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List of World Heavyweight Champions (WWE, 2002–2013)

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Chris Jericho is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion.

The World Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It is one of the world titles of the SmackDown brand, complementing the WWE Championship. 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 franchises, Raw and SmackDown, in a brand extension.[1][2] WWE's original world title, the WWE Championship (then known as the Undisputed Championship), was designated to the SmackDown brand, which resulted in this World Heavyweight Championship being established and designated to the Raw brand[3] As affirmed by WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship is not a continuation of the WCW or NWA World Heavyweight Championship, but rather a successor to both titles after indirectly having spun-off from the WCW Championship, by way of the WWE Undisputed Championship, just as the WCW Championship spun-off from and succeeded the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[4][5] For a list of champions who have held those titles, see List of WCW World Heavyweight Champions and List of NWA World Heavyweight Champions respectively.

The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted endings rather than contend in direct competition. The inaugural champion was Triple H, who was awarded the title in September 2002 by Eric Bischoff, then General Managerof RAW. At 282 days, Batista's first reign is the longest in the titles history. Jeff Hardy's first reign is shortest reign at about 2 minutes.[3] As of October 2024, Jack Swagger is the champion in his first reign. Overall, there have been 36 reigns with Triple H and Edge holding the most reigns at five each.

Title history

# Order of reigns in history.
Reign The reign number for the specific set of wrestlers listed.
Event The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the titles were won
— Used for vacated reigns in order to not count it as an official reign
+ Indicates the current reign is changing daily.

As of October 28, 2024.

