List of World Heavyweight Champions ( WWE ) - wikipedia List of World Heavyweight Champions ( WWE ) This article is about a list of wrestlers who have held the now - retired `` World Heavyweight Championship ''. For a list of wrestlers who have held the current WWE Championship, see List of WWE Champions. Four - time, youngest, and final champion Randy Orton The World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. 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 brands, Raw and SmackDown !, in a brand extension. WWE 's original world title, the WWE Championship, with which the WCW World Heavyweight Championship had been unified in 2001, was designated to the SmackDown ! brand ; as a result the World Heavyweight Championship was established for the Raw brand. The World Heavyweight Championship is not a continuation of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, but rather its indirect successor. For a list of champions who have held those titles, see the list of WCW World Heavyweight Champions and list of NWA World Heavyweight Champions respectively. At the TLC pay - per - view on December 15, 2013, when WWE Champion Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, the World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the WWE Championship, resulting in the retiring of the former, and the renaming of the latter to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The championship was contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes. The first champion was Triple H, who was awarded the title on September 2, 2002 by Eric Bischoff, then - General Manager of Raw, and he also holds the record for longest combined reign at 616 days. Overall, there have been 25 different official champions, with Edge having the most reigns at seven. The longest single reign was held by Batista, lasting 282 days. The final holder was Randy Orton, who was also the youngest champion at the age of 24 when he first won the championship. The Undertaker was the oldest champion when he won the title for the third time at the age of 44 years. Contents 1 Title history 2 Combined reigns 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Title history Reign The reign number for the specific champion Location The city in which the title was won Event The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won No. Champion Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref. Triple H 000000002002 - 09 - 02 - 0000 September 2, 2002 7001760000000000000 ♠ 76 Milwaukee, WI Raw After the WWE Undisputed Championship became exclusive to the SmackDown ! brand, Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff created the World Heavyweight Championship to be the world title of Raw and awarded it to Triple H, who was originally the number one contender for the WWE Undisputed Championship, which dropped the `` Undisputed '' moniker. At No Mercy on October 20, 2002, Triple H defeated Intercontinental Champion Kane to unify the Intercontinental Championship into the World Heavyweight Championship. Shawn Michaels 000000002002 - 11 - 17 - 0000 November 17, 2002 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 New York, NY Survivor Series This was the first ever Elimination Chamber match, also involving Chris Jericho, Booker T, Rob Van Dam, and Kane. Triple H 000000002002 - 12 - 15 - 0000 December 15, 2002 7002280000000000000 ♠ 280 Sunrise, FL Armageddon This was a Three Stages of Hell match. On May 5, 2003, the Intercontinental Championship was reactivated for Raw. Goldberg 000000002003 - 09 - 21 - 0000 September 21, 2003 7001840000000000000 ♠ 84 Hershey, PA Unforgiven This was a career vs. title match. 5 Triple H 000000002003 - 12 - 14 - 0000 December 14, 2003 7001910000000000000 ♠ 91 Orlando, FL Armageddon This was a triple threat match, also involving Kane. 6 Chris Benoit 000000002004 - 03 - 14 - 0000 March 14, 2004 7002154000000000000 ♠ 154 New York, NY WrestleMania XX This was a triple threat match, also involving Shawn Michaels. 