10 Epic WWE Championship Reigns That Aren't As Long As You Think
4. Buddy Rogers - WWE Championship. Days: 36. Recognised by WWE: 22.
Long before the days of tape delays, there was the confusion of companies leaving the National Wrestling Alliance under a cloud of smoke, ready to forge their own separate history. All the way back in 1963, as promoters in the Northeast, lead by Vince McMahon Sr, prepared to go their own way, Buddy Rogers held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.
When his man was booked to lose to the legendary Lou Thesz on January 24, 1963, McMahon ignored the title change and formed the rival World Wide Wrestling Federation. The next day Rogers was declared the first ever WWWF Champion, and the rest is history… except the parts WWE decided to change.
Firstly, the date with shifted to April 11, 1963 to coincide with Rogers receiving the belt, then it was pushed even further back to April 25, with Rogers instead winning the belt in Rio de Janeiro. If you can’t rewrite the dates of a completely fictional tournament, why write your own narrative at all?
Tournaments in Brazil have become folklore to wrestling fans, with Pat Patterson making his way to Rio years later to become the first ever Intercontinental Champion, at an event that definitely took place.