short description|Men's professional wrestling world championship}}
WWE Universal Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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Details | |||||||||||||||||||
Promotion | WWE | ||||||||||||||||||
Brand | SmackDown | ||||||||||||||||||
Date established | July 25, 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||
Current champion(s) | Roman Reigns | ||||||||||||||||||
Date won | August 30, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other name(s) | |||||||||||||||||||
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The WWE Universal Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two world titles for WWE's main roster, alongside Raw's WWE Championship. The current champion is Roman Reigns, who is in his second reign, which is the longest reign for the title. As Reigns concurrently holds the WWE Championship, he presently defends the titles together across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, although both titles retain their individual lineages.
Named in honor of WWE's fans, referred to as the WWE Universe, the championship was established on July 25, 2016, to be the top title of the Raw brand. Its creation came as a result of the reintroduction of the brand split 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. Since its inception, matches for the championship have headlined several pay-per-view and livestreaming events, including six consecutive SummerSlams from 2017 to 2022, as well as WrestleMania 34,[1] 37 Night 2,[2] and 38 Night 2,[3] both being two of WWE's "big five" pay-per-views, the latter of which is WWE's flagship event. Following the events of the 2019 Crown Jewel, the Universal and WWE Championship switched brands.
History
editIn mid-2016, the professional wrestling promotion WWE reintroduced the brand extension in which the promotion split its main roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands, where wrestlers would exclusively perform on each brands' respective weekly television program (the original brand split ended in August 2011).[4][5] On July 19, 2016, to coincide with SmackDown shifting to a live broadcast format, the 2016 WWE Draft took place. During the draft, Dean Ambrose, who held the promotion's original world heavyweight championship, the WWE Championship, was drafted to SmackDown.[6] At Battleground on July 24, Ambrose retained the title in a triple threat match against Raw draftees Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns,[7] thus leaving Raw without a world title.[8] On the following episode of Raw, the brand's Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley established the WWE Universal Championship to serve as the brand's top championship. The title was named in honor of the WWE Universe, the name the promotion uses to refer to its fan base.[9][10]
The inaugural champion was crowned at SummerSlam on August 21 in a pinfall and submission-only 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.[9] 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.[9] Bálor then defeated Reigns and was added to the title match.[11] At SummerSlam, Bálor, wrestling under his "Demon" persona, defeated Rollins to become the inaugural champion. Bálor was the first WWE wrestler to win a world title in his 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.[12][13] During the championship match, Bálor suffered a legitimate shoulder injury and was forced to vacate the title the following day.[14][15]
At Crown Jewel on October 31, 2019, SmackDown wrestler "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt won the Universal title by defeating Seth Rollins in a Falls Count Anywhere match that could not be stopped for any reason, thus transferring the Universal Championship to SmackDown.[16][17] The WWE Championship was subsequently transferred to Raw after reigning champion Brock Lesnar quit SmackDown the following day, taking the title to Raw.[18]
At WrestleMania 38 Night 2 on April 3, 2022, reigning Universal Champion Roman Reigns defeated Raw's WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match to claim both championships and become recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. WWE had billed the match as a championship unification match; however, both titles remain independently active with Reigns being a double champion, defending both titles together across both brands as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.[3]
Brand designation
editThe following is a list of dates indicating the transitions of the WWE Universal Championship between the Raw and SmackDown brands.
