2025 looks set to be a year filled with WWE championship changes.
With the introduction of Women’s United States and Intercontinental Championships and SmackDown being extended by an hour, there are more opportunities for championship matches in WWE than ever before. Looking to capitalise on the monumental 2024, the company will look to continue its momentum and make this year even bigger.
Every Time A WWE Championship Has Changed Hands In 2025
Tiffany Stratton Wins WWE Women’s Championship: SmackDown January 3rd
After months of teasing her Money in the Bank cash-in, Tiffany Stratton finally pulled the trigger on the first SmackDown of 2025. Immediately after Nia Jax had retained the championship against Naomi, Stratton struck her former friend with the briefcase and hit the Prettiest Moonsault Ever to win the title for the first time in her career.
Rhea Ripley Wins Women’s World Championship: Raw On Netflix Premiere January 6th
Kicking off the new era and the first episode of Raw on Netflix in style, Rhea Ripley finally dethroned Liv Morgan to become the new Women’s World Champion, the title she never lost in 2024. Overcoming the odds with Dominik Mysterio and Raquel Rodriguez at ringside, Ripley hit 2 Riptides onto Morgan to win the championship for a second time. Hitting Mysterio with a Riptide after the bell, Ripley celebrated with The Undertaker after the bell.
Giulia Wins NXT Women’s Championship: NXT New Year’s Evil
Kicking off the NXT New Year’s Evil special in a huge way, Giulia defeated Roxanne Perez in a rematch from the NXT on CW premiere to become the NXT Women’s Champion for the first time in her career. Giulia hit a Northern Lights Bomb onto Perez to win and complete the trifecta of Women’s Championships changing hands within 7 days.
Oba Femi Wins NXT Championship: NXT New Year’s Evil
Shortly after Giulia triumphed at New Year’s Evil, Oba Femi defeated Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe in a triple threat match to also win the title for the first time in his career coming off of a record-breaking run with the North American title in 2024. Femi avoided a steel chair attack to hit Williams with the pop-up powerbomb and win the match. Following the victory, Femiand Giulia celebrated on top of the ramp to officially kick off the new year for NXT.
Lyra Valkyria Wins WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship: WWE Raw January 13th
While Valkyria did not dethrone a current champion to win her first singles title on the main roster, the former NXT Women’s Champion emerged as the winner in the tournament to crown the first-ever Women’s Intercontinental Champion on February 13th. Defeating Dakota Kai in the final round, Valkyria has made history by becoming the first holder of the women’s mid-card championship.
Stephanie Vaquer Wins Women’s North American Championship: WWE Vengeance Day
Kicking off the first NXT premium Live Event of the year, Stephanie Vaquer overcame the odds as she defeated Fallon Henley to win the Women’s North American Championship, her first title reign in WWE. With Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx also on the outside, Vaquer took out all 3 members of Fatal Influence before hitting the Spiral Tap onto Henley to win the match and the championship.
Liv Morgan And Raquel Rodriguez Win WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Raw February 24
Back as a champion once more after losing her Women’s World Championship at the start of the year, Liv Morgan won the Women’s Tag Team Championships with Raquel Rodriguez for a thrid time, the most of any team in WWE history. Taking advantage of a distracted referee via Dominik Mysterio, Rodriguez slammed Naomi’s head into the ring post to allow Morgan to capitalise, win the match and the championships.
Iyo Sky Wins Women’s World Championship: WWE Raw March 3rd
One week after the Women’s Tag Team Championships changed hands, Sky secured her second reign as Women’s Champion. Defeating Rhea Ripley in the main event of the March 3rd episode of Raw, Sky took advantage of Bianca Belair’s distraction of Ripley to hit the Over The Moonsault, and win the match and the championship. As a result of the title change, Sky will also put the title on the line at WrestleMania 41.
Shawn Spears Wins North American Championship: WWE NXT March 4th
Winning his first-ever championship in WWE, Shawn Spears defeated Tony D’Angelo on NXT to capture the North American Championship. Following an inadvertent collision between Channing Lorenzo and D’Angelo that saw the don land on a steel chair, Spears took advantage of the back injury to pin D’Angelo and win the match.
LA Knight Wins United States Championship: WWE SmackDown March 7th
Competing in the main event of SmackDown, Knight won the US Championship back from Shinsuke Nakamura after losing the title to Nakamura back at Survivor Series. Avoiding a mist attack from Nakamura, Knight took advantage of a steel chair that was brought into the ring to hit a BFT on the chair to win the match and become a 2-time US Champion.
Stephanie Vaquer Wins NXT Women’s Championship: NXT Roadblock
Competing in the main event of the Roadblock special, Women’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer faced NXT Women’s Champion Giulia in a winner take all match to prove who is the best wrestler on the roster. After hitting 3 SSB backbreakers, Vaquer scored the pinfall victory.
The Street Profits Win WWE Tag Team Championships: WWE SmackDown March 14
Competing in the main event of SmackDown in Barcelona Spain, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano to win the match and the titles. Ford hit a frog splash to win the match and to secure The Profits’ first championship since 2021.
Ricky Saints Wins North American Championship: NXT April 1st
Shortly after his AEW departure, the former Ricky Starks was rebranded as Ricky Saints. Making up for lost time, Saints defeated Shawn Spears on the April 1st episode of NXT to win the title just a few weeks after his debut, setting a new record for the star to win a title the quickest after their arrival.
Hank And Tank Win NXT Tag Team Championships: NXT Stand & Deliver
One of 2 title changes to take place at Stand & Deliver, Hank and Tank defeated Nathan Frazer and Axiom to win the championships for the first time in their career. In one of the best matches over the entire WrestleMania weekend, the match saw big moves and a lot of close calls before Hank and Tank eventually emerged the winners to the delight of the crowd.
Sol Ruca Wins Women’s North American Championship: NXT Stand & Deliver
Later that night, Ruca won the vacant Women’s North American Championship in a 6-way ladder match. The title was vacated as Stephanie Vaquer reigned as NXT Women’s and Women’s North American Champion, so chose to relinquish the North American title. With everyone else down, Ruca flipped her way onto the top of the ladder to unhook the title, winning her first championship in NXT.
Jey Uso Wins World Heavyweight Championship: WrestleMania 41
One of many title changes to take place over WrestleMania 41, Uso kicked off the show as he challenged Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. Following multiple superkicks, splashes and a powerbomb, Uso locked in the sleeper to pick up a rare submission victory over The Ring General.
The New Day Wins World Tag Team Championships: WrestleMania 41
Shortly after Jey Uso won the World Heavyweight Championship, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods once again became Tag Team Champions as they defeated The War Raiders in match 2 of the show. Kofi Kingston held down Ivar’s legs and Woods picked up the win.
Jacob Fatu Wins The United States Championship: WrestleMania 41
The third and final title change to take place on WrestleMania night 1, Fatu defeated LA Knight with multiple moonsaults to win his first championship in WWE. Fatu countered a BFT early on in the match and grabbed the rope to break up another BFT later on in the match but ultimately was the winner in Las Vegas.
Dominik Mysterio Wins Intercontinental Championship: WrestleMania 41
Competing in a fatal 4 way match with previous champion Bron Breakker, Penta and Finn Balor, Mysterio scored the win after hitting a frog splash and pinning fellow Judgment Day member Finn Balor to win his first singles championship on the main roster, much to the delight of the fans.
Becky Lynch And Lyra Valkyria Win Women’s Tag Team Championships: WrestleMania 41
The match was originally set to see Valkyria team with Bayley. However, as Bayley was taken out the night before, Valkyria was given 24 hours to find a new partner. As many suspected, Lynch was revealed to be the replacement. The last-minute partnership was a successful one as they defeated Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez to win the Women’s Tag Titles.
John Cena Wins Undisputed Championship: WrestleMania 41
Closing out WrestleMania weekend, John Cena made history by defeating Cody Rhodes to win his record-breaking 17th World Championship. In what was regarded as a weak main event, Cena won the match thanks to a distraction from Travis Scott, which led to Cena hitting a low blow and title shot onto Rhies to win the match and the title.
Liv Morgan And Raquel Rodriguez Win Women’s Tag Team Championships: Raw After WrestleMania
Becky Lynch and Lyra Valkyria’s reign only lasted 24 hours as Liv Morgan pinned Valkyria in the rematch after hitting the Oblivion. An irate Lynch attacked Valkyria after the match, turning heel the day after her WrestleMania return in Las Vegas.
