document_title: The Wire

question_text: where was the tv show the wire filmed

question_tokens: where was the tv show the wire filmed

text: The Wire

text: Production[edit]

text: Conception[edit]

text: Simon has stated that he originally set out to create a police drama loosely based on the experiences of his writing partner Ed Burns, a former homicide detective and public school teacher who had worked with Simon on projects including The Corner (2000). Burns, when working on protracted investigations of violent drug dealers using surveillance technology, had often been frustrated by the bureaucracy of the Baltimore Police Department; Simon saw similarities with his own ordeals as a police reporter for The Baltimore Sun.

text: Simon chose to set the show in Baltimore because of his familiarity with the city. During his time as a writer and producer for the NBC program Homicide: Life on the Street, based on his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets (1991), also set in Baltimore, Simon had come into conflict with NBC network executives who were displeased by the show's pessimism. Simon wanted to avoid a repeat of these conflicts and chose to take The Wire to HBO, because of their working relationship from the miniseries The Corner. HBO was initially doubtful about including a police drama in its lineup but agreed to produce the pilot episode.[3][4] Simon approached the mayor of Baltimore, telling him that he wanted to give a bleak portrayal of certain aspects of the city; Simon was welcomed to work there again. He hoped the show would change the opinions of some viewers but said that it was unlikely to affect the issues it portrays.[3]

text: Casting[edit]

text: The casting of the show has been praised for avoiding big-name stars and using character actors who appear natural in their roles.[5] The looks of the cast as a whole have been described as defying TV expectations by presenting a true range of humanity on screen.[6] Most of the cast is African-American, consistent with the demographics of Baltimore.

text: The initial cast was assembled through a process of auditions and readings. Lance Reddick received the role of Cedric Daniels after auditioning for several other parts.[7] Michael K. Williams got the part of Omar Little after only a single audition.[8]

text: Several prominent real-life Baltimore figures, including former Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.; Rev. Frank M. Reid III; former police chief, convicted felon, and radio personality Ed Norris; Virginia Delegate Rob Bell; Baltimore Sun reporter and editor David Ettlin; Howard County Executive Ken Ulman; and former mayor Kurt Schmoke have appeared in minor roles despite not being professional actors.[9][10] "Little Melvin" Williams, a Baltimore drug lord arrested in the 1980s by an investigation that Burns had been part of, had a recurring role as a deacon beginning in the third season. Jay Landsman, a longtime police officer who inspired the character of the same name,[11] played Lieutenant Dennis Mello.[12] Baltimore police commander Gary D'Addario served as the series technical advisor for the first two seasons[13][14] and has a recurring role as prosecutor Gary DiPasquale.[15] Simon shadowed D'Addario's shift when researching his book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets and both D'Addario and Landsman are subjects of the book.[16]

text: More than a dozen cast members previously appeared on HBO's first hour-long drama Oz. J. D. Williams, Seth Gilliam, Lance Reddick, and Reg E. Cathey were featured in very prominent roles in Oz, while a number of other notable stars of The Wire, including Wood Harris, Frankie Faison, John Doman, Clarke Peters, Domenick Lombardozzi, Michael Hyatt, Michael Potts, and Method Man appeared in at least one episode of Oz.[17] Cast members Erik Dellums, Peter Gerety, Clark Johnson, Clayton LeBouef, Toni Lewis and Callie Thorne also appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street, the earlier and award-winning network television series also based on Simon's book; Lewis appeared on Oz as well.[18][19][20][21][22] A number of cast members, as well as crew members, also appeared in the preceding HBO miniseries The Corner including Clarke Peters, Reg E. Cathey, Lance Reddick, Corey Parker Robinson, Robert F. Chew, Delaney Williams, and Benay Berger.

text: Crew[edit]

text: Alongside Simon, the show's creator, head writer, showrunner, and executive producer, much of the creative team behind The Wire were alumni of Homicide and Primetime Emmy Award-winning miniseries The Corner. The Corner veteran, Robert F. Colesberry, was executive producer for the first two seasons and directed the season 2 finale before dying from complications from heart surgery in 2004. He is credited by the rest of the creative team as having a large creative role for a producer, and Simon credits him for achieving the show's realistic visual feel.[1] He also had a small recurring role as Detective Ray Cole.[23] Colesberry's wife Karen L. Thorson joined him on the production staff.[13] A third producer on The Corner, Nina Kostroff Noble also stayed with the production staff for The Wire rounding out the initial four-person team.[13] Following Colesberry's death, she became the show's second executive producer alongside Simon.[24]

text: Stories for the show were often co-written by Burns, who also became a producer in the show's fourth season.[25] Other writers include three acclaimed crime fiction writers from outside of Baltimore: George Pelecanos from Washington, Richard Price from the Bronx and Dennis Lehane from Boston.[26] Reviewers drew comparisons between Price's works (particularly Clockers) and The Wire even before he joined.[27] In addition to writing, Pelecanos served as a producer for the third season.[28] Pelecanos has commented that he was attracted to the project because of the opportunity to work with Simon.[28] Staff writer Rafael Alvarez penned several episodes' scripts, as well as the series guidebook The Wire: Truth Be Told. Alvarez is a colleague of Simon's from The Baltimore Sun and a Baltimore native with working experience in the port area.[29] Another city native and independent filmmaker, Joy Lusco, also wrote for the show in each of its first three seasons.[30] Baltimore Sun writer and political journalist William F. Zorzi joined the writing staff in the third season and brought a wealth of experience to the show's examination of Baltimore politics.[29]

text: Playwright and television writer/producer Eric Overmyer joined the crew of The Wire in the show's fourth season as a consulting producer and writer.[25] He had also previously worked on Homicide. Overmyer was brought into the full-time production staff to replace Pelecanos who scaled back his involvement to concentrate on his next book and worked on the fourth season solely as a writer.[31] Primetime Emmy Award winner, Homicide and The Corner, writer and college friend of Simon, David Mills also joined the writing staff in the fourth season.[25]

text: Directors include Homicide alumnus Clark Johnson,[32] who directed several acclaimed episodes of The Shield,[33] and Tim Van Patten, a Primetime Emmy Award winner who has worked on every season of The Sopranos. The directing has been praised for its uncomplicated and subtle style.[5] Following the death of Colesberry, director Joe Chappelle joined the production staff as a co-executive producer and continued to regularly direct episodes.[34]

text: Episode structure[edit]

text: Each episode begins with a cold open that seldom contains a dramatic juncture. The screen then fades or cuts to black while the intro music fades in. The show's opening title sequence then plays; a series of shots, mainly close-ups, concerning the show's subject matter that changes from season to season, separated by fast cutting (a technique rarely used in the show itself). The opening credits are superimposed on the sequence, and consist only of actors' names without identifying which actors play which roles. In addition, actors' faces are rarely seen in the title sequence. At the end of the sequence, a quotation is shown on-screen that is spoken by a character during the episode. The three exceptions were the first season finale which uses the phrase "All in the game", attributed to "Traditional West Baltimore", a phrase used frequently throughout all five seasons including that episode; the fourth season finale which uses words written on boarded up vacant homes attributed to "Baltimore, traditional" and the series finale, which started with a quote from H. L. Mencken that is shown on a wall at The Baltimore Sun in one scene, neither quote being spoken by a character. Progressive story arcs often unfold in different locations at the same time. Episodes rarely end with a cliffhanger, and close with a fade or cut to black with the closing music fading in.

text: When broadcast on HBO and on some international networks, the episodes are preceded by a recap of events that have a bearing upon the upcoming narrative, using clips from previous episodes.

text: Music[edit]

text: Rather than overlaying songs on the soundtrack, or employing a score, The Wire primarily uses pieces of music that emanate from a source within the scene, such as a jukebox or car radio. This kind of music is known as diegetic or source cue. This practice is rarely breached, notably for the end-of-season montages and occasionally with a brief overlap of the closing theme and the final shot.[35]

text: The opening theme is "Way Down in the Hole," a gospel-and-blues-inspired song, written by Tom Waits for his 1987 album Franks Wild Years. Each season uses a different recording and a different opening sequence, with the theme being performed by The Blind Boys of Alabama, Waits, The Neville Brothers, DoMaJe and Steve Earle. The season four version of "Way Down in the Hole" was arranged and recorded for the show and is performed by five Baltimore teenagers: Ivan Ashford, Markel Steele, Cameron Brown, Tariq Al-Sabir and Avery Bargasse.[36] Earle, who performed the fifth season version, is also a member of the cast, playing the recovering drug addict Walon.[37] The closing theme is "The Fall," composed by Blake Leyh, who is also the music supervisor of the show.

text: During season finales, a song is played before the closing scene in a montage showing the lives of the protagonists in the aftermath of the narrative. The first season montage is played over "Step by Step" by Jesse Winchester, the second "I Feel Alright" by Steve Earle, the third "Fast Train" written by Van Morrison and performed by Solomon Burke, the fourth "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" written by Dr. John and performed by Paul Weller and the fifth uses an extended version of "Way Down In The Hole" by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the same version of the song used as the opening theme for the first season. While the songs reflect the mood of the sequence, their lyrics are usually only loosely tied to the visual shots. In the commentary track to episode 37, "Mission Accomplished", executive producer David Simon said: "I hate it when somebody purposely tries to have the lyrics match the visual. It brutalizes the visual in a way to have the lyrics dead on point. ... Yet at the same time it can't be totally off point. It has to glance at what you're trying to say."[27]

text: Music by the Celtic punk band The Pogues is used throughout the series. The band's song "The Body of an American," which is always played at detectives' wakes at Kavanaugh's Bar, occurs in three episodes. In the episode "Dead Soldiers," the song "Sally MacLennane" can be heard when Bunk and McNulty are drinking on the street outside Kavanaugh's Bar. The song "Transmetropolitan" is heard in the opening sequence of the episode "Duck and Cover" during season two, where McNulty crashes his car while drunk.

text: Two soundtrack albums, called The Wire: And All the Pieces Matter—Five Years of Music from The Wire and Beyond Hamsterdam, were released on January 8, 2008 on Nonesuch Records.[38] The former features music from all five seasons of the series and the latter includes local Baltimore artists exclusively.[38]

text: Style[edit]

text: Realism[edit]

text: The writers strove to create a realistic vision of an American city based on their own experiences. Simon, originally a journalist for The Baltimore Sun, spent a year researching a Homicide Police Department for his book, Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, where he met Burns. Burns served in the Baltimore Police Department for 20 years, and later became a teacher in an inner-city school. The two of them spent a year researching the drug culture and poverty in Baltimore for their book, The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood. Their combined experiences were used in many of the storylines of The Wire.

