Since 1963, the WWE Championship has been in operation with Buddy Rogers as the inaugural WWE Champion. Every wrestler that walks through the doors of WWE has the aspiration of holding the coveted WWE Championship. Of course, not every wrestler gets to fulfill their dream of holding the WWE Title but the very best in the business have had memorable WWE Championship reigns. However, since the beginning of 2020, the WWE Championship has had some stability with long WWE Title reigns but there have also been some transitional WWE Championship reigns.
Winning the WWE Championship is always a special achievement, and whilst some wrestlers didn't hold the title as long as they desired, they still managed to get their hands on the title.
11 The Miz (2nd Reign)
The Miz had been incredibly loyal to WWE for many years but a second WWE Championship reign was missing from his mantlepiece. Miz beat Otis for the Money in the Bank briefcase at Hell in a Cell 2020 to become Mr. Money in the Bank for the second time in his career.
Nevertheless, at Elimination Chamber 2021, Bobby Lashley dismantled Drew McIntyre, who just retained the WWE Championship in a grueling Elimination Chamber match. Miz seized the opportunity, and he cashed in the Money in the Bank successfully to become WWE Champion once again, and for the first time in a decade. However, his title reign was short-lived as it lasted 8 days and Lashley beat him emphatically for the title.
10 Randy Orton (10th Reign)
Randy Orton had been knocking on the door for some time for his 10th WWE Championship reign, and 14th World Title reign overall. At Hell in a Cell 2020, the Viper defeated Drew McIntyre inside Hell in a Cell to kickstart another World Championship reign.
Orton remained unbeaten in Hell in a Cell matches with the WWE Championship at stake which is an extraordinary record. Nevertheless, Orton's 10th WWE Title reign was forgettable as he only held the title for 22 days. He dropped the WWE Championship back to McIntyre in a competitive WWE Title match on the go-home episode of Raw before Survivor Series 2020.
9 Bobby Lashley (2nd Reign)
Fans had waited many years to see Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar lock horns. They got their wish at the 2022 Royal Rumble with Lashley challenging Lashley for the WWE Title. The match was decent but the Universal Champion Roman Reigns interfered, and he gave Lashley a helping hand with the Almighty becoming a two-time WWE Champion.
Unfortunately, Lashley's second WWE Championship reign was underwhelming. He only defended the title once and that was inside the Elimination Chamber. Lashley carried an injured and he didn't even get eliminated. His title reign was over before it could gain traction with Lesnar regaining the WWE Title.
8 Brock Lesnar (6th Reign)
The WWE Championship became a hot potato in 2022, and with Roman Reigns getting COVID-19, Lesnar was slotted into the WWE Title match at Day 1. He had to go through reigning WWE Champion Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley in a fatal-five-way match.
Despite lasting a little over eight minutes, the match had tons of quality. The Beast Incarnate captured his sixth WWE Championship with an F5 on Big E. Lesnar's WWE Title reign lasted four weeks, and he dropped the title to Lashley at the Royal Rumble, all thanks to outside interference from his rival, Roman Reigns.
7 Roman Reigns (4th Reign)
Roman Reigns' fourth WWE Championship reign is still in its early stages to rank it higher. The Tribal Chief overcame Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38 to add the WWE Championship alongside his Universal Championship, and to be called the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
It's most likely that the Tribal Chief will hold the Universal Championship for two years which is outstanding, but it remains to be seen if the WWE and Universal Titles will split again or not.
6 Brock Lesnar (7th Reign)
Brock Lesnar's inclusion in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the 2022 Elimination Chamber event raised eyebrows as he won the Royal Rumble match. Nevertheless, Lesnar tore through the field with ease and he eliminated Seth Rollins, Riddle, and AJ Styles in quick succession.
Lesnar and Theory were the final two participants. The Beast Incarnate planted Theory with an F5 off the top of the pod. Lesnar captured the WWE Championship for the seventh time, and within the first two months of 2022. Lesnar's WWE Title reign was pointless, and Roman Reigns took his title away from him at WrestleMania 38 to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
5 Brock Lesnar (5th Reign)
The fifth WWE Championship reign in Brock Lesnar's career started in October 2019 after he squashed Kofi Kingston to pick up another WWE Title reign. Lesnar only defended the title twice that year with comprehensive wins over Cain Velasquez and Rey Mysterio.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic arose, Lesnar successfully retained the WWE Championship once in 2020 against Ricochet at Super ShowDown. The curtain on his WWE Title reign came to a halt at Drew McIntyre's hands in a crowd less WrestleMania 36 with his title reign lasting 184 days.
4 Big E (First Reign)
Fans rejoiced when Big E finally got his hands on the WWE Championship. Big E ended Bobby Lashley's run in a Money in the Bank cash-in on an episode of Raw in September 2021. Big E's rivalry with Lashley over the WWE Championship was superb, and Big E came out on top in that feud.
His WWE Title match with Drew McIntyre at Crown Jewel was another excellent match with the Scottish Psychopath pushing Big E to his limit. However, Big E retained the title against Theory, but he took the fall in his WWE Championship loss to Brock Lesnar at Day 1 with some feeling his title reign ended prematurely.
3 Drew McIntyre (2nd Reign)
Completely out of his control, Drew McIntyre was unfortunate to have both of his WWE Championship reigns take place in the COVID-19 pandemic. McIntyre took everything in his stride, and he recaptured the WWE Title from Randy Orton in November 2020.
McIntyre may have held the WWE Championship for 97 days, but he was a fighting WWE Champion. The highlights of his second time around as WWE Champion were victories over Goldberg at the 2021 Royal Rumble, and he fended off five former WWE Champions inside the Elimination Chamber. He hasn't held the WWE Title since after The Miz successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
2 Drew McIntyre (1st Reign)
Drew McIntyre won the men's 2020 Royal Rumble match which guaranteed him a World Championship match at WrestleMania 36. McIntyre was on cloud nine, but unfortunately, COVID-19 robbed him of having a WWE Championship reign in front of the fans. McIntyre didn't complain and he made the most of a bad situation.
He held the fort during uncertain times in WWE, and he has come out stronger. McIntyre defeated the likes of Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton in his 203-day stranglehold with the WWE Championship. It took Randy Orton three tries to finally end McIntyre's exceptional run with the WWE Title.
1 Bobby Lashley (1st Reign)
Bobby Lashley's maiden WWE Championship reign was booked to perfection. Lashley took advantage of the deal he had with The Miz. After a couple of attempts, Lashley destroyed Miz to finally win the WWE Championship which had eluded him for some time.
The Almighty was a dominant WWE Champion. His victory over Drew McIntyre to retain the WWE Title at WrestleMania 37 in the opening match was a surprise to some as many expected McIntyre to get his WrestleMania moment in front of the fans. Nevertheless, the likes of Goldberg, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, and Randy Orton were unable to take the WWE Title away from Lashley. Even in defeat, Lashley looked strong when Big E beat him for the title via a Money in the Bank cash-in.