Date of transition | Brand | Notes |
---|---|---|
July 25, 2016 | Raw | The championship was established for Raw after WWE Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown in the 2016 WWE Draft. Finn Bálor subsequently became the inaugural Universal Champion at SummerSlam on August 21. |
October 31, 2019 | SmackDown | The Universal Championship moved to SmackDown after "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, a member of the SmackDown brand, defeated Seth Rollins in a Falls Count Anywhere match that could not be stopped for any reason to win the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. |
Championship belt design
editThe Universal Championship belt is similar in appearance to the WWE Championship belt (introduced in 2014), with a few notable differences. Like the WWE Championship belt, the center plate is a large cut out of the WWE logo with diamonds sitting inside an irregular heptagonal plate, but with the capital words "Universal Champion" in small print sitting underneath the logo. Just the same, there are gold divider bars that separate the center plate from its two side plates. Each side plate features the same default removable center section as the WWE Championship (the WWE logo over a red globe), which can be customized with the champion's logo.[19] The most prominent difference is the belt's strap, the color of which indicates the brand it is exclusive to. When the belt was first unveiled at SummerSlam 2016, the strap was red to symbolize its exclusivity to the Raw brand, and the underline of the WWE logo on the center plate was black to make it visible (essentially the reverse of the WWE Championship belt).[19] After the title became exclusive to SmackDown in late 2019, Bray Wyatt introduced a blue strap variation and the underline of the WWE logo was changed from black to red.[20][21]
In addition to the SmackDown version of the belt, Wyatt also introduced a custom version of the championship for his "Fiend" character on the November 29 episode of SmackDown.[22] The custom belt featured The Fiend's face in the place of the center plate. The character's phrases "Hurt" and "Heal" were written in red on black leather strips in the place of side plates while the strap of the belt itself was red and black worn leather with red stitching holding it together. The character's phrase "Let Me In" was also included. Wyatt used both the standard and custom versions of the championship; his cheery Firefly Fun House character held the standard blue belt, while his sinister Fiend character held the custom belt.[23][24]
Reception
editThe Universal Championship design was heavily criticized.[25] Jason Powell of Pro Wrestling Dot Net referred to it as "a title belt that no one likes".[26] Adam Silverstein of CBS Sports described it as "ugly"[27] while the live SummerSlam audience in Brooklyn, New York gave derisive chants, including "This belt sucks",[28] an assessment with which New England Sports Network reporters agreed.[29] 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".[30] Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Insider felt the title looked like a "xerox" of the WWE Championship and did not blame the audience for reacting negatively.[31] The design was also unpopular with online wrestling fans.[28]
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."[30] While acknowledging that he himself might have chosen a different belt design, Mick Foley echoed Rollins's 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".[32] In a kayfabe promo on the following episode of Raw, the then-villainous Rollins called the championship belt "beautiful".[26]
Later in 2016, Jim Vorel of Paste ranked the title as the worst of nine then contested in WWE, noting its "obnoxious" design.[25] 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."[33]
Reigns
editAs of August 23, 2024, there have been fourteen reigns between eight champions and two vacancies. Finn Bálor was the inaugural champion. Brock Lesnar holds the record for most reigns with three. Roman Reigns' ongoing second reign is the longest singular reign at 1,454+ days, while Bálor has the shortest reign at 22 hours as he was forced to vacate the title due to suffering a legitimate injury in winning it. Reigns also holds the record for longest combined reign at 1,518+ days. Kevin Owens is the youngest champion when he won it at 32 years, 114 days old, while Goldberg is the oldest when he won the title for a second time at 53.
