Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment ( WWE ) History has a rich line of big personalities like Steve Austin , Triple H and Dwayne " The Rock " Johnson , who ’ve stood like titans in the ring . In direct contrast , lesser - known stars like Seth Rollins stole the show by cash in in the bank briefcase at the " Money in the Bank " event .
Beginning with Buddy Rogers , the 1963 maiden champion , WWE champions have uprise and fall through the decades , with many of thelongest WWE claim reignslasting month and even years .
What Is a WWE Champion?
The World Champion Match has germinate over the years , but it has always been the premier arena , primed for the good second and occasional new WWE title reign .
Winner of the WWE Championship
Your favorite wrestlingstardoesn’t have a luck of becoming the reign WWE fighter without walk through a backbreaking route of toughened competitor on their fashion to the WWE Championship Match . Once they win , a target is secure on their back , and they must fend off allusurpersto the can .
Winner of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship
The Undisputed WWE Championship match was introduced on July 25 , 2016 , during the Raw and SmackDown split . The title couple was created specifically for the Raw brand after the original WWE World Heavyweight Championships were unified with the WWE World Championship in 2014 .
This allowed a unmarried Undisputed WWE Universal Champion to reign supreme across both brands .
Winner of the World Heavyweight Championship
The centrepiece of professional wrestling ’s stigma is the WWE World heavyweight hotshot . Big names like Ric Flair , Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena have each written their prestigious chapter in the deed of conveyance ’s storied history .
Top 20 Longest Reigns in WWE History
A WWE title sovereignty is the peak of any professional rassling career . The following stars of the ring have crusade and hemorrhage to hold the belt against their worthy adversaries for the long periods of time .
20. Shawn Michaels (231 Days)
Shawn Michaels achieve his childhooddreamwhen he won the belt from Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12 . His precious claim expend to the sounds of boos after a 231 - mean solar day reign with a full-grown loss to Sycho Sid in 1996 .
19. Bret Hart (248 Days)
A Bret Hart equal was the principal issue for any wrestling devotee during his eight - month reign following his epic dethroning of Yokuzuna . The highlighting of Hart ’s WWE Championship was his five - star steel cage epic against his brotherOwen Hartat SummerSlam 1994 .
18. Hulk Hogan (248 Days)
As you ’ll find on this list , Hulk Hogan ’s on - and - off - again patronage sovereignty lasted several decades during the 1980s and 90s . This 248 - daylight campaign was framed by his contention with the mustachioed , camo - clad Sgt . Slaughter .
17. Yokozuna (280 Days)
Although Yokozuna ’s reign come about during one of the franchise ’s dark historic period , he still accomplish the incredible feat of stick one of the all - time greats , Hulk Hogan , to reach the top of the mountain .
16. John Bradshaw Layfield, aka JBL (280 Days)
In 2004 , injuries hobbled Kurt Angle , and Brock Lesnar decided to leave the organization . JBL slid into the principal " heel " role to corroborate his 2nd reign as WWE admirer againstmammothcontenders , include Booker T , The Undertaker and Big Show .
15. John Cena (280 Days)
During his 280 - day title reign , John Cena toppled top public figure such as Chris Jericho , Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle before diminish to Edge in the first Money in the Bank event in 2006 .
14. The Ultimate Warrior (293 Days)
WrestleMania 6 was the main event of the wrestling globe in 1990 when The Ultimate Warrior disturb Hulk Hogan to succeed the belt .
13. Superstar Billy Graham (296 Days)
Superstar Billy Graham was one of the originalantiheroesthat you either sleep with or loved to hate . This G. Stanley Hall - of - fame " heel " took the 1970s wrestle scene by violent storm when he ended Bruno Sammartino ’s 1,237 - sidereal day sovereignty at the 1977 World Championship .
12. Diesel (358 Days)
In a meteorological rise to fame , Diesel took down Bob Backlund in seconds before a sold - out Madison Square Garden crowd in 1994 .
11. Hulk Hogan (364 Days)
During a transitionary period in the WWE universe , Hulk Hogan egress on top again when he vote out Randy Savage in WrestleMania 5 . He would send packing the belt almost a twelvemonth later at the next WrestleMania .
10. ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage (371 Days)
" Macho Man " Randy savage was a " tower of power , too sweet to be off-key " when he vote out Ted DiBiase to claim MVP in his first title victory at WrestleMania 4 in 1988 .
9. AJ Styles (371 Days)
This Grand Slam title-holder go for an telling second reign as WWE champion until he dropped to Daniel Bryan before he could face up rival Brock Lesnar at the 2018 Survivor Series .
8. John Cena (380 Days)
This iconic run from one of WWE history ’s favorite heroes put him head - to - point with contender , including Randy Orton , Edge , Shawn Michaels , and the Great Khali . John Cena ’s 380 - day sovereignty may have lasted longer , debar a thoracic injury that coerce him to abandon the deed .
7. CM Punk (434 Days)
The tat high-risk boy CM Punk was at the top of his game when he held the title for over a calendar twelvemonth in 2012 . However , all road must come to an remnant . As for CM Punk , his route terminate with The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble .
6. Roman Reigns (720+ Days)
The current champion Roman Reigns , a.k.a the " Tribal Chief , " start his dominance with a monumental defeat over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38 . However , Reigns shows no signs of slowing down as he has strip Kevin Owens , Sami Zayn , Cody Rhodes and even his first cousin Jey Uso .
5. Pedro Morales (1,027 Days)
This WWWF World heavyweight champion was the first wrestler to achieve the ternary poll ( back then , the Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment was the World Wide Wrestling Federation ) . His sovereignty last for an impressive three eld before dropping the bang to Stan Stasiak .
4. Bruno Sammartino (1,237 Days)
Bruno Sammartino is the longest - reigning WWE champion of all prison term , and surprisingly , this 1,237 - day stint of harbor the world statute title was only his second - longest .
3. Hulk Hogan (1,474 Days)
Hulk Hogan held sway over the wrestling world for decennium but entered his ultimate prime when he defeated the Iron Sheik in 1984 . Even mammoth contender like King Kong Bundy , Big John Studd andAndre the Giantcouldn’t slip the tip from his golden , handlebar mustachioed drumhead .
2. Bob Backlund (2,135 Days)
Although not a name brand in the rassling fan zeitgeist , Bob Backlund still deserves a strong spot in the record books for his judgment - blowing 2,135 - twenty-four hour period reign as WWE champ .
1. Bruno Sammartino (2,803 Days)
The No . 1 spot for the longest reign as WWE champion goes to the king of Madison Square Garden , Bruno Sammartino . With today ’s gift grade , it is highly unlikely that anyone will ever match Sammartino ’s prevalent rule .
How Long Has Wrestling Been Around?
Wrestling is arguably one of the old sports in human history , with many records show depictions date as far back as 3000 B.C.E. It was a premier result at the ancient Greek Olympics , where athletes would fight down and scuffle in the area put on nothing but their natal day suit .
With today ’s rigorous censoring , it can be speculated that the trend will not return for the next primetime televised hand-to-hand struggle consequence .
