10 Longest WWE Championship Reigns Ever

5. Pedro Morales (1207 Days)

434 Days CM Punk
WWE.com

Selected by Vince McMahon Sr as the next great babyface hope of the North East territory after Bruno Sammartino's shocking loss less than a month earlier, Puerto Rican hero Pedro Morales built on his increasing popularity in New York with a stunning victory over despised Russian heel Ivan Koloff.

Morales had been a revelation for the group since arriving in November 1970, scoring United States title glory in January, before being forced to vacate it after taking the company's top prize just a month later.

Pedro's relative youth and relatable demeanour amongst an ageing population of well-tenured stars made him a natural fit in the role. Amassing an impressive 1027 days with the title, only John Cena, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino can lay claim to holding the gold more cumulative days than the Latin American star, and only the entries still to come in this list can touch his longevity in a single reign.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett