning champion of the modern era Roman Reigns holding the title for 735 consecutive days shown with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt which represents both the WWE and Universal Championship At WrestleMania 38 Night 2 on April 3 2022 SmackDown s Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated reigning WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match to claim both world championships and then become recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion WWE had billed the match as a championship unification match however both titles have remained independently active with Reigns being a double champion defending both titles together across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship 31 On the April 24 2023 episode of Raw WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H announced that regardless of what brand Reigns was drafted to in the 2023 WWE Draft he and his undisputed championship would become exclusive to that brand Triple H subsequently unveiled a new World Heavyweight Championship for the opposing brand as the counterpart to Reigns Undisputed Championship which was won by Seth Freakin Rollins at Night of Champions 32 33 As Reigns was drafted to SmackDown the World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to Raw 34 On the June 2 2023 episode of SmackDown Triple H presented Reigns with a new singular championship belt to represent the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship 35 Amidst confusion of the lineages Fightful reported that WWE confirmed to them that the two championships are still in fact separate lineages despite there being only one belt 36 Brand designationWith the first brand split an annual draft was established in 2002 Each year except 2003 the General Managers participated in a draft lottery in which select members of WWE s roster were assigned to a brand The revived ECW became a third brand from 2006 to 2010 37 On August 29 2011 WWE ended the brand extension and wrestlers including all champions were then free to appear on any program On July 19 2016 SmackDown moved to Tuesdays and became a live show with its own set of wrestlers and writers separate from Raw thus reintroducing the brand split The draft took place on the live premiere of SmackDown 38 On the July 18 episode of Raw SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon named Daniel Bryan the SmackDown General Manager and Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon named Mick Foley the Raw General Manager 22 39 Below is a list of dates indicating the transitions of the WWE Championship between the Raw SmackDown and ECW brands Date of transition Brand NotesAugust 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 40 June 6 2005 Raw WWE Champion John Cena was drafted to Raw during the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery 41 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 42 July 3 2006 Raw The WWE Championship was returned to Raw after Edge defeated Rob Van Dam and John Cena 43 June 23 2008 SmackDown WWE Champion Triple H was drafted to SmackDown during the 2008 WWE Draft 44 April 13 2009 Raw WWE Champion Triple H was drafted back to Raw during the 2009 WWE Draft 45 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 April 7 2024 Uncertain Following Cody Rhodes a wrestler from the Raw brand winning the WWE Championship the brand status of the title has become uncertain As of this writing WWE has not made an official statement regarding the championship s brand designation Championship belt designs1963 1982 nbsp Bruno Sammartino with the original title belt used to represent the then WWWF World Heavyweight ChampionshipWhen introduced in 1963 the original WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was represented by a United States championship belt that Buddy Rogers had defended in various territories prior to becoming the inaugural WWWF world champion The center plate of this belt was an outline of the continental United States and there were two shield shaped side plates with grapplers on them the plates were on a red leather strap On the center plate there was a circle flanked by grapplers and the circle was designed to contain a photograph of the titleholder Above the circle was a shield with an eagle atop it with stars on opposite sides of the shield The caption World s Champion was added below the circle This title belt was worn by the inaugural champion Buddy Rogers in 1963 and the second champion Bruno Sammartino 46 After Sammartino became champion a new title belt on a blue strap was created and used until 1965 The enlarged center piece contained a crowned globe and two grapplers and read WWWF World Champion the two side plates commemorated Sammartino s title win This belt was stolen in September 1965 a new belt was created with a mostly similar design with a couple of minor differences with the design of the side plates This is the most recognizable version of Sammartino s belt that was used until 1971 and has been called the holy