I did the wwe championship, now its time for the 2nd biggest championship in the wwe. Boldface denotes active wrestlers and highest medal count among all wrestlers including these who not. With the crowd still roaring, the winner stands alone in the ring and raises the championship belt high over his head. Since that time, the biggest names in the business have held the title, including bruno sammartino, andre the. Triple h was successful and has held the championship on five different. Introduction symbols name format change in process. Suddenly itas over, and in the center of the ring, one man i.
The wwe championship is widely recognized as the most historic championship in wwe. It is recognized as the top championship in the wwe. Then, the wwe undisputed world championship was called the wwe world championship or just the wwe championship. The win made goldberg the first wwe hall of famer to win a world championship after his induction. Documenting the history of wrestlings heavyweight championship title of a pretty mammoth task, daunting even, and one that stretches back the better part of a century. The tables shows those who have won at least 5 gold medals at the world championships. Ric flair and john cena hold the most recognized world heavyweight championships, across multiple companies, tied with 16. The title was introduced in 1963 by the thenworld wide wrestling federation wwwf. One of the most decorated superstars in wwe history, john cena is a 16time world champion, tying the record set by twotime wwe hall of famer ric flair. Randy orton defeated john cena to unify the world heavyweight championship with the. But who will go down as the greatest wwe champion in history. It was established by wwe in 2002 after wwe bought out world championship wrestling wcw and extreme championship wrestling ecw, and split its roster into two brands, raw and smackdown. Wwe championship simple english wikipedia, the free.
The ultimate world wrestling entertainment trivia book. A look back at the rich history of the wwe championship by kevin sullivan, a lions tale. Histories of the professional wrestling championships of various countries from the 19th century to the present. The championship was generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. Historical engraving, irish collar eldow wrestling, it seen to comes from the book. Names of the wrestlers from countries where the family names come before the given names will be. The current champion is drew mcintyre, who is in his first reign. The world heavyweight championship that has been carried by such greats as batista and triple h got its start in wwe back in 2002. In 2011, there were two wwe champions john cena and cm punk. Matt hardy is one of the most decorated tag team champions of all time and has also held several singles titles. Scott hall and cody rhodes never held the wwe championship.
The following list shows the top 10 world championship reigns in wwe history. At money in the bank in july 2011, cm punk stunned the wrestling world by defeating john cena to win the wwe championship and seemingly ride. Kevin sullivan a 50year history of the championship matches hosted by world wrestling entertainment traces their expansion and popularity throughout the world, citing the contributions of such performers as hulk. Only a handful of wrestlers have cemented their names in the wwe record books. Mcmahon is currently the chairman and ceo of the company and runs the company along with his daughter stephanie and her husband paul. But its prestigious lineage can actually be traced back all the way to george hackenschmidt and 1904. Title held up on october 19, 1981 after a match against greg valentine in which the referee gave the title to valentine after backlund pinned him. The wwwf billed rogers as their world champion since january 25, 1963, but it did not. On the august 1 episode of raw the chief operating officer of wwe triple h, announced a match to decide who will be the wwe champion between cena and punk. However, its origin is attributed the first world heavyweight championship, and then to events that began in the national wrestling alliance nwa, which had many different territorial promotions as members. He won the title by defeating brock lesnar during wrestlemania 36 part 2 that aired on tape. Best of the best was the firstever 100 per cent australian funded and produced payperview in wrestling history, streaming live to fite tv viewers around the world. He is well adored in the world of sports entertainment but not everyone.
List of wwe champions simple english wikipedia, the free. Wwe books is a subsidiary of world wrestling entertainment, inc. Below, we discuss the top 10 longest title reigns in wwe history. Wwe championshipchampion history pro wrestling fandom. The wwe champion is drew mcintyre, who is in his first reign. For over half a century, superstars have battled to win the wwe championship. The 10 shortest wwe championship reigns in history sportszion. Ranking the greatest wwe champions of all time bleacher report. Wwe introduced its world heavyweight championship in 2002 by eric bischoff awarding triple h the inaugural championship reign on september 2. The 10 shortest wwe championship reigns in history. Watch next 10 greatest intercontinental champions of all time s. Defeated valentine in a rematch to win the held up title. Wwe has maintained several world championships since capitol wrestling corporation.