text: Central to the show's aim for realism was the creation of truthful characters. Simon has stated that most of them are composites of real-life Baltimore figures.[39] For instance, Donnie Andrews served as the main inspiration of Omar Little.[40] Martin O'Malley served as "one of the inspirations" for Tommy Carcetti.[41] The show often cast non-professional actors in minor roles, distinguishing itself from other television series by showing the "faces and voices of the real city" it depicts.[42] The writing also uses contemporary slang to enhance the immersive viewing experience.[42]

text: In distinguishing the police characters from other television detectives, Simon makes the point that even the best police of The Wire are motivated not by a desire to protect and serve, but by the intellectual vanity of believing they are smarter than the criminals they are chasing. However, while many of the police do exhibit altruistic qualities, many officers portrayed on the show are incompetent, brutal, self-aggrandizing, or hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. The criminals are not always motivated by profit or a desire to harm others; many are trapped in their existence and all have human qualities. Even so, The Wire does not minimize or gloss over the horrific effects of their actions.[1]

text: The show is realistic in depicting the processes of both police work and criminal activity. There have even been reports of real-life criminals watching the show to learn how to counter police investigation techniques.[43][44] The fifth season portrayed a working newsroom at The Baltimore Sun and was described by Brian Lowry of Variety magazine in 2007 as the most realistic portrayal of the media in film and television.[45]

text: In a December 2006 Washington Post article, local African-American students said that the show had "hit a nerve" with the black community, and that they themselves knew real-life counterparts of many of the characters. The article expressed great sadness at the toll drugs and violence are taking on the black community.[46]

text: Visual novel[edit]

text: Many important events occur off-camera and there is no artificial exposition in the form of voice-over or flashbacks, with the exceptions of two flashbacks – one at the end of the pilot episode that replays a moment from earlier in the same episode and one at the end of the fourth season finale that shows a short clip of a character tutoring his younger brother earlier in the season. Thus, the viewer needs to follow every conversation closely to understand the ongoing story arc and the relevance of each character to it. Salon.com has described the show as novelistic in structure, with a greater depth of writing and plotting than other crime shows.[26] Each season of The Wire consists of between ten and thirteen episodes which form several multi-layered narratives. Simon chose this structure with an eye towards long story arcs that draw a viewer in, which then results in a more satisfying payoff. He uses the metaphor of a visual novel in several interviews,[3][47] describing each episode as a chapter, and has also commented that this allows a fuller exploration of the show's themes in time not spent on plot development.[1]

text: Social commentary[edit]

text: Simon described the second season as "a meditation on the death of work and the betrayal of the American working class ... it is a deliberate argument that unencumbered capitalism is not a substitute for social policy; that on its own, without a social compact, raw capitalism is destined to serve the few at the expense of the many."[39] He added that season 3 "reflects on the nature of reform and reformers, and whether there is any possibility that political processes, long calcified, can mitigate against the forces currently arrayed against individuals." The third season is also an allegory that draws explicit parallels between the Iraq War and drug prohibition,[39] which in Simon's view has failed in its aims[44] and has become a war against America's underclass.[48] This is portrayed by Major Colvin, imparting to Carver his view that policing has been allowed to become a war and thus will never succeed in its aims.

text: Writer Ed Burns, who worked as a public school teacher after retiring from the Baltimore police force shortly before going to work with Simon, has called education the theme of the fourth season. Rather than focusing solely on the school system, the fourth season looks at schools as a porous part of the community that are affected by problems outside of their boundaries. Burns states that education comes from many sources other than schools and that children can be educated by other means, including contact with the drug dealers they work for.[49] Burns and Simon see the theme as an opportunity to explore how individuals end up like the show's criminal characters, and to dramatize the notion that hard work is not always justly rewarded.[50]

text: Themes[edit]

text: Institutional dysfunction[edit]

text: Simon has identified the organizations featured in the show—the Baltimore Police Department, City Hall, the Baltimore public school system, the Barksdale drug trafficking operation, The Baltimore Sun, and the stevedores' union—as comparable institutions. All are dysfunctional in some way, and the characters are typically betrayed by the institutions that they accept in their lives.[1] There is also a sentiment echoed by a detective in Narcotics—"Shit rolls downhill"—which describes how superiors, especially in the higher tiers of the Police Department in the series, will attempt to use subordinates as scapegoats for any major scandals. Simon described the show as "cynical about institutions"[44] while taking a humanistic approach toward its characters.[44] A central theme developed throughout the show is the struggle between individual desires and subordination to the group's goals.

text: Surveillance[edit]

text: Central to the structure and plot of the show is the use of electronic surveillance and wiretap technologies by the police—hence the title The Wire. Salon.com described the title as a metaphor for the viewer's experience: the wiretaps provide the police with access to a secret world, just as the show does for the viewer.[26] Simon has discussed the use of camera shots of surveillance equipment, or shots that appear to be taken from the equipment itself, to emphasize the volume of surveillance in modern life and the characters' need to sift through this information.[1]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: The Wire employs a broad ensemble cast, supplemented by many recurring guest stars who populate the institutions featured in the show. The majority of the cast is black, which accurately reflects the demographics of Baltimore.

text: The show's creators are also willing to kill off major characters, so that viewers cannot assume that a given character will survive simply because of a starring role or popularity among fans. In response to a question on why a certain character had to die, David Simon said,

text: "We are not selling hope, or audience gratification, or cheap victories with this show. The Wire is making an argument about what institutions—bureaucracies, criminal enterprises, the cultures of addiction, raw capitalism even—do to individuals. It is not designed purely as an entertainment. It is, I'm afraid, a somewhat angry show".[51]

text: Main cast[edit]

text: The major characters of the first season were divided between those on the side of the law and those involved in drug-related crime. The investigating detail was launched by the actions of Detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West), whose insubordinate tendencies and personal problems played counterpoint to his ability as a criminal investigator. The detail was led by Lieutenant Cedric Daniels (Lance Reddick) who faced challenges balancing his career aspirations with his desire to produce a good case. Kima Greggs (Sonja Sohn) was a capable lead detective who faced jealousy from colleagues and worry about the dangers of her job from her domestic partner. Her investigative work was greatly helped by her confidential informant, a drug addict known as Bubbles (Andre Royo). Like Greggs, partners Thomas "Herc" Hauk (Domenick Lombardozzi) and Ellis Carver (Seth Gilliam) were reassigned to the detail from the narcotics unit. The duo's initially violent nature was eventually subdued as they proved useful in grunt work, and sometimes served as comic relief for the audience.[26] Rounding out the temporary unit were detectives Lester Freamon (Clarke Peters) and Roland "Prez" Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost). Though not initially important players in the operation, Freamon proved a quietly capable and methodical investigator with a knack for noticing tiny but important details, and Prez turned out to be a natural at following paper trails and his persistence when dealing with seemingly unbreakable codes paid off eventually.

text: These investigators were overseen by two commanding officers more concerned with politics and their own careers than the case, Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell (Frankie Faison) and Major William Rawls (John Doman). Assistant state's attorney Rhonda Pearlman (Deirdre Lovejoy) acted as the legal liaison between the detail and the courthouse and also had a sexual relationship with McNulty. In the homicide division, Bunk Moreland (Wendell Pierce) was a gifted, dry-witted, hard-drinking detective partnered with McNulty under Sergeant Jay Landsman (Delaney Williams), the sarcastic, sharp-tongued squad supervisor. Peter Gerety had a recurring role as Judge Phelan, the official who started the case moving.[26]

text: On the other side of the investigation was Avon Barksdale's drug empire. The driven, ruthless Barksdale (Wood Harris) was aided by business-minded Stringer Bell (Idris Elba). Avon's nephew D'Angelo Barksdale (Larry Gilliard Jr.) ran some of his uncle's territory, but also possessed a guilty conscience, while loyal Wee-Bey Brice (Hassan Johnson) was responsible for multiple homicides carried out on Avon's orders. Working under D'Angelo were Poot (Tray Chaney), Bodie (J. D. Williams), and Wallace (Michael B. Jordan), all street-level drug dealers.[26] Wallace was an intelligent but naive youth trapped in the drug trade,[26] and Poot a randy young man happy to follow rather than lead. Omar Little (Michael K. Williams), a renowned Baltimore stick-up man robbing drug dealers for a living, was a frequent thorn in the side of the Barksdale clan.

text: The second season introduced a new group of characters working in the Baltimore port area, including Spiros "Vondas" Vondopoulos (Paul Ben-Victor), Beadie Russell (Amy Ryan), and Frank Sobotka (Chris Bauer). Vondas was the underboss of a global smuggling operation, Russell an inexperienced port authority officer and single mother thrown in at the deep end of a multiple homicide investigation, and Frank Sobotka a union leader who turned to crime to raise funds to save his union. Also joining the show in season 2 were Nick Sobotka (Pablo Schreiber), Frank's nephew; Ziggy Sobotka (James Ransone), Frank's troubled son; and "The Greek" (Bill Raymond), Vondas's mysterious boss. As the second season ended, the focus shifted away from the ports, leaving the new characters behind.

text: The third season saw several previously recurring characters assuming larger starring roles, including Detective Leander Sydnor (Corey Parker Robinson), Bodie (J.D. Williams), Omar (Michael K. Williams), Proposition Joe (Robert F. Chew), and Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin (Robert Wisdom). Colvin commanded the Western district where the Barksdale organization operated, and nearing retirement, he came up with a radical new method of dealing with the drug problem. Proposition Joe, the East Side's cautious drug kingpin, became more cooperative with the Barksdale Organization. Sydnor, a rising young star in the Police Department in season 1, returned to the cast as part of the major crimes unit. Bodie had been seen gradually rising in the Barksdale organization since the first episode; he was born to their trade and showed a fierce aptitude for it. Omar had a vendetta against the Barksdale organization and gave them all of his lethal attention.

text: New additions in the third season included Tommy Carcetti (Aidan Gillen), an ambitious city councilman; Mayor Clarence Royce (Glynn Turman), the incumbent whom Carcetti planned to unseat; Marlo Stanfield (Jamie Hector), leader of an upstart gang seeking to challenge Avon's dominance; and Dennis "Cutty" Wise (Chad Coleman), a newly released convict uncertain of his future.

text: In the fourth season, four young actors joined the cast: Jermaine Crawford as Duquan "Dukie" Weems; Maestro Harrell as Randy Wagstaff; Julito McCullum as Namond Brice; and Tristan Wilds as Michael Lee. The characters are friends from a West Baltimore middle school. Another newcomer was Norman Wilson (Reg E. Cathey), Carcetti's deputy campaign manager.

text: The fifth season saw several actors join the starring cast. Gbenga Akinnagbe returns as the previously recurring Chris Partlow, chief enforcer of the now dominant Stanfield Organization. Neal Huff reprises his role as Mayoral chief of staff Michael Steintorf having previously appeared as a guest star at the end of the fourth season. Two other actors also join the starring cast having previously portrayed their corrupt characters as guest stars—Michael Kostroff as defense attorney Maurice Levy and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as senator Clay Davis. Crew member Clark Johnson appeared in front of the camera for the first time in the series to play Augustus Haynes, the principled editor of the city desk of The Baltimore Sun. He is joined in the newsroom by two other new stars; Michelle Paress and Tom McCarthy play young reporters Alma Gutierrez and Scott Templeton.

text: Plot[edit]

text: Season 1[edit]

text: The first season introduces two major groups of characters: the Baltimore Police Department and a drug dealing organization run by the Barksdale family. The season follows the police investigation of the latter over its 13 episodes.

text: The investigation is triggered when Detective Jimmy McNulty meets privately with Judge Daniel Phelan following the acquittal of D'Angelo Barksdale for murder after a key witness changes her story. McNulty tells Phelan that the witness has probably been intimidated by members of a drug trafficking empire run by D'Angelo's uncle, Avon Barksdale, having recognized several faces at the trial, most notably Avon's second-in-command, Stringer Bell. He also tells Phelan that no one is investigating Barksdale's criminal activity, which includes a significant portion of the city's drug trade and several unsolved homicides.