grail of professional wrestling artifacts After defeating Sammartino in January 1971 Ivan Koloff held Sammartino s belt for three weeks before losing it to Pedro Morales 47 48 49 50 nbsp Superstar Billy Graham with his red leather variation of the then WWWF Heavyweight Championship in 1977During Morales s reign the championship belt was updated several times First in 1971 this design was on an indigo colored strap and contained three shield shaped plates Below the center plate which read World Heavyweight Champion and had a cross at its center a separate horizontal plate read WWWF This was replaced with another design in 1972 This version on a red strap read WWWF Heavyweight Wrestling Champion around the edges with an eagle at the center while six side plates represented several countries 1973 saw the introduction of another yet similar design this one was on a black strap and contained two grapplers above a differently designed eagle This version was subsequently held by Stan Stasiak Bruno Sammartino Superstar Billy Graham who wore a red leather variation and Bob Backlund During the latter s reign the promotion s name was shortened to World Wrestling Federation WWF but the physical championship belt still read WWWF 49 50 1982 2005 nbsp Eight time champion The Rock with the Big Eagle Attitude Era 1998 2002 version of the then WWF Championship this design was used in tandem with the Big Gold Belt to represent the Undisputed Championship from December 2001 until April 2002After the previous design was destroyed a new design was introduced in January 1983 nicknamed the Big Green Belt due to its size and the color of its strap This was the first to be created under the WWF name It included eight later ten side plates dedicated to the previous champions The center plate featured a wrestler holding up a championship belt with a globe behind him This design held by Bob Backlund The Iron Sheik and Hulk Hogan was replaced first by the Hogan 84 design during the spring of 1984 then by the nearly identical Hogan 85 design which first appeared at WrestleMania 1 Both were called Hogan belts as they were only worn by Hulk Hogan and they were similar in design to the NWA Television Championship at the time The 84 belt consisted of a dual plated gold and silver main plate as well as two dual plated side plates on each side The main plate was engraved with red lettering The 85 belt had a silver and black main plate with raised silver lettering and the same side plates as the 84 belt Both belts included black straps Both center plates read WWF at the top below that was an eagle with two banners below it reading World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion The bottom read World Wrestling Federation and above that was a name plate commemorating Hogan s title win while the side plates noted previous champions In October 1985 a new belt was introduced and was again only worn by Hogan This belt is erroneously known as the Hogan 86 belt The center plate featured a globe in the center along with Roman columns and olive branches It read World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and included the famous WWF block logo at the top while four side plates had flags two flags per side plate representing the United States Canada Mexico Japan the United Kingdom Australia the Soviet Union and Italy 49 50 On February 5 1988 just before ending his first championship reign Hogan introduced another new design the Winged Eagle championship belt which became the primary design for the next decade with many wrestlers holding this version and is considered the most popular design of the championship Its nickname is derived from the eagle s wings seemingly coming off of the center plate which included the block WWF logo and read World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion The championship belt also had four identical side plates Apart from the usual black leather strap The Ultimate Warrior wore white light blue yellow and purple variations with the latter also worn by Sgt Slaughter In March 1998 after Stone Cold Steve Austin became champion he was presented with a new design often dubbed the Big Eagle or Attitude Era championship belt The center plate was similar to the previous design but became fully rounded and the side plates were updated with the inner side plates containing the McMahon family crest of a lion holding a shield that had the WWF logo When it was unveiled it originally contained the block WWF logo and was on a blue strap but was updated in November 1998 to the WWF scratch logo and on a black strap In addition to the logo it read World Wrestling Federation Champion 49 50 nbsp nbsp Seven time and youngest champion Brock Lesnar Top Lesnar with the Undisputed Championship belt 2002 2005 he was the last Undisputed Champion as the title became the WWE Championship in September 2002Bottom Lesnar with the Network Logo belt 2014 present he was the first wrestler to hold this design After Chris Jericho unified the WWF and World Championships into the Undisputed