7 Randy Orton 000000002004 - 08 - 15 - 0000 August 15, 2004 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 Toronto, ON SummerSlam 8 Triple H 000000002004 - 09 - 12 - 0000 September 12, 2004 7001850000000000000 ♠ 85 Portland, OR Unforgiven -- Vacated -- 000000002004 - 12 - 06 - 0000 December 6, 2004 -- Baltimore, MD Raw The championship was vacated after a double fall occurred in a triple threat match, also involving Chris Benoit and Edge. 9 Triple H 5 000000002005 - 01 - 09 - 0000 January 9, 2005 7001840000000000000 ♠ 84 San Juan, PR New Year 's Revolution Defeated Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Batista, and Edge in an Elimination Chamber match for the vacant title. Shawn Michaels was guest referee. 10 Batista 000000002005 - 04 - 03 - 0000 April 3, 2005 7002282000000000000 ♠ 282 Los Angeles, CA WrestleMania 21 The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2005 WWE draft lottery. -- Vacated -- 000000002006 - 01 - 10 - 0000 January 10, 2006 -- Philadelphia, PA SmackDown ! Batista vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legit triceps injury. Aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006. 11 Kurt Angle 000000002006 - 01 - 10 - 0000 January 10, 2006 7001820000000000000 ♠ 82 Philadelphia, PA SmackDown ! This was a 20 - man battle royal for the vacant title. Aired on tape delay on January 13, 2006. 12 Rey Mysterio 000000002006 - 04 - 02 - 0000 April 2, 2006 7002112000000000000 ♠ 112 Rosemont, IL WrestleMania 22 This was a triple threat match, also involving Randy Orton. The championship was referred to as the `` World Championship '', due to Mysterio not being a heavyweight. 13 King Booker 000000002006 - 07 - 23 - 0000 July 23, 2006 7002126000000000000 ♠ 126 Indianapolis, IN The Great American Bash 14 Batista 000000002006 - 11 - 26 - 0000 November 26, 2006 7002126000000000000 ♠ 126 Philadelphia, PA Survivor Series This was a Last Chance match. 15 The Undertaker 000000002007 - 04 - 01 - 0000 April 1, 2007 7001370000000000000 ♠ 37 Detroit, MI WrestleMania 23 16 Edge 000000002007 - 05 - 08 - 0000 May 8, 2007 7001700000000000000 ♠ 70 Pittsburgh, PA SmackDown ! Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract that he had won from Mr. Kennedy on that week 's episode of Raw. Following the win, Edge transferred from Raw to SmackDown !. Aired on tape delay on May 11, 2007. -- Vacated -- 000000002007 - 07 - 17 - 0000 July 17, 2007 -- Laredo, TX SmackDown ! Edge vacated the title after he was sidelined with a legit pectoral injury. Aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007. 17 The Great Khali 000000002007 - 07 - 17 - 0000 July 17, 2007 7001610000000000000 ♠ 61 Laredo, TX SmackDown ! This was a 20 - man battle royal for the vacant title. Aired on tape delay on July 20, 2007. 18 Batista 000000002007 - 09 - 16 - 0000 September 16, 2007 7001910000000000000 ♠ 91 Memphis, TN Unforgiven This was a triple threat match, also involving Rey Mysterio. 19 Edge 000000002007 - 12 - 16 - 0000 December 16, 2007 7002105000000000000 ♠ 105 Pittsburgh, PA Armageddon This was a triple threat match, also involving The Undertaker. WWE recognizes Edge 's reign as lasting 106 days. 20 The Undertaker 000000002008 - 03 - 30 - 0000 March 30, 2008 7001300000000000000 ♠ 30 Orlando, FL WrestleMania XXIV WWE recognizes The Undertaker 's reign as lasting 33 days, ending on May 2, 2008, when the following episode aired on tape delay. -- Vacated -- 000000002008 - 04 - 29 - 0000 April 29, 2008 -- Atlantic City, NJ SmackDown SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero stripped The Undertaker of the title for using the Hell 's Gate submission hold, which she deemed to be dangerous. Aired on tape delay on May 2, 2008. 21 Edge 000000002008 - 06 - 01 - 0000 June 1, 2008 7001290000000000000 ♠ 29 San Diego, CA One Night Stand Defeated The Undertaker in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to win the vacant title. Per the pre-match stipulation, Undertaker was ( kayfabe ) banished from WWE. 22 CM Punk 01 ! 1 000000002008 - 06 - 30 - 0000 June 30, 2008 7001690000000000000 ♠ 69 Oklahoma City, OK Raw Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. The title moved to Raw due to Punk 's status as a Raw wrestler. 23 Chris Jericho 000000002008 - 09 - 07 - 0000 September 7, 2008 7001490000000000000 ♠ 49 Cleveland, OH Unforgiven This was a Championship Scramble match, also involving John `` Bradshaw '' Layfield, Batista, Rey Mysterio, and Kane. Jericho was a late replacement for champion CM Punk, who was attacked by Legacy prior to the match. 