For many professional wrestlers, there's no bigger accomplishment than winning championships in WWE The company's oldest titles in particular carry a lot of prestige with them, having been held by some of the biggest stars in the history of the business over the years. When a star loses a belt, they usually do everything in their power to regain it...
But there have been a few exceptions. This can happen for several reasons: namely a wrestler switching brands, moving to a different division (i.e.: from the midcard to the main event scene) or simply due to poor booking. The following WWE stars moved on with their lives after dropping a championship.
Wrestlers who left WWE immediately after losing a title (example: The Rock after WrestleMania 29), weren't full-time wrestlers (example: Vince McMahon after losing a title) or got injured/took an extended break (example: Ronda Rousey after WrestleMania 35) won't be included.
Bron Breakker - WWE Intercontinental Championship (2025)
Bron Breakker Joined Paul Heyman & Seth Rollins After WrestleMania 41
Bron Breakker has a lot of potential. At 27 years of age, the son of Rick Steiner never fails to impress WWE fans with his explosiveness and his strength. After dominating the NXT brand, Breakker joined WWE's main roster in early 2024, quickly becoming a two-time Intercontinental Champion.
Breakker defeated Sami Zayn in his SummerSlam debut to win the belt, later trading it with Jey Uso in October of that year. His second reign lasted until WrestleMania 41, where he lost it to Dominik Mysterio in a four-way match. Then, Breakker immediately moved on to a main event stable alongside Paul Heyman and Seth Rollins. .
Gunther - WWE Intercontinental Championship (2024)
Gunther won King of the Ring and became World Heavyweight Champion
Much like Bron Breakker the following year, Gunther left the Intercontinental Title picture after WrestleMania 40. The Austrian star made history with the Intercontinental Championship, surpassing The Honky Tonk Man's record as the longest-reigning titleholder in history - a record that had stood for 35 years.
Gunther left his mark on the prestigious midcard title, and will forever be remembered as one of the best Intercontinental Champions ever, so it made sense for him to move on. After the loss to Sami Zayn at 'Mania 40, Gunther won the 2024 King of the Ring and won the World Heavyweight Championship from Damian Priest at that year's SummerSlam.
Nikki A.S.H. - WWE Raw Women's Championship (2021)
Nikki Cross held the Women's Title for about a month.
Nikki Cross joined WWE's main roster in late 2018. While clearly talented, it seemed like management never really knew what to do with Nikki Cross. A tag team run with Alexa Bliss was the highlight of her main roster run up until she changed her gimmick in mid-2021. The superhero gimmick - Nikki A.S.H. - was questionable, to say the least. Regardless, she was pushed right from the get-go, winning Money in the Bank in July.
She cashed in the very next day, beating Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship . However, the belt was back on Flair at SummerSlam, and Nikki left the title picture immediately. She formed an odd tag team with fellow former Raw Women's Champion, Rhea Ripley, beating Natalya & Tamina for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship in September.
Kofi Kingston - WWE Championship (2019)
Kofi Kingston went back to the Tag Team division after losing the WWE Title.
At WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston had one of the most emotional WWE Championship wins ever. Unfortunately, the unforgettable victory over Daniel Bryan ended up being the highlight of Kingston's title reign. Kofi was booked like a midcard champion for most of his reign, aside from a personal rivalry with Randy Orton near the end of the run. Just a couple of weeks after beating Orton at Clash of Champions, in what was arguably Kingston's biggest win since 'Mania 35, it was time for him to step aside.
The New Day member lost the title to Brock Lesnar in seconds on SmackDown's debut on FOX. Just a few moments later, The Beast moved on to a pointless feud over the title with former UFC rival, Cain Velasquez, that never really clicked. As far as Kofi Kingston goes, the former WWE Champion simply went back to the tag team division, throwing pancakes to the crowd with a big smile on his face the following week as if nothing had happened.
