Origin of every present secondary title in WWE

WWE gives utmost prominence to its world titles. However, that doesn't mean other championships are ignored. The promotion has had several secondary titles that acted as stepping stones for future Hall of Famers.

Though it's called a secondary title, it's not easy to win one. John Cena and Sheamus are just an intercontinental title reign away from becoming Grand Slam Champions.

The presence of these titles strengthens the stature of the world championships. The lineage of the Intercontinental and United States Championship is way older than what can be expected.

In the article, we will discuss the origin of current secondary titles in Vince McMahon's promotion:

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#3. The United States Championship – 1975

When WWF and Jim Crockett Promotions were not large enough to organize events, they worked under the umbrella association NWA. After WWF left the alliance, the NWA introduced the United States Championship in 1975.

Wrestling legend Harley Race became the inaugural champion. NWA had a single world title but various disputed US titles. However, Jim Crockett Promotions got the right to the championship and made it exclusive. It was bought by Ted Turner in 1988 and rebranded into WCW.

After the Monday Night Wars was won by WWE, they acquired the assets of WCW, including its championships. The then-WCW United States Champion Edge defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Test. He unified the titles and continued the Intercontinental Championship.

However, Stephanie McMahon reactivated the United States title for SmackDown in 2003, and it has since then been exclusively held by WWE. Not only does its legacy stretch over five decades, but it also has been contested for numerous promotions.

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#2. WWE Intercontinental Championship – 1979

WWWF (World Wide Wrestling Federation, now WWE) introduced the North American Heavyweight Championship in 1979. They soon realized the larger scope and replaced the title with the Intercontinental Championship.

Pat Patterson became the first-ever Intercontinental Champion on September 1, 1979. The promotion announced that he won a tournament in Rio De Janeiro and unified the North American and South American titles.

However, there was no South American Championship, and the tournament was wholly fictional. In the early 2000s, the Intercontinental Championship was unified with the US title, European title, and Hardcore title into a single WWE Intercontinental Championship.

However, Intercontinental Champion Kane lost to World Heavyweight Champion Triple H, making the title defunct for some time. The title was reinstated by Steve Austin, and it follows the original lineage of the championship.

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#1. NXT North American Championship – 2018

NXT started gaining global attention due to the quality of its wrestling. Capitalizing on the opportunity, General Manager William Regal announced a new secondary title, the NXT North American Championship.

The title was awarded to the inaugural champion in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. Velveteen Dream, Lars Sullivan, Richochet, Killian Dain, Adam Cole, and EC3 squared off, with Cole coming out on top.

The NXT Cruiserweight Championship was unified into the North American Championship on New Year's Evil 2022.

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Which secondary title is your favorite? Feel free to voice your opinions in the comments below.