Roman Reigns is the current champion in his second reign. He won the title by defeating previous champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, who Reigns pinned, in a No Holds Barred triple threat match at Payback on August 30, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. After winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38 on April 3, 2022, Reigns is recognized as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
No. | Overall reign number |
---|---|
Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
Days | Number of days held |
Days recog. | Number of days held recognized by the promotion |
<1 | Reign lasted less than a day |
+ | Current reign is changing daily |
No. | Champion | Championship change | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Days recog. | |||||
WWE: Raw | ||||||||||
1 | Finn Bálor | August 21, 2016 | SummerSlam | Brooklyn, NY | 1 | 1 | <1 | The title was established for Raw after the WWE Championship became exclusive to SmackDown following the 2016 WWE Draft. Bálor defeated Seth Rollins in a pinfall and submission-only match to become the inaugural champion. | [35] | |
— | Vacated | August 22, 2016 | Raw | Brooklyn, NY | — | — | — | Vacated due to Finn Bálor suffering a legit shoulder injury during his match at SummerSlam. | [14][15] | |
2 | Kevin Owens | August 29, 2016 | Raw | Houston, TX | 1 | 188 | 188 | This was a fatal four-way elimination match for the vacant title also involving Big Cass, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins, who Owens last eliminated to win. | [36] | |
3 | Goldberg | March 5, 2017 | Fastlane | Milwaukee, WI | 1 | 28 | 27 | [37] | ||
4 | Brock Lesnar | April 2, 2017 | WrestleMania 33 | Orlando, FL | 1 | 504 | 503 | [38] | ||
5 | Roman Reigns | August 19, 2018 | SummerSlam | Brooklyn, NY | 1 | 64 | 63 | [39] | ||
— | Vacated | October 22, 2018 | Raw | Providence, RI | — | — | — | Vacated after Roman Reigns announced that he had a legitimate re-diagnosis of leukemia. | [40][41] | |
6 | Brock Lesnar | November 2, 2018 | Crown Jewel | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 2 | 156 | 156 | Originally scheduled as a triple threat match in which Roman Reigns was to defend the title against Lesnar and Braun Strowman.[42] After Reigns relinquished the championship, the match became a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the vacant title.[41] | [43] | |
7 | Seth Rollins | April 7, 2019 | WrestleMania 35 | East Rutherford, NJ | 1 | 98 | 98 | [44] | ||
8 | Brock Lesnar | July 14, 2019 | Extreme Rules | Philadelphia, PA | 3 | 28 | 27 | Cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. | [45] | |
9 | Seth Rollins | August 11, 2019 | SummerSlam | Toronto, ON, Canada | 2 | 81 | 81 | [46] | ||
10 | "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | October 31, 2019 | Crown Jewel | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 1 | 119 | 119 | This was a Falls Count Anywhere match that could not be stopped for any reason. The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand due to Wyatt's status as a SmackDown wrestler. |
[17] | |
WWE: SmackDown | ||||||||||
11 | Goldberg | February 27, 2020 | Super ShowDown | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 2 | 27 or 28 | 37 | WWE recognizes this reign as ending on April 4, 2020, when the following match aired on tape delay. | [47] | |
12 | Braun Strowman | March 25 or 26, 2020 | WrestleMania 36 Part 1 |
Orlando, FL | 1 | 150 or 151 | 141 | WrestleMania was taped on March 25 and 26, but it is currently unknown which day this match was taped. WWE recognizes this reign as beginning on April 4, 2020, when the match aired on tape delay.[48] | [49] | |
13 | "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | August 23, 2020 | SummerSlam | Orlando, FL | 2 | 7 | 6 | This was a Falls Count Anywhere match. | [50] | |
14 | Roman Reigns | August 30, 2020 | Payback | Orlando, FL | 2 | 236 | 236 | This was a No Holds Barred triple threat match also involving Braun Strowman, who Reigns pinned. | [51][3] | |
— | Vacated | April 23, 2021 | Smackdown | Portland, OR | — | — | — | Vacated due to Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt disappearing mid-match. | [52][41] | |
15 | Walter | May 7, 2021 | Smackdown | Paradise, NV | 1 | 28 | 28 | Defeated Seth Rollins for the vacant title. | [51][3] | |
WWE: Raw | ||||||||||
16 | Kane | June 3, 2021 | Smackdown | Long Beach, CA | 1 | 9 | 9 | [51][3] | ||
WWE: SmackDown | ||||||||||
17 | Walter | June 13, 2021 | Extreme Rules | Columbus, OH | 2 | 21 | 21 | this was an Extreme Rules match. | [51][3] | |
18 | Byron Saxton | July 4, 2021 | Cyber Sunday | Daly City, CA | 1 | 5 | 5 | The referee did not call rope break, costing Walter the championship. | [51][3] | |
— | Vacated | July 9, 2021 | Smackdown | Carson City, NV | — | — | — | Vacated by Byron Saxton after acknowledging the controversial nature of his victory. | [53][41] | |
17 | Gunther | July 9, 2021 | Smackdown | Carson City, NV | 3 | 30 | 30 | Gunther was formerly known as Walter. | [51][3] | |
18 | Brock Lesnar | August 8, 2021 | SummerSlam | Paradise, NV | 3 | 118 | 118 | During the match, Mr. Money in the Bank Bobby Lashley ran-in and cashed in his contract. The referee accepted the cash-in while the match was in progress and converted the singles match into a triple threat match. Lesnar then pinned Gunther, winning the title, and defeating Lashley in the process. | [51][3] |