WWF Championship the Big Eagle championship belt was used in tandem with the Big Gold Belt the former WCW Championship belt until a single Undisputed Championship belt was introduced to champion Triple H on the April 1 2002 episode of Raw 12 This new belt dubbed the Undisputed Championship Belt was designed by New York based tattoo artist Keith Ciaramello Taking inspiration from WCW this design included a name plate and like the previous two designs it had an eagle atop the globe There were also stars seemingly shooting out from the globe It originally had the WWF scratch logo and read World Wrestling Federation Champion after the promotion was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment WWE in May 2002 both the scratch logo and wording were changed accordingly The inner side plates on this design also contained the McMahon family crest of a lion holding a shield that had the company logo 51 The championship would drop the undisputed moniker in September 2002 becoming the WWE Championship again when it became exclusive to SmackDown while the Big Gold Belt was resurrected to represent the World Heavyweight Championship for Raw 49 50 2005 2014 nbsp CM Punk wearing the Spinner Belt 2005 2013 version of the WWE ChampionshipAfter John Cena won the WWE Championship in April 2005 he introduced his own custom belt the Spinner Belt which had a gold and diamond bling bling style reflecting his hip hop character at the time Although originally a custom belt for Cena it became the WWE Championship s primary design from April 12 2005 until February 18 2013 The scratch WWE logo placed between an eagle on top and the word Champ and a name plate below could be spun like spinner wheels or a turntable in keeping with the hip hop theme The WWE logo was encrusted with diamonds while other parts of the championship were emblazoned with various other jewels The inner side plates read WWE Champion though before 2008 one side plate indicated the brand the title was designated to The spinning function was phased out in later years and the logo set in a fixed place most notably during The Miz s first reign 2010 2011 when the logo was turned upside down to look like an M 50 nbsp The Rock unveiling the Big Logo 2013 2014 version of the WWE ChampionshipOn the February 18 2013 episode of Raw The Rock unveiled a new WWE Championship belt often dubbed the Big Logo Belt 49 The new title was partially designed by Orange County Choppers of American Chopper fame as well as well known belt maker Dave Millican 52 The championship included a large cut out of the scratch WWE logo encrusted with diamonds inside a large irregular heptagonal plate The word Champion appeared in a large gold banner underneath the logo Gold divider bars separated the center plate from its two large side plates The side plates featured a removable center section that could be customized with the champion s logo in lieu of a nameplate the default side plates consisted of a red globe with the WWE logo on the globe underneath a crown 53 50 After Randy Orton unified the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship the Big Logo Belt was used in tandem with the Big Gold Belt to represent the renamed WWE World Heavyweight Championship 54 49 2014 present On the August 18 2014 episode of Raw reigning champion Brock Lesnar who had won the title the night before at SummerSlam was presented with a single championship belt retiring the Big Gold Belt in the process This new standard belt often dubbed the Network Logo belt has a slightly updated design from the belt introduced by The Rock in 2013 as a result of WWE changing their corporate logo which was originally used for the WWE Network It includes a large center plate dominated by a cut out of the current WWE logo encrusted with diamonds inside an irregular heptagon with the capital words World Heavyweight Champion along the bottom edges in very small print The belt retains the gold divider bars introduced in the previous design The large side plates like the previous design include removable round center sections allowing the holder s personal logo to be added to the championship belt the default plates show gold and red world maps with the WWE logo over them but without the crown from the previous design Customizable side plates have now become a prominent feature with the majority of WWE s championship belts c 19 49 50 The Network Logo design would become a blueprint for WWE s men s and women s world championships with the only differences being the name at the bottom of the center plate and the colors as well as the women s being smaller First was the WWE Women s Championship in April 2016 55 which became the Raw Women s Championship later that year although it reverted to its original name in June 2023 56 After the WWE World Heavyweight Championship became exclusive to SmackDown as a result of the 2016 brand split the design would also be used for the WWE Universal Championship that was introduced for the Raw brand 57 The design was also used for the SmackDown