WWE Universal Championship - wikipedia WWE Universal Championship Not to be confused with WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship ( WWE ). WWE Universal Championship The Universal Championship belt with default side plates Details Promotion WWE Brand Raw Date established July 25, 2016 Current champion ( s ) Brock Lesnar Date won April 2, 2017 Statistics First champion ( s ) Finn Bálor Most reigns All titleholders ( 1 ) Longest reign Kevin Owens ( 188 days ) Shortest reign Finn Bálor ( 22 hours ) Oldest winner Goldberg ( 7004183310000000000 ♠ 50 years, 68 days ) Youngest winner Kevin Owens ( 7004118020000000000 ♠ 32 years, 114 days ) Heaviest champion Brock Lesnar ( 295 lbs ) Lightest champion Finn Bálor ( 190 lbs ) The WWE Universal Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE on the Raw brand. It is one of two world titles in the WWE, alongside the WWE Championship on the SmackDown brand. The title is currently held by Brock Lesnar, who is in his first reign. Named in honor of the WWE Universe, the championship was established on July 25, 2016 to be the world championship of the Raw brand. Its creation came as a result of the re-introduction of the brand extension and subsequent draft on July 19, 2016, in which the WWE Championship, the promotion 's original world title, became exclusive to SmackDown. The inaugural Universal Champion was Finn Bálor. Contents 1 History 2 Championship belt design 2.1 Reception 3 Title history 3.1 Reigns 4 Notes 5 References 6 External links History The inaugural Universal Champion Finn Bálor With the reintroduction of the WWE brand extension, a draft took place on the SmackDown Live premiere episode on July 19, 2016 and WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown. At Battleground on July 24, Ambrose successfully defended the title in a triple threat match against Raw draftees Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. When Ambrose retained the title, Raw was left without a world title. On the following episode of Raw, Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon and then - Raw general manager Mick Foley created the WWE Universal Championship to serve as the brand 's top championship. According to Foley, the title was named in honor of the WWE Universe, the name WWE uses to refer to its fan base. In response, the WWE Championship was subsequently renamed to WWE World Championship before reverting to the former name in December 2016. The inaugural champion was crowned at SummerSlam on August 21, 2016 in a singles match. Seth Rollins was automatically set for that match as he was Raw 's number one draft pick and was not pinned in the WWE Championship match at Battleground. His opponent was determined by two fatal four - way matches on Raw, with the winners wrestling each other in a singles match. Finn Bálor won the first fatal four - way by defeating Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Rusev, while Roman Reigns won the second by defeating Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn, and Sheamus. Bálor then defeated Reigns and was added to the title match. At SummerSlam, Bálor defeated Rollins to become the inaugural champion, and as a result, Bálor became the first WWE wrestler to win a world title in their pay - per - view debut, as well as winning his first world title in less than a month of his debut on WWE 's main roster. Championship belt design The title belt was unveiled at SummerSlam and is similar in appearance to the WWE Championship, with a few notable differences. The strap is red, to symbolize its exclusivity to the Raw brand, with the underline of the WWE logo in the center plate being black to make it visible ( essentially the reverse of the WWE Championship belt ). As the championship belt is similar to the WWE Championship, the center plate is a large cut out of the WWE logo with diamonds sitting inside an irregular heptagonal plate, with the capital words `` Universal Champion '' in small print sitting underneath the logo. Each side plate, sitting on the other side of gold divider bars, features the same default side plates of the WWE Championship, with the champion 's logo able to be customized for the side plates as a similarity of the name plate feature. Reception The Universal Championship design was heavily criticized ; Jason Powell of Pro Wrestling Dot Net referred to it as `` a title belt that no one likes ''. Adam Silverstein of CBS Sports described it as `` ugly '', while the SummerSlam audience gave derisive chants including `` This belt sucks '' -- an assessment with which New England Sports Network reporters agreed. That site 's Ricky Doyle wrote that the crowd response turned what should have been a `` landmark moment for the company '' into an `` awkward experience ''. Mike Johnson