A WWE Championship has been officially deactivated after being off TV since 2023.
As seen on the company’s website, the Universal Championship is now listed as retired and recognises Roman Reigns’ record-breaking 1,316-day reign as the title’s final run.
Reigns first won the championship at Payback 2020 shortly after his return and heel turn. At WrestleMania 38, Reigns defeated then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event to hold both of the top championships in the company. Continuing to hold both championships for the next few months, Reigns was later presented with the gold Undisputed Championship design that is currently used.
Reigns lost the Undisputed Championship to Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40. Rhodes held the title for over a year before losing it to John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 41. However, WWE recognises Rhodes’ reign as just with the Undisputed Championship and not as the Universal Champion.
WWE Universal Championship Retired After 9 Years
The title was first introduced in 2016 due to the brand split taking place. The inaugural champion was decided in a tournament with Finn Balor defeating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to be crowned the first-ever champion. However, the title was vacated the next night as Balor suffered a shoulder injury in the match, leading to Kevin Owens winning his first and only World Championship in the company.
The Universal Championship had 4 separate reigns in total with the likes of Goldberg, Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman also reigning as Universal Champion.
The company introduced the World Heavyweight Championship in 2023, which is currently held by Jey Uso.