Women s Championship introduced in August 58 until that title received a new design in June 2023 when it was renamed as Women s World Championship 59 The NXT United Kingdom Championship and NXT UK Women s Championship belts also used the same base outline but with a different design on the center plate itself 60 61 After the introduction of the Universal Championship the WWE World Heavyweight Championship subsequently reverted to being called the WWE Championship although from July to December 2016 it was called the WWE World Championship 62 63 64 65 66 67 however the physical belt has retained the text World Heavyweight Champion Custom designs nbsp The Rock pictured with Stone Cold Steve Austin s custom Smoking Skull belt after he had stolen it from Austin in storyline in 1999Custom championship belts have been created to honor certain reigning champions or match their characters During Hogan s reign in 1986 he had a modified version of the Hogan 86 made which included a picture of himself at the center Not much is known about this mystery belt as he quickly reverted to the Hogan 86 version A much larger version similar to the Hogan 86 championship belt was created for Andre the Giant before WrestleMania III although he never wore it as champion 68 49 nbsp Four time champion Edge pictured with his custom Rated R Spinner belt that he used during his second reign in 2006A custom championship belt was used by Stone Cold Steve Austin during his second reign 1998 which included his Smoking Skull logo as well as rattle snakes As an answer The Rock also had a custom championship belt designed and constructed including his trademark Brahma Bull logo but due to creative reasons it never appeared on television 51 The Spinner Belt originally a customized belt for John Cena remained the standard title belt from 2005 to 2013 During Edge s second reign in 2006 he introduced his own variation the Rated R Spinner design replacing the WWE scratch logo with his Rated R Superstar logo Edge was going to have a completely new custom belt designed but due to time constraints it did not get made 69 49 During Daniel Bryan s fourth reign 2018 2019 as part of his environmentalist heel gimmick he threw the standard title belt in a garbage can bemoaning the fact it was made from leather and introduced a new custom belt dubbed the Planet s Championship featuring the same design as the Network Logo belt but made from entirely sustainable materials such as the strap being made from hemp and the center and side plates carved from wood of a naturally fallen oak tree the side plates also had his name instead of the WWE logo 70 After Roman Reigns became the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022 both the standard versions of the WWE Championship and Universal Championship belts were used in tandem to represent the undisputed title although both titles retained their individual lineages On the June 2 2023 episode of SmackDown in celebration of Reigns reaching 1 000 days as Universal Champion he was presented with a special custom belt which features the same Network Logo design on a black strap but with the WWE logo encrusted with black diamonds a gold nugget textured background behind the logo text at the bottom of the plate that says Undisputed Champion and custom side plates 35 Despite this his manager Paul Heyman had continued to carry around the standard WWE and Universal Championship belts until the end of July 71 On WWE s website pictures of the standard titles are still used for the individual title histories of each championship Other sports championship belts In October 2014 WWE presented the San Francisco Giants a replica of the Network Logo belt for winning the 2014 World Series 72 73 This began a tradition for WWE and they have since created custom WWE Championship belts for winners in professional sports with the side plates commemorating the achievement They have also presented a custom belt to exceptionally notable people for their efforts in their profession 74 WWE had originally presented custom WWE Championships to winners in both male and female sports but in 2018 they began presenting those in female sports with custom Women s Championship belts 75 Since that original gift in 2014 WWE has presented custom WWE Championship belts to winners of the World Series 76 77 78 79 80 81 Super Bowl 82 83 84 85 86 NBA Finals 87 88 89 90 91 92 FIFA Women s World Cup 93 College Football Playoff National Championship 94 Stanley Cup Finals 95 96 97 98 Australian Open 99 Premier League 100 101 Bundesliga 102 Indian Premier League 103 Liga MX 104 Argentine Primera Division 105 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby 106 Formula One World Championship 107 UEFA Champions League 108 Overwatch League 109 Cricket World Cup 110 Men s US Open 111 and Canadian Football League Grey Cup 112 WWE also presented a title to London police officer Charlie Guenigault for his exceptional bravery during the 2017 London Bridge attack 113 and to the U S servicemen and women who have helped