Zelina Vega Wins Women’s United States Championship: SmackDown After WrestleMania
Having issues with the inaugural champion Chelsea Green for weeks, Zelina Vega finally got her opportunity on the SmackDown after WrestleMania. Defeating Green with the Code Red, Vega won her first singles championship in WWE and brought to an end the first-ever champion’s reign at 131 days.
Ethan Page Wins NXT North American Championship: NXT May 27
Adding to his championship record in NXT, Page defeated Ricky Saints to win the North American Championship for the first time in his career. After driving Saints throat-first into a steel chair in the opening stages, Saints capitalised on the injury and went on to win the match with a twist of fate.
Jacy Jayne Wins NXT Women’s Championship: NXT May 27
Ethan Page was not the only new champion crowned on the May 27th episode of NXT. Later that night, Jacy Jayne defeated Stephanie Vaquer in a shock upset to become the new NXT Women’s Champion. Taking advantage of a distraction by Fatal Influence, Jayne pinned Vaquer as the fans and announce team looked on in shock.
Becky Lynch Wins Women’s Intercontinental Championship: Money In The Bank
Once again facing rival and inaugural champion Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship, Lynch finally got one over on Valkyria by holding onto the tights to pick up the victory. While Valkyria raised Lynch’s hand after the bell, the new champion pushed things too far and was laid out by the first-ever champion after.
Gunther Wins World Heavyweight Championship: Raw June 9
Making WWE history as the first two-time holder of the current World Heavyweight Championship, Gunther defeated Jey Uso in the main event of Raw to win back the title he lost at WrestleMania 41. Despite the rumours of a Seth Rollins cash-in or Goldberg interference, The Ring General won the match clean to begin his second reign.
Giulia Wins Women’s United States Championship: SmackDown June 27
The first of 2 titles to change hands in Saudi Arabia, Giulia pinned Zelina Vega on the go-home SmackDown to win her first title on the main roster only a few weeks after being called up to the blue brand. Giulia targeted Vega shortly after her arrival and won the match with the Northern Lights Bomb.
Solo Sikoa Wins United States Championship: Night Of Champions
Handing Jacob Fatu his first pinfall loss in WWE, Solo Sikoa defeated the man he brought into the company to win the US Championship, his first title on the main roster. Using the numbers game to his advantage, Sikoa had help from JC Mateo, a returning Tonga Loa and a debuting Tala Tonga [Hikuleo] to win the match in Saudi Arabia.
Finn Balor And JD McDonagh Win World Tag Team Championships: Raw June 30
Although The Judgment Day’s Liv Morgan has been side-lined with injury, Balor and McDonagh were able to win back the Tag Team Championships without the help of the former champion. Defeating The New Day without assistance on Raw, the victory marked the second time that the group were draped in gold as Roxanne Perez was named the replacement Women’s Tag Team Champion partner for Raquel Rodriguez later in the night.
The Wyatt Sicks Win WWE Tag Team Championships: SmackDown July 11
After being unsuccessful in their first match against The Street Profits, Dexter Lumis and Joe Gacy of The Wyatt Sicks were more successful in their second attempt against Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Thanks to an assist from Erick Rowan at ringside, The Wyatt Sicks dethroned The Profits in what was also their first gold in WWE.
Naomi Wins Women’s World Championship: WWE Evolution
Ending WWE Evolution in shocking fashion, Naomi stormed to the ring to crash the main event match between IYO SKY and Rhea Ripley. Cashing in her Money in the Bank contract to make the match a triple threat, Naomi struck SKY with the briefcase and hit the moonsault to win the match and her 3rd Women’s Championship. Additionally, Naomi ensured that the Women’s Money in the Bank contract still has a 100% success rate.
Charlotte Flair And Alexa Bliss Win Women’s Tag Team Championships WWE SummerSlam
Although Bliss and Flair came up short at WWE Evolution in the 4-way match for the Women’s Tag Titles, their luck changed at SummerSlam when they were the only team challenging The Judgment Day. Despite the miscommunication in the closing stages of the match, which saw Flair accidentally strike Bliss, both women remained on the same page to win the titles for the first time as a team. While Bliss and Flair have each held the gold before, it has been with seperate partners.