Combined reigns
editAs of August 23, 2024
† | Indicates the current champion |
---|---|
¤ | The exact length of at least one title reign is uncertain, so the shortest length is considered. |
Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns |
Combined days |
Combined days rec. by WWE |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brock Lesnar | 3 | 688 | 686 |
2 | Roman Reigns | 2 | 300 | 299 |
3 | Kevin Owens | 1 | 188 | |
4 | Seth Rollins | 2 | 179 | |
5 | Braun Strowman | 1 | ¤150 | 141 |
6 | "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt | 2 | 126 | 125 |
7 | Walter/Gunther | 3 | 79 | |
8 | Goldberg | 2 | ¤55 | 64 |
9 | Kane | 1 | 9 | |
10 | Byron Saxton | 1 | 5 | |
11 | Finn Bálor | 1 | 1 | <1 |
Notes
edit- ^ In tandem with the WWE Championship.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Powell, Jason (April 8, 2018). "Powell's WrestleMania 34 live review: AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle vs. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 11, 2021). "WrestleMania 37 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Edge vs. Daniel Bryan in a Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship, Asuka vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women's Championship, Big E vs. Apollo Crews in a Nigerian Drum Fight for the IC Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Powell, Jason (April 3, 2022). "WrestleMania 38 results: Powell's live review of night two with Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar for the Unified WWE Championship, RK-Bro vs. The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy for the Raw Tag Titles, Edge vs. AJ Styles, Johnny Knoxville vs. Sami Zayn in an Anything Goes match, Pat McAfee vs. Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley vs. Omos". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "WWE's destiny to be determined during SmackDown's Live premiere". WWE. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ "2016 WWE Draft results: WWE officially ushers in New Era". WWE. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Caldwell, James (July 24, 2016). "7/24 WWE Battleground Results – Caldwell's Complete Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ Melok, Bobby. "WWE Champion Dean Ambrose def. Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (Triple Threat Match)". WWE. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Clapp, John. "Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins to crown the first WWE Universal Champion". WWE. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
- ^ Laboon, Jeff. "Finn Bálor def. Seth Rollins". WWE. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ "SummerSlam (2016) (Finn Bálor vs. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship)". 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.
- ^ a b "UPDATE: Finn Bálor relinquishes WWE Universal Championship due to injury, undergoes successful surgery". WWE. August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ a b Caldwell, James. "8/22 WWE Raw Results – Caldwell's Complete Live TV Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony (October 31, 2019). ""The Fiend" Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins to become the new Universal Champion (Falls Count Anywhere Match)". WWE. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (October 31, 2019). "WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez for the WWE Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship, Braun Strowman vs. Tyson Fury, Lacey Evans vs. Natalya". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (October 4, 2019). "10/04 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of The Rock's return, Kofi Kingston vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon in a career vs. career ladder match, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- ^ a b "An up-close look at the all-new WWE Universal Championship: photos". WWE. August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 15, 2019). "11/15 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of Big E and Kofi Kingston vs. The Revival for the Smackdown Tag Titles, Daniel Bryan on Miz TV, Bayley vs. Nikki Cross, Mustafa Ali and Shorty G put their Team Smackdown spots on the line vs. Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
- ^ "Universal Title turns blue with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt's reign: photos". WWE.com. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 29, 2019). "11/29 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Powell's review of a new face in Bray Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse, New Day's open challenge for a Smackdown Tag Title match, Roman Reigns opening the show". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ "Bray Wyatt unveils a dark and twisted Universal Title". WWE. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ ""The Fiend" Bray Wyatt's dark and twisted Universal Title: photos". WWE. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Silverstein, Adam (August 21, 2016). "WWE SummerSlam 2016 results: Brock Lesnar gets savage, Finn Balor wins title". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ a b 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.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "WWE SummerSlam 2016 Live: Finn Balor, Brock Lesnar Highlight Event in Brooklyn". August 22, 2016.
