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Jinder Mahal lost his WWE Championship to AJ Styles on the 7th November episode of SmackDown, which brought an end to his 170-day long title reign.
The Modern Day Maharaja's title reign may divide opinions amongst the WWE Universe but there is no denying that it was one long run.
Don't believe me? Well, let me throw some stats at you, which will highlight just how long Jinder Mahal's first-ever reign as WWE Champion was.
Here are 5 WWE legends, the length of whose combined title-reigns is shorter than one reign of The Modern Day Maharaja (170 days):
Note: The title reigns of the WWE superstars which have been considered are those as WWE Champion and do not include reigns as World Heavyweight Champion (Big Gold Belt).
Honorable Mention: Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan
Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan may not be classified as WWE legends right now but they will surely go down as two of the greatest to have ever graced the hallowed squared circle of the WWE.
However, despite the popularity of one and the lack thereof of the other, the two have had significant runs as WWE Champions. However, when you take a closer look, it might be significant but the duration of the reign is not that impressive.
Daniel Bryan -- who is a 3-time World Champion -- has been the champion for a total of 65 days. Reigns, on the other hand, also a 3-time Champion has held the title for only 118 days.
#5 Edge
Edge was one of WWE's premier superstars in the early naughts of the 20th century. The 44-year-old's WWE career spanned over 15 years and included 4 runs as the WWE Champion.
The Rated-R Superstar held the WWE title for a combined 139 days, still 31 days short of Jinder Mahal's solo reign.
He could still have been a top superstar in the WWE and may have added many more days to his title reign if not for his untimely neck injury, which curtailed his career. Who knows, the Rated-R superstar may have surpassed the legendary Ric Flair, too.
#4 Batista
The Animal enjoyed a hugely successful first stint with the WWE, before his rather infamous return to the company a couple of years later. Despite the huge push that Batista received, he was not the WWE Champion for a very long time, with his two stints as the face of the company, ending in only 37 days, 38 if you believe the WWE.
Batista is currently enjoying life away from the WWE and has been part of the commercially successful Marvel franchise Guardians of the Galaxy. In comparison, Jinder Mahal has been the champion for about 5 times in comparison to The Animal.
#3 Eddie Guerrero
The late great WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero was a fan favourite courtesy of his "I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!" schtick. Viva La Raza held the WWE Championship only once in his life and that was a pretty long run.
Eddie Guerrero caused a massive upset at No Way Out in 2004, defeat Brock Lesnar to win his maiden and the only WWE Championship. The win also helped him join a club of select few legends as he became a Triple Crown as well as Grand Slam Champion in the process.
Eddie's title reign lasted for a sum total of 133 days and was the last run as any champion he had with the company.
#2 Ric Flair
"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair is considered by many to be the greatest ever to have ever laced a pair of wrestling boots. Flair may have been a 16-time World Champion, but his run as WWE Champion included only two stints.
The WWE Hall of Famer held the WWE Championship for a total of 118 days. Most of his title reigns pre-dated the WWE, wherein he was more of a veteran sidekick as part of the Evolution and didn't enjoy many successful stints as a champion, hence explaining his rather short combined title reign.
Although a comparison in terms of wrestling abilities cannot be made between Jinder Mahal and Flair, the former had a longer stint than the legend as a WWE Champion.
#1 Andre the Giant
Andre the Giant is, without doubt, one of the most dominant superstars to have ever taken to the squared circle of the WWE. The 7ft 4in giant is also one of the tallest ever superstars in the history of the company.
Such is the legacy of the WWE Hall of Famer that the WWE commemorates him with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal which takes place at WrestleMania every year.
However, rather surprisingly, Andre the Giant has held the WWE Championship for only 1 day. Imagine that!
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