CM Punk Wins World Heavyweight Championship: WWE SummerSlam Night 1
Rounding out night one of the first-ever 2-night SummerSlam, CM Punk defeated Gunther in a very physical bout that was more for the old school fans as opposed to the flashy, fast-paced style modern wrestling fans are used to. Hitting 2 GTSs onto Gunther, Punk won his first championship since returning back in 2023. However, the reign would not last long…
Seth Rollins Wins World Heavyweight Championship: WWE SummerSlam Night 1
Shortly after Punk was handed the World Title, Seth Rollins’music played and The Visionary hobbled out onto the entrance ramp on crutches. However, in what was dubbed “The ruse of the century”, Rollins revealed that his injury was not as serious as some had suspected. Throwing his crutches onto the ground, Rollins charged to the ring, cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated Punk to win the title, ending Punk’s reign at just over 5 minutes in the process.
Cody Rhodes Wins WWE Championship: SummerSlam Night 2
In a rematch from WrestleMania, Rhodes defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship for a second time. Battling all around MetLife Stadium in a street fight, Rhodes gave Cena the best match of his retirement tour and finally put away the 17-time Champion to bring the record-breaking reign to an end, officially turning Cena babyface in the process.
Darkstate Wins NXT Tag Team Championships: NXT Heatwave
On the August 24 NXT Heatwave special, Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin of Darkstate defeated Hank and Tank to capture their first titles in WWE. The faction used the numbers advantage in their favour to distract the ref and capitalise to win the match.
Sami Zayn Wins United States Championship: WWE SmackDown August 29
Competing in the main event of the final SmackDown before Clash in Paris, Zayn defeated Solo Sikoa to win the US Championship for the fist time in his career, and in the process make it one step closer to becoming a Grand Slam Champion. Although Sikoa had backup from the MFTs, Jimmy Uso and Jacob Fatu evened the odds to clear the path for Zayn to win the title in front of a raucous crowd in Lyon.
Stephanie Vaquer Wins Women’s World Championship: WWE Wrestlepalooza
After Naomi vacated the Women’s World Championship after announcing she was pregnant, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce announced that it would be Stephanie Vaquer vs. IYO SKY at Wrestlepalooza to determine who would be the top women’s champion on Raw. Vaquer won the match by hitting a spiral tap onto SKY to win the title for the first time in her career.
Ricky Saints Wins NXT Championship: NXT No Mercy
Becoming one of the select few to pick up a win over the dominant Oba Femi, Saints hit Femi with multiple DDTs in the main event of No Mercy to win his second title in NXT after capturing the North American Championship earlier in the year.
The Hardys Win NXT Tag Team Championships: NXT vs. TNA ShowDown
Competing in the opening match of the NXT vs. TNA Showdown special on October 7, TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys faced NXT Tag Team Champions Darkstate in a winner-take-all match. After Matt hit the Twist of Fate on both members of Darkstate and Jeff hit the Swanton, the legendary tag team added another title to their collection, becoming the first contracted TNA stars to hold WWE gold.
Ilja Dragunov Wins US Championship – WWE SmackDown October 17
After more than a year away from injury, Ilja Dragunov made his surprise return on the October 17 episode of SmackDown. After The Miz appeared to be the one to answer Sami Zayn’s open challenge, The Mad Dragon was revealed to be the actual opponent for Zayn, and hit the H Bomb to pick up the victory and win his first title on the main roster.
AJ Styles And Dragon Lee Win World Tag Team Championships – WWE Raw October 20
After picking up multiple wins as a duo over the past few weeks, Raw General Manager Adam Pearce granted Styles and Lee an opportunity at the World Tag Team Championships, which were held by Finn Balor and JD McDonagh of The Judgment Day. After Styles hit a Styles Clash onto Balor, the duo won the titles, which was also Lee’s first main roster gold.
Blake Monroe Wins NXT Women’s North American Championship – Halloween Havoc
Monroe won her first-ever championship in WWE at Halloween Havoc in what was the first of 3 title changes to take place that night. With Sol Ruca unable to compete, Zaria filled in as a substitute for the night as Ruca watched on from ringside. However, following Ruca being knocked to the floor, Monroe capitalised to deliver 2 DDTs to win the match and the title.