text: Phelan reacts to McNulty's report by complaining to senior Police Department figures, embarrassing them into creating a detail dedicated to investigating Barksdale. However, owing to the department's dysfunction, the investigation is intended as a façade to appease the judge. An intradepartmental struggle between the more motivated officers on the detail and their superiors spans the whole season, with interference by the higher-ups often threatening to ruin the investigation. The detail's commander, Cedric Daniels, acts as mediator between the two opposing groups of police.

text: Meanwhile, the organized and cautious Barksdale gang is explored through characters at various levels within it. The organization is continually antagonized by a stick-up crew led by Omar Little, and the feud leads to several deaths. Throughout, D'Angelo struggles with his conscience over his life of crime and the people it affects.

text: The police have little success with street-level arrests or with securing informants beyond Bubbles, a well known West Side drug addict. Eventually the investigation takes the direction of electronic surveillance, with wiretaps and pager clones to infiltrate the security measures taken by the Barksdale organization. This leads the investigation to areas the commanding officers had hoped to avoid, including political contributions. When an associate of Avon Barksdale is arrested by State Police and offers to cooperate, the commanding officers order the detail to undertake a sting operation to wrap up the case. Detective Kima Greggs is seriously hurt in the operation, triggering an overzealous response from the rest of the department. This causes the detail's targets to suspect that they are under investigation.

text: Wallace is murdered by his childhood friends Bodie and Poot, on orders from Stringer Bell, after leaving his "secure" placement with relatives and returning to Baltimore. D'Angelo Barksdale is eventually arrested transporting a kilo of uncut heroin, and learning of Wallace's murder, is ready to turn in his uncle and Stringer. However, D'Angelo's mother convinces him to rescind the deal and take the charges for his family. The detail manages to arrest Avon on a minor charge and gets one of his soldiers, Wee-Bey, to confess to most of the murders, some of which he did not commit. Stringer escapes prosecution and is left running the Barksdale empire. For the officers, the consequences of antagonizing their superiors are severe, with Daniels passed over for promotion and McNulty assigned out of homicide and into the marine unit.

text: Season 2[edit]

text: The second season, along with its ongoing examination of the drug problem and its effect on the urban poor, examines the plight of the blue-collar urban working class as exemplified by stevedores in the city port, as some of them get caught up in smuggling drugs and other contraband inside the shipping containers that pass through their port.[39] In a season-long subplot, the Barksdale organization continues its drug trafficking despite Avon's imprisonment, with Stringer Bell assuming greater power.

text: McNulty harbors a grudge against his former commanders for reassigning him to the marine unit. When thirteen unidentified young women are found dead in a container at the docks, McNulty successfully makes a spiteful effort to place the murders within the jurisdiction of his former commander. Meanwhile, police Major Stan Valchek gets into a feud with Polish-American Frank Sobotka, a leader of the International Brotherhood of Stevedores, a fictional dockers' union, over competing donations to their old neighborhood church. Valchek demands a detail to investigate Sobotka. Cedric Daniels is interviewed, having been praised by Prez, Major Valchek's son-in-law, and also because of his work on the Barksdale case. He is eventually selected to lead the detail assigned just to investigate Sobotka; when the investigation is concluded Daniels is assured he will move up to head a special case unit with personnel of his choosing.

text: Life for the blue-collar men of the port is increasingly hard and work is scarce. As union leader, Sobotka has taken it on himself to reinvigorate the port by lobbying politicians to support much-needed infrastructure improvement initiatives. Lacking the funds needed for this kind of influence, Sobotka has become involved with a smuggling ring. Around him, his son and nephew also turn to crime, as they have few other opportunities to earn money. It becomes clear to the Sobotka detail that the dead girls are related to their investigation, as they were in a container that was supposed to be smuggled through the port. They again use wiretaps to infiltrate the crime ring and slowly work their way up the chain towards The Greek, the mysterious man in charge. But Valchek, upset that their focus has moved beyond Sobotka, gets the FBI involved. The Greek has a mole inside the FBI and starts severing his ties to Baltimore when he learns about the investigation.

text: After a dispute over stolen goods turns violent, Sobotka's son Ziggy is charged with the murder of one of the Greek's underlings. Sobotka himself is arrested for smuggling; he agrees to work with the detail to help his son, finally seeing his actions as a mistake. However, the Greek learns about this through his mole inside the FBI and has Sobotka killed. The investigation ends with the fourteen homicides solved but the perpetrator already dead. Several drug dealers and mid-level smuggling figures tied to the Greek are arrested, but he and his second-in-command escape uncharged and unidentified. The Major is pleased that Sobotka was arrested; the case is seen as a success by the commanding officers, but is viewed as a failure by the detail.

text: Across town, the Barksdale organization continues its business under Stringer while Avon and D'Angelo Barksdale serve prison time. D'Angelo decides to cut ties to his family after his uncle organizes the deaths of several inmates and blames it on a corrupt guard to shave time from his sentence. Eventually Stringer covertly orders D'Angelo killed, with the murder staged to look like a suicide. Avon is unaware of Stringer's duplicity and mourns the loss of his nephew.

text: Stringer also struggles, having been cut off by Avon's drug suppliers and left with increasingly poor-quality product. He again goes behind Avon's back, giving up half of Avon's most prized territory to a rival named Proposition Joe in exchange for a share of his supply. Avon, unaware of the arrangement, assumes that Joe and other dealers are moving into his territory simply because the Barksdale organization has too few enforcers. He contracts a feared assassin named Brother Mouzone. Stringer deals with this by tricking his old adversary Omar into believing that Mouzone was responsible for the vicious killing of his partner in their feud in season one. Seeking revenge, Omar shoots Mouzone but, realizing Stringer has lied to him, calls 9-1-1. Mouzone recovers and leaves Baltimore, and Stringer (now with Avon's consent) is able to continue his arrangement with Proposition Joe.

text: Season 3[edit]

text: In the third season, the focus returns to the street and the Barksdale organization. The scope, however, is expanded to include the city's political scene. A new subplot is introduced to explore the potential positive effects of de facto "legalizing" the illegal drug trade, and incidentally prostitution, within the limited boundaries of a few uninhabited city blocks — referred to as Hamsterdam. The posited benefits, as in Amsterdam and other European cities, are reduced street crime city-wide and increased outreach of health and social services to vulnerable people. These are continuations of stories hinted at earlier.

text: The demolition of the residential towers that had served as the Barksdale organization's prime territory pushes their dealers back out onto the streets of Baltimore. Stringer Bell continues his reform of the organization by cooperating with other drug lords, sharing with one another territory, product and profits. Stringer's proposal is met with a curt refusal from Marlo Stanfield, leader of a new, growing crew. Against Stringer's advice, Avon decides to take Marlo's territory by force and the two gangs become embroiled in a bitter turf war with multiple deaths. Omar Little continues to rob the Barksdale organization wherever possible. Working with his new boyfriend Dante and two women, he is once more a serious problem. The violence related to the drug trade makes it an obvious choice of investigation for Cedric Daniels' permanently established Major Crimes Unit.

text: Councilman Tommy Carcetti begins to prepare himself for a mayoral race. He manipulates a colleague into running against the mayor to split the black vote, secures a capable campaign manager and starts making headlines for himself.

text: Approaching the end of his career, Major Howard "Bunny" Colvin of Baltimore's Western District wants to effect some real change in the troubled neighborhoods for which he has long been responsible. Without the knowledge of central command, Colvin sets up areas where police would monitor, but not punish, the drug trade. The police crack down severely on violence in these areas and also on drug trafficking elsewhere in the city. For many weeks, Colvin's experiment works and crime is reduced in his district. Colvin' superiors, the media and city politicians eventually find out about the arrangement and the "Hamsterdam" experiment ends. With top brass outraged, Colvin is forced to cease his actions, accept a demotion and retire from the Police Department on a lower-grade pension. Tommy Carcetti uses the scandal to make a grandstanding speech at a weekly Baltimore city council meeting.

text: Dennis "Cutty" Wise, once a drug dealer's enforcer, is released from prison alongside Avon. His struggles to adapt to life as a free man show an attempt at personal reform. Cutty tries to work as a manual laborer and then flirts with his former life, going to work for Avon. Finding he no longer has the heart for murder, he uses funding from Avon to purchase new equipment for his nascent boxing gym.

text: The Major Crimes Unit learns that Stringer has been buying real estate and developing it to fulfill his dream of being a successful legitimate businessman. Believing that the bloody turf war with Marlo is poised to destroy everything the Barksdale crew had worked for, Stringer gives Major Colvin information on Avon's weapons stash. Brother Mouzone returns to Baltimore and tracks down Omar to join forces. Mouzone tells Avon that his shooting must be avenged. Avon, remembering how Stringer disregarded his order which resulted in Stringer's attempt to have Brother Mouzone killed, furious over D'Angelo's murder to which Stringer had confessed, and fearing Mouzone's ability to harm his reputation outside of Baltimore, informs Mouzone of Stringer's upcoming visit to his construction site. Mouzone and Omar corner him and shoot him to death.

text: Colvin tells McNulty about Avon's hideout and armed with the information gleaned from selling the Barksdale crew pre-wiretapped disposable cell phones, the detail stages a raid, arresting Avon and most of his underlings. Barksdale's criminal empire lies in ruins and Marlo's young crew simply moves into their territory. The drug trade in West Baltimore continues.

text: Season 4[edit]

text: The fourth season concentrates on the school system and the mayoral race. It takes a closer look at Marlo Stanfield's drug gang which has grown to control most of western Baltimore's trafficking and Dukie, Randy, Michael, and Namond – four boys from West Baltimore – as they enter the eighth grade. Prez has begun a new career as a mathematics teacher at the same school. The cold-blooded Marlo has come to dominate the streets of the west side, using murder and intimidation to make up for his weak-quality drugs and lack of business acumen. His enforcers Chris Partlow and Snoop conceal their numerous victims in abandoned and boarded-up row houses where the bodies will not be readily discovered. The disappearances of so many known criminals come to mystify both the major crimes unit investigating Marlo and the homicide unit assigned to solve the presumed murders. Marlo coerces Bodie into working under him.

text: McNulty is a patrolman and lives with Beadie Russell. He politely refuses offers from Daniels who is now a major and commanding the Western District. Detectives Kima Greggs and Lester Freamon, as part of the major crimes unit, investigate Avon Barksdale's political donations and serve several key figures with subpoenas. Their work is shut down by Commissioner Ervin Burrell at Mayor Clarence Royce's request, and after being placed under stricter supervision within their unit, both Greggs and Freamon request and receive transfer to the homicide division.

text: Meanwhile, the city's mayoral primary race enters its closing weeks. Royce initially has a seemingly insurmountable lead over challengers Tommy Carcetti and Tony Gray, with a big war chest and major endorsements. Royce's lead begins to fray, however, as his own political machinations turn against him and Carcetti starts to highlight the city's crime problem. Carcetti is propelled to victory in the primary election.

text: Howard "Bunny" Colvin joins a research group attempting to study potential future criminals in the middle school population. Dennis "Cutty" Wise continues to work with boys in his boxing gym, and accepts a job at the school rounding up truants. Prez has a few successes with his students, but some of them start to slip away. Disruptive Namond is removed from class and placed in the research group, where he gradually develops affection and respect for Colvin. Randy, in a moment of desperation, reveals knowledge of a murder to the assistant principal, leading to his being interrogated by police. When Bubbles takes Sherrod, a homeless teenager, under his wing, he fails in his attempts to encourage the boy to return to school.

