List of WWE Intercontinental Champions

This is the title history of the WWE Intercontinental Championship. The title was introduced in 1979 when Pat Patterson was awarded the championship he won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In total, there have been 90 distinct championship holders as of February 2025.

The wrestler with the most reigns as Intercontinental Champion is Chris Jericho with 9. The longest reigning Intercontinental Champion is Gunther. The current champion is Bron Breakker, who is in his second reign.^[1]

Title history

No.	Champion	Reign	Date	Days held	Location	Event	Notes	Ref.
1	Pat Patterson	1	September 1, 1979	233	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	—	Patterson became the first champion as a result of defeating Ted DiBiase to win the WWF North American Heavyweight Championship on June 19, 1979 in Allentown, PA, and defeating Johnny Rodz in a fictional tournament final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.	[2][3]
2	Ken Patera	1	April 21, 1980	231	New York, NY	WWF on MSG Network		[4]
3	Pedro Morales	1	December 8, 1980	194		WWF	Became the first Triple Crown Champion as a result of this win.	[5]
4	Don Muraco	1	June 20, 1981	156	Philadelphia, PA	WWF on PRISM Network		[6]
5	Pedro Morales	2	November 23, 1981	425	New York, NY	WWF on MSG Network		[7]
6	Don Muraco	2	January 22, 1983	385			During his reign, the WWF left the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).	[8]
7	Tito Santana	1	February 11, 1984	226	Boston, MA	WWF		[9]
8	Greg Valentine	1	September 24, 1984	285	London, ON, Canada	Maple Leaf Wrestling	Aired on October 13, 1984 on tape delay.	[10]
9	Tito Santana	2	July 6, 1985	217	Baltimore, MD	House show	This was a steel cage match.	[11]
10	Randy Savage	1	February 8, 1986	414	Boston, MA	WWF on NESN		[12]
11	Ricky Steamboat	1	March 29, 1987	65	Pontiac, MI	WrestleMania III		[13]
12	The Honky Tonk Man	1	June 2, 1987	454	Buffalo, NY	Superstars of Wrestling	Aired on June 13, 1987 on tape delay.	[14][15]
13	The Ultimate Warrior	1	August 29, 1988	216	New York, NY	SummerSlam		[16]
14	Rick Rude	1	April 2, 1989	148	Atlantic City, NJ	WrestleMania V		[17]
15	The Ultimate Warrior	2	August 28, 1989	216	East Rutherford, NJ	SummerSlam		[18]
—	Vacated	—	April 3, 1990	—	Syracuse, NY	Wrestling Challenge	Warrior gave up the title to focus on defending the WWF Championship. WWE lists April 1, 1990, the day of Warrior's title win at WrestleMania VI, as the date the title was vacated.	[18]
16	Mr. Perfect	1	April 23, 1990	126	Austin, TX	Superstars of Wrestling	Defeated Tito Santana in a tournament final. Aired on May 19, 1990 on tape delay.	[14][19]
17	The Texas Tornado	1	August 27, 1990	84	Philadelphia, PA	SummerSlam		[20]
18	Mr. Perfect	2	November 19, 1990	280	Rochester, NY	Superstars of Wrestling	Aired on December 15, 1990 on tape delay.	[14][21]
19	Bret Hart	1	August 26, 1991	144	New York, NY	SummerSlam		[22]
20	The Mountie	1	January 17, 1992	2	Springfield, MA	House show		[23]
21	Roddy Piper	1	January 19, 1992	77	Albany, NY	Royal Rumble		[24]
22	Bret Hart	2	April 5, 1992	146	Indianapolis, IN	WrestleMania VIII		[25]
23	The British Bulldog	1	August 29, 1992	59	London, England	SummerSlam		[26]
24	Shawn Michaels	1	October 27, 1992	202	Terre Haute, IN	Saturday Night's Main Event	Aired on the November 14, 1992 edition on tape delay.	[27][28]
25	Marty Jannetty	1	May 17, 1993	20	New York, NY	Raw		[29]
26	Shawn Michaels	2	June 6, 1993	113	Albany, NY	House show		[30]
—	Vacated	—	September 27, 1993	—	—	—	Michaels was stripped of the title for failing to defend it within 30 days. In reality, Michaels was suspended for testing positive for steroids.	[31].[32]
27	Razor Ramon	1	September 27, 1993	198	New Haven, CT	Raw	Ramon and Rick Martel were the final two participants in a battle royal, in which the last two would face off the next week for the vacant title; Ramon won the match which aired October 11, 1993 on tape delay. Shawn Michaels returned in November 1993, saying he was the legitimate champion as nobody defeated him for the title (though not recognized as such by WWF). Ramon went on to defeat Michaels in a ladder match on March 20, 1994 at WrestleMania X to become undisputed champion.	[31][33]
