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The WWE United States Championship is a championship promoted by WWE, currently defended on Raw. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster, along with the WWE Intercontinental Championship on SmackDown.

The championship was established on January 1, 1975, as the version of the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship that was defended in Jim Crockett Promotions, and later assumed by World Championship Wrestling (WCW), which eventually seceded from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). Harley Race was the inaugural champion. After WCW was purchased by the then-World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2001, the then-WCW United States Championship was defended in the WWF until it was unified with the Intercontinental Championship at that year's Survivor Series. After the 2002 brand extension and the promotion being renamed WWE, the championship was reactivated as the WWE United States Championship in July 2003 as a secondary title for SmackDown. The United States Championship has switched between brands over the years, usually as a result of the WWE Draft; the 2019 Superstar Shake-up moved the title to Raw.

Of WWE's currently active championships, the United States Championship is the only one that was not originated in the promotion. It is the second oldest active title in the company, behind the WWE Championship (1963), but the third longest-tenured championship, behind the WWE and Intercontinental Championships (1979), as WWE has only owned the United States Championship since 2001.

Championship Lineage[]

NWA United States Heavyweight Championship[]

  • Harley Race: January 1, 1975 - Race was awarded the title with the explanation that he defeated Johnny Weaver in a tournament final.
  • Johnny Valentine: July 3, 1975 - NWA Live Event

Vacated — October 4, 1975

Vacated — August 12, 1979

Vacated — September 1, 1981

Vacated — July 1, 1984

Vacated - May 29, 1986

Vacated - April 15, 1988

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship[]

Vacated — July 14, 1991

Vacated — January 16, 1993

Vacated — May 29, 1993

Vacated — March 25, 1995

Vacated - November 25, 1996

Vacated - July 6, 1998

Vacated — March 18, 1999

Vacated — July 5, 1999

Vacated - January 16, 2000

Vacated - April 10, 2000

Vacated — July 9, 2000

Vacated - July 24 2001

Unified — November 18, 2001 - Survivor Series with the WWE Intercontinental Championship

WWE United States Championship[]

Vacated - July 8, 2004

Vacated — November 25, 2005

Vacated — May 24, 2010

VACATED - Declared Vacant by Daniel Bryan on December 26 2017 after Dolph Ziggler abandoned the title in the ring.

VACATED Rey Mysterio voluntarily relinquished the title back to Joe due to Mysterio suffering a shoulder injury.

See Also[]

WWE Championships, WCW, NWA Championships

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