of PWInsider felt the title looked like a `` xerox '' of the WWE Championship, and did not blame the audience for reacting negatively. The design was also unpopular with online wrestling fans. WWE employees responded in the aftermath of the title 's debut. Seth Rollins chastised the SummerSlam crowd 's reaction, writing on Twitter : `` More important than a title 's appearance is what it represents for the men fighting over it. You really let me down tonight, Brooklyn ''. Mick Foley, while acknowledging that he himself might have chosen a different belt design, echoed Rollins ' response in a lengthy Facebook post. He recalled being presented with the WWF Hardcore Championship, a title belt made of broken metal pieces held together by duct tape, which challengers `` made... mean something by busting ( their ) asses ''. In a kayfabe promo on the following episode of Raw, the then - villainous Rollins called the championship belt `` beautiful ''. Later in 2016, Jim Vorel of Paste ranked the title as the worst of nine then contested in WWE, noting its `` obnoxious '' design. On the other hand, Nick Schwartz of Fox Sports wrote : `` It 's really not as bad as fans made it seem at SummerSlam. It 's fine. '' Title history The current Universal Champion Brock Lesnar Reigns As of September 14, 2017, there have been 4 reigns and 1 vacancy. Finn Bálor was the inaugural champion, but was forced to vacate the title due to suffering a legitimate injury in winning the title. Due to this, his reign is the shortest at 22 hours, while Kevin Owens has the longest reign at 188 days ( WWE recognizes this as 189 days ). Owens is also the youngest champion, winning the title at 32 years old, while Goldberg is the oldest when he won it at 50. Brock Lesnar is the current champion in his first reign. He won the championship by defeating Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. In doing so, he became the first wrestler to win both the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship. Reign The reign number for the specific champion listed Location The city in which the title was won Event The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won † Indicates the title change is not recognized by WWE + Indicates the current reign is changing daily No. Wrestler Reign Date Days held Location Event Notes Ref. Finn Bálor 000000002016 - 08 - 21 - 0000 August 21, 2016 7000100000000000000 ♠ 1 Brooklyn, NY SummerSlam Defeated Seth Rollins in a pinfall and submission - only match to become the inaugural champion. -- Vacated -- 000000002016 - 08 - 22 - 0000 August 22, 2016 -- Brooklyn, NY Raw Vacated after Finn Bálor suffered a legitimate shoulder injury during his match at SummerSlam. Kevin Owens 000000002016 - 08 - 29 - 0000 August 29, 2016 7002188000000000000 ♠ 188 Houston, TX Raw This was a four - way elimination match for the vacant title, also involving Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. WWE recognizes Owens ' reign as lasting 189 days. Goldberg 000000002017 - 03 - 05 - 0000 March 5, 2017 7001280000000000000 ♠ 28 Milwaukee, WI Fastlane Brock Lesnar 000000002017 - 04 - 02 - 0000 April 2, 2017 7002165000000000000 ♠ 165 + Orlando, FL WrestleMania 33 Notes Jump up ^ WWE officially recognizes it as 189 days. References Jump up ^ `` SummerSlam ( 2016 ) ( Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins ) ''. SummerSlam. August 21, 2016. 200 minutes in. WWE Network. Finn Bálor becomes the first Superstar to ever win a world title in his debut match on a pay - per - view. Jump up ^ Powell, Jason ( July 25, 2016 ). `` 7 / 25 Powell 's WWE Raw Live TV Review : New World Title, the brand split begins, Finn Balor and Nia Jax debut ''. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 30, 2016. Jump up ^ Ruse, David ( July 26, 2016 ). `` WWE Raw : Finn Balor earns world title shot with big win on Raw debut ''. Sky Sports. Retrieved July 30, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Universal Championship ''. WWE. August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Tedesco, Mike ( July 25, 2016 ). `` WWE RAW Results -- 7 / 25 / 16 ( Live from Pittsburgh, fallout from Battleground, new era of RAW begins ) ''. Wrestleview. Retrieved July 25, 2016. ^ Jump up to : `` 2016 WWE Draft results : WWE officially ushers in New Era ''. WWE. Retrieved July 19, 2016. Jump up ^ Steinberg, Brian ( May 25, 2016 ). `` WWE 's ' Smackdown ' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA ( Exclusive ) ''. Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2016. Jump up ^ `` WWE 's destiny to be determined during SmackDown 's Live premiere ''. WWE. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016. Jump up ^ Caldwell, James ( July 24, 2016 ). `` 7 / 24 WWE Battleground Results -- CALDWELL 'S Complete Report ''. Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2016. Jump up ^ Melok, Bobby. `` WWE Champion Dean Ambrose def. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins ( Triple Threat Match ) ''. WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016. Jump up ^ Clapp, John. `` Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins to crown the first WWE Universal Champion ''. WWE. Retrieved July 25, 2016. Jump up ^ Laboon, Jeff. `` Finn Bálor def. Seth Rollins ''. WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016. Jump up ^ `` An up - close look at the all - new WWE Universal Championship : photos ''. WWE. August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Vorel, Jim ( October 10, 2016 ). `` Ranking Every Current WWE Title Belt, From Best to Worst ''. Paste. Retrieved February 14, 2017. The most recent WWE world title, exclusive to Raw, has had a lot of shit thrown at it. ^ Jump up to : Powell, Jason ( August 22, 2016 ). `` 8 / 22 Powell 's WWE Raw Live TV Review : Finn Balor injury and the WWE Universal Championship, SummerSlam fallout ''. Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Silverstein, Adam ( August 21, 2016 ). `` WWE SummerSlam 2016 results : Brock Lesnar gets savage, Finn Balor wins title ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Meltzer, Dave ( August 21, 2016 ). `` WWE SummerSlam live results : Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton ''. Wrestling Observer. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016. CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown ( link ) Jump up ^ http://nesn.com/2016/08/wwe-summerslam-2016-live-results-highlights-from-every-match-in-brooklyn/ ^ Jump up to : Doyle, Ricky ( August 22, 2016 ). `` Seth Rollins Rips Barclays Center Crowd After WWE SummerSlam Reaction ''. New England Sports Network. Retrieved August 23, 2016. Jump up ^ Johnson, Mike ( August 21, 2016 ). `` What happened after SummerSlam went off the air and more ''. PWInsider. Retrieved February 14, 2017. Jump up ^ Werner, Barry ( August 22, 2016 ). `` Mick Foley laces WWE fans for their reaction at SummerSlam ''. Fox Sports. Retrieved August 23, 2016. Jump up ^ http://www.foxsports.com/wwe/gallery/wwe-championship-belt-ranking-best-121516 Jump up ^ Caldwell, James. `` 8 / 21 WWE Summerslam Results -- Caldwell 's Complete Live Report ''. Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 21, 2016. Jump up ^ `` UPDATE : Finn Bálor relinquishes WWE Universal Championship due to injury, undergoes successful surgery ''. WWE. August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016. Jump up ^ Caldwell, James. `` 8 / 22 WWE Raw Results -- CALDWELL 'S Complete Live TV Report ''. Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 22, 2016. Jump up ^ Keller, Wade. `` KELLER 'S WWE RAW REVIEW 8 / 29 : Ongoing coverage of fatal four way for the WWE Universal Title ''. Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 29, 2016. Jump up ^ Powell, Jason. `` 3 / 5 Powell 's WWE Fastlane Live Review : Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman, Bayley vs. Charlotte for the Raw Women 's Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn ''. Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Jump up ^ Powell, Jason. `` Powell 's WrestleMania 33 live review : Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon, Seth Rollins vs. Triple H in an unsanctioned match ''. Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved April 2, 2017. External links `` Official Universal Championship Title History ''. `` Wrestling-Titles.com : WWE Universal Championship ''. WWE Universal Champions Finn Bálor Kevin Owens Goldberg Brock Lesnar ( current ) Current championships in WWE Championships Raw Universal ( reigns ) Intercontinental ( reigns ) Women 's ( reigns ) Cruiserweight ( reigns ) Tag Team ( reigns ) SmackDown WWE ( reigns ) United States ( reigns ) Women 's ( reigns ) Tag Team ( reigns ) NXT NXT ( reigns ) United Kingdom ( reigns ) Women 's ( reigns ) Tag Team ( reigns ) Accomplishments André the Giant Memorial Trophy Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Triple Crown Grand Slam King of the Ring Money in the Bank Royal Rumble Slammy Award WWE tournaments Former championships Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WWE_Universal_Championship&oldid=799808545 '' Categories : World heavyweight wrestling championships WWE championships Hidden categories : CS1 maint : BOT : original - url status unknown Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Български Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Simple English ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 10 September 2017, at 00 : 08. 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Question: who is the new universal champion in wwe
Answer: Finn Bálor