# Wrestlers Reign Date Days
held 		Location Successful defenses Event Notes Ref
1 Triple H 1 September 2, 2002 76 Milwaukee, WI
5
 Raw Triple H was awarded the championship by the on-screen General Manager Eric Bischoff, making him the inaugural champion in the process. Triple H defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion Kane on October 20, 2002 at No Mercy to unifythe Intercontinental Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. [6][7]
2 Shawn Michaels 1 November 17, 2002 28 New York, NY
1
 Survivor Series (2002) This was the first ever Elimination Chamber match also involving Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, Triple H and Kane. [8][9]
3 Triple H 2 December 15, 2002 280 Sunrise, FL
11
 Armageddon (2002) This was a Three Stages of Hell match. [10][11]
4 Goldberg 1 September 21, 2003 84 Hershey, PA
4
 Unforgiven (2003) This was a Career vs. Title match. [12][13]
5 Triple H 3 December 14, 2003 91 Orlando, FL
2
 Armageddon (2003) This was a Triple Threat match also involving Kane. [14][15]
6 Chris Benoit 1 March 14, 2004 154 New York, NY
8
 WrestleMania XX This was a Triple Threat match also involving Shawn Michaels. [16][17]
7 Randy Orton 1 August 15, 2004 28 Toronto, ON
2
 SummerSlam (2004) [18][19]
8 Triple H 4 September 12, 2004 85 Portland, OR
2
 Unforgiven (2004) [20][21]
— Vacated — December 6, 2004 — Charlotte, NC
—
 Raw The championship was vacated after a double fall occurred in a Triple Threat match involving Triple H, Edge, and Chris Benoit. [22][23]
9 Triple H 5 January 9, 2005 84 San Juan, PR
2
 New Year's Revolution (2005) Triple H defeated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Batista, and Edge in anElimination Chamber match with Shawn Michaels as Special Guest Referee to win the vacant championship. [22][24]
10 Batista 1 April 3, 2005 282 Los Angeles, CA
9
 WrestleMania 21 Batista was drafted to the SmackDown! brand as the final pick in June 30, 2005, making the title SmackDown! exclusive. [25][26]
— Vacated — January 10, 2006 — Philadelphia, PA
—
 SmackDown! Batista vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legitimate tricepsinjury. This episode aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006. [27][28]
11 Kurt Angle 1 January 10, 2006 82 Philadelphia, PA
3
 SmackDown! Angle won the vacant championship in a 20 man battle royal. This episode aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006 [27][28]
12 Rey Mysterio 1 April 2, 2006 112 Rosemont, IL
7
 WrestleMania 22 This was a Triple Threat match also involving Randy Orton. [29][30]
13 King Booker 1 July 23, 2006 126 Indianapolis, IN
7
 The Great American Bash (2006) [31][32]
14 Batista 2 November 26, 2006 126 Philadelphia, PA
3
 Survivor Series (2006) This was a Last Chance match. [33][34]
15 The Undertaker 1 April 1, 2007 37 Detroit, MI
1
 WrestleMania 23 [35][36]
16 Edge 1 May 8, 2007 70 Pittsburgh, PA
3
 SmackDown! Edge traded in his Money in the Bank contract to earn the right to challenge for the title. This episode aired on tape delay on May 11, 2007. [37][38]
— Vacated — July 17, 2007 — Laredo, TX
—
 SmackDown! Edge vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legitimate pectoralinjury. This episode aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007. [39][40]
17 The Great Khali 1 July 17, 2007 61 Laredo, TX
2
 SmackDown! Khali won the vacant championship in a 20 man battle royal. This episode aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007. [39][40]
18 Batista 3 September 16, 2007 91 Memphis, TN
4
 Unforgiven (2007) This was a Triple Threat match also involving Rey Mysterio. [41][42]
19 Edge 2 December 16, 2007 105 Pittsburgh, PA
3
 Armageddon (2007) This was a Triple Threat match also involving The Undertaker. [43][44]
20 The Undertaker 2 March 30, 2008 30 Orlando, FL
2
 WrestleMania XXIV [45][46]
— Vacated — April 29, 2008 — Atlantic City, NJ
—
 SmackDown Smackdown's authority figure Vickie Guerrero ordered The Undertaker to relinquish the title because of the danger that his Hell's Gate choke hold caused. This episode aired on tape delay on May 2, 2008. [47][48]
21 Edge 3 June 1, 2008 29 San Diego, CA
1
 One Night Stand (2008) Edge defeated The Undertaker in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the vacant title. [47][49]
22 CM Punk 1 June 30, 2008 69 Oklahoma City, OK
4
 Raw Punk traded in his Money in the Bank contract in order to challenge for the title. CM Punk was a part of the Raw brand, thus making the title Raw-exclusive again. [50][51]
23 Chris Jericho 1 September 7, 2008 49 Cleveland, OH
2
 Unforgiven (2008) Originally, CM Punk was to defend his title in a Championship Scramble match also involving John "Bradshaw" Layfield, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Kane, but he was replaced by Jericho, who won the match and championship as a result of Punk sustaining a scripted injury. [52][53]
24 Batista 4 October 26, 2008 8 Phoenix, AZ
0
 Cyber Sunday (2008) This match involved Steve Austin as Special Guest Referee. [54][55]
25 Chris Jericho 2 November 3, 2008 20 Tampa, FL
0
 Raw This was a Steel Cage match. [52][56]
26 John Cena 1 November 23, 2008 84 Boston, MA
2
 Survivor Series (2008) [57][58]
27 Edge 4 February 15, 2009 49 Seattle, WA
1
 No Way Out (2009) This was an Elimination Chamber match also involving Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Mike Knox, andKane. The title becomes SmackDown exclusive as a result of Edge being a part of the SmackDown roster. [59][60]
28 John Cena 2 April 5, 2009 21 Houston, TX
0
 WrestleMania XXV This was a Triple Threat match also involving The Big Show. Becomes exclusive to the Raw brand once again due to John Cena being a Raw brand wrestler. [61][62]
29 Edge 5 April 26, 2009 42 Providence, RI
1
 Backlash (2009) This was a Last Man Standing match. The championship becomes exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Edge being a SmackDown wrestler. [63][64]
30 Jeff Hardy 1 June 7, 2009 0 New Orleans, LA
0
 Extreme Rules (2009) This was a Ladder match. [65][66]
31 CM Punk 2 June 7, 2009 49 New Orleans, LA
2
 Extreme Rules (2009) Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately after Hardy's victory to win the championship. [66][67]
32 Jeff Hardy 2 July 26, 2009 28 Philadelphia, PA
2
 Night of Champions (2009) [68][69]
33 CM Punk 3 August 23, 2009 42 Los Angeles, CA
2
 SummerSlam (2009) This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. [70][71]
34 The Undertaker 3 October 4, 2009 140 Newark, NJ
6
 Hell in a Cell This was a Hell in a Cell match, first title to ever change hands in the match type. [72][73]
35 Chris Jericho 3 February 21, 2010 37 St. Louis, MO
1
 Elimination Chamber This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving John Morrison, R-Truth, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker [74]
36 Jack Swagger 1 March 30, 2010 5,326+ Las Vegas, NV
0
 SmackDown Swagger cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to earn the right to challenge for the title. This episode aired on tape delay on April 2, 2010. [75]