28	Diesel	1	April 13, 1994	138	Rochester, NY	WWF Superstars of Wrestling	Aired on April 30, 1994 on tape delay.	[34]
29	Razor Ramon	2	August 29, 1994	146	Chicago, IL	SummerSlam		[35]
30	Jeff Jarrett	1	January 22, 1995	94	Tampa, FL	Royal Rumble		[36]
–	Bob Holly	†	April 26, 1995	<1	Moline, IL	WWF Action Zone	Defeated Jarrett to win the title. Later that night, it was judged that Jarrett's foot had been on the rope during the pinfall, and Holly was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship. This reign is no longer recognized by WWE.	[37]
—	Vacated	—		—			Held up when match between Jarrett and Holly ended controversially.	[38]
31	Jeff Jarrett	2	April 26, 1995	23	Moline, IL	WWF Action Zone	Defeated Bob Holly in a rematch for the vacant title.	[38]
32	Razor Ramon	3	May 19, 1995	2	Montreal, QC, Canada	House show	This was a ladder match. WWE lists the end of Ramon's reign on May 22, 1995.	[39]
33	Jeff Jarrett	3	May 21, 1995	63	Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada		WWE lists the start of Jarrett's reign on May 22, 1995.	[40]
34	Shawn Michaels	3	July 23, 1995	91	Nashville, TN	In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks		[41]
35	Dean Douglas	1	October 22, 1995	<1	Winnipeg, MB, Canada	In Your House 4: Great White North	Douglas won the title by forfeit because Michaels was attacked outside a nightclub in Syracuse, NY on October 14, 1995. This is the title's shortest reign to date, lasting 14 minutes.	[42]
36	Razor Ramon	4		91				[43]
37	Goldust	1	January 21, 1996	71	Fresno, CA	Royal Rumble	WWE lists the end of Goldust's reign on March 25, 1996.	[44]
—	Vacated	—	April 1, 1996	—	San Bernardino, CA	Raw	Held up when a title defense against Savio Vega ends in a no contest. Aired April 15, 1996 on tape delay.	[44][45][46]
38	Goldust	2	April 1, 1996	83	San Bernardino, CA	Raw	Defeated Savio Vega in a rematch. Aired April 22, 1996 on tape delay.	[45][46]
39	Ahmed Johnson	1	June 23, 1996	50	Milwaukee, WI	King of the Ring	WWE lists the end of Johnson's reign on August 19, 1996.	[47]
—	Vacated	—	August 12, 1996	—	Seattle, WA	Raw	Johnson gave up the title after being attacked by the debuting Faarooq after winning an 11-man battle royal.	[47]
40	Marc Mero	1	September 23, 1996	28	Hershey, PA	Raw	Defeated Faarooq in a tournament final.	[45][48]
41	Hunter Hearst Helmsley	1	October 21, 1996	115	Fort Wayne, IN			[49]
42	Rocky Maivia	1	February 13, 1997	74	Lowell, MA			[50]
43	Owen Hart	1	April 28, 1997	97	Omaha, NE	Raw is War		[51]
44	Steve Austin	1	August 3, 1997	36	East Rutherford, NJ	SummerSlam	WWE mistakenly lists the end of Austin's reign on October 5, 1997 (lasting 63 days).	[52]
—	Vacated	—	September 8, 1997	—	—	—	Vacated because of a neck injury that Austin suffered when he won the title.	[52][53]
45	Owen Hart	2	October 5, 1997	35	St. Louis, MO	Bad Blood: In Your House	Defeated Faarooq in a tournament final for the vacant championship.	[54][55]
46	Steve Austin	2	November 9, 1997	29	Montreal, QC	Survivor Series		[56]
47	The Rock	2	December 8, 1997	265	Portland, ME	Raw is War	Austin handed the title to The Rock, who was formerly known as Rocky Maivia.	[57]
48	Triple H	2	August 30, 1998	40	New York, NY	SummerSlam	This was a Ladder match. Triple H was formerly known as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. WWE mistakenly lists the end of Triple H's reign on October 12, 1998 (lasting 43 days).	[58]
—	Vacated	—	October 9, 1998	—	—	—	Vacated because of a knee injury.	[58]
49	Ken Shamrock	1	October 12, 1998	125	Uniondale, NY	Raw is War	Defeated X-Pac in a tournament final for the vacant championship.	[59][60]
50	Val Venis	1	February 14, 1999	29	Memphis, TN	St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House	Billy Gunn was the special guest referee.	[61][62]
51	Road Dogg	1	March 15, 1999	14	San Jose, CA	Raw is War		[63]
