The AEW World Championship has only been in existence since 2019, but it’s already become one of the most prestigious titles in pro wrestling. The rapid ascent of All Elite Wrestling has something to do with that, but it’s also due to the high caliber and pedigree of the wrestlers who have held the championship.
So far, the men who have called themselves AEW World Champion include former world champs from other promotions, a man who made his breakthrough to main event status since his arrival in AEW, and a couple of all-time greats.
Let’s take a look at the complete AEW World Championship title history from August 31, 2019 to date.
Most recent update: Dec. 31, 2023
1st AEW World Champion: Chris Jericho
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Aug. 31, 2019 at AEW All Out, by defeating Hangman Adam Page
- Championship lost on Feb. 29, 2020
- Length of championship reign: 182 days
- Successful title defenses: 3 (Darby Allin, Cody Rhodes, Scorpio Sky)
Notable: Jericho was the inaugural AEW World Champion thanks to his victory at the first ever All Out pay-per-view.
2nd AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Feb. 29, 2020, by defeating Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution
- Championship lost on Dec. 2, 2020
- Length of championship reign: 277 days
- Successful title defenses: 9 (Jake Hager, Mr. Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, Darby Allin, MJF, Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, Lance Archer, Kingston)
Notable: Moxley’s nine title defenses are a record to this day. This was his second world championship overall, as he held the WWE Championship once as Dean Ambrose.
3rd AEW World Champion: Kenny Omega
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Dec. 2, 2020 by defeating Jon Moxley at AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming
- Championship lost on Nov. 13, 2021
- Length of championship reign: 346 days
- Successful title defenses: 6 (Rey Fenix, Jon Moxley, Rich Swann, Orange Cassidy and Pac, Jungle Boy, Christian Cage)
Notable: Omega’s reign is the longest to date in AEW at just under a year.
4th AEW World Champion: Hangman Adam Page
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Nov. 13, 2021 by defeating Kenny Omega at AEW Full Gear
- Championship lost on May 29, 2022
- Length of championship reign: 197 days
- Successful title defenses: 6 (Bryan Danielson, Danielson, Lance Archer, Adam Cole, Dante Martin, Cole)
Notable: This was Page’s first world championship in any major promotion. He was the first person to defend the title successfully twice against the same challenger consecutively with his two victories over Danielson, and became the first to fend off more than one challenger twice with two wins against Cole.
5th AEW World Champion: CM Punk
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on May 29, 2022 by defeating Hangman Adam Page at AEW Double or Nothing
- Championship lost on Aug. 24, 2022
- Length of championship reign: 87 days
- Successful title defenses: 0
Notable: This was Punk’s eighth world championship overall, counting previous titles in ROH and WWE. Due in large part to him getting injured shortly after winning, he was the first AEW World Champion to have zero successful title defenses.
6th AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (2nd reign)
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Aug. 24, 2022 by defeating CM Punk on AEW Dynamite
- Championship lost on Sept. 4, 2022
- Length of championship reign: 11 days
- Successful title defenses: 0
Notable: As Punk was injured right after winning the AEW World Championship, Moxley won the interim title in a tournament that culminated with a final victory over Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door on June 26, 2022. Moxley successfully defended the interim championship three times (against Brody King, Rush and Chris Jericho), but upon unifying the belts, then became the second consecutive AEW World Champion to lose the title without successfully defending it.
7th AEW World Champion: CM Punk (2nd reign)
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Sept. 4, 2022 by defeating Jon Moxley at AEW All Out
- Championship stripped on Sept. 7, 2022
- Length of championship reign: 3 days
- Successful title defenses: 0
Notable: Though it was never officially announced as such, Punk was stripped of his championship three days after winning it when he was suspended following a fight with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega that spun out of a contentious post-event press conference at All Out.
8th AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (3rd reign)
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling
- Championship won on Sept. 21, 2022 by defeating Bryan Danielson at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam
- Championship lost on Nov. 20, 2022
- Length of championship reign: 60 days
- Successful title defenses: 2 (Hangman Adam Page, Penta El Zero Miedo)
Notable: After Punk was stripped of the title, the AEW World Championship was vacant for two weeks. A Grand Slam Tournament of Champions was held with six challengers, and Moxley emerged as the winner by submitting Danielson, becoming the first ever three-time AEW World Champion in the process.
9th AEW World Champion: MJF
Image credit: Wrestling Junkie
- Championship won on Nov. 19, 2022 by defeating Jon Moxley at Full Gear
- Championship lost on Dec. 30, 2023
- Length of championship reign: 406 days
- Successful title defenses: 10 (Ricky Starks, Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin/Jack Perry/Sammy Guevara, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ethan Page, Adam Cole, Samoa Joe, Kenny Omega, Daniel Garcia, Jay White)
Notable: MJF won with the help of brass knux slipped to him by William Regal, who had accompanied Moxley to the ring.
10th AEW World Champion: Samoa Joe
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling (screenshot)
- Championship won on Dec. 30, 2023 by defeating MJF at Worlds End
- Current champion
