10 Most Successful Champions In WWE History

2. Hulk Hogan

John Cena
WWE.com

WWE Championship Reign(s): January 23, 1984 - February 5, 1988, April 2, 1989 - April 1, 1990, March 24, 1991 - November 27, 1991, December 3, 1991 - December 4, 1991, April 4, 1993 - June 13, 1993, April 21, 2002 - May 19, 2002

Who else but Hulk Hogan at this point in the list?

The man that changed the face of North American wrestling forever may have done much to tarnish his legacy as a national hero over the decades, but the financial records in the 1980s and early 1990s will surely never even be approached by another wrestler in the era of WWE's brand-first, superstars-second philosophy.

'The Hulkster' was so successful for such a sustained period that even those that never particularly engaged with his work couldn't ignore his success. A cultural icon for better and worse during the height of Ronald Reagan's 80s, he was the exact right guy at the exact right time to allow Vince McMahon to take control of almost all United States wrestling and never give it back.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 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 over 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 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana 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