text: Proposition Joe tries to engineer conflict between Omar Little and Marlo to convince Marlo to join the co-op. Omar robs Marlo who, in turn, frames Omar for a murder and organises attempts to have him murdered in jail but Omar manages to beat the charge with the help of Bunk. Omar is told that Marlo set him up, so takes revenge on him by robbing the entire shipment of the co-op. Marlo is furious with Joe for allowing the shipment to be stolen. Marlo demands satisfaction, and as a result, Joe sets up a meeting between him and Spiros Vondas, who assuages Marlo's concerns. Having gotten a lead on Joe's connection to the Greeks, Marlo begins investigating them to learn more about their role in bringing narcotics into Baltimore.

text: Freamon discovers the bodies Chris and Snoop had hidden. Bodie offers McNulty testimony against Marlo and his crew, but is shot dead on his corner by O-Dog, a member of Marlo's crew.[52] Sherrod dies after snorting a poisoned vial of heroin that, unbeknownst to him, Bubbles had prepared for their tormentor. Bubbles turns himself in to the police and tries to hang himself, but he survives and is taken to a detox facility. Michael has now joined the ranks of Marlo's killers and runs one of his corners, with Dukie leaving high school to work there. Randy's house is firebombed by school bullies for his cooperation with the police, leaving his caring foster mother hospitalized and sending him back to a group home. Namond is taken in by Colvin, who recognized the good in him. The major crimes unit from earlier seasons is largely reunited, and they resume their investigation of Marlo Stanfield.

text: Season 5[edit]

text: The fifth season focuses on the media and media consumption.[53] The show features a fictional depiction of the newspaper The Baltimore Sun, and in fact elements of the plot are ripped-from-the-headlines events (such as the Jayson Blair New York Times scandal) and people at the Sun.[54] The season, according to David Simon, deals with "what stories get told and what don't and why it is that things stay the same."[53] Issues such as the quest for profit, the decrease in the number of reporters, and the end of aspiration for news quality would all be addressed, alongside the theme of homelessness. John Carroll of The Baltimore Sun was the model for the "craven, prize hungry" editor of the fictional newspaper.[55]

text: Fifteen months after the fourth season concludes, Mayor Carcetti's cuts in the police budget to redress the education deficit force the Marlo Stanfield investigation to shut down. Cedric Daniels secures a detail to focus on the prosecution of Senator Davis for corruption. Detective McNulty returns to the Homicide unit and decides to divert resources back to the Police Department by faking evidence to make it appear that a serial killer is murdering homeless men.

text: The Baltimore Sun also faces budget cuts and the newsroom struggles to adequately cover the city, omitting many important stories. Commissioner Burrell continues to falsify crime statistics and is fired by Carcetti, who positions Daniels to replace him.

text: Marlo Stanfield lures his enemy Omar Little out of retirement by having Omar's mentor Butchie murdered. Proposition Joe teaches Stanfield how to launder money and evade investigation. Once Joe is no longer useful to him, Stanfield has Joe killed with the help of Joe's nephew Cheese Wagstaff and usurps his position with the Greeks and the New Day Co-Op. Michael Lee continues working as a Stanfield enforcer, providing a home for his friend Dukie and younger brother Bug.

text: Omar returns to Baltimore seeking revenge, targeting Stanfield's organization, stealing and destroying money and drugs and killing Stanfield enforcers in an attempt to force Stanfield into the open. However, he is eventually shot and killed by Kenard, a young Stanfield dealer.

text: Baltimore Sun reporter Scott Templeton claims to have been contacted by McNulty's fake serial killer. City Editor Gus Haynes becomes suspicious, but his superiors are enamored of Templeton. The story gains momentum and Carcetti spins the resulting attention on homelessness into a key issue in his imminent campaign for Governor and restores funding to the Police Department.

text: Bubbles is recovering from his drug addiction while living in his sister's basement. He is befriended by Sun reporter Mike Fletcher, who eventually writes a profile of Bubbles.

text: Bunk is disgusted with McNulty's serial killer scheme and tries to have Lester Freamon reason with McNulty. Instead, Freamon helps McNulty perpetuate the lie and uses resources earmarked for the case to fund an illegal wiretap on Stanfield. Bunk resumes working the vacant house murders, leading to a murder warrant against Partlow for killing Michael's stepfather.

text: Freamon and Leander Sydnor gather enough evidence to arrest Stanfield and most of his top lieutenants, seizing a large quantity of drugs. Stanfield suspects that Michael is an informant, and orders him killed. Michael realizes he is being set up and kills Snoop instead. A wanted man, he leaves Bug with an aunt and begins a career as a stick-up man. With his support system gone, Dukie lives with drug addicts.

text: McNulty tells Kima Greggs about his fabrications to prevent her wasting time on the case. Greggs tells Daniels, who, along with Rhonda Pearlman, takes this news to Carcetti, who orders a cover-up because of the issue's importance to his campaign.

text: Davis is acquitted, but Freamon uses the threat of federal prosecution to blackmail him for information. Davis reveals Maurice Levy has a mole in the courthouse from whom he illegally purchases copies of sealed indictments. Herc tells Levy that the Stanfield case was probably based on an illegal wiretap, something which would jeopardize the entire case. After Levy reveals this to Pearlman, she uses Levy's espionage to blackmail him into agreeing to a plea bargain for his defendants. Levy ensures Stanfield's release on the condition that he permanently retires, while his subordinates will have to accept long sentences. Stanfield sells the connection to The Greeks back to the Co-Op and plans to become a businessman, although he appears unable or unwilling to stay off the corner.

text: As the cover-up begins, a copy-cat killing occurs, but McNulty quickly identifies and arrests the culprit. Pearlman tells McNulty and Freamon that they can no longer be allowed to do investigative work and warns of criminal charges if the scandal becomes public. They opt to retire. Haynes attempts to expose Templeton but the managing editors ignore the fabrications and demote anyone critical of their star reporter. Carcetti pressures Daniels to falsify crime statistics to aid his campaign. Daniels refuses and then quietly resigns rather than have his FBI file leaked.

text: In a final montage, McNulty gazes over the city; Freamon enjoys retirement; Templeton wins a Pulitzer; Carcetti becomes Governor; Haynes is sidelined to the copy desk and replaced by Fletcher; Campbell appoints Valchek as commissioner; Carcetti appoints Rawls as Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; Dukie continues to use heroin; Michael becomes a stickup boy; Pearlman becomes a judge and Daniels a defense attorney; Bubbles is allowed upstairs where he enjoys a family dinner; Chris serves his life sentence alongside Wee-Bey; the drug trade continues; and the people of Baltimore go on with their lives.

text: Prequel shorts[edit]

text: During the fifth season, HBO produced three shorts depicting moments in the history of characters in The Wire. The three prequels depict the first meeting between McNulty and Bunk; Proposition Joe as a slick business kid; and young Omar.[56] The shorts are available on the complete series DVD set.[57]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text:
Metacritic ratings per season

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5

Rating
79[58]
95[59]
98[60]
98[61]
89[62]

text: All seasons of The Wire have received positive reviews from many major television critics, several naming it the best contemporary show and one of the best drama series of all time. The first season received mainly positive reviews from critics,[63][64] some even calling it superior to HBO's better-known "flagship" drama series such as The Sopranos and Six Feet Under.[65][66][67] On the review aggregation website Metacritic, the first season scored 78 out of 100 based on 22 reviews.[58] One reviewer pointed to the retread of some themes from HBO and David Simon's earlier works, but still found it valuable viewing and particularly resonant because it parallels the war on terror through the chronicling of the war on drugs.[68] Another review postulated that the series might suffer because of its reliance on profanity and slowly drawn-out plot, but was largely positive about the show's characters and intrigue.[32]

text: Despite the critical acclaim, The Wire received poor Nielsen ratings, which Simon attributed to the complexity of the plot; a poor time slot; heavy use of esoteric slang, particularly among the gangster characters; and a predominantly black cast.[69] Critics felt the show was testing the attention span of its audience and that it was mistimed in the wake of the launch of the successful crime drama The Shield on FX.[68] However, anticipation for a release of the first season on DVD was high at Entertainment Weekly.[70]

text: After the first two shows of season two, Jim Shelley in The Guardian, called The Wire the best show on TV, praising the second season for its ability to detach from its former foundations in the first season.[33] Jon Garelick with the Boston Phoenix was of the opinion that the subculture of the docks (second season) was not as absorbing as that of the housing projects (first season), but he went on to praise the writers for creating a realistic world and populating it with an array of interesting characters.[71]

text: The critical response to the third season remained positive. Entertainment Weekly named The Wire the best show of 2004, describing it as "the smartest, deepest and most resonant drama on TV." They credited the complexity of the show for its poor ratings.[72] The Baltimore City Paper was so concerned that the show might be cancelled that it published a list of ten reasons to keep it on the air, including strong characterization, Omar Little, and an unabashedly honest representation of real world problems. It also worried that the loss of the show would have a negative impact on Baltimore's economy.[73]

text: At the close of the third season, The Wire was still struggling to maintain its ratings and the show faced possible cancellation.[74] Creator David Simon blamed the show's low ratings in part on its competition against Desperate Housewives and worried that expectations for HBO dramas had changed following the success of The Sopranos.[75]

text: As the fourth season was about to begin, almost two years after the previous season's end, Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that The Wire "has tackled the drug war in this country as it simultaneously explores race, poverty and 'the death of the American working class,' the failure of political systems to help the people they serve, and the tyranny of lost hope. Few series in the history of television have explored the plight of inner-city African Americans and none—not one—has done it as well."[76] Brian Lowry of Variety wrote at the time, "When television history is written, little else will rival 'The Wire.'"[77] The New York Times called the fourth season of The Wire "its best season yet."[78] Doug Elfman of the Chicago Sun-Times was more reserved in his praise, calling it the "most ambitious" show on television, but faulting it for its complexity and the slow development of the plotline.[79] The Los Angeles Times took the rare step of devoting an editorial to the show, stating that "even in what is generally acknowledged to be something of a golden era for thoughtful and entertaining dramas—both on cable channels and on network TV—The Wire stands out."[80] TIME magazine especially praised the fourth season, stating that "no other TV show has ever loved a city so well, damned it so passionately, or sung it so searingly."[81] The website Metacritic, which gathers reviews from news sources and translates them into a percentage score, assigned The Wire's fourth season a weighted average score of 98%, the second highest score for any television season in Metacritic history (with the fifth season of Breaking Bad being the first).[61]

text: Several reviewers have called it the best show on television, including TIME,[81] Entertainment Weekly,[72] the Chicago Tribune,[82] Slate,[53] the San Francisco Chronicle,[83] the Philadelphia Daily News[84] and the British newspaper The Guardian,[33] which ran a week-by-week blog following every episode,[85] also collected in a book, The Wire Re-up.[86] Charlie Brooker, a columnist for The Guardian, has been particularly enthusiastic in his praise of the show, both in his "Screen Burn" column and in his BBC Four television series Screenwipe, calling it possibly the greatest show of the last 20 years.[87][88] In 2007, TIME listed it among the one hundred best television series of all-time.[89] In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked The Wire as the ninth best written TV series.[90] In 2013, TV Guide ranked The Wire as the sixth greatest show of all time.[91] In 2013, Entertainment Weekly listed the show at #6 in their list of the "26 Best Cult TV Shows Ever," describing it as "one of the most highly praised series in HBO history" and praising Michael K. Williams's acting as Omar Little.[92] Entertainment Weekly also named it the number one TV show of all-time in a special issue in 2013.[93] In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked it second on its list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

