5 greatest WWE championship unification matches

WWE has had its fair share of championship unification matches for several decades. In most cases, we may have two distinct “World Champions” from separate brands that need to come together to form one undisputed title. Perhaps WWE may want to simply unify one title with another title to discontinue the latter’s division. Unification matches have also been used to enhance storylines and settle feuds.

No matter how you slice it, any type of unification match brings an extra level of excitement and electricity into a feud that otherwise would not have existed. Today, we look at five of the greatest WWE championship unification matches of all time.

#5 - Undisputed WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 38)

We start off the list with this year's WrestleMania 38 main event featuring Roman Reigns (Universal Champion) and Brock Lesnar (WWE Champion). This was their second WrestleMania encounter and was debatably their best match of the two. Both Reigns and Lesnar laid it all on the line and gave us a fight to remember.

When the smoke had cleared and the dust settled, we saw Roman Reigns walk out victorious after giving a thunderous Spear to Lesnar to become the newly crowned Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, successfully unifying both titles that were up for grabs.

#4 - Undisputed WWE Championship: Chris Jericho vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWE Vengeance 2001)

Chris Jericho after winning the Undisputed WWE Championship at Vengeance.

Coming off the heels of the WWE vs Alliance storyline that saw the bitter end of the WCW/ECW regime that “invaded” WWE, it was now time to unify the World Heavyweight Championship and WWE Championship titles. At the time, we had The Rock as the World Heavyweight Champion and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as WWE Champion. Chris Jericho was the odd man out heading into this equation.

Jericho would defeat The Rock to become the new World Heavyweight Champion, setting up a match between him and Austin to unify the titles. After outside interference from Vince McMahon and Booker T, Jericho would defeat Austin to unify the two titles, becoming the Undisputed WWE Champion. Jericho defeated two of the best WWE Superstars from the “Attitude Era” in one night. A feat that has yet to be replicated.

#3 - WWE Intercontinental Championship Unification: Rob Van Dam vs. Jeff Hardy (RAW – July 22nd, 2002)

Jeff Hardy delivering a Belly-to-Back Suplex off the ladder to RVD.

Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy had a special chemistry that was unmatched. WWE gave both men an opportunity to showcase their aerial prowess and abilities in a Ladder Match on the July 22nd 2002 episode of Monday Night RAW.

Jeff Hardy was the WWE European Champion at the time and Rob Van Dam was the WWE Intercontinental Champion. The winner of the match would unify the titles and become the “new” Intercontinental Champion, as WWE was looking to remove the European Championship altogether.

RVD would then connect with a death defying Five Star Frog Splash from the top of the ladder that turned out to be the nail in the coffin for “The Charismatic Enigma”. RVD would climb the ladder to retrieve the Intercontinental title.

Speaking of the WWE Intercontinental Championship, here's another one on the list.

#2 – WWE Intercontinental Championship Unification: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania X)

One of the first notable WWE title unification matches in history came at WrestleMania X (1994) featuring “The Bad Guy” Razor Ramon and “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels.

Razor Ramon was the official WWE Intercontinental title heading into the event, having won the title from “The Model” Rick Martel on an episode of RAW. Michaels was stripped of the WWE Intercontinental title due to not defending the title, however the real reason was that Michaels refused to drop the title at the time.

The title match was booked for WrestleMania X to find out who was the Undisputed WWE Intercontinental Champion, as Razor would go on to defeat Michaels to unify the title in one of the greatest Ladder matches in WWE history.

#1 - Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Championship: John Cena vs. Randy Orton (WWE TLC 2013)

Randy Orton became the new Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion at TLC (2013).

The rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton is unprecedented. Both men have wrestled each other countless times in singles matches, Hell in a Cell matches and, in this case, a TLC match to determine who will walk away as the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Both Orton and Cena were not masters of the TLC match, but made the situation work to their advantage and told a great story inside the ring. When all was said and done, Orton sent Cena crashing through a table off the ladder after pulling a loose rope. Orton ascended the ladder and grabbed both titles to win the match and perhaps the biggest title victory in Orton’s career to date.