24 Batista 000000002008 - 10 - 26 - 0000 October 26, 2008 7000800000000000000 ♠ 8 Phoenix, AZ Cyber Sunday Stone Cold Steve Austin was the guest referee. 25 Chris Jericho 000000002008 - 11 - 03 - 0000 November 3, 2008 7001200000000000000 ♠ 20 Tampa, FL Raw This was a steel cage match. 26 John Cena 000000002008 - 11 - 23 - 0000 November 23, 2008 7001840000000000000 ♠ 84 Boston, MA Survivor Series 27 Edge 000000002009 - 02 - 15 - 0000 February 15, 2009 7001490000000000000 ♠ 49 Seattle, WA No Way Out This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Mike Knox, and Kane. Edge, a member of the SmackDown roster, attacked Kofi Kingston and replaced him in the match. The title became exclusive to SmackDown due to Edge 's status as a SmackDown wrestler. WWE recognizes Edge 's reign as lasting 48 days. 28 John Cena 000000002009 - 04 - 05 - 0000 April 5, 2009 7001210000000000000 ♠ 21 Houston, TX WrestleMania XXV This was a triple threat match, also involving Big Show. The title became exclusive to the Raw brand due to Cena 's status as a Raw wrestler. 29 Edge 5 000000002009 - 04 - 26 - 0000 April 26, 2009 7001420000000000000 ♠ 42 Providence, RI Backlash This was a Last Man Standing match. The title was returned to SmackDown due to Edge 's status as a SmackDown wrestler. 30 Jeff Hardy 000000002009 - 06 - 07 - 0000 June 7, 2009 < 1 New Orleans, LA Extreme Rules This was a ladder match. 31 CM Punk 7001490000000000000 ♠ 49 Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. 32 Jeff Hardy 000000002009 - 07 - 26 - 0000 July 26, 2009 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 Philadelphia, PA Night of Champions 33 CM Punk 000000002009 - 08 - 23 - 0000 August 23, 2009 7001420000000000000 ♠ 42 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match. 34 The Undertaker 000000002009 - 10 - 04 - 0000 October 4, 2009 7002140000000000000 ♠ 140 Newark, NJ Hell in a Cell This was a Hell in a Cell match. At TLC : Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 13, 2009, Batista defeated The Undertaker for the title. Later that night, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long restarted the match and Undertaker defeated him, nullifying Batista 's reign and continuing Undertaker 's. 35 Chris Jericho 000000002010 - 02 - 21 - 0000 February 21, 2010 7001370000000000000 ♠ 37 St. Louis, MO Elimination Chamber This was an Elimination Chamber match, also involving John Morrison, R - Truth, CM Punk, and Rey Mysterio. WWE recognizes Jericho 's reign as lasting 40 days, ending on April 2, 2010, when the following episode aired on tape delay. 36 Jack Swagger 000000002010 - 03 - 30 - 0000 March 30, 2010 7001820000000000000 ♠ 82 Las Vegas, NV SmackDown Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Swagger transferred from Raw to SmackDown upon winning the title. WWE recognizes Swagger 's reign as lasting 79 days, beginning on April 2, 2010, when the episode aired on tape delay. 37 Rey Mysterio 000000002010 - 06 - 20 - 0000 June 20, 2010 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 Uniondale, NY Fatal 4 - Way This was a fatal four - way match, also involving Big Show and CM Punk. The championship was referred to as the `` World Championship '' due to Mysterio not being a heavyweight. 38 Kane 000000002010 - 07 - 18 - 0000 July 18, 2010 7002154000000000000 ♠ 154 Kansas City, MO Money in the Bank Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. 39 Edge 6 000000002010 - 12 - 19 - 0000 December 19, 2010 7001580000000000000 ♠ 58 Houston, TX TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs This was a fatal four - way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match, also involving Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio. WWE recognizes Edge 's reign as lasting 61 days, ending on February 18, 2011, when the following episode aired on tape delay. -- Vacated -- 000000002011 - 02 - 15 - 0000 February 15, 2011 -- San Diego, CA SmackDown 600th Episode Edge was stripped of the title by SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero as a result of using the spear ( which had been banned ) in a previous match. Aired on tape delay on February 18, 2011. 40 Dolph Ziggler 000000002011 - 02 - 15 - 0000 February 15, 2011 < 1 San Diego, CA SmackDown 600th Episode SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero awarded the title to Ziggler. Aired on tape delay on February 18, 2011, the date WWE recognizes for the reign. 