10 Times WWE Champions Were Forced To Vacate Their Titles

Finn Balor with the WWE Universal title

10- Naomi - Women's World Championship (2025)

Naomi's 2025 Women's World Championship reign was cut short when she made a joyous, yet shocking, announcement on the August 18th segment of Raw. Just 36 days after cashing in her Money in the Bank contract in the main event of Evolution 2, featuring Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, Naomi revealed she was pregnant with her first child and had to step away for her maternity leave. She emotionally laid the title down in the ring, promising to return in nine months and pick up where she left off, with fans celebrating the news as she stepped into a new role as a mother.

9- Rhea Ripley - Women's World Championship (2024)

Rhea Ripley's record-breaking Women's World Championship reign ended abruptly on Raw in April 2024. Ripley was forced to relinquish the title due to a severe shoulder injury sustained during a backstage attack by Liv Morgan. Appearing in a sling, a visibly distraught "Mami" expressed her disappointment but vowed to return for revenge and to reclaim her championship, ending her dominant 380-day tenure without suffering a pinfall or submission defeat.

8- Daniel Bryan - WWE World Heavyweight Championship (2014)

Daniel Bryan was forced to relinquish the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in June 2014, just two months after his celebrated victory at WrestleMania XXX. Medical personnel informed him that his recovery from neck surgery was slower than hoped, making him unable to defend the title at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Stephanie McMahon stripped Bryan of the belt on Monday Night Raw and announced that a new champion would be determined in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match.

7- Seth Rollins - World Heavyweight Championship (2025)

Seth Rollins was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship in October 2025 due to a serious shoulder injury. The injury was sustained during his Crown Jewel match against Cody Rhodes. Following the injury, Rollins' stablemates, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, shockingly betrayed and attacked him on Raw. General Manager Adam Pearce was forced to strip Rollins of the title due to the necessary surgery and indefinite timeline for his return, cutting short his second reign as the Visionary.

6- Shawn Michaels - WWE Championship (1997)

The emotional 1997 vacancy of the WWE Championship by Shawn Michaels remains one of the most controversial in history. Michaels stated he had "lost his smile" and needed to take time away to "fix myself and take care of myself." While he spoke about the honor of his title reign, many fans and wrestlers suspected his announcement was an exaggeration or a way to avoid losing the title at WrestleMania 13 due to a knee injury. His famous speech and surrender of the championship, whether genuine or politically motivated, became an infamous moment in WWE lore.

5- Batista - World Heavyweight Championship (2006)

Batista's dominant first run as World Heavyweight Champion ended unexpectedly on SmackDown in January 2006. After holding the title for a record 282 days, he was forced to relinquish the championship due to a severe, legitimate tear of his right triceps muscle. The injury required surgery, immediately derailing the planned main event program for WrestleMania 22. This shocking setback tragically cut short one of the most successful championship reigns of the era, though he returned later that year.

4- Finn Balor - WWE Universal Championship (2016)

Finn Balor's reign as the inaugural Universal Champion ended abruptly in 2016. Just one day after defeating Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to win the title, Bálor revealed he had suffered a severe shoulder injury during the match. His impossible triumph came with a sacrifice, forcing him to relinquish the championship on Raw. Bálor promised to return when healthy, but the immediate vacancy stripped the main event scene of its new champion.

3- John Cena - WWE Championship (2007)

John Cena was forced to vacate the WWE Championship on the October 1, 2007, episode of Raw due to a legitimate pectoral muscle tear suffered during a match with Mr. Kennedy. This injury prematurely ended his dominant 380-day reign, one of the longest in modern WWE history. Expected to be out for up to a year, his championship vacation led to the chaotic three-title-change main event at the No Mercy pay-per-view. Cena shocked the world by returning far ahead of schedule at the 2008 Royal Rumble, a legendary moment cementing his reputation for unbreakable resilience.

2- Roman Reigns - WWE Universal Championship (2018)

Roman Reigns' 2018 vacancy of the Universal Championship was profoundly moving and shocking. In a completely out-of-character moment on Raw, Reigns revealed his real name, Joe, and disclosed that the leukemia he had lived with for 11 years had returned. Unable to be the "fighting champion" his role required, he tearfully relinquished the title on October 22, 2018. The deeply personal nature of the announcement stunned the entire wrestling world, prompting an emotional outpouring of support for "The Big Dog."

1- Edge - World Heavyweight Championship (2011)

Edge shocked the world on the April 11, 2011, episode of Raw by announcing his forced retirement and relinquishing the World Heavyweight Championship. Just days after successfully defending the title at WrestleMania XXVII, Edge revealed a diagnosis of cervical spinal stenosis. Due to the risk of paralysis or death, doctors could no longer clear him to compete. The sudden, career-ending injury forced the eleven-time World Champion to lay the belt down, ending his storied tenure on the main event stage.