WWE has held a variety of different
professional wrestling tournaments competed for by
professional wrestlers that are part of their
roster.
Sporadic tournaments
The Wrestling Classic
The Wrestling Classic, also known as Wrestlevision, was a
pay-per-view event that took place on November 7, 1985, from the Rosemont Horizon in
Rosemont, Illinois. It revolved around a 16-man single-elimination tournament, and also featured a
WWF World Heavyweight Championship match.
Junkyard Dog won the tournament after defeating
Randy "Macho Man" Savage.
Sam Muchnick Memorial Tournament
Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament
The Frank Tunney Sr. Memorial Tag Team Tournament was a tournament held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on March 15, 1987.
WWF World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1988)
The main event at
WrestleMania IV was a 14-man tournament for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship where "Macho Man" Randy Savage defeated "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase to win the vacant
WWF World Heavyweight Championship title.
WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1990)
The WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new
WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main r ...
after previous champion
Ultimate Warrior was required to vacate the title after he defeated
Hulk Hogan
Terry Eugene Bollea (; born August 11, 1953), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 19 ...
for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at
WrestleMania VI.
WWF Women's Championship Tournament (1993)
The WWF Women's Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide the new
WWF Women's Champion after the title was reinstated after three years of inactivity.
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1995)
The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new
WWF Tag Team Champions after former champions
Diesel and
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...
vacated the titles due to the two not being able to function as a tag team,
which was won by
The 1-2-3 Kid and
Bob Holly.
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1996)
The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new
WWF Tag Team Champions after former champions
The Smokin' Gunns
The Smoking Gunns were a professional wrestling tag team of kayfabe brothers Billy Gunn (Monty Sopp) and Bart Gunn (Mike Polchlopek). They portrayed cowboys in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1993 to 1996. As a team, the Smoking Gunns ...
had to vacate the titles due to
Billy Gunn suffering a neck injury,
the tournament was won by
The Bodydonnas
The Bodydonnas were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the mid-1990s, consisting of Chris Candido as Skip, Candido's real-life girlfriend Tammy Lynn Sytch as Sunny, and Tom Prichard as Skip's kayfabe cousi ...
(
Skip and
Zip
Zip, Zips or ZIP may refer to:
Common uses
* ZIP Code, USPS postal code
* Zipper or zip, clothing fastener
Science and technology Computing
* ZIP (file format), a compressed archive file format
** zip, a command-line program from Info-ZIP
* Zi ...
).
Kuwait International Tournament (1996)
The Kuwait International Tournament was a tournament held throughout a 1996
house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
tour in Kuwait.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1996)
The WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new
WWF Intercontinental Champion after previous champion
Ahmed Johnson forfeited the title. He suffered (
kayfabe) injuries to both kidneys when he was attacked by the debuting
Faarooq after winning an 11-man battle royal.
Middle East Cup Tournament
The Middle East Cup was a tournament that took place in
Dubai on December 2, 1996.
WWF European Championship Tournament
The WWF European Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown the first-ever
WWF European Champion.
Kuwait International Tournament (1997)
The Kuwait International Tournament was a tournament held throughout a 1997
house show
A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...
tour in
Kuwait.
During the tour,
Vader and
The Undertaker appeared on ''Good Morning Kuwait'' where Vader attacked the host of the show when he asked about the legitimacy of professional wrestling; Vader was fined $164 by Kuwaiti authorities for the incident as well as being held in custody for several days.
WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament (1997)
The WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide new
WWF Tag Team Champions, which was won by
Owen Hart and The British Bulldog, with the winner facing
Stone Cold Steve Austin and a partner of his choosing, which was revealed to be
Dude Love.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1997)
The tournament to determine the new
WWF Intercontinental Champion was held between September 8 and October 5, 1997, with the finals occurring at
Badd Blood: In Your House. The title was vacated due to a neck injury that champion
Stone Cold Steve Austin suffered when he won the championship.
