List of WWE Champions: The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship in professional wrestling that is presently defended on the SmackDown brand. It was the first world title established in WWE, known at the time as the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), and first debuted in 1963 as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship. In 1979, the company was renamed the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), & its association with the National Wrestling Alliance dissolved in 1983, with the championship also changed to reflect the changes.
It was merged with the World Championship in 2001 to form the Undisputed WWF Championship. The WWF rebranded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002, and its roster was divided into two brands, Raw and SmackDown. The title, now renamed the WWE Championship, then went to the SmackDown brand, while WWE created an additional global championship for the Raw brand known as the Global Heavyweight Championship. In 2006, the ECW World Heavyweight Championship returned as a third alternate world title for the ECW brand.
List of WWE Champions
The Undertaker
Mark William Calaway, commonly known as The Undertaker, is a retired American professional wrestler. Calaway is widely recognized as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, and he is best known for his famous “Deadman” Undertaker character, for which he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022. Calaway began his career in 1987, performing for World Class Championship Wrestling & other affiliate promotions under several gimmicks. In 1989 he signed with WCW before joining the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) in 1990.
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is a WWE-signed American professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. Cena is widely recognized as one of the best professional wrestlers ever, having held the most world championship reigns in WWE history.
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is a former American football player and professional wrestler from the United States. He is presently signed to WWE, competing on the SmackDown brand as Roman Reigns. He is the current & longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion in his 2nd reign & the current WWE Champion in his fourth reign, making him the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. He is also the stable leader of The Bloodline and a member of wrestling’s famous Anoa’i family. Reigns is widely recognized as one of the top professional wrestlers active today.
The Rock
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, better known as the Rock, is an American actor, film producer, and former professional wrestler. He was significant in the creation and success of the WWF(now WWE) during the Attitude Era, a period of industry boom in the late 1990s & early 2000s. He is widely recognized as one of the best professional wrestlers ever. Johnson wrestled for the WWF for 8 years before turning to acting. His films earned more than $3.5 billion in North America & more than $10.5 billion globally, making him one of the world’s most successful and highest-paid actors.
Edge (Adam Joseph Copeland)
Adam Joseph Copeland is a professional wrestler & actor from Canada. He has signed with WWE. He previously competed for their Smackdown brand. Edge was his ring name when he wrestled. Due to a neck injury, he was forced to retire from professional wrestling. On March 31, 2012, Copeland was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by his best buddy and tag team partner Christian.
Since his retirement, Copeland has appeared on the Syfy series Haven as the character Dwight Hendrickson. Edge will make an unexpected comeback to WWE on January 26, 2020, in the Royal Rumble. Edge was attacked by his former tag team partner Randy Orton on the January 27, 2020, episode of Raw. Orton was defeated when he returned. Edge is wrestling on RAW alongside his wife, Beth Phoenix, in a program with the Finn Balor-led faction Judgement Day in 2023.
