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With SummerSlam 2018 on the horizon, AJ Styles’ WWE Championship reign has hit 281 days – the 14th longest tenure in the history of the company’s most famous title.
Why is this number significant? Well, it means he has leapfrogged JBL, John Cena and Yokozuna’s 280-day reigns with the championship, which puts him just 12 days behind The Ultimate Warrior and 15 days behind Superstar Billy Graham on the all-time list.
Styles’ title reign, which began when he defeated Jinder Mahal in November 2017, has been exclusive to the SmackDown Live brand, which means “The Phenomenal One” is now officially the longest-reigning WWE champion in the show’s history, surpassing JBL’s long-standing record.
If the two-time WWE champion can keep hold of his title beyond SummerSlam, where he will face Samoa Joe, he will almost certainly reach 12th position on the all-time list, but does he really stand a chance of reaching the top 10? And can he realistically break CM Punk’s modern-era record of 434 consecutive days as champ?
In this article, let’s take a look at the longest WWE Championship reigns in history.
Information correct as of 15 August 2018.
#14 AJ Styles (281 days and counting)
The start of the reign: In November 2017, the WWE Championship changed hands outside of North America for the first time (officially, at least – more on that later) when AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown Live in Manchester, England.
The end of the reign: Who knows?! Styles has defeated anyone and everyone that WWE has thrown at him over the last nine months. If he can survive his latest challenger, Samoa Joe, then the most likely candidates to take the title from him appear to be Daniel Bryan or Randy Orton.
#13 The Ultimate Warrior (293 days)
The start of the reign: In one of the most famous WrestleMania matches in WWE history, Intercontinental champion The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan to win the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania VI in April 1990.
The end of the reign: After successfully defending his title against Superstars including Rick Rude, Haku and Ted DiBiase, Warrior’s 293-day reign as WWE champion came to an end in January 1991 when he was defeated by Sgt Slaughter.
#12 Superstar Billy Graham (296 days)
The start of the reign: Superstar Billy Graham won the WWE Championship, then known as the WWWF Championship, for the one and only time in his career when he brought a shocking end to Bruno Sammartino’s three-and-a-half-year reign at a Baltimore house show in April 1977.
The end of the reign: After a 10-month rivalry which largely centred around controversial count-out finishes, Bob Backlund finally defeated Graham for the title at MSG in February 1978.
#11 Diesel (358 days)
The start of the reign: In November 1994, just three days after Bob Backlund defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series, Diesel picked up a surprise eight-second victory over the veteran at MSG to start his 358-day reign with the title.
The end of the reign: Diesel retained his title against Owen Hart, Bret Hart, Jeff Jarrett, Shawn Michaels, Bam Bam Bigelow, Sycho Sid, King Mabel and The British Bulldog over 12 months before losing to Bret in a No Disqualification match in November 1995 at Survivor Series.
#10 Hulk Hogan (364 days)
The start of the reign: The Mega Powers collided at WrestleMania V in April 1989, with Hulk Hogan defeating former tag partner “Macho Man” Randy Savage to win the WWE Championship for the second time in his career.
The end of the reign: Hogan was able to keep hold of his championship in matches against The Big Boss Man, The Honky Tonk Man, Ted DiBiase, The Genius and Savage. He was then defeated for the title by The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VI in April 1990.
#9 Randy Savage (371 days)
The start of the reign: In March 1988, Randy Savage won a tournament at WrestleMania IV, defeating Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, One Man Gang and Ted DiBiase, to become WWE champion.
The end of the reign: Savage defended his title against One Man Gang, Virgil, DiBiase, Andre The Giant and Bad News Brown. However, as we just alluded to, he was unable to retain when he met Hogan at WrestleMania V.
#8 John Cena (380 days)
The start of the reign: John Cena began his third tenure with the WWE Championship when he defeated Edge in a TLC match at Unforgiven in September 2006.
