WWE is an American professional wrestling promotion based out of Stamford, Connecticut, and is the world's largest promotion. As in other professional wrestling promotions, WWE promotes several championships, with titleholders typically determined via the results of professional wrestling matches within scripted storylines. On rare occasions, a championship may be awarded to or stripped from a wrestler outside of a match, though these occurrences also fall within scripted storylines.[lower-alpha 1]

WWE currently divides its roster between three brands. Most wrestlers compete exclusively on a single brand (with select exemptions). WWE's two primary brands are Raw and SmackDown, collectively referred to as the main roster. NXT serves as the developmental brand (although it was considered a third main brand from 2019 to 2021).[1]

There are currently 15 championships in WWE divided among the three brands. Raw has one primary and secondary championship for male wrestlers, and a singles championship for female wrestlers. SmackDown has two primary championships (jointly held and defended as an undisputed championship) and a secondary championship for male wrestlers, and a singles championship for female wrestlers. There are two tag team championships for male wrestlers on the main roster, which are held and defended jointly across both brands as an undisputed championship. NXT features a primary, secondary, specialty, and tag team championship for male wrestlers, and a singles championship for female wrestlers. There is one tag team championship in WWE for female wrestlers, which is shared by all three brands.

As of January 15, 2024, among the three current brands, 16 wrestlers officially hold championships (including three double champions). This list includes the number of times the wrestler has held the title, the date and location of the win, and a description of title victory.

Overview

The American professional wrestling promotion WWE currently divides its roster into what the company refers to as brands. The two main brands that the company promotes are Raw and SmackDown, collectively referred to as the main roster. Wrestlers assigned to the two main brands exclusively compete on the respective weekly television programs, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, albeit with some exceptions. The Raw brand also has a supplementary online streaming program called Main Event. Monthly pay-per-view and livestreaming events feature wrestlers from both brands.

NXT is WWE's developmental brand, which is where newer WWE wrestlers perform to potentially be promoted to the main roster. Wrestlers assigned to NXT exclusively compete on the weekly television program, NXT, albeit with some exceptions, as well as the brand's supplementary online streaming program called Level Up. NXT also has its own major livestreaming events held periodically throughout the year.

Main roster

For the men's division, Raw features a primary and secondary championship, while SmackDown features two jointly held and defended primary titles (promoted as an undisputed championship) and a secondary title. There are also two jointly held and defended tag team championships—one representing each brand—promoted as an undisputed tag team championship open to both Raw and SmackDown.

For the women's division, each brand has a primary championship. There is also a tag team championship shared between both brands as well as NXT.

Men

At the top of WWE's championship hierarchy for male wrestlers are the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on SmackDown—regarded as world heavyweight championships. The World Heavyweight Championship is held by Seth "Freakin" Rollins, who became the inaugural champion by defeating AJ Styles in a tournament final at Night of Champions on May 27, 2023.[2] The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is held by Roman Reigns and consists of the WWE Championship and the WWE Universal Championship, with both titles being jointly defended but retaining their individual lineages. He won his second Universal Championship by defeating previous champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, who Reigns pinned, in a No Holds Barred triple threat match at Payback on August 30, 2020,[3] and then became undisputed champion by defeating Brock Lesnar to win his fourth WWE Championship on April 3, 2022, on Night 2 of WrestleMania 38 in a Winner Takes All match. The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was available to both brands but became exclusive to SmackDown as a result of the 2023 WWE Draft.[4]

Secondary titles for male wrestlers include the Intercontinental Championship on Raw and the United States Championship on SmackDown. The Intercontinental Championship is held by first-time champion Gunther, who defeated Ricochet on the June 10, 2022, episode of SmackDown; at this time, the title was part of the SmackDown brand.[5] The United States Championship is held by Logan Paul, who is in his first reign. He defeated previous champion Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel on November 4, 2023.[6]

Tag team titles for male wrestlers include the Raw Tag Team Championship and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship—both regarded as world tag team championships. Since May 20, 2022, both titles have been held and jointly defended under the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship banner but maintain their individual lineages, with the holders of the undisputed championship allowed to appear on both brands. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship is held by The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) from Raw, who are in their second reign, both as a team and individually with each set of titles. They defeated Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso on Raw on October 16, 2023.[7][8]

Women

At the top of WWE's championship hierarchy for female wrestlers are the Women's World Championship on Raw and the WWE Women's Championship on SmackDown—both regarded as women's world championships. The Women's World Championship is held by first-time champion Rhea Ripley, who defeated Charlotte Flair on April 1, 2023, at WrestleMania 39 Night 1. She won the title as the SmackDown Women's Championship and it was renamed as the Women's World Championship on June 12, 2023.[9] The WWE Women's Championship is held by first-time champion Iyo Sky, who defeated Bianca Belair in her Money in the Bank cash-in match at SummerSlam on August 5, 2023.[10]

