10 Incredible Records & Firsts WWE Set At WrestleMania 40
2. Roman’s Reign Finished
Let’s dispense with the obvious: Roman Reigns’ 1,316-day reign
as a world champion is not a company record. It’s only the fourth-longest reign,
with Bruno Sammartino more than doubling that total.
However, Roman’s near-four-year run as the top guy is unprecedented in modern WWE, the longest reign in 36 years. It’s an epic run that includes more successful PPV/PLE title defenses – 24 – than any other champion in company history. (During his 1,474 days as WWF Champion in 1984-88, Hulk Hogan only defended his title on PPV three times. Of course, those were very different times.)
During his last couple years with the title, Reigns’ title defenses got more and more sparse. However, Cody Rhodes would need to defend his newly won title at every PLE for the next two years to topple Roman’s single-reign record.