text: Critics have often described the show in literary terms: the New York Times calls it "literary television;" TV Guide calls it "TV as great modern literature;" the San Francisco Chronicle says the series "must be considered alongside the best literature and filmmaking in the modern era;" and the Chicago Tribune says the show delivers "rewards not unlike those won by readers who conquer Joyce, Faulkner or Henry James."[76][78][94][95] 'The Wire Files', an online collection of articles published in darkmatter Journal, critically analyzes The Wire's racialized politics and aesthetics of representation.[96] Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "The deft writing—which used the cop-genre format to give shape to creator David Simon's scathing social critiques—was matched by one of the deepest benches of acting talent in TV history."[97]

text: Former President of the United States Barack Obama has said that The Wire is his favorite television series.[98] The 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature Laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa, wrote a very positive critical review of the series in the Spanish journal El País.[99] The comedian turned mayor of Reykjavík, Iceland, Jón Gnarr, has gone so far as to say that he would not enter a coalition government with anyone who has not watched the series.[100]

text: Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead, is a strong follower of The Wire; he has tried to cast as many actors from it into the television series of the same name as possible, so far having cast Chad Coleman, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Seth Gilliam, and Merritt Wever.[101]

text: Awards[edit]

text: The Wire was nominated for and won a wide variety of awards, including nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "Middle Ground" (2005) and "–30–" (2008), NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Drama Series for each of its five seasons, Television Critics Association Awards (TCA), and Writers Guild of America Awards (WGA).

text: Most of the awards the series won were for season 4 and season 5. These included the Directors Guild of America Award and TCA Heritage Award for season 5, and the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Dramatic Series for season 4, plus the Crime Thriller Award, Eddie Award, Edgar Award, and Irish Film & Television Academy Award. The series also won the ASCAP Award, Artios Award, and Peabody Award for season 2.[102]

text: The series won the Broadcasting & Cable Critics' Poll Award for Best Drama (season 4) and won TIME's critics choice for top television show for season 1 and season 3.

text: Despite the above mentioned awards and unanimous critical approval, The Wire never won a single Primetime Emmy Award nor received any major nominations, except for two writing nominations in 2005 and 2008. Several critics recognized its lack of recognition by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.[103][104][105] According to a report by Variety, anonymous Emmy voters cited reasons such as the series' dense and multilayered plot, the grim subject matter, and the series' lack of connection with California, as it is set and filmed in Baltimore.[106]

text: Academia[edit]

text: In the years following the end of the series' run, several colleges and universities such as Johns Hopkins, Brown University, and Harvard College have offered classes on The Wire in disciplines ranging from law to sociology to film studies. Phillips Academy, a boarding high school in Massachusetts, offers a similar course as well.[107][108] University of Texas at San Antonio offers a course where the series is taught as a work of literary fiction.[109] In an article published in The Washington Post, Anmol Chaddha and William Julius Wilson explain why Harvard chose The Wire as curriculum material for their course on urban inequality: "Though scholars know that deindustrialization, crime and prison, and the education system are deeply intertwined, they must often give focused attention to just one subject in relative isolation, at the expense of others. With the freedom of artistic expression, The Wire can be more creative. It can weave together the range of forces that shape the lives of the urban poor."[110] University of York's Head of Sociology, Roger Burrows, said in The Independent that the show "makes a fantastic contribution to their understanding of contemporary urbanism", and is "a contrast to dry, dull, hugely expensive studies that people carry out on the same issues".[111] The series is also studied as part of a Master seminar series at the Paris West University Nanterre La Défense.[112] In February 2012, Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek gave a lecture at Birkbeck, University of London titled The Wire or the clash of civilisations in one country.[113] In April 2012, Norwegian academic Erlend Lavik posted online a 36-minute video essay called "Style in The Wire" which analyzes the various visual techniques used by the show's directors over the course of its five seasons.[114]

text: The Wire has also been the subject of growing numbers of academic articles by, amongst others, Fredric Jameson (who praised the series' ability to weave utopian thinking into its realist representation of society);[115] and Leigh Claire La Berge, who argues that although the less realistic character of season five was received negatively by critics, it gives the series a platform not only for representing reality, but for representing how realism is itself a construct of social forces like the media;[116] both commentators see in The Wire an impulse for progressive political change rare in mass media productions. While most academics have used The Wire as a cultural object or case study, Benjamin Leclair-Paquet has instead argued that the "creative methods behind HBO's The Wire evoke original ways to experiment with speculative work that reveal the merit of the imaginary as a pragmatic research device." This author posits that the methods behind The Wire are particularly relevant for contentious urban and architectural projects.[117]

text: Broadcasters[edit]

text: HBO aired the five seasons of the show in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2008. New episodes were shown once a week, occasionally skipping one or two weeks in favor of other programming. Starting with the fourth season, subscribers to the HBO On Demand service were able to see each episode of the season six days earlier.[118] American basic cable network BET also aired the show. BET adds commercial breaks, blurs some nudity, and mutes some profanity. Much of the waterfront storyline from the second season is edited out from the BET broadcasts.[119]

text: The series was remastered in 16:9 HD in late 2014, and the HD remasters debuted on HBO Signature, airing the entire series consecutively, and on HBO GO on December 26, 2014. The HD versions became available for purchase on various digital platforms on January 5, 2015, and were released on Blu-ray on June 2, 2015.[120][121][122]

text: In the United Kingdom, the show has been broadcast on terrestrial television on BBC Two,[123] although controversially it was broadcast at 11:20 pm[124] and catchup was not available on BBC iPlayer.[125] In a world first, British newspaper The Guardian made the first episode of the first season available to stream on its website for a brief period[126] and all episodes were aired in Ireland on the public service channel TG4 approximately six months after the original air dates on HBO.[127]

text: The series became available in Canada in a remastered 16:9 HD format on streaming service CraveTV in late 2014.[128]

text: Home media releases[edit]

text:
Season
Release dates
Episodes
Special features
Discs

Region 1
Region 2
Region 4

1
October 12, 2004[129]
April 18, 2005[130]
May 11, 2005[131]
13

Three audio commentaries by crew members

5

2
January 25, 2005[132]
October 10, 2005[133]
May 3, 2006[134]
12

Two audio commentaries by cast and crew members

5

3
August 8, 2006[135]
February 5, 2007[136]
August 13, 2008[137]
12

Five audio commentaries by crew members
Q&A with David Simon and Creative Team, courtesy of the Museum of Television & Radio
Conversation with David Simon at Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts[27]

5

4
December 4, 2007[138]
March 10, 2008[139]
August 13, 2008[140]
13

Six audio commentaries by cast and crew members
"It's All Connected" featurette
"The Game Is Real" featurette

4

5
August 12, 2008[141]
September 22, 2008[142]
February 2, 2010[143]
10

Six audio commentaries by cast and crew members
"The Wire: The Last Word" – A documentary exploring the role of the media
"The Wire Odyssey" – A retrospective of the first four seasons
The Wire Prequels
From the Wrap Party Gag Reels ...

4

All
December 9, 2008[144]
December 8, 2008[145]
February 2, 2010[146]
60

Collects the previously released box-sets

23

text: The DVD sets have been favorably received, though some critics have faulted them for a lack of special features.[5][6][147][148]

text: The series was remastered in 16:9 HD in late 2014, became available on iTunes, and was released as a complete series Blu-ray box set on June 2, 2015.[120][122]


document_title: List of WWE Champions

question_text: who has won the wwe world heavyweight championship the most

root

text: List of WWE Champions

text: Title history[edit]

text: Names[edit]

text:
Name
Years

WWWF World Heavyweight Championship
April 25, 1963 – February 8, 1971

WWWF Heavyweight Championship
February 8, 1971 – March 1, 1979

WWF Heavyweight Championship
March 1, 1979 – December 26, 1983

WWF World Heavyweight Championship
December 26, 1983 – June 29, 1998

WWF Championship
June 29, 1998 – December 9, 2001

Undisputed WWF Championship
December 9, 2001[2] – May 6, 2002[3]

Undisputed WWE Championship
May 6, 2002[3] – May 19, 2002[11]

WWE Undisputed Championship
May 19, 2002[3] – September 2, 2002[12]

WWE Championship
September 2, 2002[12] – December 15, 2013

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
December 15, 2013 – June 27, 2016

WWE Championship
June 27, 2016[13][14] – July 25, 2016

WWE World Championship
July 26, 2016[15] – December 9, 2016

WWE Championship
December 10, 2016[8] – present

tag: table

text: Reigns[edit]

text: As of May 30, 2018.

tag: p

text:
Reign
The reign number for the specific champion listed

Location
The city in which the title was won

Event
The event promoted by the respective promotion in which the title was won

†
Indicates the title change is not recognized by WWE

+
Indicates the current reign is changing daily

<1
Indicates reign was less than a day

text:
No.
Wrestler
Reign
Date
Days held
Location
Event
Notes
Ref.

1
Buddy Rogers
1
000000001963-04-25-0000April 25, 1963
7001220000000000000♠22
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
—
Won a fictional tournament in Rio de Janeiro after the WWWF left the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), of which Rogers had been the 7th NWA World Heavyweight Champion since defeating Pat O'Connor on June 30, 1961.[16] After Rogers' one fall loss to Lou Thesz for the title on January 24, 1963, Northeast promoters (led by Vince McMahon Sr. and Toots Mondt) did not recognize this title change and withdrew their membership from the NWA to form the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF).[17] The WWWF billed Rogers as their world champion since January 25,[18] but did not recognize him as the first ever WWWF World Heavyweight Champion until April 11.[19] However, WWE.com lists Rogers' reign and the establishment of the title beginning on April 25.[20]
[21]

2
Bruno Sammartino
1
000000001963-05-17-0000May 17, 1963
7003280300000000000♠2,803
New York, NY
House show

[22]

3
Ivan Koloff
1
000000001971-01-18-0000January 18, 1971
7001210000000000000♠21
New York, NY
House show

[23]

4
Pedro Morales
1
000000001971-02-08-0000February 8, 1971
7003102700000000000♠1,027
New York, NY
House show
The title was renamed the WWWF Heavyweight Championship when WWWF rejoined the NWA in 1971.
[24]

5
Stan Stasiak
1
000000001973-12-01-0000December 1, 1973
7000900000000000000♠9
Philadelphia, PA
House show

[25]

6
Bruno Sammartino
2
000000001973-12-10-0000December 10, 1973
7003123700000000000♠1,237
New York, NY
House show

[26]

7
Superstar Billy Graham
1
000000001977-04-30-0000April 30, 1977
7002296000000000000♠296
Baltimore, MD
House show

[27]

8
Bob Backlund
1
000000001978-02-20-0000February 20, 1978
7003213500000000000♠2,135
(7002648000000000000♠648)†
New York, NY
House show
The title was renamed the WWF Heavyweight Championship when the World Wide Wrestling Federation became the World Wrestling Federation in March 1979.
[28][29]

—
Antonio Inoki
1†
000000001979-11-30-0000November 30, 1979
7000600000000000000♠6
Tokushima, Japan
House show

[30][31]

