The art of being WWE Champion is something that not everyone can master, as we've covered in the 10 shortest combined reigns as WWE Champion list. However, there are the odd few Superstars who are able to cling onto that title belt and never let go, or, at least, not let go for a period of longer than a few months.
WWE's tendency to flip the title back and forth has come and gone over the years, but sometimes a light bulb goes off in the creative team’s collective heads and they decided to stick with the same Champion for an extended length of time.
Whether you're a fan of the ‘hot potato’ or not, you can't deny that it's much more effective when a long-term title holder loses the belt.
Recently we haven't seen too many reigns like that, with CM Punk's year-long effort taking him up to 12th on this list. With Macho Man Randy Savage in 11th, you can probably already tell that we're going to get some elite names in the top 10.
Some you'll no doubt hate, and some may pleasantly surprise you, given the differing amount of runs everyone had with the strap.
So with all of that covered, let's start our run down of the 10 longest combined reigns as WWE Champion.
#10 Stone Cold Steve Austin (529 days)
The face of the WWE for many years, Stone Cold Steve Austin is regarded by a lot of people to be the biggest wrestling Superstar in the history of the business. Whether you agree with that statement or not, you can't deny his impact in the squared circle and with that impact, comes the obvious title reigns - six of them, to be precise, over the course of his illustrious career as the Texas Rattlesnake.
With an average reign length of about 88 days, you can certainly feel the influence of the Attitude Era switcharoo mentality coming into play. Austin certainly made his time with the belt memorable, but he always seemed to be better served while chasing the gold, which is perhaps the reason that he's not higher up on this list.
Speaking of Austin, here's a man he had one or two run-ins with.
#9 Brock Lesnar (579 days)
Ah, the Beast Incarnate. Brock Lesnar was destined for greatness ever since he stepped foot inside of a WWE ring, and the quick nature in which he captured his first WWE Championship is a shining example of that.
Following his SummerSlam 2002 triumph over The Rock, it only seemed like a matter of time before Lesnar became one of the most memorable champions in the history of the business.
However, whilst he certainly had some good matches for the strap, things didn't really work out that way. Brock's four reigns as Champion averaged out to about 145 days a piece which is impressive, but him losing the belt felt a lot bigger and more important than the moments in which he actually won it.
Still, that may be a sign that WWE succeeded in booking him as an unstoppable monster all these years. Now we move onto a man who will want to forget his run-in with Mr Lesnar back in the summer.
#8 tied - Triple H (609 days)
Poor old Triple H. Despite trying for years and years to topple this list and become the single greatest Superstar in the history of the business, the COO of WWE will, unfortunately, have to settle for joint eighth.
That being said it's still a great place to be, with nine WWE Championship reigns to his name with the latest actually beginning this time last year in the 2016 Royal Rumble match.
However, HHH's relationship with the title was extremely bipolar, with the average length of his reigns being just 67 days. Given that The Game has transitioned into a number of different eras it's hardly surprising, but considering how strongly he has been booked over the years, it's hard to believe that his overall total isn't a little bit higher than this.
Maybe some day, Hunter. Onto a man that has had his fair share of problems with the former Evolution leader.
#7 tied - Randy Orton (660 days)
Randal Keith Orton, also known as Randy, was bred for this business from the day he was born. The cocky youngster was shot straight to the top of the WWE, becoming the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history within two years of his debut.
However, it wasn't just the WHC that brought him success, as the prestigious WWE Championship was placed around his waist on no less than eight different occasions.
Despite this, Orton actually has the worst average length for each of his reigns, with just 76 days separating his tenures with the belt. The Apex Predator certainly felt like an important Champion whenever he walked down to the ring with the strap, but it can be argued that none of his reigns really stood out from the other, apart from maybe his run heading into WrestleMania 30.
#6 Bret Hart (654 days)
The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.
That's not just a name on a t-shirt or a slogan that you can say every so often; it's the truth. Bret Hart made every single thing that he did in the ring look effortless, and his overall work as a performer rightfully earned him a number of WWE title reigns over the course of his career.
In a way, it's a shame that we never got to see what The Hitman would've been like when matched up against some of the newer stars that came into the fold when he left. That being said, he still managed to average 131 days per each of his five runs with the belt, so good old Bret must have been doing something right all these years.
We move from a man you've definitely heard of to one that we aren't so sure about.
#5 Pedro Morales (1,027 days)
Pedro Morales, who won the WWE Championship way back in 1971, is the only man on this list with just one reign to his name. That statistic by itself is absolutely staggering because it tells you just how well the guy did during his one and only run with the top prize in professional wrestling.
From one corner of the country to the other, Morales was able to hold onto the belt for nearly three years before dropping it to Stan Stasiak.
The Puerto Rican took pride in being the Champion, and as such during his time atop the mountain, WWE had a leader it could be proud of. Morales' place in WWE history was confirmed upon his induction into the Hall of Fame, and for years to come, we should be telling the future members of the WWE Universe about Superstars like this.
We enter the top four with someone slightly more modern.
#4 John Cena (1,240 days)
Word life, ladies and gentleman.
Who would've thought that the former rapper who wore NBA jerseys week in and week out would one day be towards the top of a list like this? John Cena has become one of the most iconic Superstars in the history of the business, and given his body of work, it's hard not to place him among the greatest of all time with people like Austin, Hogan and The Rock when it comes to star power.
In terms of his twelve reigns, however, Cena's average isn't quite what you'd expect it to be. With 103 days per run with the title, it would usually take just over three months for Big Match John to be dethroned by the next up-and-coming Superstar ready to knock him off of his perch.
As we approach the Royal Rumble this Sunday, it seems likely that this tally will continue to grow. We move into the super elite, starting with a man we see quite regularly these days.
#3 Bob Backlund (2,138 days)
Yup, that mad guy who coaches Darren Young is one of the greatest WWE Champions of all time. Back in his day, Bob Backlund was quite literally one of the most famous Superstars of his era, and rightly so when you consider his in-ring ability coupled together with his bizarre character that he portrayed from time to time.
If you want the definition of an unlikely hero, then look no further than this guy.
The master of the Crossface chickenwing averaged an astonishing 1,069 days between his two runs as WWE Champion, with the reigns coming in two entirely different eras. The wrestling machine turned inspirational mentor has more than earned his place both in WWE history, and the WWE Hall of Fame; even if his induction speech was a tad bizarre.
Onto a man that nobody will be surprised to see towards the top of this or any other list.
#2 Hulk Hogan (2,185 days)
The Real American. The hero. Arguably the single biggest name in the history of pro wrestling. Hulk Hogan holds many accolades, but one of the things that defined him more than any other tidbit is his history with the WWE Championship.
With six tenures as champion spanning across this magnificent total, it's no wonder that people say Hulkamania reignited the world of 'sports entertainment' as we know it today.
In terms of average length, the Hulkster is nothing if not consistent, with 364 days being the usual duration of his Championship runs. Even though his last triumph in 2002 wasn't nearly as long as some of his others, this still averages out to a year per reign, which is quite simply a phenomenal achievement when you consider just how long the guy has been in the business.
We finish off with quite simply - the greatest.
#1 Bruno Sammartino (4,040 days)
After years of exile, Bruno Sammartino is once again part of the WWE family and it just had to happen considering he's the greatest WWE Champion of all time. The New York legend is one of the most iconic figures in the wrestling business even to this day, with many fans gradually starting to appreciate his greatness after he spent so much time away from the spotlight due to personal issues with the company.
But all of that has been put behind him, and we can now revel in the glory of Sammartino's two brilliant reigns as the leader of the promotion, with an average of 2,020 days each. When you look down this list and see that his total nearly doubles that of the runner up Hulk Hogan, you start to get a good idea of just how phenomenal Bruno's influence on the industry was.
Simply remarkable.
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