Wwe light heavyweight cruiserweight championship 1997 2007 wwe european championship 19972002 wcw world heavyweight championship 2001 wcw tag team championship 2001 wcw united states championship 2001 wcw cruiserweight championship 2001 more to come. Relive all of matts championship victories from his incredible career. See where time wwe champion randy orton ranks on this list of the most world title reigns in wwe history. The wwe championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the american professional wrestling promotion wwe, currently defended on their raw brand. The world heavyweight championship was brought to raw by former general manager eric bischoff after wwe champion brock lesnar became exclusive to smackdown. The fabulous freebirds started performing together in 1979 when mid south wrestling promoter bill watts put together the duo of michael p. Bischoff awarded the championship to triple h, but the game had to defend it against his best friend, ric flair. It is now the most popular company in the wrestling business. Though originally meant to be a tag team, he soon added buddy jack roberts into the mix, and they became a three man gang type of tagteaman unusual concept at the time. According to the official wwe championship history, backlunds reign lasted from february 20, 1978 to december 26, 1983. Goldberg becomes secondoldest world champion in wwe history. The world heavyweight championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in wwe. While the name may have changed, the prestige attached to the championship has exploded. In march 2019, wsw had the honour of hosting the final match of impact wrestling hall of fame member and now wwe producer chris abyss.
A look back at the rich history of the wwe championship. For over 60 years, the wwe has produced some of the most legendary superstars in professional wrestling. At the top of wwe s championship hierarchy for male wrestlers are the wwe championship on raw, the universal championship on smackdown, and the nxt championship on nxt all designated as world championships. When wwe champion randy orton defeated world heavyweight champion john cena at the tlc. Twotime world champion and wwe hall of famer bruno sammartino, whose seven yearplus 2,803 days first reign with the then wwwf world heavyweight championship now wwe championship is the longest in the titles history. The complete title histories for the championships of wwe raw, wwe smackdown live, and wwe nxt, including the wwe championship, universal championship, intercontinental championship, united states championship, raw womens championship, raw tag team championship, nxt championship, nxt womens championship, nxt tag team championship, and many more. In 2000, the world wildlife fund also wwf, an environmental organization now called the world wide fund for nature, sued the world wrestling federation. Ric flair, hulk hogan, triple h, edge, chris jericho, the undertaker, john cena. Wwe formerly the wwf and wwwf has maintained several world championships since capitol wrestling corporation seceded. Wwe s original world title, the wwe championship, with which the wcw world. The historical lineage of the wwe world heavyweight championship, including every superstar to hold the title, the length of their reign and the event in which they won the title. Yokozuna might have left the wrestling world for long but many will still remember. But to be world champion of wrestling, means that youre generally regarded as the.
The rocks world championship wins ranked from worst to best. There have been a total of 30 recognized champions who have had a combined 59 official. Kevin sullivan presents a history of the championship matches hosted by world wrestling entertainment, tracing their expansion and popularity throughout the world, and citing the contributions of such performers as. Here are the rocks 10 world championship wins, from worst to best. The assets of extreme championship wrestling ecw, which had folded after filing for bankruptcy protection in april 2001, were purchased by wwe in mid2003. But before his recent run on smackdown, his singular world title reign came in the form. Dating back to 1963, the wwe championship was first awarded to buddy rogers after he defeated antonino rocca in the finals of a tournament in april. It is one of three world titles in wwe, alongside the wwe universal championship on smackdown and the nxt championship on nxt. See more ideas about wrestling books, wrestling and books.
The wrestler with the most reigns as world heavyweight champion is john cena with. Top 10 longest title reigns in wwe history sportszion. The wwe womens championship was a womens professional wrestling championship in the world wrestling entertainment wwe promotion. The world wrestling championships are the amateur wrestling world championships organized by the united world wrestling. The lights shine off the wwe championship title belt, and in that instant, the winners life will be changed forever. The rock is the most famous sports entertainer in the history of the business.
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