52	Goldust	3	March 29, 1999		East Rutherford, NJ			[64]
53	The Godfather	1	April 12, 1999	43	Detroit, MI			[65]
54	Jeff Jarrett	4	May 25, 1999	60	Moline, IL		WWE lists the start of Jarrett's reign on May 31, 1999, when the match aired on tape delay. Just over a week earlier, Jarrett's tag team partner, the Blue Blazer, was meant to win the title at Over the Edge, but he died after an entrance accident. The title was instead later dropped to his friend and partner, Jarrett, in Owen Hart's memory.[source?]	[66]
55	Edge	1	July 24, 1999	1	Toronto, ON	House show		[67]
56	Jeff Jarrett	5	July 25, 1999	2	Buffalo, NY	Fully Loaded	WWE lists the end of Jarrett's reign on July 26, 1999.	[68]
57	D'Lo Brown	1	July 27, 1999	26	Columbus, OH	Raw is War	This was a Winner Takes All match, which was also for Brown's WWF European Championship. The match aired on August 2, 1999 on tape delay, but WWE lists the start of Brown's reign on July 26, 1999.	[69]
58	Jeff Jarrett	6	August 22, 1999	56	Minneapolis, MN	SummerSlam	Jarrett also won the European Championship in the match. The following day, he gave the European title to Mark Henry as a gift for helping him defeat Brown.	[70]
59	Chyna	1	October 17, 1999	56	Cleveland, OH	No Mercy	This was a Good Housekeeping match. Chyna became the first and only female Intercontinental Champion.	[71][72]
60	Chris Jericho	1	December 12, 1999	22	Sunrise, FL	Armageddon		[73]
—	Chris Jericho and Chyna	1†	January 3, 2000	20	Miami, FL	Raw is War	On December 28, 1999 (aired December 30, 1999) on SmackDown!, a title match between Chyna and Jericho ended in a double pinfall; as a result they were recognized as co-champions. WWE does not list this period as an official reign but as a vacancy.	[3][74]
61	Chris Jericho	2	January 23, 2000	35	New York, NY	Royal Rumble	Jericho defeated Chyna and Hardcore Holly in a triple threat match to become undisputed champion.	[74]
62	Kurt Angle	1	February 27, 2000	35	Hartford, CT	No Way Out	Angle was also European Champion during this time.	[75]
63	Chris Benoit	1	April 2, 2000	30	Anaheim, CA	WrestleMania 2000	Benoit won the first fall of a two-fall Triple Threat Match between Chris Jericho (who Benoit pinned) and Kurt Angle, where both of Angle's championships were on the line. WWE lists the end of Benoit's reign on July 22, 1999 (lasting 49 days).	[76]
64	Chris Jericho	3	May 2, 2000	6	Richmond, VA	SmackDown!	WWE lists the start of Jericho's reign on May 4, 2000, when the match aired on tape delay.	[77]
65	Chris Benoit	2	May 8, 2000	43	Uniondale, NY	Raw is War	Triple H was the special outside enforcer.	[78]
66	Rikishi	1	June 20, 2000	14	Memphis, TN	SmackDown!	WWE lists the start of Rikishi's reign on June 22, 2000, and the end on July 6, 2000. Both matches aired on tape delay.	[79]
67	Val Venis	2	July 4, 2000	54	Fort Lauderdale, FL		WWE lists the start of Venis' reign on July 6, 2000, when the match aired on tape delay.	[80]
68	Chyna	2	August 27, 2000	8	Raleigh, NC	SummerSlam	This was a mixed tag team matchbetween the teams of Chyna and Eddie Guerrero and Venis and Trish Stratus, in which the winner of the fall would win the title. Chyna pinned Stratus to win Venis' title.	[81]
69	Eddie Guerrero	1	September 4, 2000	78	Lexington, KY	Raw is War	This was a triple threat match, also involving Kurt Angle. WWE lists the end of Guerrero's reign on November 23, 2000, when the match aired on tape delay.	[82]
70	Billy Gunn	1	November 21, 2000	19	Sunrise, FL	SmackDown!	WWE lists the start of Gunn's reign on November 23, 2000, when the match aired on tape delay.	[83]
71	Chris Benoit	3	December 10, 2000	42	Birmingham, AL	Armageddon		[84]
72	Chris Jericho	4	January 21, 2001	72	New Orleans, LA	Royal Rumble	This was a ladder match. WWE lists the end of Jericho's reign on April 5, 2001, when the match aired on tape delay.	[85]
73	Triple H	3	April 3, 2001	7	Oklahoma City, OK	SmackDown!	WWE lists the start of Triple H's reign on April 5, 2001, and the end on April 12, 2001. Both matches aired on tape delay.	[86]
