The WWE Championship is the most prestigious belt in all of professional wrestling, and as such, many fans believe that long title reigns are the way to go in terms of making the strap feel even more important.
Whether you agree with that statement or not isn't really the point, as we're here to look at the case that goes against that theory.
Not everyone can be WWE Champion - we know that. However, it seems a bit bizarre to take the title off of people so soon after them winning it. Whilst it can be considered good for storyline purposes, in the grand scheme of their careers they'll be known as "the guy that barely held onto the belt".
People love looking through every Superstar's past achievements these days, and that kind of thing is sure to stand out above the rest.
Now that may be a little over-dramatic, but at the same time, you cannot deny the sentiment. As we look through the list of the 10 shortest combined reigns for the championship, try and consider how these guys were feeling after being told that they'd quickly lose the thing they fought so hard to claim.
With all that being said, let's take a look.
#10 Batista - 37 days
The Animal Batista is well known for his successful tenure in the WWE, but he certainly had his fair share of issues throughout the years that hindered him from time to time. Whilst it was nothing too severe, Batista highlighted towards the back end of his last run how he didn't like the direction in which the company was going.
Which makes the timing of his two WWE Championship reigns in 2009 and 2010 all the more interesting. After vacating the belt just two days after winning the title against Randy Orton, Batista went on to hold it once again from Elimination Chamber 2010 leading into WrestleMania 26.
Also read: 5 greatest Intercontinental champions of all time
His feud with John Cena was certainly an entertaining one, but a lot of fans were eager to see Big Dave once again reign supreme over Cena. Alas, it wasn't to be, and in the end, it makes sense as Batista was much more heavily featured alongside the World Heavyweight Championship during his time in sports entertainment.
We go back a few decades now to one of the biggest heels in history.
#9 The Iron Sheik - 28 days
The Iron Sheik is well known in the wrestling industry as being a little bit mad these days, with his controversial Twitter outbursts overshadowing what a great legacy the guy has in the business.
His historical feud with Hulk Hogan both in and outside of the ring is well documented, with the Hulkster being the one to end The Sheik’s four-week title reign.
After winning the strap against Bob Backlund at a house show, Sheik carried the WWE Championship for less than a month before dropping it to Hogan in one of the most famous moments in the history of professional wrestling.
Some say it kick started Vince's company and took things to a whole new level, with Hogan's reign eventually lasting 1,474 days.
Some people believe that 'Sheiky baby' should have had a more extended run with the strap, but in the grand scheme of his career, this made sense. The ultimate heel will forever be remembered for his part in this historical moment, and as a result, there's no reason for him to be ashamed.
Moving on to yet another legend of the business.
#8 Buddy Rogers - 22 days
Buddy Rogers is one of those names that newer fans have heard of, but never really knew. As it turns out his position in this list is quite ironic, considering he was the first ever WWE Champion back in 1963.
Given that this was the beginning of the company, things are a bit sketchy in terms of the length, but either way, Rogers belongs in the conversation for "most important champions ever".
That being said, the reign itself wasn't really long enough for people to become overly invested.
After winning the title in Brazil, things went rather similar to The Iron Shiek for Rodgers as he lost the title to the ultimate hero in Bruno Sammartino who went on to hold it for a long period of time. How long? Just a mere 2,803 days or nearly eight years. Massive.
In a way, Rogers kick started this whole thing, and can forever be remembered as the first of 49 WWE Champions throughout the course of history. Whether or not the youth of today will appreciate his achievement is irrelevant, because it will forever be engrained into the history books.
Now back to something a little bit more recent.
#7 Rob Van Dam - 22 days
In terms of popularity, things don't get much bigger than Rob Van Dam in his prime. The high flyer was considered to be one of the most underrated superstars in the history of WWE before eventually getting his big win, defeating John Cena to become the WWE Champion.
The reign, however, didn't last long, as rumours of a wellness violation saw him lose the strap just over three weeks later to Edge in a Triple Threat match also involving Cena.
It's a shame in a lot of ways that this happened, considering how popular RVD was, but at the same time, you've got to respect the rules put in place by the company.
Naturally, they didn't put the title back on him due to trust issues, but considering the fact that his popularity was still through the roof it's surprising that they didn't consider putting things to one side. After all, RVD possesses the ability to have a strong match with just about anybody.
We once again go into the past for this next entry.
#6 Stan Stasiak - 9 days
A name that not too many people are going to be familiar with is Stan Stasiak. The man who was sandwiched between two reigns that eclipsed 1,000 days, Stasiak was only able to hold onto the strap for nine days towards the back end of 1973. If you want the definition of a transitional champion, this is it.