41 Edge 7 7001560000000000000 ♠ 56 Edge was awarded a rematch the same night by returning General Manager, Theodore Long. WWE recognizes Edge 's reign as lasting 55 days, beginning on February 18, 2011 and ending on April 15, 2011, both episodes of which aired on tape delay. -- Vacated -- 000000002011 - 04 - 12 - 0000 April 12, 2011 -- Albany, NY SmackDown Title declared vacant due to Edge 's retirement. Aired on tape delay on April 15, 2011. 42 Christian 000000002011 - 05 - 01 - 0000 May 1, 2011 7000200000000000000 ♠ 2 Tampa, FL Extreme Rules Defeated Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match to win the vacant title. WWE recognizes Christian 's reign as lasting 5 days, ending on May 6, 2011, when the following episode aired on tape delay. 43 Randy Orton 000000002011 - 05 - 03 - 0000 May 3, 2011 7001750000000000000 ♠ 75 Orlando, FL SmackDown WWE recognizes Orton 's reign as lasting 72 days, beginning on May 6, 2011, when the episode aired on tape delay. 44 Christian 000000002011 - 07 - 17 - 0000 July 17, 2011 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 Rosemont, IL Money in the Bank Defeated Randy Orton by disqualification after being hit with a low - blow. The stipulations of the match allowed the title to change hands via disqualification. 45 Randy Orton 000000002011 - 08 - 14 - 0000 August 14, 2011 7001350000000000000 ♠ 35 Los Angeles, CA SummerSlam This was a No Holds Barred match. 46 Mark Henry 000000002011 - 09 - 18 - 0000 September 18, 2011 7001910000000000000 ♠ 91 Buffalo, NY Night of Champions On the November 25 episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Henry. However, SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long revealed that Henry was not medically cleared to compete and voided the match. Henry remained champion and the briefcase was returned to Bryan. WWE recognizes Henry 's reign as lasting 92 days. 47 Big Show 000000002011 - 12 - 18 - 0000 December 18, 2011 < 1 Baltimore, MD TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs This was a chairs match 48 Daniel Bryan 7002105000000000000 ♠ 105 Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. 49 Sheamus 000000002012 - 04 - 01 - 0000 April 1, 2012 7002210000000000000 ♠ 210 Miami, FL WrestleMania XXVIII WWE recognizes Sheamus 's reign as lasting 211 days. 50 Big Show 000000002012 - 10 - 28 - 0000 October 28, 2012 7001720000000000000 ♠ 72 Atlanta, GA Hell in a Cell WWE recognizes Big Show 's reign as lasting 73 days. 51 Alberto Del Rio 000000002013 - 01 - 08 - 0000 January 8, 2013 7001900000000000000 ♠ 90 Miami, FL SmackDown This was a Last Man Standing match. Aired on tape delay on January 11, 2013. 52 Dolph Ziggler 000000002013 - 04 - 08 - 0000 April 8, 2013 7001690000000000000 ♠ 69 East Rutherford, NJ Raw Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. WWE recognizes Ziggler 's reign as lasting 70 days. 53 Alberto Del Rio 000000002013 - 06 - 16 - 0000 June 16, 2013 7002133000000000000 ♠ 133 Rosemont, IL Payback WWE recognizes Del Rio 's reign as lasting 134 days. 54 John Cena 000000002013 - 10 - 27 - 0000 October 27, 2013 7001490000000000000 ♠ 49 Miami, FL Hell in a Cell WWE recognizes Cena 's reign as lasting 50 days. 55 Randy Orton 000000002013 - 12 - 15 - 0000 December 15, 2013 < 1 Houston, TX TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs title unification match, where Orton also defended his WWE Championship. -- Unified -- 000000002013 - 12 - 15 - 0000 December 15, 2013 -- Houston, TX TLC : Tables, Ladders & Chairs Randy Orton defeated John Cena to unify the World Heavyweight Championship with the WWE Championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was retired and the WWE Championship became the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Combined reigns Inaugural and five - time champion Triple H Record seven - time champion Edge Rank Wrestler No. of reigns Combined days Combined days recognized by WWE Triple H 5 616 Batista 507 Edge 7 409 411 Alberto Del Rio 223 224 5 Sheamus 210 211 6 The Undertaker 207 210 7 CM Punk 160 8 John Cena 154 155 Chris Benoit 154 Kane 154 11 Rey Mysterio 140 12 Randy Orton 138 135 13 King Booker 126 14 Chris Jericho 106 109 15 Daniel Bryan 105 16 Mark Henry 91 92 17 Goldberg 84 18 Jack Swagger 82 79 Kurt Angle 82 20 Big Show 72 73 21 Dolph Ziggler 69 70 22 The Great Khali 61 23 Christian 30 33 24 Jeff Hardy 28 Shawn Michaels 28 See also List of former championships in WWE References General `` History of the World Heavyweight Championship ''. WWE. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 14. Specific Jump up ^ `` WWE Entertainment, Inc. Acquires WCW from Turner Broadcasting ''. 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Jump up ^ `` Randy Orton 's third reign ''. WWE. Retrieved 2011 - 08 - 15. Jump up ^ `` Mark Henry 's first reign ''. WWE. Retrieved 2011 - 09 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Big Show 's first reign ''. WWE. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Daniel Bryan 's first reign ''. WWE. Archived from the original on 2012 - 01 - 08. Retrieved 2011 - 12 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Sheamus ' first reign ''. WWE. Archived from the original on 2012 - 05 - 13. Retrieved 2012 - 04 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Big Show 's second reign ''. WWE. Archived from the original on 2012 - 11 - 15. Retrieved 2012 - 10 - 28. Jump up ^ `` Alberto Del Rio 's first reign ''. WWE. Archived from the original on 2013 - 01 - 13. Retrieved 2013 - 01 - 09. Jump up ^ `` Dolph Ziggler 's second reign ''. WWE. Archived from the original on 2013 - 04 - 12. Retrieved 2013 - 04 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Alberto Del Rio 's second reign ''. WWE. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 12. Jump up ^ `` John Cena 's third reign ''. WWE. Retrieved October 27, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Randy Orton 's fourth reign ''. WWE. Retrieved December 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` WHC Retired ''. WWE. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2013. External links Professional wrestling portal Official WWE World Heavyweight Championship history World Heavyweight Championship history at Wrestling-Titles.com World Heavyweight Champions Triple H Shawn Michaels Goldberg Chris Benoit Randy Orton Batista Kurt Angle Rey Mysterio King Booker The Undertaker Edge The Great Khali CM Punk Chris Jericho John Cena Jeff Hardy Jack Swagger Kane Dolph Ziggler Christian Mark Henry Big Show Daniel Bryan Sheamus Alberto Del Rio Former championships in WWE World World Martial Arts Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1978 -- 1989 ) WCW / World ( reigns ) ( 2001 ) ECW World / ECW ( reigns ) ( 2006 -- 2010 ) World Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 2002 -- 2013 ) Secondary United States Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1963 -- 1975 ) North American Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1979 -- 1981 ) International Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1959 -- 1963, 1982 -- 1985 ) Canadian ( reigns ) ( 1985 -- 1986 ) European ( reigns ) ( 1997 -- 2002 ) Tag Team United States Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 1963 -- 1967 ) International Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 1969 -- 1971, 1985 ) Women 's Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 1983 -- 1989 ) Intercontinental Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 1991 ) WCW Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 2001 ) World Tag Team ( reigns ) ( 1971 -- 2010 ) Divisional Junior Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1965 -- 1972, 1978 -- 1985 ) Light Heavyweight ( reigns ) ( 1997 -- 2001 ) Cruiserweight ( reigns ) ( 2001 -- 2007 ) Women 's ( reigns ) ( 1956 -- 1990, 1993 -- 1995, 1998 -- 2010 ) Divas ( reigns ) ( 2008 -- 2016 ) Other Million Dollar ( reigns ) ( 1989 -- 1992, 1995 -- 1996, 2010 ) Hardcore ( reigns ) ( 1998 -- 2002 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_World_Heavyweight_Champions_(WWE)&oldid=803081577 '' Categories : World heavyweight wrestling championships WWE championships Professional wrestling champion lists Hidden categories : Featured lists Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia Nederlands Norsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi ไทย Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 30 September 2017, at 09 : 52. 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Question: who has won the world heavyweight championship the most
Answer: Edge