—
Vacated
—
000000001979-12-06-0000December 6, 1979
—
Tokyo, Japan
House show
Antonio Inoki immediately vacated the title after a rematch with Bob Backlund ended in a no contest due to the interference of Tiger Jeet Singh.
[30]

—
Bob Backlund
2†
000000001979-12-17-0000December 17, 1979
7003147000000000000♠1,470
New York City, NY
House show
Backlund defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death match to fill the vacancy.
WWE recognizes Backlund's first and second reigns as being uninterrupted and considers this a continuation of the first.
[30]

9
The Iron Sheik
1
000000001983-12-26-0000December 26, 1983
7001280000000000000♠28
New York City, NY
House show
The Iron Sheik won by submission when Bob Backlund's manager Arnold Skaaland threw in the towel when Backlund was put into Sheik's camel clutch to prevent any major injury.
The title was renamed the WWF World Heavyweight Championship when the WWF ended its affiliation with the NWA. WWE recognizes Sheik's reign as lasting 29 days.
[32]

10
Hulk Hogan
1
000000001984-01-23-0000January 23, 1984
7003147400000000000♠1,474
New York City, NY
House show

[33]

11
André the Giant
1
000000001988-02-05-0000February 5, 1988
<1
Indianapolis, IN
The Main Event I
André defeated Hulk Hogan when referee Earl Hebner, who was bribed by Ted DiBiase, scored the three-count, despite Hogan raising his shoulder past the two-count.
[34]

—
Vacated
—
000000001988-02-05-0000February 5, 1988
—
Indianapolis, IN
The Main Event I
Immediately after winning the title from Hulk Hogan, André handed the championship belt to Ted DiBiase; President Jack Tunney ruled this as vacating the title.
[34]

12
Randy Savage
1
000000001988-03-27-0000March 27, 1988
7002371000000000000♠371
Atlantic City, NJ
WrestleMania IV
Defeated Ted DiBiase in a tournament final to win the vacant title.
[35]

13
Hulk Hogan
2
000000001989-04-02-0000April 2, 1989
7002364000000000000♠364
Atlantic City, NJ
WrestleMania V

[36]

14
The Ultimate Warrior
1
000000001990-04-01-0000April 1, 1990
7002293000000000000♠293
Toronto, ON
WrestleMania VI
This was a title for title match, in which Warrior also defended the Intercontinental Championship.
[37]

15
Sgt. Slaughter
1
000000001991-01-19-0000January 19, 1991
7001640000000000000♠64
Miami, FL
Royal Rumble

[38]

16
Hulk Hogan
3
000000001991-03-24-0000March 24, 1991
7002248000000000000♠248
Los Angeles, CA
WrestleMania VII

[39]

17
The Undertaker
1
000000001991-11-27-0000November 27, 1991
7000600000000000000♠6
Detroit, MI
Survivor Series

[40]

18
Hulk Hogan
4
000000001991-12-03-0000December 3, 1991
7000100000000000000♠1
San Antonio, TX
This Tuesday in Texas

[41]

—
Vacated
—
000000001991-12-04-0000December 4, 1991
—
New Haven, CT
Superstars of Wrestling
Hulk Hogan was stripped of the title by WWF President Jack Tunney due to the controversy surrounding both of the previous title changes. Aired on tape delay on December 7, 1991.
[41]

19
Ric Flair
1
000000001992-01-19-0000January 19, 1992
7001770000000000000♠77
Albany, NY
Royal Rumble
This was the Royal Rumble match, in which Flair last eliminated Sid Justice to win the vacant title.
[42]

20
Randy Savage
2
000000001992-04-05-0000April 5, 1992
7002149000000000000♠149
Indianapolis, IN
WrestleMania VIII

[43]

21
Ric Flair
2
000000001992-09-01-0000September 1, 1992
7001410000000000000♠41
Hershey, PA
Prime Time Wrestling
Aired on tape delay on September 14, 1992.
[44]

22
Bret Hart
1
000000001992-10-12-0000October 12, 1992
7002174000000000000♠174
Saskatoon, SK
House show
WWE recognizes Hart's reign as lasting 175 days.
[45]

23
Yokozuna
1
000000001993-04-04-0000April 4, 1993
<1
Las Vegas, NV
WrestleMania IX

[46]

24
Hulk Hogan
5
7001700000000000000♠70

[47]

25
Yokozuna
2
000000001993-06-13-0000June 13, 1993
7002280000000000000♠280
Dayton, OH
King of the Ring

[48]

26
Bret Hart
2
000000001994-03-20-0000March 20, 1994
7002248000000000000♠248
New York City, NY
WrestleMania X
Roddy Piper was the guest referee.
[49]

27
Bob Backlund
2(3)
000000001994-11-23-0000November 23, 1994
7000300000000000000♠3
San Antonio, TX
Survivor Series
This was a "Throw in the Towel" submission match.
[50]

28
Diesel
1
000000001994-11-26-0000November 26, 1994
7002358000000000000♠358
New York City, NY
House show

[51]

29
Bret Hart
3
000000001995-11-19-0000November 19, 1995
7002133000000000000♠133
Landover, MD
Survivor Series
This was a no disqualification match.
[52]

30
Shawn Michaels
1
000000001996-03-31-0000March 31, 1996
7002231000000000000♠231
Anaheim, CA
WrestleMania XII
This was a 60-minute Iron Man match, in which Michaels won 1–0 in overtime.
[53]

31
Sycho Sid
1
000000001996-11-17-0000November 17, 1996
7001630000000000000♠63
New York City, NY
Survivor Series

[54]

32
Shawn Michaels
2
000000001997-01-19-0000January 19, 1997
7001250000000000000♠25
San Antonio, TX
Royal Rumble

[55]

—
Vacated
—
000000001997-02-13-0000February 13, 1997
—
Lowell, MA
Raw
Shawn Michaels forfeited the title due to a knee injury.
[55]

33
Bret Hart
4
000000001997-02-16-0000February 16, 1997
7000100000000000000♠1
Chattanooga, TN
In Your House 13: Final Four
This was a four-way elimination match for the vacant title also involving Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and Vader.
[56]

34
Sycho Sid
2
000000001997-02-17-0000February 17, 1997
7001340000000000000♠34
Nashville, TN
Raw

[57]

35
The Undertaker
2
000000001997-03-23-0000March 23, 1997
7002133000000000000♠133
Rosemont, IL
WrestleMania 13
This was a no disqualification match.
[58]

36
Bret Hart
5
000000001997-08-03-0000August 3, 1997
7001980000000000000♠98
East Rutherford, NJ
SummerSlam
Shawn Michaels was guest referee.
[59]

37
Shawn Michaels
3
000000001997-11-09-0000November 9, 1997
7002140000000000000♠140
Montreal, QC
Survivor Series
This was the Montreal Screwjob.
[60]

38
Stone Cold Steve Austin
1
000000001998-03-29-0000March 29, 1998
7001910000000000000♠91
Boston, MA
WrestleMania XIV
Mike Tyson was the special outside enforcer.
[61]

39
Kane
1
000000001998-06-28-0000June 28, 1998
7000100000000000000♠1
Pittsburgh, PA
King of the Ring
This was a First Blood match.
[62]

40
Stone Cold Steve Austin
2
000000001998-06-29-0000June 29, 1998
7001900000000000000♠90
Cleveland, OH
Raw is War
The title was renamed the WWF Championship.
[63]

—
Vacated
—
000000001998-09-27-0000September 27, 1998
—
Hamilton, ON
Breakdown: In Your House
Vacated after Kane and The Undertaker simultaneously pinned Stone Cold Steve Austin in a triple threat match.
A subsequent match for the vacant title at Judgment Day: In Your House between Kane and The Undertaker ended in a no contest.[64]
[63]

41
The Rock
1
000000001998-11-15-0000November 15, 1998
7001440000000000000♠44
St. Louis, MO
Survivor Series
Defeated Mankind in the finals of a tournament for the vacant title in a recreation of the Montreal Screwjob.
WWE recognizes The Rock's reign as lasting 50 days, ending on January 4, 1999, when the following episode aired on tape delay.
[65]

42
Mankind
1
000000001998-12-29-0000December 29, 1998
7001260000000000000♠26
Worcester, MA
Raw is War
This was a no disqualification match.
WWE recognizes Mankind's reign as lasting 20 days, beginning on January 4, 1999, when the episode aired on tape delay.
[66]

43
The Rock
2
000000001999-01-24-0000January 24, 1999
7000200000000000000♠2
Anaheim, CA
Royal Rumble
This was an "I Quit" match, which The Rock won by knocking Mankind unconscious while someone backstage played an audio recording of Mankind saying "I quit" while The Rock placed the microphone against his face.
WWE recognizes The Rock's reign as lasting 7 days, ending on January 31, 1999, when the following match aired on tape delay.
[67]

44
Mankind
2
000000001999-01-26-0000January 26, 1999
7001200000000000000♠20
Tucson, AZ
Halftime Heat
This was an Empty Arena match that aired on tape delay as a special during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999.
WWE recognizes Mankind's reign as lasting 15 days, beginning on January 31.
[68]

45
The Rock
3
000000001999-02-15-0000February 15, 1999
7001410000000000000♠41
Birmingham, AL
Raw is War
This was a ladder match.
[69]

46
Stone Cold Steve Austin
3
000000001999-03-28-0000March 28, 1999
7001560000000000000♠56
Philadelphia, PA
WrestleMania XV
This was a no disqualification match with Mankind as guest referee.
[70]

47
The Undertaker
3
000000001999-05-23-0000May 23, 1999
7001360000000000000♠36
Kansas City, MO
Over the Edge
Both Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon were guest referees.
[71]

48
Stone Cold Steve Austin
4
000000001999-06-28-0000June 28, 1999
7001550000000000000♠55
Charlotte, NC
Raw is War

[72]

49
Mankind
3
000000001999-08-22-0000August 22, 1999
7000100000000000000♠1
Minneapolis, MN
SummerSlam
This was a triple threat match also involving Triple H. Jesse Ventura was guest referee.
[73]

50
Triple H
1
000000001999-08-23-0000August 23, 1999
7001220000000000000♠22
Ames, IA
Raw is War
Shane McMahon was guest referee.
WWE recognizes Triple H's reign as lasting 24 days, ending on September 16, 1999, when the following episode aired on tape delay.
[74]

51
Vince McMahon
1
000000001999-09-14-0000September 14, 1999
7000600000000000000♠6
Las Vegas, NV
SmackDown!
Shane McMahon was guest referee.
WWE recognizes Vince's reign as lasting 4 days, beginning on September 16, 1999, when the episode aired on tape delay.
[75]

—
Vacated
—
000000001999-09-20-0000September 20, 1999
—
Houston, TX
Raw is War
Vince McMahon vacated the title.
[75]

52
Triple H
2
000000001999-09-26-0000September 26, 1999
7001490000000000000♠49
Charlotte, NC
Unforgiven
This was a six-pack challenge match also involving The Rock, Mankind, Big Show, The British Bulldog, and Kane. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the special outside enforcer.
[76]

53
Big Show
1
000000001999-11-14-0000November 14, 1999
7001500000000000000♠50
Detroit, MI
Survivor Series
This was a triple threat match, also involving The Rock.
[77]