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament
The
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship was first introduced in
Mexico for the
Universal Wrestling Association. It eventually migrated to Japan as well, though it was not considered to be an official WWF title until after 1997, when a tournament was held in the United States to crown a champion. Before the tournament, the title was a part of the
J-Crown. The tournament ended on December 7, 1997, at
D-Generation X: In Your House where
Taka Michinoku defeated
Brian Christopher to become the first Light Heavyweight Champion recognized by the WWF.
Brawl for All
The WWF Brawl for All was a
shoot fighting
Shootfighting is a martial art and combat sport, with competitions governed by the International Shootfighting Association (ISFA). It incorporates techniques from a multitude of traditional martial arts, the most principal of these being wrestlin ...
tournament held in the World Wrestling Federation that lasted from June 29, 1998, to August 24, 1998.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament (1998)
The WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new
WWF Intercontinental Champion after previous champion
Triple H vacated the title due to injury.
Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament
The Deadly Games WWF Championship Tournament was a tournament to decide a new WWF Champion after the title was vacated at the
previous pay-per-view after Kane and The Undertaker pinned then-champion Stone Cold Steve Austin during a Triple Threat title match.
Undisputed WWF Championship Tournament (2001)
The Undisputed WWF Championship Tournament was a four-man tournament held at
Vengeance
Vengeance may refer to:
*Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Film
* ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo
* ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
on December 9, 2001. The tournament was created to
unify the
WWF and
World Championships.
Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2002)
The Undisputed WWF Championship #1 Contendership Tournament was a tournament to face
Chris Jericho for the
Undisputed WWF Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
at
No Way Out.
WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament
The WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament was a tournament held to crown the inaugural
WWE Tag Team Champions
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separate ...
, for the
SmackDown brand. The finals concluded at
No Mercy (2002) and were won by
Chris Benoit and
Kurt Angle.
WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2003)
This was a tournament to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. The winner faced champion
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, former mixed martial artist (MMA), amateur wrestler, and professional American football player who holds both American and Canadian citizenship. He is ...
at
Backlash.
WWE United States Championship Tournament (2003)
The WWE United States Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown a new
United States Champion after then-Smackdown General Manager
Stephanie McMahon revived the title after two years of inactivity.
The tournament was held between June 19 and July 27, 2003, at
Vengeance
Vengeance may refer to:
*Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Film
* ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo
* ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
.
WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (February 2005)
The tournament to determine the number one contender for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 21 was held between February 1 and
February 20, 2005. At
WrestleMania 21, John Cena defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield to become the new champion.
WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (April 2005)
The WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament was a tournament where the winner faced champion
John Cena at
Judgment Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
.
Gold Rush Tournament (2005)
The Gold Rush Tournament was a tournament to determine the new #1 contender for
World Heavyweight Champion Batista.
Edge won the tournament but lost to Batista on the May 23 episode of ''Raw''.
Road to WrestleMania Tournament
The Road to WrestleMania Tournament was a tournament to crown a #1 contender for John Cena's WWE Championship at
WrestleMania 22.
WWE Women's Championship Tournament (2006)
The WWE Women's Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown a new
WWE Women's Champion after champion
Trish Stratus retired from her wrestling career.
The first round started on September 25, 2006, and ended at
Cyber Sunday
WWE Cyber Sunday (originally known as WWE Taboo Tuesday) was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a professional wrestling promotion based in Connecticut. Established in 2004, ...
when
Lita, who Stratus defeated in her retirement match, defeated
Mickie James
Mickie Laree James (born August 31, 1979) Additional January 6, 2017. is an American professional wrestler and country singer. She is currently signed to Impact Wrestling. She has also had tenures in WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA ...
.
