10 Best WWE Title Runs Ever

5. Triple H - January 3, 2000 To April 30, 2000

triple h
WWE.com

A short reign shaped by the frantic oneupmanship of the Attitude Era, what Triple H did between those four months remains epic in achievement, if not length.

Portrayed as a paper champion through Steve Austin's refusal to drop the gold to him directly at SummerSlam '99, The 'Game' entered 2000 as a headliner in designation only. That he was entrusted to leave WrestleMania as the first heel to retain the WWE Championship underscores the extent to which he got himself over as a legitimate player. That isn't strictly true, and ironically, it was Mick Foley, once the pejorative transitional champion, who helped Triple H make a transition from which there was no looking back. At Royal Rumble and No Way Out 2000, Foley as Cactus Jack selflessly portrayed Trips as an absolute warrior over the course of two gory, categorical classics in which Trips himself, through clean victory and gutsy performance, emerged as an awesome heel dripping in credibility.

A critical smash, WrestleMania 2000 excepted, Triple H's vicious heel character and title run was objectively over: an eye-watering 675,000 fans paid to watch his singles title loss to The Rock in what was an astonishing number for a so-called 'B-level' pay-per-view.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!