54
Triple H
3
000000002000-01-03-0000January 3, 2000
7002118000000000000♠118
Miami, FL
Raw is War
On April 17, 2000, Chris Jericho defeated Triple H for the WWF Championship after Earl Hebner's fast-count. Later that night, Triple H forced Hebner to reverse the decision, nullifying Jericho's reign and continuing Triple H's.
[78]

55
The Rock
4
000000002000-04-30-0000April 30, 2000
7001210000000000000♠21
Washington, D.C.
Backlash
Shane McMahon was guest referee.
[79]

56
Triple H
4
000000002000-05-21-0000May 21, 2000
7001350000000000000♠35
Louisville, KY
Judgment Day
This was a 60-minute Iron Man match, which Triple H won 6–5 with Shawn Michaels as guest referee.
[80]

57
The Rock
5
000000002000-06-25-0000June 25, 2000
7002119000000000000♠119
Boston, MA
King of the Ring
This was a six-man tag team match with The Rock, The Undertaker, and Kane vs. Triple H, Vince McMahon, and Shane McMahon. The Rock pinned Vince to win Triple H's title.
[81]

58
Kurt Angle
1
000000002000-10-22-0000October 22, 2000
7002126000000000000♠126
Albany, NY
No Mercy
This was a no disqualification match.
[82]

59
The Rock
6
000000002001-02-25-0000February 25, 2001
7001350000000000000♠35
Las Vegas, NV
No Way Out
After the WWF purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in March 2001, the WCW Championship became a second concurrently active world championship in the WWF.
[83]

60
Stone Cold Steve Austin
5
000000002001-04-01-0000April 1, 2001
7002175000000000000♠175
Houston, TX
WrestleMania X-Seven
This was a no disqualification match.
WWE recognizes Austin's reign as lasting 176 days.
[84]

61
Kurt Angle
2
000000002001-09-23-0000September 23, 2001
7001150000000000000♠15
Pittsburgh, PA
Unforgiven

[85]

62
Stone Cold Steve Austin
6
000000002001-10-08-0000October 8, 2001
7001620000000000000♠62
Indianapolis, IN
Raw

[86]

63
Chris Jericho
1
000000002001-12-09-0000December 9, 2001
7001980000000000000♠98
San Diego, CA
Vengeance
Earlier the same night, Jericho defeated (WCW) World Champion The Rock for that title. By defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship, Jericho unified both titles as the Undisputed WWF Championship.
[87]

64
Triple H
5
000000002002-03-17-0000March 17, 2002
7001350000000000000♠35
Toronto, ON
WrestleMania X8
In late March 2002, due to the WWF's roster having doubled in size, the brand extension began, splitting the roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands, represented by the TV shows of the same name. Championships were assigned to be exclusive to a specific brand. The Undisputed Championship and the Women's Championship were non-exclusive at this time, and were defended on both brands.
[88]

65
Hollywood Hulk Hogan
6
000000002002-04-21-0000April 21, 2002
7001280000000000000♠28
Kansas City, MO
Backlash
On May 6, 2002, after the World Wrestling Federation was renamed "World Wrestling Entertainment" due to a lawsuit by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the title was also renamed: Undisputed WWE Championship and then WWE Undisputed Championship.
[89]

66
The Undertaker
4
000000002002-05-19-0000May 19, 2002
7001630000000000000♠63
Nashville, TN
Judgment Day
On May 20, 2002, Rob Van Dam pinned The Undertaker for the title. Raw owner Ric Flair immediately restarted the match due to The Undertaker's foot being on the ropes and The Undertaker subsequently pinned Van Dam, nullifying Van Dam's reign and continuing Undertaker's.
[90]

67
The Rock
7
000000002002-07-21-0000July 21, 2002
7001350000000000000♠35
Detroit, MI
Vengeance
This was a triple threat match, also involving Kurt Angle.
[91]

68
Brock Lesnar
1
000000002002-08-25-0000August 25, 2002
7001840000000000000♠84
Uniondale, NY
SummerSlam
The following night, Lesnar signed a deal to appear exclusively on the SmackDown brand, making the championship exclusive to the brand.
The World Heavyweight Championship was then created for the Raw brand.
On September 2, 2002, the Undisputed Championship became the WWE Championship as it was no longer "undisputed".
[92]

69
Big Show
2
000000002002-11-17-0000November 17, 2002
7001280000000000000♠28
New York, NY
Survivor Series

[93]

70
Kurt Angle
3
000000002002-12-15-0000December 15, 2002
7002105000000000000♠105
Sunrise, FL
Armageddon

[94]

71
Brock Lesnar
2
000000002003-03-30-0000March 30, 2003
7002119000000000000♠119
Seattle, WA
WrestleMania XIX

[95]

72
Kurt Angle
4
000000002003-07-27-0000July 27, 2003
7001510000000000000♠51
Denver, CO
Vengeance
This was a triple threat match also involving Big Show.
WWE recognizes Angle's reign as lasting 53 days, ending on September 18, 2003, when the following episode aired on tape delay.
[96]

73
Brock Lesnar
3
000000002003-09-16-0000September 16, 2003
7002152000000000000♠152
Raleigh, NC
SmackDown!
This was a 60-minute Iron Man match.
WWE recognizes Lesnar's reign as lasting 151 days, beginning on September 18, 2003, when the episode aired on tape delay.
[97]

74
Eddie Guerrero
1
000000002004-02-15-0000February 15, 2004
7002133000000000000♠133
Daly City, CA
No Way Out

[98][99]

75
John Bradshaw Layfield
1
000000002004-06-27-0000June 27, 2004
7002280000000000000♠280
Norfolk, VA
The Great American Bash
This was a Texas Bullrope match.
[100][101]

76
John Cena
1
000000002005-04-03-0000April 3, 2005
7002280000000000000♠280
Los Angeles, CA
WrestleMania 21
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2005 WWE draft lottery.
[102][103]

77
Edge
1
000000002006-01-08-0000January 8, 2006
7001210000000000000♠21
Albany, NY
New Year's Revolution
Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank contract from WrestleMania 21 immediately after John Cena won an Elimination Chamber match.
[104][105]

78
John Cena
2
000000002006-01-29-0000January 29, 2006
7002133000000000000♠133
Miami, FL
Royal Rumble

[106][107]

79
Rob Van Dam
1
000000002006-06-11-0000June 11, 2006
7001220000000000000♠22
New York City, NY
ECW One Night Stand
Van Dam cashed in his Money in the Bank contract from WrestleMania 22. This was an Extreme Rules match.
The title became property of the new ECW brand due to Van Dam's status as an ECW wrestler.
The ECW World Heavyweight Championship was subsequently reactivated for the brand and awarded to Van Dam.
[108][109]

80
Edge
2
000000002006-07-03-0000July 3, 2006
7001760000000000000♠76
Philadelphia, PA
Raw
This was a triple threat match also involving John Cena.
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand due to Edge's status as a Raw superstar.
[110][111]

81
John Cena
3
000000002006-09-17-0000September 17, 2006
7002380000000000000♠380
Toronto, ON
Unforgiven
This was a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match.
WWE recognizes Cena's reign as lasting 381 days.
[112]

—
Vacated
—
000000002007-10-02-0000October 2, 2007
—
Dayton, OH
ECW
Vacated when John Cena suffered a torn right pectoral tendon.
[113]

82
Randy Orton
1
000000002007-10-07-0000October 7, 2007
<1
Rosemont, IL
No Mercy
Orton was originally scheduled to have a Last Man Standing match against John Cena for the title, but due to Cena vacating the title Vince McMahon awarded it to Orton.
[114][115]

83
Triple H
6
<1
Defeated Randy Orton in the opening match after Vince McMahon accepted Triple H's open challenge on Orton's behalf.
[115][116]

84
Randy Orton
2
7002203000000000000♠203
Due to promising the match type, Vince McMahon made Triple H defend the title against Orton in a Last Man Standing match.
[115][117]

85
Triple H
7
000000002008-04-27-0000April 27, 2008
7002210000000000000♠210
Baltimore, MD
Backlash
This was a fatal four-way elimination match also involving John Cena and John Bradshaw Layfield.
The title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2008 WWE draft.
[118][119]

86
Edge
3
000000002008-11-23-0000November 23, 2008
7001210000000000000♠21
Boston, MA
Survivor Series
This was a triple threat match also involving Vladimir Kozlov. Jeff Hardy had originally been scheduled to take part in the match, but did not participate after being (in storyline) attacked prior to the event. Triple H and Kozlov started the match before Edge was revealed as Hardy's surprise replacement.
[120][121]

87
Jeff Hardy
1
000000002008-12-14-0000December 14, 2008
7001420000000000000♠42
Buffalo, NY
Armageddon
This was a triple threat match, also involving Triple H.
[122][123]

88
Edge
4
000000002009-01-25-0000January 25, 2009
7001210000000000000♠21
Detroit, MI
Royal Rumble
This was a no-disqualification match.
[124][125]

89
Triple H
8
000000002009-02-15-0000February 15, 2009
7001700000000000000♠70
Seattle, WA
No Way Out
This was an Elimination Chamber match also involving Jeff Hardy, Vladimir Kozlov, The Undertaker, and Big Show.
The title became exclusive to the Raw brand following the 2009 WWE draft.
WWE recognizes Triple H's reign as lasting 69 days.
[126][127]

90
Randy Orton
3
000000002009-04-26-0000April 26, 2009
7001420000000000000♠42
Providence, RI
Backlash
This was a six-man tag team match with Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes against Triple H, Shane McMahon, and Batista. Orton won the championship due to his team winning.
[128][129]

91
Batista
1
000000002009-06-07-0000June 7, 2009
7000200000000000000♠2
New Orleans, LA
Extreme Rules
This was a steel cage match.
[130][131]

—
Vacated
—
000000002009-06-09-0000June 9, 2009
—
—
—
Vacated when Batista suffered a torn left biceps.
[132]

92
Randy Orton
4
000000002009-06-15-0000June 15, 2009
7001900000000000000♠90
Charlotte, NC
Raw
This was a fatal four-way match for the vacant title also involving Triple H, John Cena, and Big Show.
[133][134]

93
John Cena
4
000000002009-09-13-0000September 13, 2009
7001210000000000000♠21
Montreal, QC
Breaking Point
This was an "I Quit" match. If anyone interfered on Randy Orton's behalf, he would have forfeited the title.
[135][136]

94
Randy Orton
5
000000002009-10-04-0000October 4, 2009
7001210000000000000♠21
Newark, NJ
Hell in a Cell
This was a Hell in a Cell match.
[137][138]

95
John Cena
5
000000002009-10-25-0000October 25, 2009
7001490000000000000♠49
Pittsburgh, PA
Bragging Rights
This was a 60-minute Anything Goes Iron Man match in which Cena won 6-5. If Cena lost, he would have had to leave the Raw brand.
[139][140]

96
Sheamus
1
000000002009-12-13-0000December 13, 2009
7001700000000000000♠70
San Antonio, TX
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
This was a tables match.
On February 16, 2010, the ECW brand was disbanded and the ECW Championship was deactivated.
[141][142]

97
John Cena
6
000000002010-02-21-0000February 21, 2010
<1
St. Louis, MO
Elimination Chamber
This was an Elimination Chamber match also involving Triple H, Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Kofi Kingston.
[143]

98
Batista
2
7001350000000000000♠35
Mr. McMahon granted SmackDown wrestler Batista a championship match with John Cena after Cena won the Elimination Chamber match. Batista then transferred to the Raw roster after winning the title.
WWE recognizes Batista's reign as lasting 36 days.
[144]

