07-22-2011, 04:37 PM
1. Bruno Sammartino - 11+ years (4,040 days)
Bruno Sammartino was the dominant figure in the early days of the WWE. His first title reign was from 1963 - 1971. He regained the title in 1973 and held it until 1977. Even after losing the belt, he was still the top draw in the company. He headlined the 1980 Shea Stadium show in a cage match against Larry Zbysko. He was a commentator for the WWE in the '80s. Since leaving the business, Bruno has been an outspoken critic against the WWE and that has kept him out of the WWE Hall of Fame.
2. Hulk Hogan - almost 6 years (2,185 days)
"Hulk Hogan"© 2006 Matt Law
Hulk's six title reigns barely place him in second place. Hulk's first title reign was his longest. He beat the Iron Sheik in 1984 and held the title until 1988. During his time in WCW, he was their champion for approximately 3 calendar years.
3. Bob Backlund - almost 6 years (2,138 days)
Bob Backlund beat Billy Graham in 1978 and held the belt until 1983. He returned to the ring in the early '90s and held the championship for a few days.
4. Triple H - 3+ years (1,151 days)
Triple H is a 13-time champion. While he does not hold the record for the length of his title reigns, he does hold the record for most combined championship title reigns in the WWE. His 8 WWE Championship reigns as well as his 5 World Heavyweight Championship reigns are also records. Triple H's first won the WWE Championship in 1999. His 13th title reign began at No Way Out 2009
.
5. John Cena - 3+ Years (1,130 days)
John Cena won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 from JBL. He was briefly without the WWE title when Edge cashed in his money in the bank shot but he regained it a few weeks later. He lost the title to Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006 but would win it again from Edge at Unforgiven. His third title reign lasted over a year and ended with him having to forfeit the title due to an injury. He won the World Heavyweight Championship by beating Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 2008 and lost it a few months later in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out. Over the course of the next few years, John has had several runs with both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship.
6. Pedro Morales - almost 3 years (1,027 days)
Pedro Morales was the champ from 1971 - 1973. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. He became the first wrestler to become triple crown champion. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. In 1995, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
7. Bret Hart - almost 2 years (654 days)
Bret's first title win was a shock to wrestling fans anywhere. He beat Ric Flair in an untelevised match and showed up on TV as champ even though he wasn't thought to be a contender for the title. By contrast, his final title loss and final match in the WWE is the most talked about match of all time.
8. Edge - 551 days
Starting in 2006, Edge became fixture on the main even scene after cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot to win the WWE Championship. Edge would go on to be known as the Ultimate Opportunist because of the way he would go about winning and retaining the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship. He wound up having four WWE Championship reigns and seven World Heavyweight Championship reigns. Sadly, Edge was forced to retire in 2011 while still the World Heavyweight Champion due to medical problems related to a neck injury he suffered several years earlier.
9. Batista - 540 days
Batista won his first title by beating Triple H at WrestleMania 21. His first title reign ended when he was forced to vacate the following January due to injury. His second reign lasted from Survivor Series '06 when he beat King Booker until WrestleMania 23 when he lost to the Undertaker. His third reign started at Unforgiven '07 when he beat the Champion the Great Khali and Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match. He lost the title for the third to Edge in a triple-threat match that also included the Undertaker at Armageddon '07. His fourth and fifth championship reigns each lasted only 8 days. His sixth title reign began at Eimination Chamber 2010 and ended five weeks later at WrestleMania XXVI when he beat and lost the title to John Cena.
10. Steve Austin - 529 days
Steve might have been higher on this list if not for a serious neck injury. His first title victory featured Mike Tyson as a special enforcer referee. In an ironic twist, his final title reign ended the night the WCW title ceased to exist. It is the emergence of Steve Austin as a superstar that turned the tide in the favor of the WWE during the Monday Night War against WCW.
Bruno Sammartino was the dominant figure in the early days of the WWE. His first title reign was from 1963 - 1971. He regained the title in 1973 and held it until 1977. Even after losing the belt, he was still the top draw in the company. He headlined the 1980 Shea Stadium show in a cage match against Larry Zbysko. He was a commentator for the WWE in the '80s. Since leaving the business, Bruno has been an outspoken critic against the WWE and that has kept him out of the WWE Hall of Fame.
2. Hulk Hogan - almost 6 years (2,185 days)
"Hulk Hogan"© 2006 Matt Law
Hulk's six title reigns barely place him in second place. Hulk's first title reign was his longest. He beat the Iron Sheik in 1984 and held the title until 1988. During his time in WCW, he was their champion for approximately 3 calendar years.
3. Bob Backlund - almost 6 years (2,138 days)
Bob Backlund beat Billy Graham in 1978 and held the belt until 1983. He returned to the ring in the early '90s and held the championship for a few days.
4. Triple H - 3+ years (1,151 days)
Triple H is a 13-time champion. While he does not hold the record for the length of his title reigns, he does hold the record for most combined championship title reigns in the WWE. His 8 WWE Championship reigns as well as his 5 World Heavyweight Championship reigns are also records. Triple H's first won the WWE Championship in 1999. His 13th title reign began at No Way Out 2009
.
5. John Cena - 3+ Years (1,130 days)
John Cena won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 from JBL. He was briefly without the WWE title when Edge cashed in his money in the bank shot but he regained it a few weeks later. He lost the title to Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006 but would win it again from Edge at Unforgiven. His third title reign lasted over a year and ended with him having to forfeit the title due to an injury. He won the World Heavyweight Championship by beating Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 2008 and lost it a few months later in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out. Over the course of the next few years, John has had several runs with both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship.
6. Pedro Morales - almost 3 years (1,027 days)
Pedro Morales was the champ from 1971 - 1973. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. He became the first wrestler to become triple crown champion. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. In 1995, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
7. Bret Hart - almost 2 years (654 days)
Bret's first title win was a shock to wrestling fans anywhere. He beat Ric Flair in an untelevised match and showed up on TV as champ even though he wasn't thought to be a contender for the title. By contrast, his final title loss and final match in the WWE is the most talked about match of all time.
8. Edge - 551 days
Starting in 2006, Edge became fixture on the main even scene after cashing in his Money in the Bank title shot to win the WWE Championship. Edge would go on to be known as the Ultimate Opportunist because of the way he would go about winning and retaining the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship. He wound up having four WWE Championship reigns and seven World Heavyweight Championship reigns. Sadly, Edge was forced to retire in 2011 while still the World Heavyweight Champion due to medical problems related to a neck injury he suffered several years earlier.
9. Batista - 540 days
Batista won his first title by beating Triple H at WrestleMania 21. His first title reign ended when he was forced to vacate the following January due to injury. His second reign lasted from Survivor Series '06 when he beat King Booker until WrestleMania 23 when he lost to the Undertaker. His third reign started at Unforgiven '07 when he beat the Champion the Great Khali and Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match. He lost the title for the third to Edge in a triple-threat match that also included the Undertaker at Armageddon '07. His fourth and fifth championship reigns each lasted only 8 days. His sixth title reign began at Eimination Chamber 2010 and ended five weeks later at WrestleMania XXVI when he beat and lost the title to John Cena.
10. Steve Austin - 529 days
Steve might have been higher on this list if not for a serious neck injury. His first title victory featured Mike Tyson as a special enforcer referee. In an ironic twist, his final title reign ended the night the WCW title ceased to exist. It is the emergence of Steve Austin as a superstar that turned the tide in the favor of the WWE during the Monday Night War against WCW.