The women's tag team championship is the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, which is shared between Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. It is held by Katana Chance and Kayden Carter from Raw, who are in their first reign, both as a team and individually. They defeated Chelsea Green and Piper Niven on the December 18, 2023, episode of Raw.[11]

Developmental

NXT

NXT features four championships for men and two for women. Each gender division has a primary championship. The men's division also has a secondary, specialty, and tag team championship. The women's tag team championship (listed above) is available to Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.

Men

The top title for male wrestlers is the NXT Championship. It is held by first-time champion Ilja Dragunov. He defeated Carmelo Hayes on September 30, 2023, at No Mercy.[12]

The secondary championship for male wrestlers is the NXT North American Championship. It is held by first-time champion Oba Femi, who defeated SmackDown's Dragon Lee in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract cash-in match on the January 9, 2024, episode of NXT. [13]

The specialty championship for men is the NXT Heritage Cup. It is defended like any other championship but all matches are contested under British Rounds Rules. It is held by record three-time champion Noam Dar, who defeated Nathan Frazer by 2–1 to win the title on August 22, 2023, at NXT: Heatwave.[14]

The men's tag team championship is the NXT Tag Team Championship. It is held by two-time champions The Family (Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo), who defeated Chase University (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson) on the November 14, 2023 live broadcast of NXT.[15]

Women

The top title for female wrestlers is the NXT Women's Championship. It is held by first-time champion Lyra Valkyria, who defeated Becky Lynch at NXT: Halloween Havoc Night 1 on October 24, 2023.[16]

Current champions

The colors and symbols indicate the home brand of the champions.

† Raw ‡ SmackDown § NXT ∞ Mixed brand

Main roster

Raw

Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held		 Location Notes Ref.
World Heavyweight Championship Seth "Freakin" Rollins 1 May 27, 2023 233 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Defeated AJ Styles in the tournament final at Night of Champions to become the inaugural champion. [17]
Women's World Championship Rhea Ripley 1 April 1, 2023 289 Inglewood, California Defeated Charlotte Flair on WrestleMania 39 Night 1.
Won the title as the SmackDown Women's Championship and it was renamed as the Women's World Championship on June 12, 2023.		 [18]
Intercontinental Championship Gunther 1 June 10, 2022 584 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Defeated Ricochet on SmackDown.
Won the title as part of the SmackDown brand but was moved to Raw in the 2023 WWE Draft.		 [19]

SmackDown

Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held		 Location Notes Ref.
WWE Championship Roman Reigns 4 April 3, 2022 652 Arlington, Texas Defeated Brock Lesnar on WrestleMania 38 Night 2 in a Winner Takes All match in which Reigns defended SmackDown's Universal Championship.
With both championships, Reigns is recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. He was originally allowed to appear on both brands as undisputed champion but became exclusive to SmackDown in the 2023 WWE Draft.		 [20]
Universal Championship 2 August 30, 2020 1,233 Orlando, Florida Defeated previous champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, who Reigns pinned, in a No Holds Barred triple threat match at Payback.
After winning Raw's WWE Championship on WrestleMania 38 Night 2 on April 3, 2022, Reigns is recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. He was originally allowed to appear on both brands as undisputed champion but became exclusive to SmackDown in the 2023 WWE Draft.		 [21]
WWE Women's Championship Iyo Sky 1 August 5, 2023 163 Detroit, Michigan Defeated Bianca Belair in her Money in the Bank cash-in match at SummerSlam. [22]
United States Championship Logan Paul 1 November 4, 2023 72 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Defeated Rey Mysterio at Crown Jewel. [23]

Tag Team

Championship Current champion(s) Reign
As a team
(Individually)		 Date won Days
held		 Location Notes Ref.
Raw Tag Team Championship
The Judgment Day
(Finn Bálor and Damian Priest)†		 2 October 16, 2023 91 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Defeated Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso on Raw. [24]
SmackDown Tag Team Championship 2
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter† 1 December 18, 2023 28 Des Moines, Iowa Defeated Chelsea Green and Piper Niven on Raw. [25]
  • The Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships—while maintaining their separate lineages—are jointly defended across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship.
  • The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship is defended across Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.

