WWE Championship

Also known as WWF World Heavyweight Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, Undisputed WWE Championship

world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE

Key facts

Promotion: WWE
Brand: SmackDown
Date established: April 25, 1963
Current champion: Cody Rhodes
Date won: March 6, 2026
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)
Oldest champion: Mr. McMahon , (54 years, 21 days)
Youngest champion: Brock Lesnar , (25 years, 44 days)
Heaviest champion: Yokozuna , (568 lb (258 kg))

Article

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 Cody Rhodes, who is in his third reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion Drew McIntyre on the March 6, 2026, episode of SmackDown.

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. In 1971, it lost its world title recognition as the company rejoined the NWA, but regained the status when they conclusively left the NWA in 1983. Since its inception, the title has underwent many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest active championship 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 the company's flagship event WrestleMania. In professional wrestling in general, it is considered to be one of the most prestigious championships of all time.