ECW World Championship Tournament
The ECW World Championship Tournament was a tournament created to determine a new
ECW World Champion
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
after
Bobby Lashley vacated his championship due to being
drafted to ''
Raw'' on June 11, 2007. The finals took place at
Vengeance: Night of Champions. This tournament is notable because one of the semi final rounds was Chris Benoits final match. The tournament final was supposed to be Benoit vs CM Punk but Benoit no showed the event and was replaced by Johnny Nitro, who would go on to win the title. It was reported the day after the event that Benoit, his wife Nancy and their son Daniel were found dead in their home in suburban Atlanta. The day after police ruled that Benoit himself had killed his wife and son before committing suicide. This event has gone on to be known as the
Chris Benoit double murder and suicide.
Championship Competition Tournament
The Championship Competition Tournament was a tournament held on ''
SmackDown!
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'' in 2007 to determine the #1 contender for the
World Heavyweight Championship at
Unforgiven.
Championship Chase Tournament
The Championship Chase Tournament was a tournament held on the May 9, 2008 episode of ''
SmackDown'' to determine
The Undertaker's opponent for the vacant
World Heavyweight Championship at
Judgment Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
.
WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2008)
A tournament was announced to crown a new #1 contender for
William Regal's
WWE Intercontinental Championship.
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
won the tournament by defeating
Rey Mysterio in the tournament final at Armageddon.
Race To The Rumble Tournament
The Race To The Rumble Tournament was a tournament held in 2008 to determine a #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship at the
2009 Royal Rumble.
ECW Homecoming Tournament
The ECW Homecoming Tournament was a tournament held in 2009 to crown a #1 contender for the
ECW Championship
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship originally used in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and later, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was the original world title of the ECW ...
at the
2010 Royal Rumble.
WWE Divas Championship Tournament
A tournament was announced to crown a new
WWE Divas Champion after former champion
Melina was stripped of the title due to injury. The first round started on January 4, 2010.
The final tournament was originally scheduled at
Elimination Chamber, but when official consultant to the
SmackDown General Manager,
Vickie Guerrero interrupted, she was changing the match to an interbrand Divas tag team match, facing
LayCool (
Michelle McCool and
Layla) from SmackDown. The final was held at the following night of Raw.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2010)
The WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament was a tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. On May 7, 2010, after failed attempts of getting Intercontinental Champion
Drew McIntyre to stop attacking
Matt Hardy, Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long fired McIntyre and vacated the title. The following week,
Kofi Kingston won a tournament to become the new champion, but Mr. McMahon reverted Long's decision. Due to the decision by Mr. McMahon, the vacancy of the title and Kingston's championship win are not recognized as WWE continued to recognize McIntyre as champion during that period. At
Over the Limit, Kingston defeated McIntyre to win his second official Intercontinental Championship.
WWE Championship Tournament (2011)
On the July 18, 2011, edition of
WWE Raw, the
WWE Championship was vacated, after champion
CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
left WWE. The title was put up in a tournament featuring the top eight wrestlers. The finals of the tournament would take place on the July 25 episode of ''Raw'', which was won by
Rey Mysterio.
Gold Rush Tournament (2012)
On the August 1, 2012 edition of NXT, NXT Commissioner
Dusty Rhodes announced a "Gold Rush" tournament, featuring 4 developmental roster NXT Superstars and 4 main roster WWE Superstars to determine the inaugural
NXT Champion in a knockout system format. The first NXT Champion was crowned on July 26, 2012, with
Seth Rollins defeating
Jinder Mahal in the tournament finals.
WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2012)
The WWE Tag Team Championship Tournament was a #1 contender's tag team tournament, where the winning team faced
Team Hell No (
Kane and
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to:
* Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan"
* Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier
* Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
) for the WWE Tag Team Championship.
NXT Tag Team Championship Tournament
The
NXT Tag Team Championship was introduced on the January 23, 2013 edition of NXT where it was announced by special guest
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom (born July 22, 1965), better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American retired professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative. Widely regarded as one of ...
that there would be a tournament to crown the first new champions.