74	Jeff Hardy	1	April 10, 2001	6	Philadelphia, PA		Hardy became the youngest Intercontinental champion to date. WWE lists the start of Hardy's reign on April 12, 2001, when the match aired on tape delay.	[87]
75	Triple H	4	April 16, 2001	34	Knoxville, TN	Raw is War		[88]
76	Kane	1	May 20, 2001	37	Sacramento, CA	Judgment Day	This was a chain match. WWE lists the end of Kane's reign on June 28, 2001, when the match aired on tape delay.	[89][90]
77	Albert	1	June 26, 2001	27	New York, NY	SmackDown	This was a no disqualification match. WWE lists the start of Albert's reign on June 28, 2001, when the match aired on tape delay.	[91]
78	Lance Storm	1	July 23, 2001	27	Buffalo, NY	Raw is War		[92]
79	Edge	2	August 19, 2001	35	San Jose, CA	SummerSlam		[93]
80	Christian	1	September 23, 2001	28	Pittsburgh, PA	Unforgiven		[94]
81	Edge	3	October 21, 2001	15	St. Louis, MO	No Mercy	This was a ladder match.	[95]
82	Test	1	November 5, 2001	13	Uniondale, NY	Raw		[96]
83	Edge	4	November 18, 2001	63	Greensboro, NC	Survivor Series	This title unification match was also for Edge's WCW United States Championship, which then became inactive.	[97]
84	William Regal	1	January 20, 2002	56	Atlanta, GA	Royal Rumble		[98]
85	Rob Van Dam	1	March 17, 2002	35	Toronto, ON, Canada	WrestleMania X8	On March 25, 2002, the championship became exclusive to the Raw brand when Van Dam was drafted there as part of the 2002 WWE Draft.	[99]
86	Eddie Guerrero	2	April 21, 2002	36	Kansas City, MO	Backlash	The title was renamed the WWE Intercontinental Championship on May 6, 2002 after World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. settled a lawsuit with the World Wide Fund for Nature, and it became simply World Wrestling Entertainment.	[100][101]
87	Rob Van Dam	2	May 27, 2002	63	Edmonton, AB, Canada	Raw	This was a ladder match. On July 22, 2002, Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy in a title unification match to also win his WWE European Championship, which was then retired.	[102]
88	Chris Benoit	4	July 29, 2002	27	Greensboro, NC		The title became exclusive to SmackDown when Benoit went to the SmackDown brand on July 30 (aired August 1). WWE mistakenly lists the end of Benoit's reign on August 26, 2002.	[103][104]
89	Rob Van Dam	3	August 25, 2002	22	Uniondale, NY	SummerSlam	The title returned to the Raw brand because of Van Dam's status as a Raw superstar. The following night on Raw, Van Dam defeated Tommy Dreamer in a title unification match to also win his WWE Hardcore Championship, which was then retired. WWE mistakenly lists the start of Van Dam's reign on August 6, 2002 (lasting 40 days).	[104][105]
90	Chris Jericho	5	September 16, 2002	14	Denver, CO	Raw		[106]
91	Kane	2	September 30, 2002	20	Houston, TX			[107]
92	Triple H	5	October 20, 2002	<1	North Little Rock, AR	No Mercy	This was a unification match to unify the Intercontinental Championship into the World Heavyweight Championship.	[108]
—	Unified	—	October 20, 2002	—	North Little Rock, AR	No Mercy	Unified with Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship.The Intercontinental Championship became inactive.	[108]
93	Christian	2	May 18, 2003	50	Charlotte, NC	Judgment Day	Won a battle royal also involving Booker T, Val Venis, Chris Jericho, Goldust, Test, Lance Storm, Kane and Rob Van Dam to win the vacant title, which was reactivated by Raw Co-General Manager Stone Cold Steve Austin.	[109]
94	Booker T	1	July 7, 2003	34	Montreal, QC, Canada	Raw		[110]
95	Christian	3	August 10, 2003	50	Des Moines, IA	House show		[111]
96	Rob Van Dam	4	September 29, 2003	28	Rosemont, IL	Raw	This was a ladder match.	[112]
97	Chris Jericho	6	October 27, 2003	<1	Fayetteville, NC			[113]
98	Rob Van Dam	5		48			This was a steel cage match.	[114]
99	Randy Orton	1	December 14, 2003	210	Orlando, FL	Armageddon	Mick Foley was the special guest referee.	[115]
100	Edge	5	July 11, 2004	57	Hartford, CT	Vengeance		[116]
—	Vacated	—	September 6, 2004	—	Wichita Falls, TX	Raw	Vacated because of a groin injury.	[116]
