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The Usos guaranteed their passage into the WWE history books by defeating New Day on SmackDown. Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston faced the Undisputed Tag Team Champions with the titles and their 483-day record as champions at stake. It was arguably the highest-stakes tag team match in the promotion's history, and both legendary duos brought the fight.
New Day vs. The Usos never disappoints, and their latest outing was a worthy addition to their flawless catalog of bangers. The Usos came out on top, hitting the 1-D on Kingston to get the pin for a raucous ovation. As of Monday, The Ones will be the longest-reigning tag team champions in WWE history, earning themselves arguably the biggest record in the division's history.
Records like these take time to establish, so it's a huge deal when they are eclipsed. Here are five major championship milestones that could be broken in the promotion as soon as 2023, emulating The Usos' incredible achievement.
#5: Gunther could cement his Intercontinental Championship legacy in 2023
The WWE landscape is currently dominated by long-reigning champions, headlined by the 800+ day Undisputed Universal champion, Roman Reigns. A few current champions could etch their names at the head of their respective tables by the end of next year. If they can keep their titles beyond WrestleMania weekend, the likes of Damage CTRL and Bron Breakker could end up as the longest-reigning holders of their respective titles.
However, the dominant champion looking most likely to make history in 2023 is Gunther. The Ring General looks like a serious threat to The Honky Tonk Man's 32-year old record 454-day reign even though he's still almost 300 days away. The undefeated monster heel has everything from size to agility to in-ring skill on his side, not to mention Imperium watching his back.
Can any WWE Superstar find a way over the imperious man-mountain by September 7, 2023? At the moment, it's not looking likely.
#4: Mandy Rose could be the longest-reigning NXT Women's Champion by the time WrestleMania 39 rolls around
Asuka's introduction to WWE was arguably the most dominant the company has ever seen. The Empress of Tomorrow was unbeaten for a total of 914 days in both NXT and the main roster before losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 34. Her legendary undefeated streak entailed an iconic 522-day reign as NXT Women's Champion beginning at TakeOver: Dallas and only ending due to relinquishment.
Current champion Mandy Rose has the opportunity to surpass Asuka's legendary 522-day mark by holding on to her title until March 29, 2023. There's a very real possibility that the Toxic Attraction leader will hold the title until WrestleMania 39 weekend, allowing her to overtake the seemingly insurmountable record. Then, we will all have no other option but to put some respect on her name!
#3&2: The Miz is close to achieving all-time greatness in Intercontinental championship history
The Miz is one of, if not the greatest Intercontinental champion in WWE history. The Awesome One has held the iconic mid-card title eight times for a total of 592 days over his career. This means he is one 25-day reign away from equalling Chris Jericho's record of nine reigns and Pedro Morales' unequaled 617 combined days as champion.
The Miz has spent most of 2022 as a mid-card hand, putting over celebrities and young stars whilst running from Dexter Lumis. He is also not on the same brand as the Intercontinental Champion. However, if a draft were to bring the A-Lister and IC title onto the same brand, we could witness the two-time grand slam champion kill two historic birds with one stone. It is a very real possibility in 2023.
#1: Roman Reigns could become the longest-reigning WWE champion of the modern era in 2023
Roman Reigns' current Undisputed Universal championship reign has been widely celebrated as a legendary feat, and rightly so. He has defeated most of legends and broken almost all kinds of records on his way to finally fulfilling his potential as the face of the company. Most of his records have been set as the Universal Champion, with the WWE title feeling somewhat secondary around his waist for almost 225 days.
However, if Reigns can retain the company's oldest title until June 11, 2023, he will break CM Punk's 434-day modern era record as WWE champion. This will make him the longest-reigning holder of the title in 34 years, placing him above the likes of John Cena, The Rock and Randy Savage. The Tribal Chief has rewritten almost every record imaginable with the Universal title. We wouldn't bet against him doing the same with the company's oldest and most prestigious world title to cement his legacy.
With Punk reportedly being done with AEW, it's even possible that he could return in 2023 to issue a New Day-esque challenge in an effort to protect his record. Imagine!
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