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Last month, Triple H announced the comeback of the World Heavyweight Championship with a new belt design. A new champion will be crowned at Night of Champions on May 27, 2023, at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia.WWE fans immediately went back in time to reminisce when the title was first introduced.
Back in 2002, the title was introduced to give WWE RAW its own exclusive title after then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar was drafted to SmackDown. However, the title was retired in 2013 when Triple H explained that superstars can appear on both RAW and SmackDown, so two titles weren’t necessary.
Now, the company is bringing the new World Heavyweight Championship back to RAW because Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns won’t be able to defend both titles every week.
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Below are five superstars who held the World Heavyweight Championship for the longest reign:
#5. Batista - 282 days as World Heavyweight Champion
Batista secured the victory at Royal Rumble 2005 and earned the right to challenge JBL for the WWE Championship or Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Interestingly, The Game was The Animal’s mentor at this point.
While HHH tried to persuade Batista to challenge JBL rather than him, The Animal chose to challenge Triple H for WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 21, HHH, along with help from Ric Flair, tried to tame The Animal but in vain. Batista secured the victory via pinfall after using a devastating Batista Bomb on Triple H.
His reign of 282 days was from April 3, 2005, to January 10, 2006. Batista's title reign didn’t end with another winning it from him. The Animal had to vacate the title at the SmackDown! tapings on January 13 following a tear in his right triceps during a match against Mark Henry at a house show.
#4. Triple H - 279 days
The Game went up against Shawn Michaels for the World Heavyweight Championship, but it wasn’t an easy bout. Instead of having one match to decide their fate, the Armageddon match’s stipulation was two out of three.
Triple H secured the victory in the Street Fight by destroying Michaels with a pedigree. However, The Heartbreak Kid bounced back in the Steel Cage Match. It all boiled down to the Ladder Match, where HHH secured by showing Michaels off the ladder, and he went through a stack of tables.
The Game’s reign as the World Heavyweight Champion spanned from December 15, 2002 to September 21, 2003. HHH lost the title to Goldberg at Unforgiven after the latter used a spear and Jackhammer to take down the former.
#3. Sheamus - 210 days
Sheamus probably has one of the most unreal victories for the World Heavyweight Championship. It so happened that The Celtic Warrior went up against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 28.
After the bell rang, Bryan took a second to get his head in the game while getting a good luck kiss from former WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee. Sheamus took advantage of the situation and destroyed his opponent with a Brogue Kick for a pinfall victory. He secured the title within 18 seconds.
His title reign was from April 1, 2012, to October 28, 2012. He lost the title to Big Show at Hell in a Cell after The World’s Largest Athlete demolished Sheamus with two KO Punches.
#2. Kane - 154 days
The Big Red Monster had to battle seven superstars on SmackDown to secure the briefcase at the Money in the Bank ladder match. At that point, the World Heavyweight Champion was Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio successfully defended the title against Jack Swagger that very night, but that victory was short-lived when Kane cashed in his MITB contract and dominated The Master of 619 until he earned the victory.
Kane’s reign of 154 days spanned from July 18, 2010, to December 19, 2010. He lost the title to Edge in a four-way Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match when The Rated-R Superstar defeated Kane, Rey Mysterio, and Alberto Del Rio.
#1. The Undertaker - 140 days
The Deadman was up against CM Punk, who had held the World Heavyweight Championship for 41 days when it was placed on the line at Hell in a Cell in 2009. The Undertaker and Punk went all-in to dominate, but ultimately, it was Taker who took down Punk after a brutal Tombstone.
The Phenom held the title from October 4, 2009, to February 21, 2010. The World Heavyweight Championship was put on the line at Elimination Chamber with Taker, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, and John Morrison battling it out. Jericho secured the victory when Shawn Michaels interfered to take down Taker.
Randy Orton picks the next Randy Orton HERE.
