10 Longest Gaps Between WWE Title Defences
Think Brock Lesnar is a tardy champion? Not compared to these he isn't.
In Dallas, Texas on 9 July, Brock Lesnar will defend the WWE Universal Championship against Samoa Joe. It will be the first time Lesnar has put the championship on the line since winning it. By the time Great Balls of Fire comes around, Lesnar will have gone 97 days without putting his championship on the line.
This is a fact that riles fans up, many who say it devalues the championship. There was once a rule that said a champion must defend a title within a 30-day period or be stripped of the belt. The rule has never been strictly adhered to - it's a made up stipulation, after all - but there are recent examples of it. Naomi and Daniel Bryan were forced to relinquish championships as injury meant that the title wasn't going to be defended any time soon.
Lesnar is forever an exception in professional wrestling, but WWE history is littered with examples of men and women failing to defend their titles for a far longer time. The oft-whispered sanctity of a championship goes out the window when it comes to secondary titles for instance, as neglect is far easier than obeying the 'rules'.
Many champions have gone far longer than Lesnar without defending their titles - including a number of internet favourites.
(For clarity's sake, only reigns that have happened since WWE moved to a monthly pay-per-view model (14 May 1995) are included.)