IWE Championship
From Iwe
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| style="text-align: left;" |'''Current champion(s)''' | | style="text-align: left;" |'''Current champion(s)''' | ||
| - | | bgcolor="#ffffff" | | + | | bgcolor="#ffffff" |[[Kevin Rhodes|Cody Rhodes]] |
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| style="text-align: left;" |'''Date won''' | | style="text-align: left;" |'''Date won''' | ||
| - | | bgcolor="#ffffff" |April | + | | bgcolor="#ffffff" |April 7, 2024 |
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| bgcolor=lightgrey align="center" colspan="2" |'''Other name(s)''' | | bgcolor=lightgrey align="center" colspan="2" |'''Other name(s)''' | ||
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| bgcolor=lightgrey align="center" colspan="2" |'''Statistics''' | | bgcolor=lightgrey align="center" colspan="2" |'''Statistics''' | ||
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| - | The '''IWE Championship''' is a [[Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships|world heavyweight championship]] created and promoted by the [[United States of America|American]] [[Professional Wrestling Promotion]] [[IWE]] on the [[IWE Raw|Raw]] [[IWE Brand Extension|brand]]. It is one of two world titles in the IWE, alongside the [[IWE Universal Championship]] that was created for the [[IWE Raw|Raw]] brand as a result of the [[IWE Draft (2016)|2016 IWE draft]]. The title is currently held by. | + | The '''IWE Championship''' is a [[Championship (professional wrestling)#World championships|world heavyweight championship]] created and promoted by the [[United States of America|American]] [[Professional Wrestling Promotion]] [[IWE]] on the [[IWE Raw|Raw]] [[IWE Brand Extension|brand]]. It is one of two world titles in the IWE, alongside the [[IWE Universal Championship]] that was created for the [[IWE Raw|Raw]] brand as a result of the [[IWE Draft (2016)|2016 IWE draft]]. The title is currently held by [[Kevin Rhodes|Cody Rhodes]]. |
The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then-[[History of IWE#International Wide Wrestling Federation|International Wide Wrestling Federation]] (IWWF) on April 25, 1963 as the IWWF World Heavyweight Championship, following the promotion seceding from the [[National Wrestling Alliance]] (NWA). The inaugural champion was [[Buddy Rogers (wrestler)|Buddy Rogers]]. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest championship currently active in the IWE, and is presented as being the promotion's most prestigious title, with many matches for the title having headlined [[List of IWE pay-per-view events|pay-per-view events]] – including IWE's flagship event [[IWE WrestleMania|WrestleMania]]. | The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then-[[History of IWE#International Wide Wrestling Federation|International Wide Wrestling Federation]] (IWWF) on April 25, 1963 as the IWWF World Heavyweight Championship, following the promotion seceding from the [[National Wrestling Alliance]] (NWA). The inaugural champion was [[Buddy Rogers (wrestler)|Buddy Rogers]]. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest championship currently active in the IWE, and is presented as being the promotion's most prestigious title, with many matches for the title having headlined [[List of IWE pay-per-view events|pay-per-view events]] – including IWE's flagship event [[IWE WrestleMania|WrestleMania]]. | ||
Revision as of 04:29, 8 April 2024
- Not to be confused with World Heavyweight Championship (IWE) or IWE Universal Championship.
| IWE Championship | |
| Details | |
| Promotion | IWE |
| Brand | Raw |
| Date established | April 29, 1963 |
| Current champion(s) | Cody Rhodes |
| Date won | April 7, 2024 |
| Other name(s) | |
| |
| Statistics | |
The IWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American Professional Wrestling Promotion IWE on the Raw brand. It is one of two world titles in the IWE, alongside the IWE Universal Championship that was created for the Raw brand as a result of the 2016 IWE draft. The title is currently held by Cody Rhodes.
The original world championship of the promotion, it was established by the then-International Wide Wrestling Federation (IWWF) on April 25, 1963 as the IWWF World Heavyweight Championship, following the promotion seceding from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The inaugural champion was Buddy Rogers. Since its inception, the title has undergone many name changes due to company name changes and title unifications. It is the oldest championship currently active in the IWE, and is presented as being the promotion's most prestigious title, with many matches for the title having headlined pay-per-view events – including IWE's flagship event WrestleMania.
From its inception until 2001, it was promoted as IWE's sole primary championship. An additional world title, the WCW Championship, was added after the then-International Wrestling Federation's purchase of World Championship Wrestling in early 2001. The titles were later unified as the Undisputed Championship. After the first brand extension in 2002 and the promotion becoming the IWE, the championship became exclusive to SmackDown, and the World Heavyweight Championship was created for Raw. XCW became a third brand in 2006, adding the XCW World Heavyweight Championship. Over the course of the first brand extension, the IWE Championship switched between brands, usually as a result of the annual draft. The XCW Championship was deactivated in 2010, and the World Heavyweight Championship was unified with the IWE Championship in 2013. The championship was again the sole world title of IWE until the reintroduction of the brand extension in 2016.
Contents |
History
Origin
Monday Night Wars and title unification
Championship disputes
Title reunified and second brand split
Brand designation
Following the events of the IWE brand extension, an annual IWE draft was established. 2002 saw Ric Flair and Vince McMahon heading up the Raw and SmackDown brands respectively. Further individuals would act as General Manager of Raw and of SmackDown in subsequent years. Each year, the General Managers would participate in a draft lottery in which select members of the IWE roster were assigned to a brand.
On August 29, 2011, IWE ended the brand extension and wrestlers (including all champions), were then free to appear on any program.
The following is a list of dates indicating the transitions of the IWE World Heavyweight Championship (then IWE Championship) between the Raw, SmackDown! and XCW brands.
| Colors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Championship moved to the Raw brand. | ||||
| Championship moved to the SmackDown! brand. | ||||
| Championship moved to the XCW brand. | ||||
| Date of transition | Brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| September 2, 2002 | SmackDown | Brock Lesnar signs with SmackDown! and the title becomes exclusive to said brand. |
| June 6, 2005 | Raw | During the 2005 IWE draft lottery, the World Heavyweight Champion Batista was drafted to SmackDown! while the IWE Champion Dustin Simpson was drafted to Raw. |
| June 11, 2006 | XCW | Following IWE's planned revival of the Xtreme Championship Wrestling (XCW) as a third brand, Rob Van Dam was chosen by ECW Representative Paul Heyman to move to the new brand. At XCW One Night Stand, Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the IWE Championship and bring the title to XCW. |
| July 3, 2006 | Raw | Edge won the IWE Championship, thereby bringing it back to Raw. |
| June 23, 2008 | SmackDown | Triple K was drafted to SmackDown during the 2008 IWE draft. |
| April 13, 2009 | Raw | IWE Champion Triple K brings the championship back to Raw following his drafting to the brand at the 2009 IWE draft. |
| July 19, 2016 | SmackDown | Reintroduction of the brand split. IWE Champion Dean Ambrose was drafted to SmackDown during the 2016 WWE Draft. The IWE Universal Championship was created for Raw. |
| November 1, 2019 | Raw | IWE Champion Rob Lesnar quit SmackDown and transferred to Raw. |
Championship belt designs
1963–1982
1982–2005
2005–2014
Current design
Customized designs
Reigns
- Main article: List of IWE Champions
