WWE has officially announced the retirement of the Universal Championship. The title was originally established in 2016 and was unified with the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38 in 2022, when Roman Reigns defeated then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a Winner Takes All match.
Roman Reigns is recognized as the final Universal Champion. In June 2023, to commemorate his historic 1,000-day reign as Universal Champion, WWE presented Reigns with a new title belt — the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Following this, the original Universal Championship design was quietly retired from on-screen appearances.
Additionally, in 2023, WWE introduced a new World Heavyweight Championship as a counterpart to Reigns’ Undisputed title, primarily featured on the opposite brand to ensure both brands had a top-tier champion.
