Here is the full list of WWE Universal Champions of all time.
When the WWE Championship became exclusive to SmackDown LIVE following the WWE Brand Extension, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley created the Universal Championship as the flagship title of Monday Night Raw.
The Universal Title then switched to the blue brand with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt's 2019 victory over Seth Rollins. t is one of WWE's top titles, alongside the WWE Championship on Raw and the NXT Championship on NXT.
As of December 20, 2022, there have been fourteen reigns between eight champions and two vacancies. Finn Bálor was the inaugural champion. Brock Lesnar holds the record for most reigns with three. Roman Reigns' ongoing second reign is the longest singular reign at 842+ days, while Bálor has the shortest reign at 22 hours as he was forced to vacate the title due to suffering a legitimate injury in winning it.
Reigns also holds the record for longest combined reign at 906+ days. Kevin Owens is the youngest champion when he won it at 32 years, 114 days old, while Goldberg is the oldest when he won the title for a second time at 53.
List Of WWE Universal Champions
| No.
|
Champion
|
Championship change
|
Reign statistics
|
Notes
|
| Date
|
Event
|
Location
|
Reign
|
Days |
Days recog.
|
|
WWE: Raw
|
| 1
|
Finn Bálor
|
August 21, 2016
|
SummerSlam
|
Brooklyn, NY
|
1
|
1 |
<1
|
The title was established for Raw after the WWE Championship became exclusive to SmackDown following the 2016 WWE Draft. Bálor defeated Seth Rollins in a pinfall and submission-only match to become the inaugural champion.
|
| —
|
Vacated
|
August 22, 2016
|
Raw
|
Brooklyn, NY
|
—
|
— |
—
|
Vacated due to Finn Bálor suffering a legit shoulder injury during his match at SummerSlam.
|
| 2
|
Kevin Owens
|
August 29, 2016
|
Raw
|
Houston, TX
|
1
|
188 |
188
|
This was a fatal four-way elimination match for the vacant title also involving Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, who Owens last eliminated to win.
|
| 3
|
Goldberg
|
March 5, 2017
|
Fastlane
|
Milwaukee, WI
|
1
|
28 |
27
|
|
| 4
|
Brock Lesnar
|
April 2, 2017
|
WrestleMania 33
|
Orlando, FL
|
1
|
504 |
503
|
|
| 5
|
Roman Reigns
|
August 19, 2018
|
SummerSlam
|
Brooklyn, NY
|
1
|
64 |
63
|
|
| —
|
Vacated
|
October 22, 2018
|
Raw
|
Providence, RI
|
—
|
— |
—
|
Vacated after Roman Reigns announced that he had a legitimate re-diagnosis of leukemia.
|
| 6
|
Brock Lesnar
|
November 2, 2018
|
Crown Jewel
|
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
|
2
|
156 |
156
|
Originally scheduled as a triple threat match in which Roman Reigns was to defend the title against Lesnar and Braun Strowman. After Reigns relinquished the championship, the match became a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the vacant title.
|
| 7
|
Seth Rollins
|
April 7, 2019
|
WrestleMania 35
|
East Rutherford, NJ
|
1
|
98 |
98
|
|
| 8
|
Brock Lesnar
|
July 14, 2019
|
Extreme Rules
|
Philadelphia, PA
|
3
|
28 |
27
|
Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
|
| 9
|
Seth Rollins
|
August 11, 2019
|
SummerSlam
|
Toronto, ON, Canada
|
2
|
81 |
81
|
|
| 10
|
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
|
October 31, 2019
|
Crown Jewel
|
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
|
1
|
119 |
119
|
This was a Falls Count Anywhere match that could not be stopped for any reason.
The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Wyatt's status as a SmackDown wrestler.
|
|
WWE: SmackDown
|
| 11
|
Goldberg
|
February 27, 2020
|
Super ShowDown
|
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
|
2
|
27 or 28 |
37
|
WWE recognizes this reign as ending on April 4, 2020, when the following match aired on tape delay.
|
| 12
|
Braun Strowman
|
March 25 or 26, 2020
|
WrestleMania 36
Part 1
|
Orlando, FL
|
1
|
150 or 151 |
141
|
WrestleMania was taped on March 25 and 26, but it is currently unknown which day this match was taped. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on April 4, 2020, when the match aired on tape delay.
|
| 13
|
"The Fiend" Bray Wyatt
|
August 23, 2020
|
SummerSlam
|
Orlando, FL
|
2
|
7 |
6
|
This was a Falls Count Anywhere match.
|
| 14
|
Roman Reigns
|
August 30, 2020
|
Payback
|
Orlando, FL
|
2
|
841+ |
841+
|
This was a No Holds Barred triple threat match also involving Braun Strowman, who Reigns pinned.
At WrestleMania 38 on April 3, 2022, Reigns defeated Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match and became recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Despite the match being billed as a unification match, both titles remain independently active.
|
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