in hosting WWE Tribute to the Troops since 2015 as well as for their continued service to the country 114 115 116 117 In 2020 WWE Championship belts were also presented to Christophe Agius and Philippe Chereau WWE announcers in France for 20 consecutive years presenting WWE on French television 118 With the introduction of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt in June 2023 WWE have since presented custom versions of it 119 Reigns nbsp Current Cody Rhodes who holds the title in tandem with the WWE Universal Championship as the Undisputed WWE Universal ChampionshipMain article List of WWE Champions The WWE Championship was the first world championship introduced into the promotion in 1963 The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers and there have been 55 different official champions overall and 11 vacancies 120 The longest reigning champion is Bruno Sammartino who held the title from May 17 1963 to January 18 1971 for a total of 2 803 days 7 years 8 months and 1 day Sammartino also holds the record for longest combined reign at 4 040 days 121 Andre the Giant is the shortest reigning champion officially holding the title for 1 minute 48 seconds due to selling the title to Ted DiBiase following his title win 2 The youngest champion is Brock Lesnar who won the title for the first time at the age of 25 years 44 days during Summerslam 2002 in August 2002 while the oldest champion is Mr McMahon who won the title for the first and only time at the age of 54 years 21 days during the September 16 1999 episode of Smackdown John Cena holds the record for most reigns with 13 which occurred between 2005 and 2017 120 Cody Rhodes is the current champion in his first reign He won the title by defeating Roman Reigns in a Bloodline Rules match for both the WWE Championship and Universal Championship at WrestleMania XL Night 2 on April 7 2024 in Philadelphia Pennsylvania With both championships Rhodes is referred to as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion 120 See alsoWorld championships in WWENotes Since Cody Rhodes affiliated with the Raw brand won the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship a combination of both the WWE Championship and the WWE Universal Championship that is associated with SmackDown the brand status of the championship is uncertain In tandem with the WWE Universal Championship Of WWE s currently active championships the only belt designs that have not been updated to include customizable side plates are the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships References Nemer Paul September 2 2002 Full WWE Raw Results 9 2 02 WrestleView Retrieved November 24 2009 a b The 5 shortest WWE Title reigns in history Retrieved June 26 2016 Chin Mike October 4 2014 The Magnificent Seven The Top 7 Most Prestigious American Wrestling Championships of All Time 411Mania Retrieved February 20 2018 Rogers 1st reign WWE Archived from the original on January 19 2016 Retrieved November 9 2014 WWE Entertainment Inc acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting WWE Corporate March 23 2001 Archived from the original on April 8 2005 Retrieved May 24 2008 WWE Raw Results Online World of Wrestling Retrieved November 10 2015 Monday Night Raw November 19 2001 That s One Heck Of A Reset KB s Wrestling Reviews July 29 2012 Retrieved November 10 2015 WCW World Champion Chris Jericho WWE com Archived from the original on February 15 2008 The complex history of WWE s era of unification WWE com September 12 2012 Retrieved on September 5 2013 WWWF WWF WWE World Heavyweight Title Wrestling titles com Retrieved March 18 2007 Clayton Corey September 6 2007 World Heavyweight Championship turns five years old World Wrestling Entertainment Retrieved December 23 2008 a b The unification of the WWE Championship and WCW Championship WWE WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands Archived from the original on October 17 2014 Retrieved April 26 2009 Brock Lesnar Biography at SLAM Sports SLAM Sports Wrestling Canadian Online Explorer Archived from the original on January 17 2016 Retrieved December 21 2008 After the July 22nd episode of Raw Lesnar defected to Stephanie McMahon s SmackDown Lesnar decided to remain exclusively on SmackDown forcing Eric Bischoff s Raw brand to create its own World Championship Vince Mcmahon Biography at SLAM Sports SLAM Sports Wrestling Canadian Online Explorer Archived from the original on June 29 2012 Retrieved December 21 2008 The entire WWE roster was broken up into two separate camps yahoo with some rivalry especially between future General Managers Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon occurring Nemer Paul September 2 2002 Full WWE RAW Results 9 2 02 WrestleView Retrieved December 20 2008 SmackDown results Truth and Consequences WWE Retrieved July 30 2011 Caldwell James December 15 2013 CALDWELL S WWE TLC PPV RESULTS 12 15 Live in person coverage of Cena vs Orton unification match from Houston a b Brock Lesnar receives the new WWE title belt on Monday Night Raw