99
John Cena
7
000000002010-03-28-0000March 28, 2010
7001840000000000000♠84
Glendale, AZ
WrestleMania XXVI

[145]

100
Sheamus
2
000000002010-06-20-0000June 20, 2010
7001910000000000000♠91
Uniondale, NY
Fatal 4-Way
This was a fatal four-way match also involving Edge and Randy Orton.
[146]

101
Randy Orton
6
000000002010-09-19-0000September 19, 2010
7001640000000000000♠64
Rosemont, IL
Night of Champions
This was a Six-Pack Elimination Challenge match also involving Edge, John Cena, Chris Jericho, and Wade Barrett.
[147]

102
The Miz
1
000000002010-11-22-0000November 22, 2010
7002160000000000000♠160
Orlando, FL
Raw
The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after Randy Orton had successfully defended the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett.
WWE recognizes Miz's reign as lasting 159 days.
[148]

103
John Cena
8
000000002011-05-01-0000May 1, 2011
7001770000000000000♠77
Tampa, FL
Extreme Rules
This was a triple threat steel cage match also involving John Morrison.
[149]

104
CM Punk
1
000000002011-07-17-0000July 17, 2011
7001280000000000000♠28
Rosemont, IL
Money in the Bank
Punk (kayfabe) left WWE the day after with the championship. He returned on the July 25, 2011 episode of Raw; his reign was deemed to continue through this period.
[150]

105
Rey Mysterio
(and CM Punk)
1
(1)
000000002011-07-25-0000July 25, 2011
<1
Hampton, VA
Raw
Defeated The Miz in a tournament final to crown a new champion.
CM Punk was also recognized as WWE Champion.
[151]

106
John Cena
(and CM Punk)
9
(1)
7001200000000000000♠20
New Chief Operating Officer Triple H decreed that Rey Mysterio had to face former champion Cena.
CM Punk was also recognized as WWE Champion.
[152]

—
CM Punk
1
000000002011-08-14-0000August 14, 2011
–
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Punk defeated John Cena in a match to determine the undisputed champion. This is considered a continuation of Punk's first reign, lasting a total of 28 days.
Triple H was guest referee.
[153]

107
Alberto Del Rio
1
7001350000000000000♠35
Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after CM Punk was attacked by Kevin Nash.
On August 29, 2011, the first brand extension ended, allowing the WWE Champion to appear on both Raw and SmackDown.
[154]

108
John Cena
10
000000002011-09-18-0000September 18, 2011
7001140000000000000♠14
Buffalo, NY
Night of Champions

[155]

109
Alberto Del Rio
2
000000002011-10-02-0000October 2, 2011
7001490000000000000♠49
New Orleans, LA
Hell in a Cell
This was a triple threat Hell in a Cell match also involving CM Punk.
[156]

110
CM Punk
2
000000002011-11-20-0000November 20, 2011
7002434000000000000♠434
New York City, NY
Survivor Series
WWE recognizes Punk's reign as lasting 435 days.
[157]

111
The Rock
8
000000002013-01-27-0000January 27, 2013
7001700000000000000♠70
Phoenix, AZ
Royal Rumble
CM Punk had initially won, but the match was then restarted by Mr. McMahon due to interference by The Shield.
[158]

112
John Cena
11
000000002013-04-07-0000April 7, 2013
7002133000000000000♠133
East Rutherford, NJ
WrestleMania 29

[159]

113
Daniel Bryan
1
000000002013-08-18-0000August 18, 2013
<1
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam
Triple H was guest referee.
[160]

114
Randy Orton
7
7001280000000000000♠28
Orton cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Triple H was guest referee.
WWE recognizes Orton's reign as lasting 29 days.
[161]

115
Daniel Bryan
2
000000002013-09-15-0000September 15, 2013
1
Detroit, MI
Night of Champions

[162]

—
Vacated
—
000000002013-09-16-0000September 16, 2013
—
Cleveland, OH
Raw
Vacated after a controversial finish when Daniel Bryan defeated Randy Orton to win the title. A subsequent match for the vacant title at Battleground between Bryan and Orton ended in a no contest.
[163]

116
Randy Orton
8
000000002013-10-27-0000October 27, 2013
7002161000000000000♠161
Miami, FL
Hell in a Cell
Orton defeated Daniel Bryan in a Hell in a Cell match for the vacant title with Shawn Michaels serving as guest referee.
On December 15, 2013 at TLC, Orton defeated John Cena to unify the World Heavyweight Championship with the WWE Championship. The World Heavyweight Championship was retired and the WWE Championship became known as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
[164]

117
Daniel Bryan
3
000000002014-04-06-0000April 6, 2014
7001640000000000000♠64
New Orleans, LA
WrestleMania XXX
This was a triple threat match also involving Batista.
[165]

—
Vacated
—
000000002014-06-09-0000June 9, 2014
—
Minneapolis, MN
Raw
Daniel Bryan was stripped of the title due to a neck injury.
[166]

118
John Cena
12
000000002014-06-29-0000June 29, 2014
7001490000000000000♠49
Boston, MA
Money in the Bank
This was a ladder match for the vacant title also involving Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Kane, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Sheamus.
WWE recognizes Cena's reign as lasting 50 days.
[167]

119
Brock Lesnar
4
000000002014-08-17-0000August 17, 2014
7002224000000000000♠224
Los Angeles, CA
SummerSlam

[168]

120
Seth Rollins
1
000000002015-03-29-0000March 29, 2015
7002220000000000000♠220
Santa Clara, CA
WrestleMania 31
Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank contract during a singles match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, making it a triple threat match and subsequently pinned Reigns.
[169]

—
Vacated
—
000000002015-11-04-0000November 4, 2015
—
—
—
Vacated after Seth Rollins suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and a damaged meniscus at a live show in Dublin, Ireland.
[170]

121
Roman Reigns
1
000000002015-11-22-0000November 22, 2015
<1
Atlanta, GA
Survivor Series
Defeated Dean Ambrose in a tournament final to win the vacant title.
[171]

122
Sheamus
3
7001220000000000000♠22
Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
WWE recognizes Sheamus' reign as lasting 23 days.
[172]

123
Roman Reigns
2
000000002015-12-14-0000December 14, 2015
7001410000000000000♠41
Philadelphia, PA
Raw
This was a title vs. career match.
[173]

124
Triple H
9
000000002016-01-24-0000January 24, 2016
7001700000000000000♠70
Orlando, FL
Royal Rumble
This was the Royal Rumble match in which Roman Reigns defended the title. Reigns was eliminated by Triple H, who lastly eliminated Dean Ambrose.
[174]

125
Roman Reigns
3
000000002016-04-03-0000April 3, 2016
7001770000000000000♠77
Arlington, TX
WrestleMania 32

[175]

126
Seth Rollins
2
000000002016-06-19-0000June 19, 2016
<1
Las Vegas, NV
Money in the Bank

[176]

127
Dean Ambrose
1
7001840000000000000♠84
Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
The brand extension returned and the title became exclusive to the SmackDown brand following the 2016 WWE draft.
The WWE Universal Championship was created for the Raw brand.
[176]
[177]
[178]

128
AJ Styles
1
000000002016-09-11-0000September 11, 2016
7002140000000000000♠140
Richmond, VA
Backlash
In December 2016, the title's name was shortened back to WWE Championship.[8]
[179]

129
John Cena
13
000000002017-01-29-0000January 29, 2017
7001140000000000000♠14
San Antonio, TX
Royal Rumble
WWE recognizes Cena's reign as lasting 15 days.
[180]

130
Bray Wyatt
1
000000002017-02-12-0000February 12, 2017
7001490000000000000♠49
Phoenix, AZ
Elimination Chamber
This was an Elimination Chamber match also involving AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, and The Miz.
[181]

131
Randy Orton
9
000000002017-04-02-0000April 2, 2017
7001490000000000000♠49
Orlando, FL
WrestleMania 33
WWE recognizes Orton's reign as lasting 50 days.
[182]

132
Jinder Mahal
1
000000002017-05-21-0000May 21, 2017
7002170000000000000♠170
Rosemont, IL
Backlash

[183]

133
AJ Styles
2
000000002017-11-07-0000November 7, 2017
7002204000000000000♠204+
Manchester, England
SmackDown Live

[184][185]

text: Combined reigns[edit]

text: As of May 30, 2018.

text:
†
Indicates the current champion

<1
Indications reign was less than a day

+
Indicates reign is changing daily

text:
Rank
Wrestler
No. of
reigns
Combined days
Combined days
recognized by WWE

1
Sammartino, BrunoBruno Sammartino
2
4,040

2
Hogan, HulkHulk Hogan
6
2,185

3
Backlund, BobBob Backlund
2
2,138

4
Cena, JohnJohn Cena
13
1,254
1,257

5
Morales, PedroPedro Morales
1
1,027

6
Orton, RandyRandy Orton
9
658
660

7
Hart, BretBret Hart
5
654
655

8
Triple H !Triple H
9
609
610

9
Lesnar, BrockBrock Lesnar
4
579
578

10
Austin, Stone Cold SteveStone Cold Steve Austin
6
529
530

11
Savage, RandyRandy Savage
2
520

12
CM Punk !CM Punk
2
462
463

13
Michaels, ShawnShawn Michaels
3
396

14
Rock, The !The Rock
8
367
378

15
Diesel !Diesel
1
358

16
AJ Styles !AJ Styles †
2
344+

17
Angle, KurtKurt Angle
4
297
299

18
Graham, Superstar BillySuperstar Billy Graham
1
296

19
Ultimate Warrior, The !The Ultimate Warrior
1
293

20
Yokozuna !Yokozuna
2
280

Layfield, John Bradshaw !John Bradshaw Layfield
1
280

22
Undertaker, The !The Undertaker
4
238

23
Rollins, SethSeth Rollins
2
220

24
Sheamus !Sheamus
3
183
184

25
Jinder Mahal !Jinder Mahal
1
170

26
Miz, The !The Miz
1
160
159

27
Edge !Edge
4
139

28
Guerrero, EddieEddie Guerrero
1
133

29
Reigns, RomanRoman Reigns
3
118

Flair, RicRic Flair
2
118

31
Jericho, ChrisChris Jericho
1
98

32
Sycho Sid !Sycho Sid
2
97

33
Del Rio, AlbertoAlberto Del Rio
2
84

Ambrose, DeanDean Ambrose
1
84

35
Big Show !Big Show
2
78

36
Bryan, DanielDaniel Bryan
3
65

37
Sgt. Slaughter !Sgt. Slaughter
1
64

38
Wyatt, BrayBray Wyatt
1
49

39
Mankind !Mankind
3
47
36

40
Hardy, JeffJeff Hardy
1
42

41
Batista !Batista
2
37
38

42
Iron Sheik, The !The Iron Sheik
1
28
29

43
Rogers, BuddyBuddy Rogers
1
22

Van Dam, RobRob Van Dam
1
22

45
Koloff, IvanIvan Koloff
1
21

46
Stasiak, StanStan Stasiak
1
9

47
Vince McMahon !Vince McMahon
1
6
4

—
Antonio Inoki !Antonio Inoki
1
6
–

48
Kane !Kane
1
1

49
Mysterio, ReyRey Mysterio
1
<1

André the Giant !André the Giant
1
<1