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The WWE Championship is the most prestigious championship in professional wrestling, and the competition against it has not even been close since the fall of the NWA.
Over its storied 55 year old history, 50 different men have had the honor of holding the WWE Championship. And for the most part, the championship have been reserved for some of the biggest legends in professional wrestling.
The world of pro-wrestling is a rather intriguing one, so to speak--particularly given the fact that its a unique blend of sports and entertainment. While the WWE or any major pro-wrestling promotion for that matter usually books its most charismatic superstars as the champions, the fact remains that the history of the WWE Championship has indeed witnessed several great athletes hold the prestigious title.
In other words, several excellent competitors have been accorded the great honor of holding the WWE Championship and representing this wonderful company in the realm of sports-entertainment. While at times the WWE Universe has been quite vocal about their dislike for certain heels who held the title, there have been several legendary babyfaces who have also captured the highly-coveted title.
It's from among the aforementioned 50 men that the WWE Universe has time and again picked out a select few distinguished gentlemen who happen to be the cream of the crop, so to speak.
Today we take a look back at the five greatest champions to have ever held the title. Now the five legends that make up this list have been elected on the basis of the combined number of days that they spent as the premier Champion in professional wrestling--
#5 Pedro Morales: 1027 days
Now while most of the modern wrestling fans may not be aware of who Pedro Morales is, it is safe to say that he was a pretty big deal back in the day. Morales became the champion back when the company was called the WWWF.
Morales only won the WWWF Championship once but managed to hold on to it for a staggering 1027 days. Morales also holds the record for the longest reign as the Intercontinental Champion of the company at 619 days.
Morales is widely considered as the greatest Puerto Rican wrestler in history. He was also the first pro-wrestler of Latin origin to hold a world championship in pro wrestling. in 1995, WWE inducted Morales into their Hall of Fame.
#4 John Cena: 1257 days
John Cena often does not get the respect that he deserves from the WWE fans. He has been the face of the company for more than a decade and the challenges which the WWE has faced in replacing him, just goes on to show how good of a job Cena has done over the years.
Cena makes the list as the fourth greatest champion in WWE history with a combined 1257 days spent at the top of the wrestling mountain. During this time, Cena has held the title for a record 13 times.
#3 Bob Backlund: 2138 days
Today wrestling fans might know Bob Backlund as the eccentric pro-wrestling legend who makes appearances on television from time to time. However, back in his heyday, Backlund was one of the greatest professional wrestlers on the planet.
Backlund's first reign as champion lasted almost 6 years, the second longest reign in WWE history. Backlund would win the title again in 1994 when he defeated Bret Hart to become the world champion 16 years after his first reign.
Backlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013.
#2 Hulk Hogan: 2185 days
Pro-wrestling would not be the global phenomenon that it is today without this man. Perhaps wrestling's first global icon, Hulk Hogan would remain the face of the then WWF for a decade.
This period in wrestling is known as the 'Golden Era'. It marked the initial boom in the pro-wrestling industry when it would go from a territorial pastime to a legitimate national sport.
Nobody before had managed to capture the imagination of the American public quite like Hulk Hogan. During his time in the WWF, Hogan held the top championship of the company for a combined 2185 days, which makes him the second greatest champion in history.
Hulk Hogan is just not a professional wrestling legend but also a cultural icon. Just the fact that he headlined Wrestlemania eight times, speaks for the impact which the man had on the industry.
#1 Bruno Sammartino: 4040 days
The personification of the American Dream. Bruno Sammartino was born in Italy in 1935.
During the second World War, Bruno and his family were forced to hide from the Nazi soldiers, and there are legendary stories about how is mother would sneak into German camps to steal food for their family. In 1950, Sammartino would immigrate to USA,
From his humble beginnings Bruno would go on to become a national hero during his time in the then WWWF. His reign lasted at the top of the wrestling industry for more than 11 years.
Something nobody ever has been or ever will be able to match in the sport of professional wrestling.
Just the fact that Bruno Sammartino sold out the world famous Madison Square Garden a record 187 times should tell you everything you need to know about the popularity and admiration that the American people had for this legend.
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