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The most coveted prize in the industry, the WWE Championship symbolises excellence, perseverance, and being the best of your day.
From its inception in 1963, a total 50 men have held the gold, the first of whom being the original Nature Boy, Buddy Rogers.
Since then, names like Pedro Morales, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Triple H, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles have all made names for themselves by carrying the title, which has gone over some dramatic changes over the years.
And whilst these men were all excellent champions, there are some who did even better, holding the title, over many reigns, for ages, garnering a legion of fans along the way.
There are even those superstars who not only had the reigns hit triple digits, but went the next step, with fans wondering when they'd ever drop the title.
Here are five WWE Superstars who held the iconic championship for over 1000 days.
#5 Pedro Morales
Modern day fans may not be too familiar with his work, but Pedro Morales may be the biggest star who is far too often overlooked.
The fourth WWE Champion ever, Morales won the gold in February 1971, dethroning Ivan Koloff to do so.
His reign, which lasted an astounding 1027 days, saw some dramatic changes such as the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship losing the term 'world', when the company rejoined the National Wrestling Alliance.
After a very impressive run, Morales, the first Puerto Rican to hold the gold, would eventually lose the title in December 1973 to Stan 'The Man' Stasiak, whose reign would not be quite as impressive as Morales', lasting a mere nine days
#4 John Cena
One of the biggest stars in wrestling ever, the meteoric rise of John Cena is underlined with his 16 World Championship reigns, 13 of which he was WWE Champion.
Winning his first WWE title at WrestleMania 21, his first reign was a sign of things to come, holding the gold from April 2005 to January 2006, where he lost it to Edge.
Regaining the title not long after, Cena's 13 reigns would last an astonishing 1254 days, with Big Match John defeating the likes of JBL, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Batista, Edge, The Miz, The Rock, and AJ Styles along the way.
Cena's last reign came in early 2017, when he defeated the Phenomenal One to tie Ric Flair's world title record, and whilst Cena is now a part-timer, there's still the chance of him grasping that elusive 17th world title reign.
#3 Bob Backlund
When Mr. Backlund won the WWE Championship in February 1978, few could've expected just how long his reign would last.
Defeating all opponents in his way, Backlund held the gold for 2,135 days, though struggled to reach this mark, as he technically lost the title twice, though these switches were not sanctioned, and thus aren't acknowledged.
With over 2,000 days as champion, Backlund's reign was the equivalent of entering six WrestleManias as champion in a row, a feat that no-one has been able to accomplish.
Losing to the Iron Sheik on Boxing Day 1983, Backlund would shockingly become champion once again in 1994, 16 years after winning it the first time.
This reign though would be the opposite of his first, as Backlund lost the title in three days, losing the title to Diesel on a house show.
#2 Hulk Hogan
Arguably the biggest stat in wrestling, Hulk Hogan transcended the sport, becoming an iconic symbol of the 1980s, pop culture, and Americana.
First winning the title in 1984, Hogan dethroned the Iron Sheik on January 24, in what the company has described as the day Hulkamania was born.
Across his six reigns, Hogan would reign as champion for a combined 2,185 days, appearing in the main event of eight of the first nine WrestleManias.
As if that wasn't impressive enough, Hogan would hold the title across three separate decades, winning the WWE Championship in the 80s, and holding it well into the early 90s.
Leaving the company in 1993 for WCW, Hogan would return in 2002, shockingly winning the title at Backlash, defeating Triple H and proving that Hulkamania will live on forever.
#1 Bruno Sammartino
The Italian Stallion himself, Bruno Sammartino captured the hearts of a generation when he won the WWE Championship in May 1963, becoming the second champion in the title's history.
With his first reign lasting 2,803 days, Sammartino already eclipsed all others on this list with just this first run, but wasn't done yet.
Losing the title to Ivan Koloff in January 1971, the Hall of Famer focused on regaining the gold, and did just that in December 1973, becoming the first man ever to hold the WWE Championship twice.
With this reign lasting 1,237 days, Sammartino's total time as champion stands at an outstanding 4,040 days, a record everyone in wrestling has accepted will never ever be broken, with the Hall of Famer's legendary status immortalised.
