Greatest Champions & Runner-Ups in Recent History for Current WWE Belts

WWE currently has several championships and titles in place in its three brands – RAW, Smackdown, and NXT. Each brand has a main World championship, a women’s championship, a secondary men’s title, and a tag team championship.

Following are the greatest Modern Era Champions and Runners-Up for the different WWE Titles:

1. WWE Championship

I. Greatest Champions

• Drew McIntyre (2020-2021)

McIntyre will be known for his epic career comeback story, going from being fired by WWE to becoming champion. His intense style and fearless attitude connected with the audience even during the empty arena pandemic era.

McIntyre got the push he needed and carried himself like a champion in hard-hitting matches against the top stars.

• Bobby Lashley (2021)

We all celebrated Bobby Lashley’s quest to become a champion. He looked and wrestled like an unstoppable force in his title reign. Lashley dominated with his power moves and brought legitimacy to his MMA background.

His title reign established him as a main-event player.

II. Greatest Runner-Ups

• Aj Styles (2016-2017)
• Randy Orton (2020)

2. WWE Universal Championship

I. Greatest Champions

• Roman Reigns (2020-Present)

Reigns has transformed himself with his “Tribal Chief” character and is undisputedly WWE’s top star today. His 800+ days as champion have included classic matches and moments.

II. Greatest Runners-Up

• Kevin Owens (2018)
• Brock Lesnar (2021-2022)

3. WWE Intercontinental Championship;

I. Greatest Champion

• Gunther (2022-present)

With his hard-hitting, brutal style, Gunther revived the lost interest in the Intercontinental championship. He carries himself like an old-school throwback champion through his dominance in the ring.

The fans have appreciated Gunther’s wrestling chops, and he has steamrolled through all challengers during his ongoing reign.

II. Greatest Runners-up

• Shinsuke Nakamura (2017-2018)
• Ricochet (2019)

4. WWE United States Championship

I. Greatest Champion

• Seth Rollins (2022)

Rollins successfully added another title to his acclaimed resume and proceeded to elevate the title with outstanding performances. His title run produced excellent matches that showcased Rollins’ broad array of innovative moves and unrelenting passion.

Rollins proved why he is considered one of the best WWE wrestlers of recent times.

II. Greatest Runners-up

• Jeff Hardy (2018)

5. WWE Raw Women’s Championship:

I. Greatest Champions

• Becky Lynch (2018-2019, 2021-2022)

Lynch’s rise to the top of WWE was an underrated underdog story. Her persona as “The Man” gained her the much-deserved fame and catapulted her status as one of WWE’s most popular stars.

Lynch had acclaimed matches during her championship runs, including the first women’s WrestleMania main event.

• Bianca Belair (2021-2022)

Belair had a star-making run in her first year on the main roster, capped by winning the title at WrestleMania. Her inspirational connection with the fans and unmatched athleticism proved to be a tremendous success for WWE.

Belair stepped up against top stars and showcased herself as the total package with charisma, wrestling skills, and elite athleticism.

II. Greatest Runners-Up

• Sasha Banks (2018, 2020-2021)

6. WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship

I. Greatest Champions

• Bayley (2019-2020)

Bayley’s 380+ day title reign defined the SmackDown women’s division. She portrayed her smug character brilliantly and consistently had great matches.

Her iconic rivalry with Sasha Banks was a highlight of her dominant reign.

• Charlotte Flair (2022-2023)

During her latest run, Flair cemented her legacy by tying the record for most title reigns. She remains the standard bearer of excellence in WWE’s women’s division through her athletic wrestling style and natural charisma.

II. Greatest Runners-Up

• Sasha Banks (2020)

7. WWE Tag Team Championship

I. Greatest Champions

• The Usos (2021-2023)

The Usos have successfully taken tag team wrestling to new heights during their unprecedented 500+ day title reign.

Their innovative double-team moves and wins through dubious tactics make them compelling characters. The Usos, owing to the great matches and their massive popularity, have established themselves as one of the greatest-ever tag teams.

II. Greatest Runners-Up

• The New Day

8. About WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., doing business as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and various other business ventures.

WWE shows are sports entertainment, featuring story line-driven, scripted, and partially choreographed matches; though including moves that can put performers at risk of injury, even death, if not performed correctly. It was founded in 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation and is the largest wrestling promotion in the world. It is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut.