How Well Do You Know WWE's Championship History?

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The world of wrestling is built upon many different elements, and one of the most important factors is the use of championship gold. After all, if there are no championships and spoils at stake, then just what are superstars doing getting into the business in the first place?

All performers strive to make it to the top of the tree, and right now that top of the tree is based around RAW and SmackDown Live's individual WWE Championships. Below that, each brand has a second tier title, a tag team title, their own women's division, and then RAW even has their Cruiserweight Championship.

In terms of the WWE, Vince McMahon's wrestling behemoth has featured a whole array of various championship belts over the decades. Some titles may have been short-lived, others may have intermittently been active and contested for, and other championships have been around in some shape or form for as long as any of us can remember.

As wrestling fans, many of us like to think we know anything and everything about the business, particularly where it pertains to McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment, but how well do you really know the company when it comes to the history of its title belts?

From who's won what, to who defeated who, to when a title was won, and various other pieces of fun WWE title trivia, lace up your boots, put on your favourite trunks, dig out the baby oil, prep your chosen entrance theme, and get ready to grapple with these 25 titbits of title-tastic trivia.

Question 1

Who Did Hulk Hogan Defeat For His First WWE Championship?

Hulk Hogan is still one of the biggest names in professional wrestling to this day, and the birth of Hulkamania is commonly seen as January 23rd, 1984 when he won his first Heavyweight Championship in the then-WWF. By taking his vitamins, saying his prayers, and training hard, Hogan went on to cement himself on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling as he claimed the company's biggest prize a further 5 times over the decades - but who was it that he defeated for his very first WWF Championship?

Question 2

Who Was The First European Champion?

February 26th, 1997 saw the finals of a tournament to crown the first ever WWF European Champion. Over the next several years, from the WWF to the WWE, the European Championship was adorned by several major (and not so major) superstars, and it's relevance would often fluctuate depending on which particular talent was the reigning champion at any one time. On that February '97 night, though, who became the inaugural European Champion during the finals of a tournament held in Germany?

Question 3

Who Was First To Win The US Championship?

When the WWF purchased WCW in 2001, Vince McMahon brought his rival company into the fold of his main television product - including many of WCW's patented championship titles. One such belt was the US Championship, which was initially held by Booker T but instantly given to Chris Kanyon. Following the US Title entering the WWF picture, many WWF superstars as well as Alliance talents went on to hold the gold, but which of the below four grapplers was the first one to call themselves United States Champion?

Question 4

Who Was The Rock's Mystery Tag Team Partner?

Dwayne Johnson really is the most electrifying man in all entertainment these days, having transcended the wrestling business in a way that the likes of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin could only dream of. Between the ropes, though, The Rock has collected a whole load of championship gold during his career. As a tag team performer, The Great One has won the Tag Team Championship 5 times. 3 of these came with Mankind as his partner, and 1 time saw Rocky and Chris Jericho win the belts, but who was The Rock's partner for his other Tag Team Title win?

Question 5

What Was RVD's First Championship In The WWE?

Rob Van Dam was and is certainly 'one of a kind', and his career is one full of various championships from multiple organisations dotted across the world - including several titles during the Battle Creek native's time spent under a WWE contract. Van Dam has clocked in total number of 16 different reigns with 7 different WWE championships since signing with the company in 2001, but what was the very first title belt that RVD won during his time with Vince McMahon's wrestling juggernaut?

Question 6

Who Did John Cena Beat For His First Taste Of Gold?

June 27th, 2002 saw the wrestling landscape change forever - for that date was the debut of one John Cena. Love him or hate him, Cena has gone on to have a career that any superstar past or present would be envious of, and it's a career that has been overflowing with championship gold on a regular basis. To go back to the infancy of his career, though, who did John Cena defeat to win his first ever title in the WWE?

Question 7

Who Defeated Ultimo Dragon For The Light Heavyweight Title?

Whilst the Light Heavyweight Championship is likely thought of by many casual wrestling fans for being re-introduced by the then-WWF in December 1997, the belt had actually been around in some shape or form since as far back as 1981. As the belt was coveted by many a junior heavyweight in Japan for most of the '80s and '90s, some seriously big names had the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in their possession during that period. One such name was the legendary Ultimo Dragon, but who did this icon lose the title to in January 1997?

Question 8

Which Team Never Claimed Tag Team Gold?

At various points in WWE history, the company's tag team division has been something truly special, with it showcasing many teams on their way to greatness. Then known as the WWWF, the company's first Tag Team Championship belts debuted back in 1971, with legendary teams such as The Hart Foundation (pictured) going on to have some time at the top of the tag team tree. Out of these iconic teams listed, though, which tag tandem never got to experience WWE tag gold during their time together?

Question 9

Trish Or Lita? Who had the more title wins?

The rivalry and friendship between Trish Stratus and Lita is the stuffed of legend. So much so, the WWE Network even has a special dedicated to the longtime battles that the pair took part in. Even now, the duo are regularly recognized for their influence on the female grapplers of today and for changing the business. So much so, these two trailblazers now rightfully have a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame, but is it Trish or Lita who won the Women's Championship the most times?

Question 10

Which WrestleMania Featured A WWE Championship Tournament?

As wrestling fans, we all love to see a good tournament play out in order to crown a new champion. Throughout the years, the WWE has used the tournament format to crown a new champ on several occasions, and one of the most memorable of these tourneys actually took place at the Showcase of the Immortals, the Grandest Stage of Them All: WrestleMania. Which WrestleMania was it, though, that saw a tournament take place to crown a new Heavyweight Champion?

Question 11

Who Did The Bulldog Lose His Intercontinental Title To?

After The British Bulldogs were disbanded, Davey Boy Smith branched out on his own and went on the search for singles gold. At SummerSlam '92, the Bulldog famously defeated Bret Hart for the Intercontinental Championship in a bout that is still to this day revered as one of the hands-down best pro wrestling matches in the history of the business. Davey Boy would only ever have one run with the IC Title, but which superstar was the one to defeat the Bulldog and take his Intercontinental prize?

Question 12

Who Left The 1996 King Of The Ring As The Tag Team Champions?

The mid-90s WWF landscape was full of some so-so tag teams as it looked to capture its former tag division glory of earlier in the decade and even earlier still in the 1980s. Teams such as Demolition, The British Bulldogs, The Hart Foundation, and The Rockers were long gone, and there were very few bright spots in the tag division for a few years. The 1996 edition of King of the Ring is famous for Steve Austin's iconic 'Austin 3:16' speech, but which tag team ended up leaving that PPV as the Tag Team Champions?

Question 13

Where Did Bret Hart Win His First World Championship?

In terms of living up to a nickname, the smooth and precise Bret Hart more than held up his side of the bargain when it came to his Excellence of Execution moniker. By the time all was said and done, The Hitman won the then-WWF Championship 5 times before he left for WCW in 1997. The first of those title wins came when Hart defeated Ric Flair in October 1992, but in which Canadian city did Bret have this memorable moment?

Question 14

Who Has The Shortest Heavyweight Championship Run In WWE History?

Bruno Sammartino is the proud owner of the record for the longest single WWE Championship reign, with his first run as the then-WWWF Champion clocking in at a whopping 2,803 days - which is 7 years, 8 months, and 1 day. The Italian Superman would follow that up with another incredible run with the gold, this time clocking in at 1,237 days. On the flip side of these monumental championship reigns, though, which superstar has the shortest run as WWE Champion in the company's lengthy history?

Question 15

When Did Roddy Piper Win His Only WWE Singles Title?

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is a true legend of the wrestling business, and is easily one of the industry's true greatest villains. Even though Hot Rod headlined the first pair of WrestleManias, the feisty Roddy never managed to win the WWE Championship. Then again, though, Piper was one of those superstars who simply didn't need a belt around his waist to get over with the crowd. The Rowdy One did manage a brief run with the Intercontinental Championship, however, but at which show did Roddy win the IC Title?

Question 16

Who Has The Most Hardcore Title Wins?

In the heady days of the Attitude Era, the introduction of the Hardcore Championship added a whole new sense of 'car crash TV' to the then-WWF product. By bringing this new title into the fold, the company had ample opportunity to raise the bar when it came to brutal violence, weapons, and even comedy. Given the frantic and unrelenting nature of the title after the famed 24/7 rule was introduced, a huge amount of superstars managed to get a ridiculous amount of (often brief) reigns with this ramshackle championship, but who had the most Hardcore Championship wins by the time the belt was retired in 2002?

