10 Longest Times Between First And Last WWE Title Victories
5. Bret Hart - 26 January 1987 - 17 May 2010 (23 Years, 3 Months, 21 Days)
Bret Hart's WWE career shouldn't have ended the way it did in 1997, but the 'Screwjob' exit was arguably more dignified than his apology some 13 years later.
Having finally kissed and made up with the company which had swizzed him out of his WWE Championship during his acrimonious departure to Atlanta, 'The Hitman' signed on as a performer in 2009, leading to a regrettable WrestleMania match opposite Vince McMahon the following March. 53 years old and unable to take bumps owing to the concussion/stroke combo which ended his actual career, Hart instead spent the match beating down a prone McMahon, in an embarrassing spectacle about a dozen years past its sell-by-date.
Nevertheless, WWE thought it was a grand idea to transfer the meaningless US title to Bret that May. Obviously unable to defend the strap, he vacated it as his first act as Raw General Manager, ending an association with WWE gold which had begun way back in January 1987, when the Hart Foundation beat the British Bulldogs for the tag team titles.