Last night’s episode of WWE Raw delivered a history-making moment, as John Cena finally secured Grand Slam champion status with his Intercontinental title victory. Cena dethroned “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio at his final home state show, bringing an end to a reign that started with Mysterio’s triumph at WrestleMania in April.

Under the current requirements, Cena is now the 18th Grand Slam champion, but with various titles being created and retired over the years, those perimeters have changed significantly since they originally came into play in 1997.

Under the original criteria, WWE Superstars needed to win four championships, one from each tier, in the company to achieve Grand Slam status. These included a world title (WWE or World Heavyweight), a secondary title (Intercontinental), a tertiary title (European or Hardcore), and a tag team title (WWF, WWE, or World Tag Team).

As per the previous guidelines that stood between 1997 and 2015, 12 WWE Superstars achieved Grand Slam status, including Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, and Booker T. The first was Shawn Michaels, starting with his 1992 Intercontinental title and concluding with his 1997 European title. The last under these guidelines was The Big Show, completing the Grand Slam with his 2012 Intercontinental title reign.

However, the criteria changed significantly with the introduction of the Universal WWE title and the renaming of the WWF Tag Team titles to the SmackDown Tag Team titles. Additionally, the retirement of the tertiary European and Hardcore titles and the elevation of the United States Championship to the secondary tier alongside the Intercontinental title changed the perimeters considerably. Notably, winning both secondary titles is now a requirement for Grand Slam status.

Following the reevaluation, several of the previous 12 Grand Slam Champions were eliminated from the list. These included the first, Shawn Michaels, who still lacks a United States title run. Current COO Triple H was also removed from the list for the same reason, as was Rob Van Dam, the only wrestler on the previous list to have qualified by winning the ECW World Heavyweight title. According to the current rules, WWE now has 18 Grand Slam champions, with Cena the latest to join that list.

Interestingly, Cena now holds the record for the longest time between his first title and his last title on the route to achieving Grand Slam status. The journey began in 2004 with his first United States title and ended in 2025 with his Intercontinental title win, taking just over 21 years. A Tag Team title reign with David Otunga in 2010 and his first world title in 2005 ticked the remaining boxes for Grand Slam status.

But out of the 18 Grand Slam champions, who is the GOAT among GOATs in WWE? Here’s a definitive ranking of the most decorated Superstars in WWE history.

10

Chris Jericho

Y2J continues to keep the rumour mill churning, as speculation over a WWE return ahead of a Hall of Fame induction continues to dominate headlines. And with Grand Slam status achieved, it’s no surprise to hear calls for a Hall of Fame induction echoing throughout the WWE Universe. Jericho took 16 years, beginning and ending with the two secondary titles.

In 1999, Y2J infamously beat Chyna to win the Intercontinental title after he lost their first match at Survivor Series a month prior. Jericho then completed the Grand Slam by beating Roman Reigns in a handicap match for the United States title in 2017. Far from your typical WWE Superstar, Y2J put himself in the history books in his own unique way.

9

AJ Styles

A phenomenal wrestler with a phenomenal wrestling CV. Styles‘ route to Grand Slam glory started at the top with a WWE Championship reign. The TNA legend defeated Dean Ambrose at Backlash in 2016, securing the Grand Slam with an odd couple Tag Team title triumph in 2021. Pairing up with Omos, they defeated The New Day at WrestleMania 37. The victory also provided a first in professional wrestling, as Styles became the first wrestler to achieve both the TNA and WWE Grand Slam.

8

Seth Rollins

A revolutionary, a visionary, and the second wrestler to become a two-time Grand Slam champion. Seth Rollins has seen many changes of the guard in WWE, often providing the catalyst for incredible shifts in the landscape. And his trophy cabinet reflects that integral status.

His Grand Slam journey started with his Shield stablemate and eternal foe, Roman Reigns, as they claimed tag team gold in 2013. Rollins then defeated Finn Balor and the first two-time Grand Slam champion, The Miz, for the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 34 in 2018 to secure the Grand Slam. Four years later, Rollins ran the Grand Slam gauntlet for a second time, with his latest United States title reign putting him on the same pedestal as The Miz.

7

Roman Reigns

Their Grand Slam runs may have started on the same night, but The Tribal Chief got to the top of the mountain a little bit quicker than Rollins. Reigns ticked every box by the end of 2017, and like Rollins, he secured the Grand Slam with an Intercontinental title win. Defeating The Miz on Raw, Reigns achieved the Grand Slam in just over four years, but he wasn’t the first member of The Shield to achieve this. Dean Ambrose beat Reigns to the punch just three months earlier.