101	Chris Jericho	7	September 12, 2004	37	Portland, OR	Unforgiven	Defeated Christian in a ladder match to win the vacant title.	[117]
102	Shelton Benjamin	1	October 19, 2004	244	Milwaukee, WI	Taboo Tuesday	Benjamin was voted into this match.	[118]
103	Carlito	1	June 20, 2005	90	Phoenix, AZ	Raw	WWE mistakenly lists the end of Carlito's reign on September 19, 2005.	[119]
104	Ric Flair	1	September 18, 2005	155	Oklahoma City, OK	Unforgiven	Flair became the oldest Intercontinental champion to date. WWE mistakenly lists the start of Flair's reign on September 19, 2005 (lasting 153 days).	[120]
105	Shelton Benjamin	2	February 20, 2006	69	Trenton, NJ	Raw		[121]
106	Rob Van Dam	6	April 30, 2006	15	Lexington, KY	Backlash	This was a Winner Takes All match, which was also for Van Dam's Money in the Bank contract.	[122]
107	Shelton Benjamin	3	May 15, 2006	41	Lubbock, TX	Raw	This was a 3-on-2 Handicap Texas Tornado match featuring Benjamin, Chris Masters and Triple H against WWE Champion John Cena and Rob Van Dam, in which anyone who beat Cena or Van Dam would win their respective title. Benjamin pinned Van Dam to win the Intercontinental title.	[123]
108	Johnny Nitro	1	June 25, 2006	99	Charlotte, NC	Vengeance	This was a triple threat match, also involving Carlito.	[124]
109	Jeff Hardy	2	October 2, 2006	35	Topeka, KS	Raw		[125]
110	Johnny Nitro	2	November 6, 2006	7	Columbus, OH		This was a no disqualification match.	[126]
111	Jeff Hardy	3	November 13, 2006	98	Manchester, England			[127]
112	Umaga	1	February 19, 2007	56	Bakersfield, CA			[128]
113	Santino Marella	1	April 16, 2007	77	Milan, Italy		This was a No Holds Barred match, Marella was "picked out of the audience" by Mr. McMahon.	[129]
114	Umaga	2	July 2, 2007	62	Dallas, TX		WWE lists the end of Umaga's reign on September 3, 2007, when the match aired on tape delay.	[130]
115	Jeff Hardy	4	September 2, 2007	190	Columbus, OH		WWE lists the start of Hardy's reign on September 3, 2007, when the match aired on tape delay.	[131]
116	Chris Jericho	8	March 10, 2008	111	Milwaukee, WI			[132]
117	Kofi Kingston	1	June 29, 2008	49	Dallas, TX	Night of Champions		[133]
118	Santino Marella	2	August 17, 2008	85	Indianapolis, IN	SummerSlam	This was a mixed tag team match in which both the Intercontinental and Women's Championships were on the line. The title was won when partner Beth Phoenix pinned Mickie James.	[134]
119	William Regal	2	November 10, 2008	70	Manchester, England	Raw		[135]
120	CM Punk	1	January 19, 2009	49	Rosemont, IL		This was a no-disqualification match.	[136]
121	John "Bradshaw" Layfield	1	March 9, 2009	27	Jacksonville, FL			[137]
122	Rey Mysterio	1	April 5, 2009	63	Houston, TX	WrestleMania XXV	On April 13, 2009, the title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand for the first time, when Mysterio was drafted there as part of the 2009 WWE Draft.	[138]
123	Chris Jericho	9	June 7, 2009	21	New Orleans, LA	Extreme Rules	This was a No Holds Barred match. Jericho became a record nine-time champion.	[139]
124	Rey Mysterio	2	June 28, 2009	68	Sacramento, CA	The Bash	This was a Mask vs. Title match. WWE lists the end of Mysterio's reign on September 4, 2009, when the match aired on tape delay.	[140]
125	John Morrison	3	September 1, 2009	100	Cleveland, OH	SmackDown	WWE lists the start of Morrison's reign on September 4, 2009, when the match aired on tape delay. John Morrison was formerly known as Johnny Nitro.	[141]
126	Drew McIntyre	1	December 13, 2009	161	San Antonio, TX	TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs	On May 7, 2010 Theodore Long suspended McIntyre and vacated the title. The following week on SmackDown, Kofi Kingston won a tournament to crown a new champion, but Mr. McMahon reversed Long's decision. The vacancy of the title and Kingston's championship win are not listed by WWE, and WWE continued to recognize McIntyre as champion during this time.	[142]
127	Kofi Kingston	2	May 23, 2010	66	Detroit, MI	Over the Limit	WWE lists the end of Kingston's reign on August 6, 2010, when the match aired on tape delay.	[143]
