5 best title unification matches in WWE history

There are many reasons why WWE may want to unify titles. There may be too many championships in the company or too few superstars to defend titles between brands.

In a title unification match, two or more championships are at stake, with the winner having the honor of a new, singular championship that is made to be a combination of the aforementioned championships.

The most prominent example of this occurred at Vengeance in 2001 after Chris Jericho defeated “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in the finals of a three-match tournament to unify the (then) WWF and World Championships. Thus, Jericho became the first Undisputed Champion.

In anticipation of WrestleMania 38’s winner-take-all title unification match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, let's take a look at the 5 best title unification matches in WWE history.

These matches are ranked based on their rating on cagematch.net, which allows users to submit a match rating out of ten and then averages the rating between all submissions. Scenarios where unification only results in one (or more) of the titles being dropped in the favor of the other are allowed.

For example, Edge’s unification of the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship at Survivor Series 2001. For the sake of continuity, championships defended during the WWF era will be referred to in the WWE name. Cagematch.net data is correct as of March 3, 2022.

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#5. WWE Undisputed Championship - Vengeance 2001

Ric Flair, the then storyline co-owner of WWE, announced a title unification match between WWE Champion “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and World Champion The Rock. The winner would be the holder of a sole Undisputed Championship. Vince McMahon suggested that it be a four-man tournament instead, taking place over three matches at Vengeance 2001.

Stone Cold would defend his WWE title against Kurt Angle. The Rock would defend his World Championship against Chris Jericho. The winner of the WWE Title match would face the winner of the World Championship match.

Austin defeated Kurt Angle, retaining his WWE Title and advancing to the finals, where he faced new World Champion Chris Jericho, who defeated The Rock.

Austin and Jericho fought until Y2J mistakenly hit referee Earl Hebner, knocking him unconscious. Vince McMahon brought in crooked referee Nick Patrick as a substitute, but Ric Flair prevented this by attacking him. McMahon then punched Flair and knocked him into the ring post.

Austin made Jericho tap to the Walls of Jericho, but the match continued as Hebner was still down. Booker T then interfered and attacked Austin with the WWE title, allowing Chris Jericho to win the match. That night, Jericho became the first Undisputed Champion and had the unique accolade of being the man that beat The Rock and Steve Austin on the same night.

Cagematch Rating: 6.19

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#4. WWE Hardcore and Intercontinental Championship -RAW

Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer squares off against Intercontinental Champion RVD

Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam faced Hardcore Champion Tommy Dreamer in a winner-takes-all match for both titles on the August 26, 2002 episode of RAW.

This was a hardcore match due to the fact that the Hardcore Championship was being defended. Both men shook hands just as the match began. A series of reversals and sequences started the match off, reinforcing the idea that the men were evenly matched.

The first weapon introduced into the match was a kendo stick. Dreamer used it to strike RVD, who had just done a backflip after hitting Dreamer with two corner shoulder strikes.

Dreamer would then attempt to bring a ladder into the ring but RVD prevented this by kicking it, stunning Tommy in the process. Van Dam then moved the ladder, placing it between the ring and the barricade.

Later on, RVD attempted a split-legged moonsault on a downed Dreamer with a chair placed on top of him. Tommy Dreamer put his knees up, avoiding the impact and hurting RVD instead.

The ladder was then brought into the ring, where Dreamer attempted an elbow drop on RVD, only for him to move out of the way. RVD hit Rolling Thunder after placing the ladder on top of Dreamer.

Rob Van Dam hit the 5-Star Frog Splash and pinned Dreamer to win the match. The Hardcore Championship was then unified with the Intercontinental Championship and dropped.

Cagematch Rating: 6.63

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#3. WWE European and Intercontinental Championship RVD vs Jeff Hardy - RAW

This was the first match held during Eric Bischoff’s time as General Manager of RAW. A ladder match to unify the Intercontinental and the European Championships on the July 22nd, 2002 episode.

European Champion Jeff Hardy took on Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam in a seven-minute classic that is remembered fondly by fans. Two incredible high-flyers with unique offenses went up against each other.

A quick sequence of moves started the match. RVD attempted a cover on instinct before remembering it was a ladder match. Hardy hit a headscissor on Van Dam, which brought cheers from the crowd. Jeff then attempted to bring a ladder into the ring but was stopped after RVD hit a baseball slide on the ladder, which knocked Hardy down.

RVD brought the ladder into the ring in an attempt to grab the title but was pulled off it by Hardy. Van Dam later grabbed the ladder to use as a weapon, only to have it dropkicked out of the ring. Both men raced outside the ring with each grabbing their own ladder.

RVD flipped on Jeff Hardy, who had a ladder under him. Hardy would later repay the favor after hitting a Swanton Bomb directly onto a ladder that Van Dam was under.

Both men traded punches on top of a ladder, with Van Dam rolling over and hitting Hardy with a powerbomb. RVD then hit Hardy with the Rolling Thunder after placing a ladder beneath him. He then hit the 5-Star Frog Splash from the top of the ladder, which gave him enough time to pull down the Intercontinental Championship and win the match.

Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff Hardy and unified the Intercontinental and European Championships in his home state of Michigan. The European Championship was dropped after this match.

Cagematch Rating: 6.78

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#2. WWE and WCW Tag Team Championship - Survivor Series 2001

Survivor Series 2001 was the endpoint of the Invasion angle. This meant that the card mainly featured unification matches to combine WCW and WWE championships. One of these was the tag team unification match that took place between the WCW Tag Team Champions, The Dudley Boyz, and the WWE Tag Team Champions, The Hardy Boyz.

The match was contested inside a steel cage. The Dudleys entered with Stacy Keibler, while The Hardys entered without Lita, who stayed backstage to prepare for her match. The Hardys had the home-ground advantage as Survivor Series took place in their home state of North Carolina.

This was the first steel cage match between the two teams. The Dudleys were dominant for a large part of the match but Matt Hardy was able to turn the momentum around in his team’s favor.

Stacy Keibler stole the key from an official and used it to sneak a table into the cage. Matt Hardy escaped the cage, leaving Jeff alone with Bubba-Ray and Devon. Jeff had the chance to escape but used it to try and hit a Swanton Bomb on a prone Devon. Devon moved, leaving Jeff Hardy to crash into the table. Bubba-Ray pinned Jeff to win the match and unify the titles.

Cagematch Rating: 7.30

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#1. WWE NXT Cruiserweight and North American Championship - New Year’s Evil 2022

In the most recent title unification match on WWE television, Carmelo Hayes took on Roderick Strong in a match to unify the NXT Cruiserweight Championship with the North American Championship.

Malcolm Bivens of Diamond Mine laid out the challenge on behalf of Roderick Strong to Carmelo Hayes on the December 21, 2021, episode of NXT 2.0.

This was a fast-paced, back-and-forth match between the two talented superstars. It was evenly contested, as the crowd cheered both contenders on.

Carmelo Hayes defeated Roderick Strong, unifying the Cruiserweight Championship with the NXT North American Championship. The Cruiserweight Championship was dropped afterward.

Cagematch Rating: 7.94

What do you think of this list? Do you agree with some of the ratings? Which match would you put here instead? Let us know in the comments section below.