Question 17

What Title Did Jeff Jarrett Win At Fully Loaded 1999?

Jeff Jarrett is certainly somebody who splits opinion amongst many wrestling fans, with some regularly championing The Chosen One as a true great, while others think of Double J as nothing more than an overrated superstar who was only used as a top tier player in lesser companies. Regardless, Jarrett has won plenty of championships wherever he has been, and that includes his time spent in Vince McMahon's then-WWF. What championship did Double J win at the 1999 Fully Loaded PPV, though?

Question 18

The Longest Reigning Champion Of The ECW Relaunch?

The WWE tried to recapture lightning in a bottle by relaunching the ECW brand in 2006, and along with it they brought back the ECW Championship. That incarnation of ECW would only last until 2010, and that 4-year spell would see the brand's biggest prize change hands 16 times before the WWE decided to pull the plug on the realm of Extreme, but which superstar had the longest reign with the ECW Championship during the WWE's relaunch of the brand?

Question 19

Who Was Mr. Perfect's Original SummerSlam '90 Opponent?

Mr. Perfect is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots, and he's regularly brought up when the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time are discussed by fans and superstars alike. Having defeated Tito Santana in May 1990 to win his first IC Title, The Perfect One would eventually lose the gold to The Texas Tornado at that year's SummerSlam, but Tornado was a substitute after Perfect's original SummerSlam opponent suffered an injury. So, just who was originally set to challenge for Mr. Perfect's Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam '90?

Question 20

Who Simultaneously Held These Two Belts?

Managing to win a wrestling championship is a huge moment in the career of a superstar, but a very select few have topped that and actually held multiple titles at the same time. All four of Owen Hart, D'Lo Brown, Val Venis, and Triple H have managed the impressive feat of having runs with both the Intercontinental Championship and the European Championship, but which one of these superstars did what Kurt Angle would later do and manage the remarkable task of holding BOTH of these titles at the same time?

Question 21

Who Had The Most Intercontinental Championship Reigns?

Many all-time greats have held the prestigious Intercontinental Championship, with several legendary names having won the prized gold several times. At present, Chris Jericho has the most IC Title reigns of any grappler in WWE history, with Y2J having held the belt on a record 9 different occasions to date. Whilst they haven't got quite as many Intercontinental Championship reigns as The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rollah, which one of these four superstars has won Intercontinental gold the most times?

Question 22

Who was it that Angle defeated for the WWF Championship at the 2000 No Mercy PPV?

Kurt Angle had one of the most impressive debut years in the wrestling business. The Olympic Hero made his official in-ring debut for the then-WWF at the 1999 Survivor Series PPV. While Intercontinental and European gold would soon follow, Angle went one better and won the 'big one' as he became the WWF Champion at October 2000's No Mercy show - a show that took place less than a year after Kurt's debut. Who was it that Angle defeated for the WWF Championship at that No Mercy PPV?

Question 23

Who Was World Champion During The Name Change?

To certain generations, the current WWE organisation has been known by a wide variety of different names. Many of you will be familiar with the days of the company being called the World Wrestling Federation, but a dispute with the World Wild Fund for Nature saw Vince McMahon's wrestling giant renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment. That name change officially took place on May 6th, 2002, but who was holding the biggest prize in the business and standing as the WWE Champion at that point in time?

Question 24

Out of Edge, Christian, Matt, and Jeff, though, who was the first to win a singles championship?

When thinking of the greatest tag teams to come along in the past few decades, the tandem of Edge and Christian, and Matt and Jeff Hardy instantly come to mind. Both of these teams helped usher in a new era of must-see tag team wrestling in the late-90s and in to the 2000s, and all four men went on to have plenty of singles success. Out of Edge, Christian, Matt, and Jeff, though, who was the first to win a singles championship?

Question 25

Who Is The Youngest Women's Champion In History?

The Women's Revolution may have been the buzz phrase of the past few years, but the WWE has had a Women's Championship being fought for as far back as 1956. The Fabulous Moolah was the first person to win that title, and in the decades since we've seen the championship reinvented at various points - such as how both RAW and SmackDown Live now have their own Women's Championship. Not including the WWE Divas Championship, which female was the youngest Women's Champion in history?

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