List of all WWE superstars who held Universal Championship
(Courtesy : WWE)
Roman Reigns held the WWE Universal Championship for a record 1,316 days
Introduced in 2016, the WWE Universal Championship was one of the top prizes in men’s professional wrestling. It was created after the brand split that year to serve as the flagship title of Raw, while the WWE Championship became exclusive to SmackDown.
The title got its name from WWE’s passionate fanbase, the WWE Universe, and quickly became a focal point of major storylines and rivalries. Over the years, it headlined many of WWE’s biggest events, including multiple WrestleManias and SummerSlams.
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From April 2022 to April 2024, the Universal Championship was held simultaneously with the WWE Championship by Roman Reigns, collectively referred to as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Although defended as a single entity, both titles retained their separate histories.
After Roman Reigns dropped the Undisputed title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania XL, Rhodes was recognized as the new “Undisputed WWE Champion”.
However, after Rhodes later lost the Undisputed Championship to John Cena at WrestleMania 41, WWE retroactively adjusted the Universal Championship’s history. It was officially retired, recognizing Roman Reigns as the final champion, with the lineage ending at WrestleMania XL.
Throughout its nearly eight-year existence, the Universal Title was held by some of the biggest names in WWE history. Here’s a look at every Superstar who had the honor of holding it.
Universal Championship history
| Wrestler: | Reigns: | Date: | Defences: | Days Held: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finn Bálor | 1 | August 21, 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| Vacated | — | August 22, 2016 | — | — |
| Kevin Owens | 1 | August 29, 2016 | 7 | 188 |
| Goldberg | 1 | March 5, 2017 | 1 | 28 |
| Brock Lesnar | 1 | April 2, 2017 | 7 | 504 |
| Roman Reigns | 1 | August 19, 2018 | 3 | 64 |
| Vacated | __ | October 22, 2018 | __ | __ |
| Brock Lesnar | 2 | November 2, 2018 | 2 | 156 |
| Seth Rollins | 1 | April 7, 2019 | 5 | 98 |
| Brock Lesnar | 3 | July 14, 2019 | 1 | 28 |
| Seth Rollins | 2 | August 11, 2019 | 4 | 81 |
| Bray Wyatt | 1 | October 31, 2019 | 3 | 119 |
| Goldberg | 2 | February 27, 2020 | 1 | 37 |
| Braun Strowman | 1 | April 4, 2020 | 3 | 141 |
| Bray Wyatt | 2 | August 23, 2020 | 1 | 7 |
| Roman Reigns | 2 | August 30, 2020 | 32 | 1,316 |
All superstars to hold the WWE Universal Championship
| Superstar | Number of Reigns |
| Finn Bálor | 1 |
| Kevin Owens | 1 |
| Goldberg | 2 |
| Brock Lesnar | 3 |
| Roman Reigns | 2 |
| Seth Rollins | 2 |
| Bray Wyatt | 2 |
| Braun Strowman | 1 |
The Universal Championship might not have been around for decades, but boy, did it leave a mark. From shocking wins to jaw-dropping title defenses, it gave us moments we’ll be talking about for years.
We saw legends return. New stars rise. And Roman Reigns turns into a Tribal Chief. Every champion brought their own flavor to the title, which made it so fun to follow.
Now that it’s officially retired, the Universal Title goes out like a rockstar. Short run? Maybe. But it was never boring. And that’s what matters most. Wrestling moves on. New titles come up. But we’ll always remember the wild ride that was the Universal Championship.
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