10 Best WWE Championship Reigns Of The 2000s
8. John “Bradshaw” Layfield (June 2004-April 2005)
The man Cena defeated to begin his maiden championship voyage had been a career midcarder until right before he won the belt. What happened to propel him to the top of the bill? He made a crapload of money, that's what.
John "Bradshaw" Layfield's shift from beer-drinking bodyguard to ultra-Republican stock trader is often held up as one of the greatest gimmick changes in wrestling history, and for good reason. Without it, there's no way JBL would have beaten Eddie Guerrero for the WWE title at The Great American Bash 2004, and there's definitely no way he would have reigned with it for 280 days.
Yes, both he and Cena reigned for exactly the same number of days. Weird, right?
Though his matches were never dynamite, JBL's character work during his time on top was flawless. A despicable heel who wasn't afraid to court controversy - see his trip to the US-Mexico border for more information - he defeated the likes of Guerrero, The Undertaker, Big Show, and Kurt Angle to keep his million-dollar mitts on the gold.
Not bad for a guy who was once part of The New Blackjacks.