USA Today Retrieved August 19 2014 Johnson Mike Future of top WWE championship already hinted at PWInsider com Retrieved June 29 2016 Benigno Anthony Seth Rollins addressed The Roman Reigns Scandal WWE Retrieved July 27 2016 a b WWE Championship WWE Archived from the original on June 29 2016 Retrieved June 29 2016 Caldwell James July 24 2016 7 24 WWE Battleground Results Caldwell s Complete Report Pro Wrestling Torch Retrieved July 27 2016 Hamlin Jeff WWE Raw live results title match set for SummerSlam amp a new champion is crowned Wrestling Observer Retrieved July 27 2016 WWE SmackDown Live results July 26 2016 WWE Retrieved July 27 2016 WWE World Championship WWE Archived from the original on July 27 2016 Retrieved July 27 2016 WWE Championship WWE Archived from the original on December 14 2016 Retrieved December 13 2016 Keller Wade November 7 2017 Keller s WWE SmackDown Report 11 7 Jinder vs Styles for WWE Title Usos vs Jordan amp Gable for Tag Team Titles Pro Wrestling Torch Archived from the original on November 8 2017 Retrieved November 7 2017 Powell Jason October 31 2019 WWE Crown Jewel results Powell s 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 Championship Braun Strowman vs Tyson Fury Lacey Evans vs Natalya Pro Wrestling Dot Net Retrieved October 31 2019 Brookhouse Brent November 1 2019 WWE SmackDown results recap grades Shocking NXT invasion Brock Lesnar quits and moves to Raw CBSSports Archived from the original on November 2 2019 Retrieved March 4 2023 Powell Jason April 3 2022 WrestleMania 38 results Powell s 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 Edge vs AJ Styles Johnny Knoxville vs Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match Pat McAfee vs Austin Theory Bobby Lashley vs Omos Pro Wrestling Dot Net Retrieved April 3 2022 Thompson Andrew April 25 2023 Paul Levesque unveils new World Heavyweight Title champion to be crowned at WWE Night of Champions POST Wrestling Retrieved April 25 2023 Keller Wade April 24 2023 4 24 WWE Raw results Keller s report on Triple H announcement Bad Bunny appearing in person Rey vs Priest Pro Wrestling Torch Retrieved April 24 2023 Bath Dave April 28 2023 WWE SmackDown live results The WWE Draft begins Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online Retrieved April 28 2023 a b Rose Bryan June 2 2023 WWE unveils new Undisputed WWE Universal Championship belt Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online Retrieved June 5 2023 More on WWE streamlining titles future plans Fightful June 11 2023 Retrieved June 11 2023 Dee Louie June 7 2007 Draft History World Wrestling Entertainment Retrieved December 21 2008 WWE s destiny to be determined during SmackDown s LIVE premiere WWE June 20 2016 Retrieved June 28 2016 Fernandes Steven June 28 2016 WWE Championship name change official Bellas and more news Pro Wrestling Insider Retrieved June 29 2016 Nemer Paul September 2 2002 Full WWE RAW Results 9 2 02 Wrestleview Retrieved June 29 2016 2005 WWE Draft Lottery WWE June 13 2005 Retrieved December 21 2008 KB s Wrestling Reviews permanent dead link Zeigler Zack July 4 2006 Edge reclaims WWE Championship WWE Retrieved May 18 2008 Caldwell James June 23 2008 CALDWELL S WWE RAW REPORT 6 23 Ongoing virtual time coverage of live three hour Draft Raw Pro Wrestling Torch Retrieved May 25 2017 Sitterson Aubrey April 13 2009 Rough Draft WWE Retrieved April 20 2009 Murphy Ryan March 16 2013 From The Garden to an attic How the original WWE Title was lost for 50 years and found WWE Retrieved May 19 2017 IPWHF News June 4 2022 May 24 2020 IPWHF to enshrine Bruno Sammartino title belt holy grail of pro wrestling artifacts International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Retrieved May 13 2023 BRUNO S BELT International Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame Retrieved May 13 2023 a b c d e f g h i j Melok Bobby Powers Kevin February 15 2013 The history of the WWE Championship WWE com Retrieved May 19 2017 a b c d e f g h WWE April 27 2023 WWE s rare WWE Title collection revealed YouTube Retrieved May 2 2023 a b Murphy Ryan Seven Rare Championships from the WWE Vault WWE Retrieved September 13 2012 Murphy Ryan February 13 2013 The making of the new WWE Title How the WWE Championship was reinvented in 540 days WWE Retrieved May 13 2023 Check Out a Full Look at the New WWE Heavyweight Title 411Mania WWE Champions WWE Retrieved May 10 2014 All new WWE Women s Championship introduced at WrestleMania WWE April 3 2016 Retrieved April 3 2016 Lita introduced the all new WWE Women s Championship at WrestleMania and revealed that Charlotte Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch will compete for this title tonight Flanagan Neal June 9 2023 New WWE Women s Championship belt presented to Asuka POST Wrestling Retrieved June 9 2023 Tedesco Mike July 25 2016 WWE Raw Results 7 25 16 Live from Pittsburgh fallout from Battleground new era of Raw begins Wrestleview Retrieved July 25 2016 Martin Adam August 23 2016 Daniel Bryan to reveal two new championships exclusive