The WWE United States Championship is a prominent men's professional wrestling title currently defended on the SmackDown brand, serving as one of WWE's two main secondary championships. Established on January 1, 1975, as the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship in Jim Crockett Promotions, Harley Race was recognized as its inaugural champion. The title evolved through World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before being acquired by WWE (then WWF) in 2001; it was briefly unified with the Intercontinental Championship before its reactivation as the WWE United States Championship in July 2003.
Notably, it is the only currently active WWE championship that did not originate within the promotion and holds the distinction of being the second-oldest active title in the company's history. Often regarded as a "stepping stone" to a world championship, the current titleholder is Sami Zayn, who began his first reign after defeating Solo Sikoa on the August 29, 2025, episode of SmackDown.