The end of the reign: Cena was successful in title defences against Superstars including Umaga, Shawn Michaels, The Great Khali and Bobby Lashley. However, he was forced to vacate his championship after 380 days in October 2007 due to a torn right pectoral tendon.
#7 CM Punk (434 days)
The start of the reign: Three months on from losing the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2011, CM Punk won the title for the second time in his career when he defeated Alberto Del Rio via submission at Survivor Series in November.
The end of the reign: Punk held the WWE Championship for a modern-era record 434 days, retaining it against the likes of Chris Jericho, John Cena and Daniel Bryan before losing against The Rock in January 2013 at the Royal Rumble.
#6 Bob Backlund (648 days)
The start of the reign: In February 1978, Bob Backlund became WWE champion for the first time when he defeated Superstar Billy Graham at MSG.
The end of the reign: This is where things get complicated. In November 1979, Antonio Inoki won the title from Backlund at a house show in Tokyo, Japan, ending his spell as champion at 648 days. However, Inoki’s reign lasted just six days and WWE does not officially recognise this as a title change in some of its records (but we do!).
#5 Pedro Morales (1,027 days)
The start of the reign: In February 1971, Pedro Morales ended Ivan Koloff’s 21-day reign as champion at MSG to begin his legendary 1,027-day tenure with the title.
The end of the reign: With Morales closing in on three years as champ, he was defeated by Stan Stasiak at a Philadelphia house show in December 1973. Stasiak, the very definition of 'transitional champion', only held the title for nine days before losing it against the next man on this list.
#4 Bruno Sammartino (1,237 days)
The start of the reign: The legendary Bruno Sammartino enjoyed two lengthy spells with the title. His second lasted a total of 1,237 days, beginning with a victory over Stan Stasiak at, you guessed it, MSG in December 1973.
The end of the reign: As we mentioned earlier, Superstar Billy Graham won the title for the one and only time in his career when he brought a shocking end to Sammartino’s three-and-a-half-year reign at a Baltimore house show in April 1977.
#3 Bob Backlund (1,470 days)
The start of the reign: Antonio Inoki’s six-day reign with the title came to an end in December 1979 when he vacated it after his rematch with Bob Backlund ended in a no contest. Two weeks later, Backlund regained the vacant title when he defeated Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death match.
The end of the reign: After a four-year reign as champion, Backlund lost the title to The Iron Shiek at MSG in December 1983 when his manager, Arnold Skaaland, threw in the towel to stop Shiek from applying any more pressure with his camel clutch submission.
#2 Hulk Hogan (1,474 days)
The start of the reign: The Iron Shiek’s reign with the WWE Championship didn’t last long – just 28 days in total – as Hulk Hogan defeated him at MSG in January 1984 to begin the longest title reign of his career.
The end of the reign: Hogan retained his championship over a four-year spell against Superstars including King Kong Bundy, Paul Orndorff and Andre The Giant. However, he was unable to keep the title when he met Andre again at The Main Event I in February 1988, with referee Earl Hebner incorrectly ruling a 3-count pinfall after receiving a bribe from Ted DiBiase. Andre then handed the title to DiBiase but it was later vacated.
#1 Bruno Sammartino (2,803 days)
The start of the reign: Way before Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and the 1997 Montreal Screwjob, the first major screwjob in the wrestling business took place when Bruno Sammartino defeated Buddy Rogers at MSG in May 1963. Vince McMahon Sr. had promised Bruno a title reign but feared Rogers would fake an injury to postpone the match if he knew the outcome, so the freakishly strong Bruno lifted his opponent up in a backbreaker and ordered him to submit after just 48 seconds.
The end of the reign: Remember the sound of shocked silence that greeted the end of The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak in 2014? Well, Bruno has recalled that he genuinely thought his hearing was damaged when the crowd fell silent after his 2,803-day reign with the title was ended by Ivan Koloff at MSG in January 1971.
