Over the past 50 years, the WWE Championship has been declared vacant nine times. On three occasions, a tournament was held to determine who would become the new champion.

WrestleMania IV
Events leading to the tournament: Ted DiBiase tried to buy the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan who proved Ted's theory that "Every man has his price" was wrong. DiBiase then hired Andre the Giant to win the title for him.

In the most watched match in wrestling history, Andre the Giant won the WWE Championship from Hulk Hogan with the aid of a twin referee paid for by "The Million Dollar Man". Immediately after winning the title, Andre the Giant gave the title to Ted DiBiase. WWE President Jack Tunney declared the transaction illegal and declared the title vacant.
Tournament Results
First Round
- Ted DiBiase beat Jim Duggan
- Don Muraco beat Dino Bravo via DQ
- Greg Valentine beat Ricky Steamboat
- Randy Savage beat Butch Reed
- One Man Gang beat Bam Bam Bigelow via count out
- Rick Rude and Jake Roberts battled to a time limit draw
Quarterfinal Round
- Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant fought to a double-DQ
- Ted DiBiase beat Don Muraco
- Randy Savage beat Greg Valentine
- One Man Gang received a bye
Semifinal Round
- Randy Savage beat One Man Gang
- Ted DiBiase received a bye
Final Round
- Randy Savage beat Ted DiBiase
Notable Events in the Tournament: Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan each received a first round bye. Even though both men were eliminated from the tournament, they each got physically involved in the finals.

The Aftermath: The feud between the Mega Powers and the Mega Bucks raged on for the next few months. Hulk Hogan ended Randy Savage's title reign the following year at WrestleMania V when the Mega Powers exploded.

Survivor Series 1998
Events leading to the tournament: The biggest feud in the company at the time was between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon. At Breakdown 1998, Steve Austin was pinned simultaneously by both Kane and Undertaker which led to the title being declared vacant. The first attempt to fill the vacancy took place at Judgment Day. In an attempt to humiliate the Rattlesnake, Vince McMahon made Steve Austin the referee and threatened to fire him if he did a bad job. The match ended with Steve Austin declaring himself the winner. Austin was immediately fired but was rehired by Shane McMahon who was then demoted to the role of referee by his father.
Tournament Results
First Round
- Mankind beat Duane Gill
- Al Snow beat Jeff Jarrett
- Steve Austin beat Big Boss Man
- X-Pac & Steven Regal fought to a double-count out
- Ken Shamrock beat Goldust
- The Rock pinned Big Boss Man (subbing for the injured Triple H) in the shortest match in WWE history
Quarterfinal Round
- Undertaker beat Kane (both men had received first round byes)
- Mankind beat Al Snow
- Steve Austin received a bye
- The Rock beat Ken Shamrock
Semifinal Round
- Mankind beat Steve Austin
- The Rock beat Undertaker
Final Round
- The Rock beat Mankind
Notable events in the tournament: Going into the tournament, it appeared that Mankind was the man Vince McMahon was behind especially after referee Shane McMahon turned on Steve Austin and helped Mankind earn a spot in the finals. However, it was all a ruse and the final match ended just as "The Montreal Screwjob" ended a year earlier, with Vince McMahon calling for the bell when The Rock had Mankind in the Sharpshooter despite Mankind not submitting. Vince then announced that he screwed Austin, Mankind, and the people.
The Aftermath: Over the course of the next few months, Mankind won and lost the title to The Rock two times. Three of those matches became very famous. In his first title victory, over half-a-million wrestling fans switched over from WCW Nitro to Monday Night RAW when Tony Schiavone gave away the results of the pre-taped episode of Monday Night RAW and said about Mankind's victory, "That'll put a lot of butts in seats". His first title loss was a brutal "I Quit" match that was featured in the documentary Beyond the Mat. Mick's regaining of the title took place in an Empty Arena Match that aired during the halftime of the Super Bowl. After Mick lost the title for a second time, Steve Austin would finally get his shot at revenge against The Rock at WrestleMania XV.

Monday Night RAW 7/18/11 - 7/25/11
Events leading to the tournament: CM Punk won the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 on his final night with a contract to wrestle for the company. Following the match, Punk blew a kiss to Vince McMahon as he left the arena and the company with the title. A two-week tournament was announced the following night with the first two rounds taking place that night and the final round taking place the following week.
Tournament Results
First Round
- Rey Mysterio beat Dolph Ziggler
- R-Truth beat Jack Swagger
- Kofi Kingston beat Alberto Del Rio
- The Miz beat Alex Riley
Semifinal Round
- Rey Mysterio beat R-Truth
- The Miz beat Kofi Kingston
Final Round
- Rey Mysterio beat The Miz
Notable events in the tournament: The memorable moment took place later on that night.
The Aftermath: Later that night, Rey Mysterio lost the title to John Cena. During John's celebration, CM Punk returned to the company with his title belt. Both men were determined to be champion and a unification match took place between the two men at SummerSlam 2011. Punk won that match but immediately lost the title to Alberto Del Rio who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.