128	Dolph Ziggler	1	July 28, 2010	160	Laredo, TX	SmackDown	WWE lists the start of Ziggler's reign on August 6, 2010, and the end on January 7, 2011. Both matches aired on tape delay.	[144]
129	Kofi Kingston	3	January 4, 2011	77	Tucson, AZ		WWE lists the start of Kingston's reign on January 7, 2011, and the end on March 25, 2011. Both matches aired on tape delay.	[145]
130	Wade Barrett	1	March 22, 2011	89	Columbus, OH		WWE lists the start of Barrett's reign on March 25, 2011, when the match aired on tape delay.	[146]
131	Ezekiel Jackson	1	June 19, 2011	51	Washington, D.C.	Capitol Punishment	WWE lists the end of Jackson's reign on August 12, 2011, when the match aired on tape delay.	[147]
132	Cody Rhodes	1	August 9, 2011	236	Sacramento, CA	SmackDown	WWE lists the start of Rhodes' reign on August 12, 2011, when the match aired on tape delay. On August 29, 2011, the brand extension ended, allowing the championship to be defended on both the Raw and SmackDown brands.	[148]
133	Big Show	1	April 1, 2012	28	Miami Gardens, FL	WrestleMania XXVIII		[149]
134	Cody Rhodes	2	April 29, 2012	21	Rosemont, IL	Extreme Rules	This was a tables match.	[150]
135	Christian	4	May 20, 2012	64	Raleigh, NC	Over the Limit		[151]
136	The Miz	1	July 23, 2012	85	St. Louis, MO	Raw 1000		[152]
137	Kofi Kingston	4	October 16, 2012	74	Memphis, TN	Main Event	WWE lists the start of Kingston's reign on October 17, 2012, and the end on December 31, 2012. Both matches aired on tape delay.	[153]
138	Wade Barrett	2	December 29, 2012	99	Washington, D.C.	Raw	WWE lists the start of Jackson's reign on December 31, 2012, when the match aired on tape delay.	[154]
139	The Miz	2	April 7, 2013	1	East Rutherford, NJ	WrestleMania 29	Match aired live on YouTube and WWE.com as part of the WrestleMania 29 pre-show.	[155]
140	Wade Barrett	3	April 8, 2013	69		Raw		[156]
141	Curtis Axel	1	June 16, 2013	155	Rosemont, IL	Payback	This was a Triple Threat match, also involving The Miz.	[157]
142	Big E Langston	1	November 18, 2013	167	Nashville, TN	Raw	On February 12, 2014, Big E Langston's ring name was shortened to "Big E".	[158]
143	Bad News Barrett	4	May 4, 2014	57	East Rutherford, NJ	Extreme Rules	Bad News Barrett was formerly known as Wade Barrett.	[159]
—	Vacated	—	June 30, 2014	—	Hartford, CT	Raw	The title was vacated because of a shoulder injury.	[160]
144	The Miz	3	July 20, 2014	28	Tampa, FL	Battleground	This was a 19-man battle royal. The Miz last eliminated Dolph Ziggler to win the vacant title.	[161]
145	Dolph Ziggler	2	August 17, 2014	35	Los Angeles, CA	SummerSlam		[162]
146	The Miz	4	September 21, 2014	1	Nashville, TN	Night of Champions		[163]
147	Dolph Ziggler	3	September 22, 2014	56	Memphis, TN	Raw		[164]
148	Luke Harper	1	November 17, 2014	27	Roanoke, VA			[165]
149	Dolph Ziggler	4	December 14, 2014	22	Cleveland, OH	TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs	This was a ladder match.	[166]
150	Bad News Barrett	5	January 5, 2015	83	Corpus Christi, TX	Raw	Ziggler defeated Barrett in a singles match, but The Authority's Director of Operations Kane restarted the match as a 2-out-of-3 falls match, which Barrett won.	[167]
151	Daniel Bryan	1	March 29, 2015	43	Santa Clara, CA	WrestleMania 31	This was a seven-man ladder match, also involving Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, R-Truth, and Stardust.	[168]
—	Vacated	—	May 11, 2015	—	Cincinnati, OH	Raw	The title was vacated because Bryan suffered a concussion.	[169]
152	Ryback	1	May 31, 2015	112	Corpus Christi, TX	Elimination Chamber	This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, R-Truth, and King Barrett. Ryback pinned Sheamus to win the vacant title.	[170]
153	Kevin Owens	1	September 20, 2015	84	Houston, TX	Night of Champions		[1]
154	Dean Ambrose	1	December 13, 2015	64	Boston, MA	TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
155	Kevin Owens	2	February 15, 2016	48	Anaheim, CA	Raw	This was a Fatal Five-Way match, also involving Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler and Stardust.
