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Winning a championship in WWE is arguably the greatest achievement a professional wrestler can have. World Wrestling Entertainment is the biggest wrestling company, and winning a title puts one in its history books.
Of course, as important as winning titles can be, losing the belts means just as much in the pre-determined world of pro wrestling. A wrestler being pinned or made to submit in a major match for their title helps elevate somebody new while also delivering a memorable moment for fans. Unfortunately, sometimes injuries and other incidents prevent title changes from taking place inside the ring; instead, belts are vacated.
There have been six occasions in 2022 where WWE had to vacate a championship. These incidents have occurred for various reasons, although they've almost always been unavoidable.
Most stem from injuries, but there have also been incidents of superstars walking out of the company or being fired. There's even been an example of a title being vacated due to creative decisions instead of necessity.
Below are six times WWE titles have been vacated thus far in 2022.
#6. The WWE Women's Tag Team Titles were vacated due to stars walking out of the company
The most controversial example of titles being vacated happened earlier this year. Naomi and Sasha Banks had a wonderful WrestleMania moment when they captured the WWE Women's Tag Team Titles in a fatal four-way bout, defeating Carmella & Queen Zelina, Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan, and Natalya & Shayna Baszler.
Less than two months later, on May 16th, 2022, Banks and Naomi walked out during an episode of WWE RAW. They left the belts with WWE, and four days later, on May 20th, it was revealed that the titles had been vacated. The Boss & Glow still haven't returned to WWE programming.
The titles remained vacant for months, but there was eventually a tournament to crown new champions. Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez won the contest and lost the belts to Damage CTRL's Dakota Kai and IYO SKY two weeks later.
#5. Ilja Dragunov was forced to give up the United Kingdom Championship
Ilja Dragunov has the impressive accolade of being the man to dethrone WALTER, now known as Gunther, for the United Kingdom Championship. After the latter's unbelievable 870-day reign as champion, Ilja defeated him for the title on August 22nd, 2021.
Ilja had a near-year-long title reign, but he eventually had to relinquish the title due to injury. He revealed the news on August 4th, 2022, during an episode of NXT UK. A tournament was then held to crown the new champion.
Tyler Bate's reign was a bit confusing, as due to the tape delay, his title reign wasn't acknowledged until September 1st, 2022, but he appeared on NXT television with it weeks prior.
Ultimately, Bate is considered the final United Kingdom Champion after losing to Bron Breakker at NXT Worlds Collide in a title unification bout.
#4. Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter relinquished the NXT UK Tag Team Titles
On June 2nd, Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith defeated Mustache Mountain and Die Familie to win the NXT UK Tag Team Titles. Their victory was a feel-good moment for fans and superstars alike. Unfortunately, their joy quickly came to an end.
On the June 23rd edition of NXT UK, Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter cut a promo in the ring where they first celebrated their win, but bad news followed. Smith revealed that he was injured, and as a result, the two had to vacate their newly won titles.
A four-team elimination tag team match was held on the same night between Die Familie, Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz, Mark Andrews & Wild Boar, and the NXT team of Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.
Briggs and Jensen walked away as the winners and new champions, with this being their first time as title holders while in WWE. They were the final NXT UK Tag Team Champions when the titles were unified at Worlds Collide.
#3. Nash Carter's release forced the NXT Tag Team Titles to be vacated
MSK was a tag team that consisted of Wes Lee and Nash Carter. The two held the NXT Tag Team Titles on multiple occasions and have been long-time friends in real life. They most recently won the belts at NXT Stand & Deliver in April.
Almost immediately after winning the tag gold, news broke that Nash Carter was released from WWE. Former NXT star and indie wrestler Kimber Lee levied allegations of abuse against the star, and he was let go by the company. As a result, the NXT Tag Team Titles became vacant.
On the April 12th edition of NXT, a Gauntlet Match was held to crown the new champions. Former NXT UK stars Pretty Deadly last eliminated The Creed Brothers to become the NXT Tag Team Champions.
#2. The NXT Women's Tag Team Titles were vacated due to Cora Jade's actions
At The Great American Bash television special, Cora Jade and Roxanne Perez defeated Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship. Fans were ecstatic, but things changed not long after they beat Toxic Attraction.
Cora Jade quickly turned heel and even physically assaulted her partner despite being tag champions together. To further solidify Jade's new villainous role, she dumped her title belt in a trash can during an episode of NXT. Due to Roxanne no longer having a partner, she had to vacate the titles.
On the August 2nd edition of NXT, a four-team bout was held for the vacant belts. Kayden Carter and Katana Chance ultimately won the elimination match. The other teams featured were Yulisa Leon and Valentina Feroz, Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley, and Toxic Attraction.
#1. Solo Sikoa has been forced to relinquish the NXT North American Championship
WWE NXT this week featured the latest example of a superstar vacating a championship. This time, it wasn't due to an injury, nor was it due to a superstar walking out of the company. Instead, the decision was made by the creative team.
In last week's show, Solo Sikoa returned to NXT after joining the main roster. He defeated Carmelo Hayes in the main event in an impromptu match to win the North American Championship. Hayes was initially going to battle Wes Lee, but he and Trick Williams jumped Wes backstage earlier in the night.
Unfortunately for Sikoa, his reign only lasted one week. Shawn Michaels revealed to Solo and Carmelo that the title was being vacated due to the Samoan superstar's inability to defend it with his SmackDown obligations. It was then revealed that a five-man ladder match would occur at NXT Halloween Havoc for the vacant belt.
Which example of a WWE title being vacated is most heartbreaking or disappointing to you? Give your thoughts in the comments section below.