- ^ a b Doyle, Ricky (August 22, 2016). "Seth Rollins Rips Barclays Center Crowd After WWE SummerSlam Reaction". New England Sports Network. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ Johnson, Mike (August 21, 2016). "What happened after SummerSlam went off the air and more". PWInsider. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ Werner, Barry (August 22, 2016). "Mick Foley laces WWE fans for their reaction at SummerSlam". Fox Sports. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
- ^ "The best and worst looking WWE Championship belts".
- ^ Casey, Connor (January 18, 2023). "Roman Reigns Just Reached His Biggest Career Milestone Yet". ComicBook.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Caldwell, James. "8/21 WWE Summerslam Results – Caldwell's Complete Live Report". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 2, 2017). "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.
- ^ Powell, Jason (August 19, 2018). "Powell's WWE SummerSlam 2018 live review: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, Alexa Bliss vs. Ronda Rousey for the Raw Women's Championship, Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony. "Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship after revealing his battle with leukemia". WWE. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Powell, Jason (October 22, 2018). "10/22 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Roman Reigns announces he has leukemia, forfeits the WWE Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose for the Raw Tag Titles, Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella contract signing for WWE Evolution, Triple H and Shawn Michaels appear". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (September 17, 2018). "9/17 Powell's WWE Raw Live TV Review: Undertaker responds to Triple H, fallout from WWE Hell in a Cell including Brock Lesnar interfering in the main event". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (November 2, 2018). "Powell's WWE Crown Jewel live review: Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman for the vacant WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship, Undertaker and Kane vs. DX, World Cup tournament". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason. "WrestleMania 35 results: Powell's live review of Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw and Smackdown Women's Titles, Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Batista vs. Triple H, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- ^ Powell, Jason (July 14, 2019). "WWE Extreme Rules results: Powell's live review of Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch vs. Baron Corbin and Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules match for the WWE Universal Championship and the Raw Women's Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Joe for the WWE Championship". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (August 11, 2019). "WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's live review of Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Kofi Kingston vs. Samoa Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon, Trish Stratus vs. Charlotte Flair, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Jason (February 27, 2020). "WWE Super ShowDown results: Powell's live review of "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet for the WWE Championship, Big E and Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz and John Morrison for the Smackdown Tag Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "WWE grabará Wrestlemania 36". Solowrestling (in Spanish). March 21, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 4, 2020). "WrestleMania 36 results: Powell's live review of night one featuring Goldberg vs. Braun Strowman for the WWE Universal Championship, Undertaker vs. AJ Styles in a Boneyard match, Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler for the Raw Women's Championship, Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- ^ Powell, Jason (August 23, 2020). "WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's review of Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton for the WWE Championship, Braun Strowman vs. The Fiend for the WWE Universal Championship, Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville in a No DQ, loser leaves WWE match, Asuka challenges for two titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Powell, Jason (August 30, 2020). "WWE Payback results: Powell's review of The Fiend vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman in a Triple Threat for the WWE Universal Championship, Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton, Sasha Banks and Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for the WWE Women's Tag Titles, Matt Riddle vs. King Corbin". Pro Wreslting Dot Net. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony. "Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship after revealing his battle with leukemia". WWE. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ Benigno, Anthony. "Roman Reigns relinquished the Universal Championship after revealing his battle with leukemia". WWE. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
External links
edit- "Official Universal Championship Title History".
- "Wrestling-Titles.com: WWE Universal Championship".
Category:World heavyweight wrestling championships Category:WWE championships