6

Rey Mysterio

Despite joining WWE in the summer of 2002, it took Rey Mysterio just under 17 years to earn his Grand Slam status. In Mysterio’s defence, his early WWE career was marked by great success in the now defunct cruiserweight division and as part of various tag teams with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Rob Van Dam, and Edge. But once Mysterio graduated to the main event scene, he never looked back.

After winning his first tag team title with Edge in 2002, Rey collected the Intercontinental title in 2009, and his first world championship in 2011, nine years to the day after his WWE debut. But Mysterio had to be patient for that United States title. He finally got the final piece of the puzzle in 2019, defeating Samoa Joe at Money in the Bank in 2019.

5

Eddie Guerrero

The second-ever Grand Slam champion under the new rules, Latino Heat made quick work of the accomplishment. The feat took Guerrero just under three years, culminating with his incredible 2004 WWE Championship triumph over Brock Lesnar.

Eddie started his Grand Slam journey similarly to Chris Jericho: with an Intercontinental title triumph over Chyna in 2000. He then teamed up with his nephew Chavo in 2002, claiming tag team gold in a triple threat tag team match against Rey Mysterio & Edge and Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit. Guerrero then lied, cheated, and stole his way to his first United States title in 2003 before slaying the Beast Incarnate at No Way Out in 2004.

4

Randy Orton

Orton‘s incredible list of accomplishments has made him both a legend and a Legend Killer in WWE. His 14-year journey to Grand Slam status is a big part of that legacy. Orton secured his first Intercontinental title during his Evolution days in 2003 before securing the WWE Championship in 2007.

As a consistent main event player throughout his career, opportunities for the tag team and United States titles had to wait, but Orton finally secured tag team gold in 2016 during his association with the Wyatt Family, before beating Bobby Roode for the United States title at Fastlane 2018 to complete the Grand Slam.

3

Edge

Like Eddie Guerrero before him, Edge became a Grand Slam champion through winning the WWE Championship, but his journey to that rarefied status began seven years earlier with a 1999 Intercontinental title win over Jeff Jarrett at a house show. The reign didn’t last long, however, as Jarrett quickly reclaimed the title in a rematch the following day at Fully Loaded.

Edge then secured the other secondary championship, the United States title, in 2001, and the tag team titles with Rey Mysterio the following year. But the Rated-R Superstar didn’t just secure his first world title and Grand Slam status; he achieved it in a historic and devastating first in WWE.

Depleted and bloodied from a mammoth Elimination Chamber title defence, John Cena was forced to immediately reckon with Edge at New Year’s Revolution in 2006. Edge, of course, had the very first Money in the Bank briefcase ready to cash in. And, unsurprisingly, he made very short work of the exhausted Cena, securing the title and Grand Slam status with relative ease.

2

Kurt Angle

The first and the fastest Grand Slam champion was WWE’s Olympic gold medallist Kurt Angle. The submission specialist made incredibly short work of the Grand Slam criteria, winning four titles in less than two years.

This began in 2000 with an Intercontinental triumph over Chris Jericho at No Way Out, just 17 days after he’d won the European Championship from Val Venis on SmackDown. Later that year, Angle did the unthinkable and defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship. A year later to the day, Angle then soared to United States title glory in a victory over Rhyno. The following year, Angle made it three titles in three successive Octobers, as he clinched Grand Slam status in a tag team title triumph with Chris Benoit.

1

John Cena

The latest and the greatest. Last night’s Intercontinental triumph delivered the only missing piece on Cena’s incredible CV. He has certainly experienced a career that every professional wrestler dreams of. The journey for Big Match John started at WrestleMania XX in 2004, defeating The Big Show in just under 10 minutes.

Cena then claimed the first of his 17 world titles at the following WrestleMania, beating JBL just a month after losing his United States title. This victory also saw the introduction of the infamous spinner belt. It would be five years before Cena secured the third piece of his Grand Slam puzzle, forming an unorthodox partnership with David Otunga to reign supreme in the tag team division.

It would then be 15 years later, in his home state, that Cena would join the rather apt 17 names before him. Defeating a likely future world champion in “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Cena finally secured Grand Slam status with his first Intercontinental triumph.