to Smackdown Live tonight from Connecticut WrestleView Retrieved August 23 2016 Defelice Robert June 12 2023 Rhea Ripley Crowned Women s World Champion Given New Title Belt On 6 12 WWE Raw Fightful Retrieved June 12 2023 Currier Joseph December 15 2016 WWE to crown first United Kingdom Champion in January Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online Retrieved December 15 2016 Pollock John June 18 2018 WWE announces NXT UK brand with two additional championships to be introduced Retrieved August 26 2018 Monday Night Raw Television production Phoenix Arizona USA Network June 20 2016 SmackDown Live Television production Houston Texas USA Network December 6 2016 SmackDown Live Television production Buffalo New York USA Network July 26 2016 Battleground Pay per view Washington D C WWE Network July 24 2016 SummerSlam Pay per view Brooklyn New York WWE Network August 21 2016 SmackDown Live Television production Detroit Michigan USA Network December 20 2016 7 Championship Secrets Finally Revealed July 2009 WWE Magazine p 37 Robinson Jon Edge Interview p 2 Retrieved November 18 2006 Daniel Bryan s eco friendly WWE Championship photos WWE com Retrieved January 30 2019 Bryan s title is made from 100 percent sustainable organic hemp and carved from a naturally fallen oak McDonald Alex July 29 2023 WWE SMACKDOWN TV RESULTS 7 28 McDonald s alt perspective report on Roman Reigns and Jey Uso face to face Mysterio vs Escobar U S Title Invitational Final Anderson vs Kross PWTorch Retrieved September 5 2023 San Francisco Giants celebrate with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship www wwe com Retrieved May 31 2017 Daniel Bryan joins the San Francisco Giants World Series Parade photos www wwe com Retrieved May 31 2017 Custom WWE World Championships in the sports world photos WWE com Retrieved November 29 2019 Pappolla Ryan September 26 2018 Triple H sends custom title to WNBA Champions Seattle Storm WWE Retrieved September 26 2018 Triple H TripleH November 2 2015 Congrats to the 2015 MLB World Series Champions the Kansas City Royals Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH November 3 2016 Congrats to the Chicago Cubs on a long awaited and well deserved World Series win We got you something for the celebration Enjoy It Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH November 2 2017 Congrats to the Astros on an amazing World Series win WWE looks forward to celebrating with Houston at Survivor Series Bring this along Tweet via Twitter Laboon Jeff October 30 2018 Triple H sends custom WWE Championship to the 2018 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox WWE Retrieved November 28 2019 Triple H TripleH October 31 2019 A back and forth World Series that crowned new MLB Champions for their very first time Congratulations to the Washington Nationals on your historic win Time to bring the celebration to DC Tweet via Twitter WWE WWE November 3 2021 Congratulations to solerpower12 austinriley1308 amp the entire Braves organization on an incredible WorldSeries victory Enjoy this custom WWETitle for the celebration BattleATL Tweet Retrieved November 3 2021 via Twitter Triple H TripleH February 3 2015 WWE Title on its way to Gillette Stadium for Patriots parade Congrats Rob Gronkowski Julian Edelman Super Bowl Champs Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH February 8 2016 Congratulations to the Denver Broncos on winning Super Bowl 50 We have something coming your way shortly Champs Are Here Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH February 6 2017 A never say quit team a football dynasty and an amazing Super Bowl 51 Congrats Patriots this title is coming to New England Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH February 5 2018 To quote Zach Ertz you re the World Champions so you need a World Title Congratulations Eagles Tweet via Twitter Laboon Jeff February 4 2019 Triple H congratulates New England Patriots Super Bowl LIII victory with custom WWE Championship WWE Retrieved November 28 2019 Laboon Jeff June 17 2015 Golden State Warriors celebrate 2015 NBA Championship with WWE World Heavyweight Title WWE Retrieved June 9 2018 Triple H TripleH June 20 2016 An unprecedented comeback and a long overdue NBA Championship THAT is something to celebrate Congrats Cavs Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH June 13 2017 The NBA Championship is back in the Bay and Kevin Durant is going to have his hands full with all this gold Congratulations Warriors Tweet via Twitter Laboon Jeff June 9 2018 Golden State Warriors celebrate 2018 NBA Championship with custom WWE Title WWE Retrieved June 9 2018 Triple H TripleH June 14 2019 Congrats to Kyle Lowry Kawhi Leonard and the entire Raptors organization on bringing their first NBA title to Toronto Can t wait to celebrate with all of you at SummerSlam August 11 Scotiabank Arena Until then enjoy this WWE Championship Tweet via Twitter Conway Tim October 12 2020 Triple H Sends WWE Championship Belt to LeBron James Lakers After Finals Win Bleacher Report Retrieved