Developmental

NXT
Championship Current champion(s) Reign Date won Days
held		 Location Notes Ref.
NXT Championship Ilja Dragunov 1 September 30, 2023 107 Bakersfield, California Defeated Carmelo Hayes at No Mercy. [26]
NXT Women's Championship Lyra Valkyria 1 October 24, 2023 83 Orlando, Florida Defeated Becky Lynch at NXT: Halloween Havoc Night 1. [27]
NXT North American Championship Oba Femi 1 January 9, 2024 6 Orlando, Florida Defeated SmackDown's Dragon Lee in his NXT Breakout Tournament contract cash-in match on NXT. [28]
NXT Heritage Cup Noam Dar 3 August 22, 2023 146 Orlando, Florida Defeated Nathan Frazer by 2–1 at NXT: Heatwave. [29]
NXT Tag Team Championship The Family
(Tony D'Angelo and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo)		 2 November 14, 2023 62 Orlando, Florida Defeated Chase University (Andre Chase and Duke Hudson) on NXT.

See also

Championship types in WWE
Champions in WWE lists

Notes

  1. ↑ In some cases, a wrestler may be stripped of a title due to a legitimate injury or other real-world circumstance. On such occasions, the storyline may be adapted around real-world events or may continue without referencing them.

References

  1. ↑ WWE.com Staff (August 20, 2019). "NXT moves to USA Network". WWE.
  2. ↑ "World Heavyweight Championship". WWE. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Universal Championship". WWE. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WWE Championship". WWE. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Intercontinental Championship". WWE. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  6. ↑ "United States Championship". WWE. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Raw Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  8. ↑ "SmackDown Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Women's World Championship". WWE. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  10. ↑ "WWE Women's Championship". WWE. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  11. ↑ "WWE Women's Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  12. ↑ "NXT Championship". WWE. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  13. ↑ "NXT North American Championship". WWE. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  14. ↑ "NXT Heritage Cup". WWE. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ "NXT Tag Team Championship". WWE. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  16. ↑ "NXT Women's Championship". WWE. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  17. ↑ Powell, Jason (May 27, 2023). "WWE Night of Champions results: Powell's live review of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins vs. AJ Styles for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Bianca Belair vs. Asuka for the Raw Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ Powell, Jason (April 1, 2023). "WrestleMania 39 results: Powell's live review of night one with Jimmy Uso and Jey Uso vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Smackdown Women's Title, Austin Theory vs. John Cena for the U.S. Title, Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio, Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  19. ↑ Powell, Jason (June 10, 2022). "6/10 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Riddle vs. Sami Zayn (Riddle earns a title shot if he wins or is barred from Smackdown if he loses), Ricochet vs. Gunther for the Intercontinental Title, Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus and Lacey Evans vs. Xia Li in Money in the Bank qualifiers". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  20. ↑ 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.
  21. ↑ Powell, Jason (August 30, 2020). "WWE Payback results: Powell's review of The Fiend vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship, Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton, Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for the WWE Women's Tag Titles, Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  22. ↑ Powell, Jason (August 5, 2023). "WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso in Tribal Combat for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title, Asuka vs. Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women's Title, Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the World Heavyweight Title, Brock Lesnar vs. Cody Rhodes". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ Powell, Jason (November 4, 2023). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight for the WWE Universal Title, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Title, Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul for the U.S. Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  24. ↑ Powell, Jason (October 16, 2023). "WWE Raw results (10/16): Powell's live review of the season premiere, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest and Finn Balor for the Undisputed WWE Tag Titles, Gunther vs. Bronson Reed for the IC Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  25. ↑ Powell, Jason (December 18, 2023). "WWE Raw results (12/18): Powell's live review of Damian Priest and Finn Balor vs. Julius Creed and Brutus Creed for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, Gunther vs. The Miz for the Intercontinental Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  26. ↑ Moore, John (September 30, 2023). "NXT No Mercy results: Moore's live review of Carmelo Hayes vs. Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Title, Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton in an Extreme Rules match for the NXT Women's Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  27. ↑ Moore, John (October 24, 2023). "NXT TV results (10/24): Moore's review of Becky Lynch vs. Lyra Valkyria for the NXT Women's Title, Tony D'Angelo and Stacks vs. Andre Chase and Duke Hudson for the NXT Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  28. ↑ Moore, John (January 9, 2024). "NXT TV results (1/9): Moore's review of Tony D'Angelo and Channing Lorenzo vs. OTM for the NXT Tag Titles, Gigi Dolin vs. Cora Jade, the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament begins". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  29. ↑ Moore, John (August 22, 2023). "NXT TV results (8/22): Moore's review of Heatwave with Carmelo Hayes vs. Wes Lee for the NXT Title, Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria, Nathan Frazer vs. Noam Dar for the NXT Heritage Cup". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
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