Historic Ranks of WWE Title Holds, Unveiling the Longest Reigns in Pro Wrestling
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The WWE Championship is the pinnacle of professional wrestling, a prestigious title that signifies the best of the best. Over the years, numerous wrestlers have held the title, each with their own unique reign. In this article, we delve into the longest reigns in WWE history, highlighting the top 5 longest title runs.
Bruno Sammartino, a legendary figure in the world of wrestling, holds the record for the longest title reign with an astonishing 2,803 days from 1963 to 1971. His dominance was so profound that he also claimed the second-longest reign, spanning 1,237 days from 1973 to 1977.
Following Sammartino, Bob Backlund's 2,135-day reign from 1978 to 1983 places him third on the list. Pedro Morales, the first wrestler to achieve the triple crown, comes fourth with a 1,027-day reign from 1971 to 1973.
Rounding out the top 5 is CM Punk, who held the title for 434 days from 2011 to 2013.
Historically, the longest reigns can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s, with Sammartino and Backlund's reigns standing out as the longest by a wide margin. More recent multi-year reigns, such as Roman Reigns’, who currently holds the title for over 720 days, also make the list.
Roman Reigns' reign, which started in 2020, is the current longest modern WWE Championship reign, according to WWE records. His reign was previously recognized as one of the longest modern world title runs, lasting 1,316 days from a unified WWE Championship and Universal Championship reign.
John Cena, another iconic figure in WWE history, has had multiple title reigns, including a 280-day run during which he defeated top names such as Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, and Kurt Angle. However, his longest individual reign is less than some of the other names on this list.
Other notable mentions include Hulk Hogan, who had a 248-day run as WWE champion during the 1980s and 90s, Diesel with a 358-day reign, The Ultimate Warrior with a 293-day reign, Superstar Billy Graham with a 296-day reign, and AJ Styles with an impressive second title reign of 371 days.
Becoming the reigning WWE champion is no easy feat, involving overcoming tough competitors on a challenging path to the WWE Championship Match. The WWE World Heavyweight champion remains the centerpiece of professional wrestling's brand, a title that signifies greatness and a place in wrestling history.
Sources:
- WWE official longest reigns and history
- WWE records
- Roman Reigns title reign Wikipedia
- The World Champion in WWE is the premier arena for the best moments and occasional new title reigns.
- John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) had a 280-day reign in 2004.
- The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was created specifically for the Raw brand after the original WWE World Heavyweight Championships were unified with the WWE World Championship in 2014.
- The Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was introduced in 2016 during the Raw and SmackDown split.
- Bret Hart had an 8-month reign as WWE champion following his epic dethroning of Yokuzuna.
- Yokozuna's 280-day reign occurred during one of the franchise's dark ages.
- Pedro Morales had a reign of 1,027 days.
- John Cena had a title reign of 380 days, which could have been longer if not for a pectoral injury.
- Hulk Hogan had a record-breaking title reign of 1,474 days.
- Shawn Michaels held the WWE title for 231 days in 1996.
- 'Macho Man' Randy Savage had a title reign of 371 days.
- Becoming the reigning WWE champion involves overcoming tough competitors on a challenging path to the WWE Championship Match.
- The WWE World Heavyweight champion is the centerpiece of professional wrestling's brand.
Sports enthusiasts would be fascinated to learn about the longest reigns in WWE history, particularly Bruno Sammartino's record-breaking 2,803-day reign that earned him the title of the greatest in WWE history. Other significant reigns include Bob Backlund's 2,135-day reign, Pedro Morales' 1,027-day reign, CM Punk's 434-day reign, and Roman Reigns' current 720+ day reign, which continues to make history as the longest modern WWE Championship reign.