October 12 2020 WWE com Staff July 10 2015 Megan Rapinoe celebrates with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship WWE Retrieved May 31 2017 Powers Kevin November 13 2015 Sheamus delivers WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Notre Dame Football WWE Retrieved May 31 2017 Triple H TripleH June 13 2016 Congratulations to the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins Can never go wrong w an HBK Line Title Coming Your Way Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH June 12 2017 Back to back NHL Champions gonna need a bigger trophy case in Pittsburgh Congratulations to the Penguins Tweet via Twitter Laboon Jeff June 8 2018 Washington Capitals celebrate 2018 Stanley Cup with custom WWE Championship WWE Retrieved June 8 2018 Laboon Jeff June 13 2019 St Louis Blues celebrate 2019 Stanley Cup with custom WWE Championship WWE Retrieved November 28 2019 WWE com Staff January 28 2017 Triple H tweets out a WWE Championship with custom plates for Serena Williams WWE Retrieved November 28 2019 Laboon Jeff May 20 2017 WWE sends custom title to Premier League Champions WWE Retrieved May 31 2017 WWE com Staff May 6 2018 Triple H sends custom WWE Title to Premier League Champions Manchester City WWE Retrieved May 10 2018 Triple H TripleH June 6 2017 From WWE to FC Bayern Munchen Five years at Bundesliga ONE Champion This is headed your way David Alaba amp Franck Ribery Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH July 13 2017 Mumbai Indians and Rohit Sharma as promised the WWE Title is on its way Congratulations Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH July 24 2017 Felicidades a las Chivas por la 12 Here is something to help with the Championship celebration Tweet via Twitter De La Pena Arturo June 25 2017 Triple H sends custom WWE Title to Argentinian Primera Division League champions Boca Juniors WWE com Retrieved June 26 2017 New York Yankees Yankees August 15 2017 Champions deserve championship belts WWE stars stopped by to award Aaron his belt for the HR Derby Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH November 24 2017 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 amp 8 Tweet via Twitter WWE com Staff July 30 2018 Triple H sends custom WWE Title to Champions League winners Real Madrid WWE Retrieved August 20 2018 Triple H TripleH September 13 2018 After an exceptional resurgence history was captured at the Overwatch League s First Finals Congrats London Spitfire and Cloud9 Jack Etienne this custom title is coming to you Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH July 19 2019 An incredible tournament an awe inspiring final and a team of worthy champions Congratulations to England Cricket for winning the ICC Men s Cricket World Cup 2019 This custom WWE Championship is YOURS Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH September 9 2019 An incredible end to 4 HOURS and 50 MINUTES in the finals of the US Open Congratulations to Rafael Nadal this custom WWE Championship should help celebrate your 19th Grand Slam Title Tweet via Twitter Triple H Sends Custom Title to CFL Grey Cup Champions the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Fox Sports January 18 2020 WWE com Staff June 20 2017 Triple H visits London police officer wounded in London Bridge attack WWE com Retrieved June 26 2017 Triple H TripleH December 9 2015 Honored to present a Troops WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Captains Stacey K Wright and Scott Gray at US Navy Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH December 14 2016 This Championship is in recognition of all you do for our country Thank you Cmd Sgt Troxell Elaine Rogers amp Maj Gen Becker Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH December 6 2017 Thank you to Captain Roy Love Commanding Officer of US Navy Base San Diego and his staff for hosting Tribute to the Troops and helping WWE honor our armed forces today and always Tweet via Twitter Triple H TripleH December 5 2018 Thank You to Major General Felix Gedney Colonel Henry Perry and all the servicemen and women at Ft Hood for allowing us to host Tribute to the Troops this morning and for your continued service to our country Tweet via Twitter Mattias 20 ans de Christophe Agius et Philippe Chereau la WWE leur offre une ceinture personnalisee catch newz com in French Retrieved June 11 2020 Triple H TripleH February 14 2024 It s that time of year when the Chiefs break out the hardware big congrats to the back to back champs Tweet Retrieved February 15 2024 via Twitter a b c WWE Championship WWE Retrieved March 9 2017 Bruno Sammartino WWE Retrieved November 9 2014 External linksOfficial WWE Championship Title History Wrestling Titles com WWE Championship WWE Title Belts A Guide to the Gold Wikimedia Commons contain images and other files on WWE Championship Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WWE Championship amp oldid 1217982124, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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