10 Longest Gaps Between World Title Reigns In WWE History

10. Shawn Michaels - 5 years 0 months 9 days

If Shawn Michaels hadn't come back in 2002, his final title run would have begun with The Montreal Screwjob.

HBK's final WWF Championship reign was cut short by a combination of Steve Austin's rise to popularity and a potentially career-ending back injury. Michaels dropped the gold at WrestleMania XIV and stepped away from the ring for four long years. Despite making sporadic appearances on WWE TV, The Showstopper wouldn't lace up a pair of boots until he was coaxed back into wrestling at SummerSlam 2002.

Following his all-time classic with Triple H, Michaels would go on another brief hiatus before returning at that year's Survivor Series.

As part of the first ever Elimination Chamber match, Michaels overcame five other men including The Game to win the match and the World Heavyweight Championship. This would be Michaels' final ever singles title run in WWE and, sadly, it didn't last long. However, seeing the legend return from obstacles both physical and mental to win the big one was truly special.

As you can see, it was almost exactly five years to the day after Montreal when HBK won his next world championship; a lovely piece of poetry in a truly unique career.