List of combined reigns

Symbol Meaning
† Indicates the current champion

As of October 28, 2024.

Rank
[1] 		Wrestler # of
reigns 		Combined
days
1 Triple H 5 616
2 Batista 4 507
3 Edge 5 295
4 The Undertaker 3 207
5 CM Punk 3 160
6 Chris Benoit 1 154
7 King Booker 1 126
8 Rey Mysterio 1 112
9 Chris Jericho 3 106
10 John Cena 2 105
11 Goldberg 1 84
12 Kurt Angle 1 82
13 The Great Khali 1 61
14 Jeff Hardy 2 28
14 Randy Orton 1 28
14 Shawn Michaels 1 28
17 Jack Swagger† 1 5326+

Notes

1.^ – Each reign is ranked highest to lowest; total reigns of the same number of days are listed as tied ranks.

References

General
  • "History of the World Heavyweight Championship". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-06-14.
Specific
  1. ^ "WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2001-03-21. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  2. ^ "WWE Entertainment To Make RAW and SMACKDOWN Distinct Television Brands". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2002-03-27. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  3. ^ a b "RAW gets its own champion!". Wayback Machine. World Wrestling Entertainment. 2002-09-02. Retrieved 2008-10-17.
  4. ^ "World Heavyweight Championship title history". World Wrestling Entertainment.
  5. ^ "WCW World Heavyweight Championship history". World Wrestling Entertainment.
  6. ^ "Triple H's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  7. ^ Mahling, Mallory (2002-09-03). "9/2 WWE Raw review: New Raw World Championship established". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  8. ^ "Shawn Michaels' first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  9. ^ Keller, Wade (2002-11-17). "11/17 WWE Survivor Series: Keller's Virtual Time PPV Results". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  10. ^ "Triple H's second reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  11. ^ Keller, Wade (2002-12-15). "12/15 WWE Armageddon PPV report: Keller's "virtual time" results". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  12. ^ "Goldberg's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  13. ^ Keller, Wade (2003-09-21). "9/21 WWE Unforgiven PPV results: Keller's "virtual time" results of live event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  14. ^ "Triple H's third reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  15. ^ Keller, Wade (2003-12-14). "12/14 WWE Armageddon PPV: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" detailed coverage". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  16. ^ "Chris Benoit's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  17. ^ Keller, Wade (2004-03-14). "3/14 WWE WrestleMania XX PPV review (part two): Keller's ongoing "virtual time" analysis of event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  18. ^ "Randy Orton's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  19. ^ Keller, Wade (2004-08-16). "8/15 WWE Summerslam PPV review: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  20. ^ "Triple H's fourth reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  21. ^ Keller, Wade (2004-09-12). "9/12 WWE Unforgiven PPV review: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" analysis of event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  22. ^ a b "Triple H's fifth reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  23. ^ Keller, Wade (2004-12-06). "Kellers' 12/6 WWE Raw Review: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live show". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
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  25. ^ "Batista's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  26. ^ Keller, Wade (2005-04-03). "Keller's WrestleMania PPV Report 4/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  27. ^ a b "Kurt Angle's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  28. ^ a b Benjamin, Charlie (2006-01-14). "SmackDown Results - 1/13/06 - Philadelphia (New World Champion)". Wrestle View. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  29. ^ "Rey Mysterio's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  30. ^ Keller, Wade (2006-04-02). "Keller's WrestleMania Report: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of PPV". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  31. ^ "King Booker's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  32. ^ Keller, Wade (2006-07-23). "Keller's WWE Great American Bash PPV Report 7/23: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  33. ^ "Batista's second reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-03-22.
  34. ^ Keller, Wade (2006-11-26). "Keller's WWE Survivor Series PPV Report 11/26: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  35. ^ "The Undertaker's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  36. ^ Keller, Wade (2007-04-01). "Keller's WWE WrestleMania 23 Report (Hour 2): Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
  37. ^ "Edge's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  38. ^ Parks, Greg (2007-05-08). "5/11 WWE Smackdown: Parks's Virtual Time Coverage of the Show". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  39. ^ a b "The Great Khali's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-07-17.
  40. ^ a b Parks, Greg (2007-07-21). "7/20 WWE Smackdown: Parks's Coverage of the Show". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  41. ^ "Batista's third reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  42. ^ Caldwell, James (2007-09-16). "Caldwell's Unfrgiven Report 9/16: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of PPV". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  43. ^ "Edge's second reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  44. ^ Keller, Wade (2007-12-16). "Keller's WWE Armageddon PPV Report 12/16: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV event". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  45. ^ "The Undertaker's second reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  46. ^ Keller, Wade (2008-03-30). "Keller's WWE WrestleMania 24 Report: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of pay-per-view event". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  47. ^ a b "Edge's third reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-05-02.
  48. ^ Caldwell, James (2008-05-03). "Caldwell's WWE SmackDown REPORT 5/2: Taker stripped of title, Hardy vs. MVP, Foley's SD debut on commentary". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  49. ^ Keller, Wade (2008-06-01). "Keller's WWE One Night Stand PPV Report 6/1: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live event from San Diego". Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  50. ^ "CM Punk's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  51. ^ Martin, Adam (2008-06-30). "Raw Results- 6/30/08 - Oklahoma City, OK (Hour 1 coverage, more)". Wrestle View. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
  52. ^ a b "Chris Jericho's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-09-07. Cite error: The named reference "Jericho2" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  53. ^ Keller, Wade (2008-09-07). "Keller's WWE Unforgiven PPV Report 9/7: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of live PPV event". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  54. ^ "Batista's fourth reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
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  56. ^ Golden, Hunter (2008-11-04). "Raw Results - 11/3/08 - Tampa, FL". Wrestle View. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  57. ^ "John Cena's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
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  59. ^ "Edge's fourth reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
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  61. ^ "John Cena's second reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
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  63. ^ "Edge's fifth reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
  64. ^ Keller, Wade (2009-04-26). "Keller's WWE Backlash PPV Report 4/26: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage - Orton & Rhodes & DiBiase vs. McMahon & Triple H & Batista". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
  65. ^ "Jeff Hardy's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
  66. ^ a b Caldwell, James (2009-06-07). "Caldwell'S WWE Extreme Rules PPV Report 6/7: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Batista, Edge vs. Jeff Hardy". PW Torch. Retrieved 2009-10-07.
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  68. ^ "Hardy'ssecond reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-08-23.
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  72. ^ "Undertaker's third Reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
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  74. ^ "Chris Jericho's third reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-21.
  75. ^ "Jack Swagger's first reign". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-04-03.

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