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WWE introduced the Universal Championship back on July 25, 2016. Since then, the Universal title has led to some intriguing feuds.
WWE's idea behind the inception of the new title was to give RAW a top title following the brand split on July 19, 2016. The brand split saw Smackdown Live draft then WWE Champion, Dean Ambrose, onto their roster.
This led to a triple threat match between Smackdown Live's Dean Ambrose and RAW's Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship at Battleground on July 24. Ambrose pinned Reigns to pick up the win and retain the title, leaving RAW without a top title.
The next day on RAW, Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley unveiled the Universal Championship as the red brand's new world title. The title has hotly contested ever since. From the inaugural champion, Finn Balor, to the current champion, Roman Reigns, the belt has attracted its fair share of drama. In this list, let's look at five peculiar yet intriguing stats about the newest WWE world title.
#1. WWE's world title with the most underwhelming legacy
With heavyweights like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns among the list of Universal Champions, it is easy to forget that the belt is relatively new. It has had only 14 different reigns split between eight Superstars (more on that later).
The title may seem like a big deal now, but its history feels even smaller when compared to some of the other titles on the main roster:
WWE's Universal title is still one of the two biggest titles in the promotion right now. This makes it easy to forget that it is still in its nascent stage. All the things that are happening around the title are still attempts at establishing it.
The WWWF World Heavyweight Championship was the first name of the WWE Championship. The WWF Intercontinental Championship was the name of today's Intercontinental title. Similarly, the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (Mid-Atlantic version) was the catchy name of the US title.
Each of the older titles has existed through various iterations before today. The Universal title itself is dark blue now as opposed to the deep red like it was when WWE unveiled it. Don't be surprised if the Universal title goes through transformations of its own and build its own legacy over the next few years.
#2. (Almost) Every WWE Universal Champion has a second reign
![[Pc: Whatculture.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/09/91b45-16009828199902-800.jpg)
Finn Balor was the inaugural WWE Universal Champion, pinning Seth Rollins on Aug. 21, 2016 at SummerSlam. He vacated it the very next day due to a shoulder injury he suffered during the match at The Biggest Party of the Summer.
Kevin Owens won it a week later in a fatal four-way match on RAW. There have been six different Superstars who have held the belt since Owens. Of these six Superstars, five have earned a second reign.
Coincidentally, WWE's Universal Championship has found itself vacated twice as well. The first was Finn Balor, and the next was Roman Reigns who had to take time off to recover from leukemia.
Brock Lesnar is the only wrestler to enjoy three title reigns, while Braun Strowman is the only other champion to have just one. Goldberg, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Bray Wyatt all picked up two reigns.
Here is a simple snapshot of the Universal Championship's history:
In the table, observe how most of the Superstars seemed to have a recurring involvement with the title.
#3. Brock Lesnar is WWE's Mr.Universal Champion
![[Pc: Newyork.cbslocal.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/09/e6538-16009827399260-800.jpg)
When it comes to Universal Championship reigns, Brock Lesnar is the MVP. As mentioned in the previous slide, he is the only wrestler who has held the title three times. His history with the WWE title doesn't end there. Let's talk numbers.
Finn Balor won WWE's Universal Championship back on Aug. 21, 2016. There are 1502 days between that day and Oct. 1, 2019. So, the title has been up for grabs for 1502 days and counting. Brock Lesnar's cumulative title reign adds up to 688 days. That means Brock Lesnar has held the belt for 45.8% of its active lifetime. That is more than three times as long as Kevin Owens, whose cumulative tally adds up to 179 days (12.5% of the title's active lifetime).
He even has the longest individual reign as his first tenure as Universal Champion lasted 503 days. The next three longest reigns (of other wrestlers) add up to 448 days. These figures show that Brock Lesnar has stamped his impression into the legacy of the Universal Championship.
#4. Which WWE Superstar has chased the title the hardest?
![[Pc: Cultoholic.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/09/e7988-16009829099526-800.jpg)
The Universal Championship has been on the line a total of 56 times since its inception.
King Corbin seems to be obsessed with the Universal Championship. The King has had 15 attempts to gain the title but it continues to remain elusive.
Braun Strowman has the second most title shots when it comes to the Universal Championship. Despite just one WWE Universal Championship run, he has been in a match involving the Universal Championship 13 times. He competed as a challenge ten out of these 13 times.
He finally successfully claimed the title on his ninth attempt when he overcame Goldberg at Wrestlemania 36. The Monster Among Men and King Corbin are constantly attached to the Universal title and it wouldn't be a surprise if they return to vie for the Universal Championship sooner rather than later.
Other prominent challengers for WWE's Universal title include Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have challenged for the title five and six times respectively.
Another interesting statistic is that of the 56 times the title was on the line, 27 of those times were during 2019.
#5. Who has defended WWE's Universal Championship the most?
![Enter caption[Pc: WWE.com]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2020/09/856c8-16009829984383-800.jpg)
We have mentioned how Brock Lesnar has spent the most time as Universal Champion. However, he was a part-timer with WWE, which meant that his title defenses were rare. He has also only challenged for the title three times whereas he has defended it on 11 occasions.
Seth Rollins seems to be more of a fighting champion. 25 of the 27 matches with the Universal Title on the line in 2019 featured the Architect (including house shows). The story started with Seth Rollins winning the Royal Rumble and going on to defeat Brock Lesnar for the title at Wrestlemania 35.
Of the 23 times Seth Rollins put his title one the line, he successfully defended it 21 times. The timeline was as follows :
- Defeated Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 36 in April to win the Universal title
- Retained the title after 18 defenses against the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura and King Corbin on WWE shows
- Dropped the belt to Brock Lesnar who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract in WWE Extreme Rules 2019
- Won back the title a month later by pinning Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in August
- Defend the title successfully three more times before getting pinned by The Fiend at Crown Jewel
After Crown Jewel, The Fiend took the Universal title over to SmackDown Live, finally distancing it from Rollins. In contrast, Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship a mere 11 times over his extended 688-day reign as opposed to Seth Rollins's 178-day reign.
