List of WWE United States Champions



The WWE United States Championship is a professional wrestling championship contested in the American promotion WWE on the SmackDown brand. It was originally known as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship and began as a regional championship created by and defended in Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, run by Jim Crockett Jr. Harley Race became the inaugural champion on the title's introduction on January 1, 1975. Turner Broadcasting bought the company in November 1988 and renamed it World Championship Wrestling (WCW) after its primary television program.

In March 2001, the then-WWF bought selected assets of WCW. This resulted in the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship becoming a championship for the WWF, who referred to it as the WCW United States Championship. At Survivor Series in November 2001, the WCW United States and WWF Intercontinental Championships were unified, resulting in the United States Championship being deactivated. In July 2003, the title was reactivated as the WWE United States Championship. Since the 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, it is exclusively contested on the SmackDown brand.

The championship is contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. Some reigns were held by champions using a ring name, while others used their real name. Jeff Hardy is the current champion in his first reign. He defeated former champion Baron Corbin at Raw on April 16, 2018.

Overall, there have been 91 different champions. Ric Flair holds the record for having the most reigns at six. Lex Luger holds the record for the longest reign, with his third reign lasting a total of 523 days, while Fandango holds the longest reign under the WWE banner, at 448 days (overall the second longest in the title's history). Only three men, Lex Luger, Fandango and Rick Rude, have held the championship for a continuous reign of one year (365 days) or more.

Reigns
As of August 27, 2024.