In the forty plus year history of the WWE, these men have been the champions longer than anyone else. Due to the brand split in 2002, there are currently 2 titles of equal value. I am including both of the titles in this list. The dates used to determine the length of title reigns are based on the title history on WWE.com.
1. Bruno Sammartino - 11+ years (4,040 days)
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Bruno Sammartino was the dominant figure in the early days of the WWE. His first title reign was from 1963 - 1971. He regained the title in 1973 and held it until 1977. Even after losing the belt, he was still the top draw in the company. He headlined the 1980 Shea Stadium show in a cage match against Larry Zbysko. He was a commentator for the WWE in the '80s. Since leaving the business, Bruno has been an outspoken critic against the WWE and that has kept him out of the WWE Hall of Fame.
2. Hulk Hogan - almost 6 years (2,185 days)
(c) 2006 Matt Law
Hulk's six title reigns barely place him in second place. Hulk's first title reign was his longest. He beat the Iron Sheik in 1984 and held the title until 1988. During his time in WCW, he was their champion for approximately 3 calendar years.
3. Bob Backlund - almost 6 years (2,138 days)
Bob Backlund beat Billy Graham in 1978 and held the belt until 1983. He returned to the ring in the early '90s and held the championship for a few days.4. Triple H - almost 3 years (1,151 days)
© 2006 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Triple H is a 13-time champion. While he does not hold the record for the length of his title reigns, he does hold the record for most combined championship title reigns in the WWE. His 8 WWE Championship reigns as well as his 5 World Heavyweight Championship reigns are also records. Triple H's first won the WWE Championship in 1999. His 13th title reign began at No Way Out 2009.
5. Pedro Morales - almost 3 years (1,027 days)
Pedro Morales was the champ from 1971 - 1973. His most notable title defense was a time limit draw with Bruno Sammartino at a Shea Stadium show in 1972. He became the first wrestler to become triple crown champion. In 1980, he won the tag team titles with Bob Backlund and was the Intercontinental Champion during the early '80s. In 1995, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.6. John Cena - 919 days & counting
© 2006 World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
John Cena won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 from JBL. He was briefly without the WWE title when Edge cashed in his money in the bank shot but he regained it a few weeks later. He lost the title to Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand 2006 but would win it again from Edge at Unforgiven. His third title reign lasted over a year and ended with him having to forfeit the title due to an injury. He won the World Heavyweight Championship by beating Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 2008 and lost it a few months later in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out. In 2009, he had three week runs with both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship. His current title reign began on October 25 when he beat Randy Orton.
7. Bret Hart - almost 2 years (654 days)
Bret's first title win was a shock to wrestling fans anywhere. He beat Ric Flair in an untelevised match and showed up on TV as champ even though he wasn't thought to be a contender for the title. By contrast, his final title loss and final match in the WWE is the most talked about match of all time.8. Steve Austin - 529 days
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Steve might have been higher on this list if not for a serious neck injury. His first title victory featured Mike Tyson as a special enforcer referee. In an ironic twist, his final title reign ended the night the WCW title ceased to exist. It is the emergence of Steve Austin as a superstar that turned the tide in the favor of the WWE during the Monday Night War against WCW.
9. Randy Savage - 520 days
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Both of Randy Savage's title victories took place at WrestleMania. He won the title tournament at WrestleMania IV and lost it to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V. At WrestleMania VIII, he beat Ric Flair for the title but lost it back a few months later. In WCW he held the title 4 times, and just like in the WWE, all his title reigns were ended by either Hogan or Flair.
10. Batista - 515 days
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Batista won his first title by beating Triple H at WrestleMania 21. His first title reign ended when he was forced to vacate the following January due to injury. His second reign lasted from Survivor Series '06 when he beat King Booker until WrestleMania 23 when he lost to the Undertaker. His third reign started at Unforgiven '07 when he beat the Champion the Great Khali and Rey Mysterio in a triple threat match. He lost the title for the third to Edge in a triple-threat match that also included the Undertaker at Armageddon '07. His fourth and fifth championship reigns each lasted only 8 days.