Royal Rumble Entry Tournament
The Royal Rumble Entry Tournament was a tournament on
NXT where the winner entered the
2013 Royal Rumble Match.
NXT Women's Championship Tournament (2013)
The championship was first introduced on April 5, 2013, at
WrestleMania Axxess. It was announced at the May 30, 2013 tapings (broadcast on the June 5 episode) of
WWE NXT (TV series), by
Stephanie McMahon that there would be a tournament, featuring four developmental female talents and four female talents from the main roster competing to be crowned as the inaugural
NXT Women's Champion in a knockout system format. The first NXT Women's Champion was crowned on June 20, 2013, with
Paige defeating
Emma
Emma may refer to:
* Emma (given name)
Film
* Emma (1932 film), ''Emma'' (1932 film), a comedy-drama film by Clarence Brown
* Emma (1996 theatrical film), ''Emma'' (1996 theatrical film), a film starring Gwyneth Paltrow
* Emma (1996 TV film), '' ...
in the tournament finals.
WWE Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2014)
In April 2014, the WWE held the Intercontinental Championship Tournament to determine the #1 contenders to face
Big E Big E may refer to:
* Capital letter "E"
People
* Big E (wrestler) (born 1986), American professional wrestler, born Ettore Ewen, formerly known as "Big E Langston"
* Elvin Hayes (born 1945; nicknamed "Big E"), American basketball player and r ...
for the
WWE Intercontinental Championship at
Extreme Rules 2014.
Bad News Barrett defeated
Rob Van Dam in the final and defeated
Big E Big E may refer to:
* Capital letter "E"
People
* Big E (wrestler) (born 1986), American professional wrestler, born Ettore Ewen, formerly known as "Big E Langston"
* Elvin Hayes (born 1945; nicknamed "Big E"), American basketball player and r ...
to win the title.
NXT Women's Championship Tournament (2014)
On April 24, 2014,
Paige was stripped of the
NXT Women's Championship, by NXT's commissioner
John Bradshaw Layfield, because she could not defend both the NXT Women's and
WWE Divas Championship, ending her reign at 308 days. Right after, during the tapings for the May shows, a tournament was announced to take place to determine the next champion.
Charlotte defeated
Natalya at
NXT TakeOver on May 29, 2014, to become the new champion.
NXT Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament
The championship tournament started on August 7, 2014, and there would be new #1 contenders for the titles. The tournament final was held on September 4, 2014.
The Lucha Dragons (
Kalisto and
Sin Cara) won the tournament and defeated
The Ascension (
Konnor and
Viktor) at
NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way on September 11, 2014, to win the titles.
NXT Championship #1 Contender's Tournament
The NXT Championship Tournament started on January 21, 2015, and there would be a new #1 Contender's for the title. The tournament final was held on February 11, 2015, at
NXT TakeOver: Rival.
Finn Bálor went on to win the tournament defeated
Adrian Neville in the final.
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament
The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal Qualifying Tournament was a tournament at
WrestleMania Axxess for a spot in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (2015)
On November 5, 2015, the
WWE World Heavyweight Championship was vacated, after champion
Seth Rollins suffered a knee injury.
Immediately after the final match, Sheamus cashed in his
Money in the Bank contract and pinned Reigns. Therefore, Reigns' championship reign lasted only five minutes and fifteen seconds (later used to antagonize Reigns).
WWE Tag Team Championship #1 Contender's Tournament (2016)
This tournament was to determine the new #1 Contenders to
The New Day's
WWE Tag Team Championships.
The final match ended in a no contest after
Enzo Amore suffered a
legitimate concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
. Not far into the match, Amore was thrown into the ropes by
Simon Gotch. Amore attempted to slide under the ropes, but instead hit his head on the middle rope and the mat, before falling on the floor, appearing to be unconscious. With the ending of the match, the Vaudevillains were given a WWE Tag Team Championship match, but they were defeated by The New Day.