156	Zack Ryder	1	April 3, 2016	1	Arlington, TX	WrestleMania 32	This was a seven-man ladder match, also involving The Miz, Stardust, Dolph Ziggler, Sin Cara and Sami Zayn.
157	The Miz	5	April 4, 2016	188	Dallas, TX	Raw	On July 19, 2016, the brand extension returned and the title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2016 WWE Draft.
158	Dolph Ziggler	5	October 9, 2016	37	Sacramento, CA	No Mercy	This was a title vs. career match. Had Zigger lost, he would have been forced to retire from in-ring competition.
159	The Miz	6	November 15, 2016	49	Wilkes-Barre, PA	SmackDown	This was the 900th episode of SmackDown.
160	Dean Ambrose	2	January 3, 2017	152	Jacksonville, FL		On April 10, 2017, the title became exclusive to the Raw brand when Ambrose was drafted there as part of the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up.
161	The Miz	7	June 4, 2017	169	Baltimore, MD	Extreme Rules	Had Ambrose been disqualified, he would have lost the title.
162	Roman Reigns	1	November 20, 2017	63	Houston, TX	Raw
163	The Miz	8	January 22, 2018	83	Brooklyn, NY	Raw 25 Years
164	Seth Rollins	1	April 8, 2018	72	New Orleans, LA	WrestleMania 34	This was a Triple Threat match, also involving Finn Bálor.
165	Dolph Ziggler	6	June 18, 2018	61	Grand Rapids, MI	Raw
166	Seth Rollins	2	August 19, 2018	119	Brooklyn, NY	SummerSlam
167	Dean Ambrose	3	December 16, 2018	29	San Jose, CA	TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
168	Bobby Lashley	1	January 14, 2019	34	Memphis, TN	Raw	This was a Triple Threat match, also involving Seth Rollins
169	Finn Bálor	1	February 17, 2019	22	Houston, TX	Elimination Chamber	This was a 2-on-1 Handicap match, also involving Lio Rush. Bálor pinned Rush to win the title.
170	Bobby Lashley	2	March 11, 2019	27	Pittsburgh, PA	Raw
171	Finn Bálor	2	April 7, 2019	98	East Rutherford, NJ	WrestleMania 35	On April 16, 2019, the title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand when Bálor was drafted there as part of the 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up.
172	Shinsuke Nakamura	1	July 14, 2019	201	Philadelphia, PA	Extreme Rules
173	Braun Strowman	1	January 31, 2020	37	Tulsa, OK	SmackDown
174	Sami Zayn	1	March 8, 2020	65	Philadelphia, PA	Elimination Chamber	This was a 3-on-1 Handicap match, also involving Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro who teamed with Zayn. Zayn pinned Braun Strowman to win the title.
—	Vacated	—	May 12, 2020	—	—	—	Zayn was stripped of the title after choosing not to compete during the COVID-19 pandemic. In storyline, he said that he was still be the champion, and continued to carry around his copy of the belt after his return in August.
175	AJ Styles	1	June 8, 2020	74	Orlando, FL	SmackDown	Defeated Daniel Bryan in a tournament final for the vacant title. WWE lists the start of Styles' reign on June 12, 2020, when the match aired on tape delay. WWE incorrectly lists Styles' reign as lasting 71 days, ending on August 22, 2020.
176	Jeff Hardy	5	August 21, 2020	37
177	Sami Zayn	2	September 27, 2020	86		Clash of Champions	This was a triple threat ladder match also involving AJ Styles in which the winner had to retrieve both Hardy's belt and Zayn's belt to become the undisputed champion. WWE lists the end of Zayn's reign on December 25, 2020, when the following episode aired on tape delay.
178	Big E	2	December 22, 2020	110	St. Petersburg, FL	SmackDown	WWE lists the start of Big E's reign on December 25, 2020, when the match aired on tape delay.
179	Apollo Crews	1	April 11, 2021	124	Tampa, FL	WrestleMania 37 Night 2	This was a Nigerian Drum Fight.
180	King/Shinsuke Nakamura	2	August 13, 2021	182	Tulsa, OK	SmackDown	King Nakamura was renamed back to Shinsuke Nakamura on October 8, 2021. WWE lists the end of Nakamura's reign on February 18, 2022, when the following episode aired on tape delay.
181	Sami Zayn	3	February 11, 2022	21	New Orleans, LA		WWE lists the start of Zayn's reign on February 18, 2022, when the match aired on tape delay.