After winning the title from Pedro Morales in Philadelphia, his reign would last just over a week before Bruno Sammartino reclaimed the gold in New York City, a title which he held all the way through until 1977.
Stan stayed with the company until 1979 before leaving to become, of all things, a security guard.
Stasiak is an important example of why we should value the history of this business we all love so much. Despite not making too much of an impact in a way that would attract the attention of current viewers, he's still in the record books as a former WWE Champion.
That in itself should earn him some respect from the WWE Universe.
From an unexpected champion to the man who started it all.
#5 Vince McMahon - 6 days
"No chance - that's what you've got". Some may say it's just a theme tune, but it can also be considered a harrowing reminder that Vince McMahon is still the man in charge of WWE and will be for a long time to come. He can put the title on whoever he sees fit and back in the late 90s, that honour fell to himself.
After pinning Triple H to capture the WWE Championship thanks to a great deal of assistance, the boss vacated the strap just six days later to the relief of many fans around the world.
As was the case with his ECW Championship tenure, a lot of people were unhappy with the decision which makes it a pretty smart move for Vince to vacate it so quickly.
We've seen the boss winning the title storyline get replicated in the last twelve months, with Triple H lifting the belt up high leading into WrestleMania 32. Who knows, perhaps we'll see it take place on a number of occasions down the years as we enter this fascinating new era.
Now to a reign that some people believe didn't even really exist.
#4 Antonio Inoki - 6 days
Antonio Inoki is a man who many know the name of, but not as many believe was ever WWE Champion. Alas that was the case back in the late 70s, after the Japanese Superstar pinned Bob Backlund before immediately vacating the belt in a rematch six days later.
Despite this series of events, WWE don't officially recognise Inoki as being a former champion. The reason for this, we assume, is that they wanted to extend the reign of Backlund and make it seem like he never lost it.
Unfortunately for the company, we actually have access to the internet and are able to find out the truth ourselves.
Inoki was a one of a kind legendary performer, and he deserves a bit more notice than he gets in the grand scheme of professional wrestling. The icon will always be a part of the WWE family one way or another, but perhaps not in the way that a lot of fans desire.
From six days down to one as we look into one of the most underrated superstars in WWE history.
#3 Kane - 1 day
Ah, Kane. The Big Red Machine has been a part of the WWE family for over two decades now, and it's about time that we recognise him as one of the greatest ever. Yes, his track record isn't brilliant in terms of achievements in comparison to others, but that doesn't mean he hasn't had a noteworthy career.
Kane's one and only day as WWE Champion came when he defeated Steve Austin in a First Blood match, before losing the title back to The Texas Rattlesnake the next night on Raw.
Some may see that as a waste these days, but it seems as if it was a common theme back in the days of the Attitude Era.
Whether or not you liked Kane, you can't deny that he deserved a longer reign with the belt. As his World Heavyweight Championship run proved, the guy could carry the weight of a World Title and it's a shame that WWE didn't believe that.
Just picture the unstoppable monster holding the belt for over a year.
From one of the biggest to one of the smallest.
#2 Rey Mysterio - less than a day
Poor old Rey. The ultimate underdog had a great run in the WWE, with the high flyer putting in some tremendous performances over the years whilst also being one of the most popular superstars in the history of the company. It's a shame, then, that his one and only title run began and ended on the same night, in one hour and 46 minutes to be precise.
After defeating The Miz in a tournament final to crown the new champion, just eight days after CM Punk walked out of Money in the Bank with the belt, John Cena immediately fought Mysterio for the title.
Cena won, of course, and the entire wrestling world was stunned at what surely by description alone was a Big Match John heel turn. Nope. Apparently, this was an entirely normal thing for a babyface to do to another babyface - whatever.
Either way, this was a grand old shame for Rey and whilst he also got a few World Heavyweight Championship reigns, he should've had at least a week with the big one before Cena rolled in to take it away.
For our final selection, we transition back to the big men.
#1 Andre The Giant - less than a day
Andre The Giant is one of the biggest legends in the history of professional wrestling and if you disagree, you may well not have heard of him.
The man is so big that he has a battle royal named after him on a yearly basis at WrestleMania, in addition to being involved with one of the most iconic moments in the event's history back at WM3.
So the fact that Andre vacated the belt and just gave it to Ted DiBiase is a great shame.
If anything, it would've been great for Andre to be the man to hold the championship heading into his bout with Hogan but instead, they gave it to him following the event. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that was typically the case back in the 80s.
Either way, we as supporters of the legend will continue to marvel in the greatness of his career as if he'd won 50 world championships because that's what he deserves. Andre truly was a larger than life personality, and that persona resonated through every time he stepped between the ropes.
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