Cruiserweight Classic
The
Cruiserweight Classic saw thirty-two of the world's best
cruiserweights battle it out to be crowned
WWE's first WWE Cruiserweight Classic winner. The tournament was filmed at
Full Sail University,
Florida from June 20–24, and was broadcast on the
WWE Network from July 13. It ran for ten episodes, with the finale being broadcast on September 14.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament (2016)
Following the reintroduction of the
WWE brand extension
The brand extension, also referred to as the brand split, is the separation of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE's roster of wrestlers (and, at various times, creative staff) into distinct divisions, or "brands". The promotion's ...
and subsequent
draft on July 19, 2016,
WWE Tag Team Champions
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separate ...
The New Day were drafted to
Raw, leaving
SmackDown without a tag team championship. Over the course of the following month, ''SmackDown'' General Manager
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to:
* Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan"
* Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier
* Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
stated that he wanted to build up the tag team division before introducing a championship. Immediately following
SummerSlam on the August 23, 2016 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', Bryan and ''SmackDown'' Commissioner
Shane McMahon unveiled the
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship and announced a tournament, which culminated in a tag team match at
Backlash to determine the inaugural champions.
The tournament and the titles were won by
Heath Slater and Rhyno after they defeated
The Usos at Backlash.
WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2017)
The United Kingdom Championship Tournament was a
professional wrestling tournament produced by
WWE, that aired exclusively on the
WWE Network. The first round took place on January 14, 2017, while the finals occurred on January 15, 2017. The tournament was held at the
Empress Ballroom in
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...
,
Lancashire,
England and crowned the inaugural
WWE United Kingdom Champion.
WWE United States Championship Tournament (2017–18)
At
Clash of Champions 2017,
Dolph Ziggler won the
United States Championship by defeating defending champion
Baron Corbin and
Bobby Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
in a
triple threat match.
On the following episode of ''
SmackDown Live'', after recapping all of his previous accolades, Ziggler said that the WWE Universe did not deserve him and he dropped the title in the ring and left.
After unsuccessful attempts at contacting Ziggler,
SmackDown General Manager
Daniel Bryan Daniel Bryan may refer to:
* Bryan Danielson (born 1981), American professional wrestler who formerly used the ring name "Daniel Bryan"
* Dan Bryan (1900–1985), Irish soldier
* Daniel Bryan (Big Brother), contestant on the British reality televi ...
declared the title vacant and announced a tournament to crown a new champion.
The final was originally scheduled to occur at the
2018 Royal Rumble, but was moved up to the January 23 episode of ''SmackDown Live''. However, on the January 16 episode, after
Jinder Mahal and
Bobby Roode
Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery.
Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonstop ...
won their respective semifinals matches, Roode challenged Mahal to have the final that night and Bryan scheduled it for that episode's main event.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
At the
2018 Royal Rumble,
Enzo Amore was scheduled to defend the
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Two professional wrestling championships have been named WWE Cruiserweight Championship by WWE:
* WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1996–2007) – originally established as the WCW Cruiserweight Championship by World Championship Wrestling in 1996, ...
against
Cedric Alexander.
However, after Amore was suspended from WWE on January 22 due to allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault, the match was cancelled. The following day, Amore was released and the title was vacated. It was then announced that a general manager would be appointed for ''
205 Live
''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March ...
'' and would address the championship; ''205 Live'' was previously controlled by the
Raw General Manager, as ''205 Live'' is part of the Raw brand. On the January 30 episode of ''205 Live'',
Drake Maverick (formerly known as Rockstar Spud in
Impact Wrestling
Impact Wrestling (stylized as ''IMPACT! Wrestling''), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is a subsidiary of Anthem Sports & Entertainment.
Founded by Jeff and Jerry Jarrett in 2002, the promot ...
) was appointed as the 205 Live General Manager. Maverick announced that there would be a 16-man single elimination tournament to crown a new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, with the finals to occur during the pre-show for
WrestleMania 34.
WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational
As part of
WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the WWE United Kingdom Championship Invitational received a championship match against
WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne on the morning of April 8, 2018.
NXT North American Championship Invitational
As part of
WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT North American Championship Invitational received an
NXT North American Championship
The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is primarily defended as the secondary men's championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental ...
match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champion,
Adam Cole, was determined the night before at
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
NXT Tag Team Championship Invitational
As part of
WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT Tag Team Championship Invitational received an
NXT Tag Team Championship match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champions,
The Undisputed Era, were determined the night before at
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
NXT Women's Championship Invitational
As part of
WrestleMania Axxess, the winner of the NXT Women's Championship Invitational received an
NXT Women's Championship match on the morning of April 8, 2018. The defending champion,
Shayna Baszler, was determined the night before at
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
Tag Team Eliminator
At
WrestleMania 34,
Cesaro and Sheamus defended the
Raw Tag Team Championship against
Braun Strowman and a partner of his choosing. At the event, Strowman picked 10-year old Nicholas from the live audience, and the two won the titles. The following night on ''Raw'', Strowman and Nicholas relinquished the titles due to Nicholas' schedule as a fourth grader. Cesaro and Sheamus wanted their titles back and Raw General Manager
Kurt Angle decided that they could regain them in a match at
Greatest Royal Rumble and their opponents would be determined by a four-team tournament, which he called the Tag Team Eliminator.
WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament (2018)
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Tournament (2018)
NXT UK Women's Championship Tournament
WWE World Cup
The
WWE World Cup was a tournament that took place on November 2, 2018, at
Crown Jewel in
Saudi Arabia. Four participants came from
Raw and four participants came from
SmackDown.
In the tournament finals,
Shane McMahon defeated
Dolph Ziggler to be crowned "Best In The World".
NXT UK Tag Team Championship Tournament
WWE Worlds Collide Tournament
WWE Cruiserweight Championship #1 Contender Tournament
This tournament is to determine the #1 Contender for
Buddy Murphy's
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Two professional wrestling championships have been named WWE Cruiserweight Championship by WWE:
* WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1996–2007) – originally established as the WCW Cruiserweight Championship by World Championship Wrestling in 1996, ...
. On the February 19 episode of ''
205 Live
''WWE 205 Live'' is an American professional wrestling streaming television program that was produced by WWE. It premiered on November 29, 2016, and ended on February 11, 2022. The show originally aired exclusively on the WWE Network until March ...
'', General Manager
Drake Maverick scheduled an eight-man single elimination tournament with the winner facing Buddy Murphy for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship at
WrestleMania 35.
NXT Breakout Tournament (2019)
The NXT Breakout Tournament is a tournament composed of eight
members of the WWE Performance Center who are making their NXT TV debuts. The winner of the tournament will receive a title match of their choice.
The tournament returned in 2021 and the first round started on the July 13, 2021 episode.
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
A round-robin tournament began on April 15, 2020, to determine the interim
NXT Cruiserweight Champion after
Jordan Devlin was deemed unable to defend the title due to
COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions. Eight wrestlers were split into two groups of four, where each wrestler competed against the other three members of their group. The wrestler with the best record in each group would compete to determine the interim champion. Any ties will be broken by head-to-head results. Group A consists of
Kushida,
Tony Nese,
Jake Atlas, and
Drake Maverick, while Group B consists of
Isaiah "Swerve" Scott,
El Hijo del Fantasma,
Akira Tozawa, and
Gentleman Jack Gallagher. Although Maverick was released from WWE on April 15,
he confirmed via
Twitter that he would still be competing in the tournament, which could be his last matches in the company.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Tournament (2020)
On May 12, 2020, the Intercontinental Championship was declared vacant after champion
Sami Zayn elected to refrain from competing during the
COVID-19 pandemic. A tournament to crown a new champion was then set to begin on the May 15 episode of ''SmackDown''.
