WWE Championship

WWE Championship
The Undisputed WWE Championship belt with default side plates (2023–present).
Details
Promotion	WWE
Brand	SmackDown
Date established	April 25, 1963
Current champion	John Cena
Date won	April 20, 2025
Other names
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, 2011, 2024–present)[a] WWE Undisputed Championship (2002) WWE Championship (2002–2013, 2016–present) WWE World Heavyweight Championship (2013–2016) WWE World Championship (2016) Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (2022–2024)[b]
Statistics First champion Buddy Rogers Most reigns John Cena (14 reigns) Longest reign Bruno Sammartino (1st reign, 2,803 days) Shortest reign André the Giant (1 minute and 48 seconds)[1] Oldest champion Mr. McMahon (54 years, 21 days) Youngest champion Brock Lesnar (25 years, 44 days) Heaviest champion Yokozuna (568 lb (258 kg)) Lightest champion Rey Mysterio (175 lb (79 kg))

The WWE Championship, also referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship since April 2024, is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two men's world titles on WWE's main roster, along with the World Heavyweight Championship on Raw. The current champion is John Cena, who is in his record-setting 14th reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Cody Rhodes on Night 2 of WrestleMania 41 on April 20, 2025.

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.^[2]

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 WWE Universal Championship with the 2016 brand split and then a new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023. From April 2022 until April 2024, the WWE and Universal titles were held and defended together as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, maintaining their individual lineages until the Universal title was deactivated in April 2024, with the WWE title subsequently referred to as the Undisputed WWE Championship. 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.

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