Tatum Paxley Wins NXT Women’s Championship – Halloween Havoc
Tatum Paxley brought the reign of Jacy Jayne to an end at Halloween Havoc in a match that saw interference throughout from The Culling and Fatal Influence. In the end, Paxley took advantage of Izzi Dame’s mistake and hit the Cemetery Drive to also win her first championship in the promotion.
Darkstate Win NXT Tag Team Championships – Halloween Havoc
Rounding out the trilogy of title changes, Darkstate won back the NXT Tag Team Championships after defeating The Hardys in a Broken Rules match at Halloween Havoc. With all 4 members of the group getting involved in the No DQ match, the numbers game was too much for The Hardys, which saw their reign come to an end after Jeff Hardy was put through a table.
Jade Cargill Wins WWE Women’s Championship – November 1 Saturday Night’s Main Event
Unlike their previous meeting at SummerSlam, Cargill was able to defeat Stratton at the November 1 Saturday Night’s Main Event special. After hitting multiple powerbombs and her Jaded finisher onto Stratton, Cargill won her first singles championship in WWE and brought Stratton’s 300-plus day reign to an end.
CM Punk Wins World Heavyweight Championship – November 1 Saturday Night’s Main Event
Later that night, CM Punk defeated Jey Uso to win the World Heavyweight Championship that was vacated after Seth Rollins suffered an injury in his match at Crown Jewel the month before. Punk hit 2 GTSs onto Uso to win back the title for the second time in 2025, this time not falling victim to a Money in the Bank cash-in.
Chelsea Green Wins Women’s United States Championship – November 7 SmackDown
One of the shortest title matches of the year took place on the November 7 SmackDown as Chelsea Green defeated Giulia in just over a minute to win the Women’s United States Championship, becoming the first two-time holder of the gold in the process. Giulia was distracted by Alba Fyre, allowing Green to pick up the win, and celebrated with Ethan Page after the bell.
John Cena Wins Intercontinental Championship – Raw November 10
After receiving a hero’s welcome in his hometown of Boston, John Cena was interrupted by Dominik Mysterio, who demanded to be respected as the Intercontinental Champion. Unfortunately for Mysterio, he was then booked to defend his title against the 17-time World Champion. Countering a Frog Splash into an Attitude Adjustment, Cena pinned Mysterio to capture the IC title, the one championship that has alluded him throughout his 23-year career.
The Kabuki Warriors Win Women’s Tag Team Championships – Raw November 10
The second title change of the night took place in the main event, as Asuka and Kairi Sane defeated Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships for a third time. Thanks to a distraction from Nia Jax and Lash Legend, The Kabuki Warriors took advantage of the chaos to win the match and the titles.
Maxxine Dupri Wins Women’s Intercontinental Championship – Raw November 17
Having picked up multiple victories over Becky Lynch in non-title matches, Dupri was given another title match on the November 17 Raw. Thanks to a distraction from a returning AJ Lee, Dupri pinned Lynch after hitting a top rope cross body to win her first championship in WWE in shocking fashion.
Jacy Jayne Wins NXT Women’s Championship – NXT Gold Rush Week 1
At NXT Gold Rush week 1, Jayne became one of the select few to capture the NXT Women’s Championship more than once. Taking advantage of former champion Tatum Paxley being kicked out of The Culling, Jayne hit the rolling encore to bring to an end Paxley’s reign at just 23 days.
Oba Femi Wins NXT Championship – NXT Deadline
In the opening match of NXT Deadline, Femi defeated Ricky Saints to win back the NXT Championship and become one of the select few to hold the gold more than once. The finish came when Femi hit a powerbomb onto Saints to win the match and regain the top spot on NXT.
Thea Hail Wins Women’s North American Championship – NXT December 16
While every other title change on this list was planned according to backstage reports, an error caused Thea Hail to win her first title in NXT. Facing Blake Monroe in the opening match of the December 16 broadcast, Hail it a springboard senton onto Monroe in what should have been part of her comeback. However, as Monroe did not fully kick out, the referee counted the pin and Hail has been awarded the title.
Featured image: WWE
