10 Legendary Wrestling Records That Should Never Be Broken
2. Bruno Sammartino's 8-Year Reign
There were two types of WWE Champion back in the day: those who literally held the belt for years, and transitional champs whose reigns lasted just a few days.
While guys like Stan Stasiak (9 days as champion) and Ivan Koloff (21 days) filled the latter category, Bruno Sammartino came to define the former. Though he was only a two-time WWE Champion, nobody can match his longevity at the top of the mountain: Bruno spent a staggering 11 years as WWE Champion, with his first championship run comprising eight of those.
Bruno became WWE Champion by defeating Buddy Rogers at a New York house show on May 17, 1963, and didn’t lose it until January 18, 1971. This is longer than most of WWE’s current superstars have been part of the active roster, and it’s a record that will never be broken.
WWE could certainly stand to present their champions in a stronger light, and longer World Title reigns would definitely benefit those on top, but multi-year runs aren’t the answer anymore. WWE’s product has become almost entirely focused on instant gratification, and attention spans aren’t close to what they were in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
If a modern day wrestler had a run like Bruno’s today, fans would soon turn on him, and criticise WWE for booking him like Superman and burying the competition. The game has changed immeasurably in the past few years, let alone the 39 it’s been since Bruno last held the title,and this particular booking practice isn’t fit for purpose anymore.