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WWE Championship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the championship that is currently defended on the RAW brand of WWE. For SmackDown!'s top championship, see World Heavyweight Championship (WWE).
| WWE Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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 The WWE Championship belt (April 11, 2005 – August 20, 2006; September 18, 2006 – present) |
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| Current champion(s) |
Randy Orton | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date won | October 7, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Promotion | World Wrestling Entertainment | ||||||||||||||||||
| Brand | RAW | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date created | April 29, 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other name(s) |
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| Past design(s) |   |
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The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Championship is a professional wrestling world championship in World Wrestling Entertainment. It is the original world title of WWE. Currently, it is the highest ranked championship on the RAW brand.
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Upon its creation, the title was christened the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Heavyweight Championship. When the WWWF rejoined the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), the umbrella organization of professional wrestling promotions of North America, the title lost its "World" status to the NWA's main World Heavyweight Championship — while remaining the highest-ranking title of the company, it became inferior to the NWA's World title. When the WWWF changed its name to World Wrestling Federation in 1979, the title was referred to as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) Heavyweight Championship. When the WWF left the NWA in 1983, the title regained its "World" status and was officially christened the WWF World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship, although it was usually announced and referred to as the WWF Championship, which became its official name in 1998.
With its purchase of World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March, 2001 the WWF gained the rights to its former greatest rival's heavyweight championship. After the conclusion of the "Invasion" storyline, involving the fictitious bid of the WCW and the erstwhile Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) to destroy the WWF, the WWF Championship and the WCW Championships were formally unified at the 2001 Vengeance pay-per-view event, and christened the Undisputed WWF Championship — claimed as the highest-ranking world heavyweight championship in professional wrestling, unrivaled by other promotions. The title received its new name, the WWE Undisputed Championship, in May 2002 when the company changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
When WWE split its television shows, RAW and SmackDown! into distinct brands in late 2002, the reigning Undisputed Champion Brock Lesnar became one of the wrestlers assigned to work exclusively for SmackDown!, leaving RAW without any lead championship. WWE then introduced the World Heavyweight Championship as RAW's own highest-ranking and exclusive title. The WWE Championship's previously claimed status of being the "Undisputed" title was thus dropped. On June 6, 2005 the reigning WWE Champion John Cena was assigned to work for the RAW roster, as part of the on-television WWE Draft Lottery, which also led to the World Heavyweight Championship being shifted to SmackDown! when the reigning champion Batista was drafted to the show on June 30.
Special custom belts have been created for at least six different champions: "Superstar" Billy Graham (red leather strap), the Ultimate Warrior (white, blue and purple leather straps), "Stone Cold" Steve Austin ("Smokin' Skull" belt), The Rock ("Brama Bull" Belt), John Cena ("Spinner" belt) and Edge ("Rated-R Spinner" belt). A belt with an exceptionally long strap was created for André the Giant before WrestleMania III, however he never wore it as champion. The "Spinner" belt's design has since become the WWE Championship's primary design, having also been used by Edge, Rob Van Dam, Randy Orton and Triple H.
The current champion is Randy Orton, who is in his second reign as champion. He won the title at No Mercy on October 7, 2007 by defeating Triple H in a Last Man Standing match.[1] Orton had been given the title at the opening of the event by Mr. McMahon but went on to lose it right away to Triple H in a standard one-fall match in the first match of the show. Triple H remained champion through No Mercy until the main event where Orton won the title back from him, giving him his first and second WWE Championship reigns in the same night. His first reign at the show's opening is the third shortest in WWE history.[2]
- List of WWE Champions
- List of WWE Championship reigns by length
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship
- World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)
- ECW Championship
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Brand Championships
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RAW: WWE • Intercontinental • World Tag Team • Women's SmackDown!: World Heavyweight • United States • Tag Team • Cruiserweight ECW: ECW |
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Developmental Championships
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Ohio Valley Wrestling: Heavyweight • Television • Southern Tag Team • Women's Florida Championship Wrestling: Southern Heavyweight |
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Other accomplishments
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Royal Rumble • Money in the Bank • King of the Ring • Diva Search |
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Championship lists
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List of current champions in WWE WWE (reigns) • Intercontinental (reigns) • World Tag Team (reigns) • Women's (reigns) World Heavyweight (reigns) • United States (reigns) • Tag Team (reigns) • Cruiserweight (reigns) ECW (reigns) |