182	Ricochet	1	March 4, 2022	98	Miami, FL
183	Gunther	1	June 10, 2022	666	Baton Rouge, LA		This is the title's longest reign to date. On April 28, 2023, the championship became exclusive to the Raw brand when Gunther was drafted there as part of the 2023 WWE Draft.
184	Sami Zayn	4	April 6, 2024	119	Philadelphia, PA	WrestleMania XL Night 1
185	Bron Breakker	1	August 3, 2024	51	Cleveland, OH	SummerSlam
186	Jey Uso	1	September 23, 2024	28	Ontario, CA	Raw
187	Bron Breakker	2	October 21, 2024	126+	Philadelphia, PA

Combined reigns

As of February 24, 2025.

Record nine-time champion Chris Jericho, shown here with the 2002–2011 belt design.

First champion Pat Patterson, shown here with the 2011–2019 belt design.

Longest-reigning champion, Gunther, who held the title for 666 days.

†	Is the current champion

Rank	Wrestler	No. of reigns	Combined days	Combined days rec. by WWE
1	Gunther	1	666
2	Pedro Morales	2	619	617
3	The Miz	8	597	592
4	Don Muraco	2	541	539
5	The Honky Tonk Man	1	454	453
6	Tito Santana	2	443	441
7	Razor Ramon	4	437	434
8	The Ultimate Warrior	2	434	432
9	Randy Savage	1	414	413
10	Mr. Perfect	2	406	404
	Shawn Michaels	3	406	403
12	Wade/Bad News Barrett	5	397	390
13	Shinsuke/King Nakamura	2	383	390
14	Dolph Ziggler	6	372	341
15	Jeff Hardy	5	366	359
16	Shelton Benjamin	3	354	352
17	Rocky Maivia/The Rock	2	339	337
18	Chris Jericho	9	318	311
19	Jeff Jarrett	6	298	284
20	Bret Hart	2	290	288
21	Greg Valentine	1	285	284
22	Big E (Langston)	2	277	272
23	Sami Zayn	4	291	286
24	Kofi Kingston	4	266	272
25	Cody Rhodes	2	257	254
26	Dean Ambrose	3	245	242
27	Pat Patterson	1	233	232
28	Ken Patera	1	231	230
29	Rob Van Dam	6	211	224
30	Randy Orton	1	210	209
31	Johnny Nitro/John Morrison	3	209	203
32	Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Triple H	5	196
33	Christian	4	192	188
34	Seth Rollins	2	190
35	Bron Breakker †	2	177+
36	Edge	5	171	166
37	Goldust	3	168	158
38	Santino Marella	2	162	160
39	Drew McIntyre	1	161	160
40	Curtis Axel	1	155
	Ric Flair	1	155	153
42	Rick Rude	1	148	147
43	Chris Benoit	4	142	159
44	Diesel	1	138	137
45	Kevin Owens	2	132	131
	Owen Hart	2	132	130
47	Rey Mysterio	2	128	129
48	William Regal	2	126	124
49	Ken Shamrock	1	125	124
50	Apollo Crews	1	124	123
51	Finn Bálor	2	120	118
52	Umaga	2	118	119
53	Eddie Guerrero	2	114	116
54	Ryback	1	112	111
55	Ricochet	1	98
56	Carlito	1	90
57	The Texas Tornado	1	84	83
58	Val Venis	2	83	79
59	Roddy Piper	1	77	76
60	AJ Styles	1	74	71
61	Stone Cold Steve Austin	2	65	91
	Ricky Steamboat	1	65	64
63	Chyna	2	64	62
64	Roman Reigns	1	63	62
65	Bobby Lashley	2	61	60
66	The British Bulldog	1	59	58
67	Kane	2	57	58
68	Ezekiel Jackson	1	51	53
69	Ahmed Johnson	1	50	57
70	CM Punk	1	49	48
71	Daniel Bryan	1	43
	The Godfather	1	43	42
73	Braun Strowman	1	37	36
74	Kurt Angle	1	35	34
75	Booker T	1	34	33
76	Jey Uso †	1	28
	Big Show	1	28	27
	Marc Mero	1	28	27
79	Albert	1	27	24
	John "Bradshaw" Layfield	1	27	26
	Lance Storm	1	27	26
	Luke Harper	1	27	26
83	D'Lo Brown	1	26	27
84	Marty Jannetty	1	20
85	Billy Gunn	1	19	17
86	Rikishi	1	14	13
	Road Dogg	1	14	13
88	Test	1	13	12
89	The Mountie	1	2	1
90	Zack Ryder	1	1
91	Dean Douglas	1	<1