The WWE Universal Championship was established on July 25, 2016, following the WWE Draft, which saw the WWE Championship become exclusive to SmackDown. This necessitated the creation of a new world title for Raw. Finn Bálor became the inaugural Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam on August 21, 2016.
Over its nearly eight-year history, the Universal Championship was held by some of WWE's most iconic superstars, including Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Kevin Owens, and Roman Reigns. Reigns' second reign stands out as the longest in WWE history, lasting 1,316 days. He was the final recognized Universal Champion before the title was retired on April 7, 2024, following his loss at WrestleMania 41.
As of October 2025, the Universal Championship is no longer active, but its legacy continues to be celebrated by fans and within WWE's rich history.
Let’s look at the List of WWE Universal Champions
Roman Reigns
The current Universal Champion Roman has had the longest reign with this championship and by a fair distance. Roman Reigns has been the Universal Champion for 1332 days and counting in the 2 Reigns he has had. His second reign which started on 30th August 2020 has been going on for 1268 days and counting. He will cross the 1300 days mark with his second championship reign.
Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar was also someone who was synonymous with the Universal Championship. He is one of the biggest WWE superstars of all time. He has been a 3 time WWE Universal Champion and he has been the champion for 688 days in total. Out of which one reign was for over 500 days.
Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens was one of the first Universal Champions in its history. He won the championship in a great Fatal Four Way Match and he was the champion for 188 days which was 6 months. He grew as a wrestler and as a heel during this title reign. He will look to win another World title soon.
Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins won the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 35 and he was the champion for 179 days across 2 Reigns. Seth Rollins became one of the best in the world during these Reigns as champion. He is currently the World Heavyweight Champion. Seth Rollins was a 2 time Universal Champion.
Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman won the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36. He took on Goldberg for the title. He was the champion for 150 days. He was the champion for 5 months. He was a great champion and he grew as a performer.
Bray Wyatt
The late great Bray Wyatt was also the Universal Champion. The Fiend Bray Wyatt was a 2 time Universal Champion and he was the champion for 126 days combined. He was one of the most creative and innovative champions. Bray Wyatt unfortunately has passed away but his legacy will always live on.
Goldberg
The iconic Goldberg was a 2 time Universal Champion. Both the times the fans were angry because he took the title from deserving WWE superstars. He was the champion for a total of 64 days. Goldberg has left WWE and is in talks with AEW.
Finn Balor
The very first Universal Champion was Finn Balor. He beat Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 but unfortunately he got injured and he was the champion for only 1 day. Finn Balor has won other championships since then but never a World Championship
Table : List of WWE Universal Champions
Number | Wrestler | Days as Champion |
1. | Roman Reigns | 1379 |
2. | Brock Lesnar | 688 |
3. | Kevin Owens | 188 |
4. | Seth Rollins | 179 |
5. | Braun Strowman | 150 |
6. | The Fiend Bray Wyatt | 126 |
7. | Goldberg | 64 |
8. | Finn Balor | 1 |
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