Kevin Owens - WWE Universal Championship (2017)
Kevin Owens' Feud With Chris Jericho Wasn't The Same Without The Universal Championship
The Universal Championship was introduced after the 2016 WWE Draft. Finn Balor may have been the first champion, but the men who established the championship were Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho. They were extremely entertaining to watch, and people couldn't wait for the obvious split.
Just a few weeks after their spectacular heartbreaking split in the Festival of Friendship, KO lost the Universal Title to Goldberg in about a minute. Since Jericho was the United States Champion, they just kept feuding over that title instead, but their feud was never the same without the Universal Championship.
CM Punk - WWE Intercontinental Championship (2009)
CM Punk had a brief run as Intercontinental Champion.
CM Punk's Intercontinental Title reign is forgettable because it ended before it really got going. After his first World Championship run ended, Punk won a couple of midcard titles. He held tag team gold with Kofi Kingston, before beating William Regal for the Intercontinental Championship in Chicago in January 2009.
Punk's reign was cut short before he had any notable feud or match, with CM Punk going on to win Money in the Bank for the second year in a row at WrestleMania 25. JBL, the man who beat Punk for the title, took the belt to 'Mania 25, where he lost it to Rey Mysterio in what turned out to be JBL's last match.
Rob Van Dam - WWE Championship (2006)
RVD's Main Event run didn't last long.
Rob Van Dam was one of the most exciting and most charismatic WWE wrestlers in the 2000s. Yet, despite getting loud reactions everywhere he went and being as popular as anyone, it seemed like Van Dam would never win the big one. That feeling only made the moment sweeter when he did beat John Cena for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand 2006.
RVD was on top of the world, and fans still remember his title win to this day. Unfortunately, Rob Van Dam was arrested Just weeks into his title reign, WWE forced him to lose both the WWE & ECW Championships immediately. Van Dam did go after Big Show's ECW World Title after returning from suspension, but not the WWE Championship.
John Cena - WWE United States Championship (2005)
The Start Of John Cena's Main Event Push
The United States Championship elevated John Cena to the next level in 2004-05, and Cena won the title three times during the Ruthless Aggression Era. But by early 2005, Cena was clearly ready to move on to the main event scene and defeat JBL for the WWE Championship.
In order to do so, Cena had to lose the U.S. Title first. Cena lost to Orlando Jordan, a member of JBL's stable, The Cabinet, on an episode of SmackDown about a month before WrestleMania 21. Cena eventually won the WWE Championship and never looked back, only winning his fourth U.S. Title a decade later .
Stone Cold Steve Austin - WWE Intercontinental Championship (1997)
Stone Cold Was Too Big For The Intercontinental Title
Steve Austin's name is among the many all-time greats who held the WWE Intercontinental Championship over the years. However, Austin didn't do much with the prestigious title, spending most of his time as champion on the shelf due to the neck injury suffered against Owen Hart at SummerSlam 1997. As horrible as the injury was, it only made Stone Cold more popular.
By the time he returned and regained the title from Owen Hart at Survivor Series, it was time for him to win the WWE Championship. Therefore, Austin relinquished the belt to The Rock. It sounds like an awful booking decision on paper, but it did fit Stone Cold's character. Plus, it happened at the perfect time - ahead of the 1998 Royal Rumble and the legendary confrontation with Mike Tyson.
The Ultimate Warrior - WWE Championship (1991)
Ultimate Warrior Focused On Randy Savage After Losing The WWE Championship
WWE saw The Ultimate Warrior as Hulk Hogan's successor. Warrior beat Hulk Hogan cleanly at WrestleMania 6 to become the new WWE Champion, holding the belt for almost a year. However, the promotion decided to put the belt back on The Hulkster at 'Mania 7, with Sgt. Slaughter serving as the heel transitional champion.
'Macho King' Randy Savage and Sensational Queen Sherri, who were already feuding with Warrior, helped Slaughter win the title at Royal Rumble 1991. Their feud only intensified from there, and it eventually led to a terrific Retirement Match between Ultimate Warrior and Randy Savage at WrestleMania 7 which Warrior won.
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