† Neither Jeff Hardy nor Elias were able to compete in the semifinals, as Elias was (
kayfabe) injured in a car crash and Hardy was accused of causing it and arrested. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan were given the option of having a
bye in the tournament. Styles opted for the bye to automatically advance to the final on June 12 while Bryan opted to have a new opponent; Sheamus subsequently won a
battle royal to qualify for the vacant spot in the semifinals against Bryan that night.
NXT UK Heritage Cup Championship Tournament
NXT Breakout Tournament (2021)
The NXT Breakout Tournament is a tournament composed of eight
members of the WWE Performance Center who are making their NXT TV debuts. The second annual tournament began on the July 13, 2021 episode of ''NXT''.
NXT UK Heritage Cup #1 Contender Tournament
RK-Bro-nament
NXT Women's Breakout Tournament (2022)
The NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament is a tournament composed of eight female wrestlers from the
NXT 2.0
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...
brand. The inaugural tournament began on the May 10, 2022 episode of
NXT 2.0
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...
. The winner earns a contract and can cash-in for the
NXT Women's Championship at any time. The inaugural winner is
Roxanne Perez
Carla Gonzalez (born November 5, 2001) is an American professional wrestler signed to WWE where she performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Roxanne Perez, where she is the current NXT Women's Champion in her first reign. She is a form ...
. She defeated
Tiffany Stratton
Tiffany may refer to:
People
* Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name
* Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname
Known mononymously as "Tiffany":
* Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kno ...
on the June 7 episode of
NXT 2.0
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...
.
†
Nikkita Lyons was injured during training and her semi-final opponent,
Fallon Henley, originally got a bye to the finals but,
Tiffany Stratton
Tiffany may refer to:
People
* Tiffany (given name), list of people with this name
* Tiffany (surname), list of people with this surname
Known mononymously as "Tiffany":
* Tiffany Darwish, (born 1971), an American singer, songwriter, actress kno ...
challenged Henley to earn her spot in the finals in which Stratton then replaced Lyons in the tournament
WWE Women's Tag Team Championship Tournament (2022)
NXT United Kingdom Championship Vacant Title Tournament (2022)
SmackDown World Cup
The SmackDown World Cup was an eight-man
single-elimination tournament composed of eight wrestlers from the
SmackDown brand. The inaugural tournament began on the November 11, 2022 episode of
SmackDown. The winner earned a
Intercontinental Championship match against
Gunther
Gundaharius or Gundahar (died 437), better known by his legendary names Gunther ( gmh, Gunther) or Gunnar ( non, Gunnarr), was a historical king of Burgundy in the early 5th century. Gundahar is attested as ruling his people shortly after they ...
. The inaugural winner was
Ricochet, who defeated
Santos Escobar on the December 2, 2022 episode of ''
SmackDown''.
King of the Ring
King of the Ring is a
professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held by
WWE. It was held annually from 1985 to 2002 (excluding 1990 and 1992) and from 1993 to 2002 the tournament was produced as a
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
event.
Tournaments have since been held periodically - in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015, 2019, and 2021
Dates and venues of finals
Queen's Crown
In 2021, WWE debuted the Queen's Crown tournament for female wrestlers considered to be the counterpart to King of the Ring.
Zelina Vega was the inaugural winner, defeating
Doudrop at
Crown Jewel 2021, which took place on October 21 at Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual
tag team tournament featured on the
NXT brand and is named after
WWE Hall of Famer
Dusty Rhodes, who died in 2015.
Exclusively for male wrestlers from 2015 to 2020, a female version of the tournament debuted in 2021, running simultaneously with the men's version.
Dates and venues of finals
Mae Young Classic
The Mae Young Classic is an all-
women's
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
tournament produced by WWE. The event is named for
WWE Hall of Famer
Mae Young.
Dates and venues
Mixed Match Challenge
See also
*
List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:WWE tournaments
Tournaments