The United States Championship is one of the most prestigious Titles in WWE and overall wrestling history.
The Title was originally established in 1975 as part in the NWA and was later assumed by WCW. As such, it has only been active in WWE since their 2001 purchase of their one-time great rival.
The title is currently defended on Raw and has become an important part of WWE’s flagship show given there is just one World Championship currently and Roman Reigns isn’t working a full-time schedule on both brands. Triple H has also put an emphasis back on the secondary belts, which should have been done a long time ago.
Seth Rollins is the current Champion and is in his second reign with the Title. There have been 101 holders in its long history, but who has had the most reigns?
As the belt has a long history prior to WWE, reigns in NWA and WCW will be acknowledged and counted here.
Taking this into account, GiveMeSport takes you through the wrestlers with the most United States Championships reigns in WWE history…
=10. Multiple wrestlers – 3 reigns
A total of 10 wrestlers have won the US Title on three occasions. Amongst these are Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Kevin Owens.
=8. Booker T – 4 reigns
Booker T
The five-time WCW Champion is a four-time winner of the US title. Booker won his first Title on the final WCW pay per view, Greed, in March 2001. He later had three more runs with the belt on Smackdown in the mid-2000s.
=8. Ricky Steamboat – 4 reigns
The Dragon won his first and fourth US Titles a staggering 17 years apart (1977-1994). As a result, none of them came under the WWE banner, the first three being NWA and the final WCW. He defeated career rival Ric Flair for his first two Championships.
=2. John Cena – 5 reigns
Cena’s initial success in WWE came with the US Title. He won his first Title at WrestleMania 20, defeating The Big Show. His next two reigns also came in 2004 prior to his first WWE Championship. He later had two runs with the belt and a fondly remembered “Open Challenge” in 2015.
=2. Bret Hart – 5 reigns
Bret Hart
After leaving WWE for WCW in late-1997, the Hitman found success with the US Title. He captured four titles, three in 1998 and one in 1999 (which came by beating Goldberg). He oddly won a fifth Title in 2010 from The Miz but vacated the belt a week later.
=2. Chris Benoit – 5 reigns
Like Hart, Benoit’s initial reigns with the Title came in WCW, two coming in 1999. Despite joining WWE the following year, it would not be until 2005 when he won his third US Title. He added a further two in 2006.
=2. Lex Luger – 5 reigns
Luger was the first US Champion under the official WCW banner (1989). This was his second of four reigns between 1987 and 1990. The Total Package had his fifth and final run with the belt in 1998, defeating Bret Hart.
=2. Wahoo McDaniel – 5 reigns
Perhaps unknown to many readers, McDaniel was one of the biggest stars in the 1980s outside of WWE. He had five reigns with the NWA’s US Title and defeated some big names to capture the Title, notably Roddy Piper, Ricky Steamboat and Sgt. Slaughter.
1. Ric Flair – 6 reigns
Ric Flair
The Nature Boy’s accolade list is endless. As well as having the joint-record World Championships, he is also a record six-time US Champ. His first five reigns came between 1977 and 1980, winning and losing the Title to Steamboat and Piper amongst others. He later added a sixth to his CV in 1996, 19 years on from his maiden success. Timeless.