10 Times WWE Waited FOREVER To Break Records
1. 1000+ Days Champions
There was a formula to the early days of the WWE Championship: a short reign, a long reign, a short reign, a long reign...
Buddy Rogers was the first person to hold the strap, then lost it so Bruno Sammartino, who kept hold of the belt for 2,803 days. Ivan Koloff was champion for three weeks, then Pedro Morales reigned for 1,027 days. This repeated into the 1980s, with Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, and Morales all having reigns that lasted over 1,000 days. Bruno had two!
It took more than 30 years and the introduction of a new title, the Universal Championship, before anybody broke the 500 day mark again. That man was part-time Brock Lesnar, who disappeared for months just as WWE was trying to establish the new belt. If you thought that was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet.
"Hold my beer," said Roman Reigns after he came back and won the strap at Battleground 2020.
It's been more than 1,250 days and the Tribal Chief still reigns supreme with the belt. Not only that, but he's WWE Champion as well, a separate reign that's the sixth longest with that prize too.
The Attitude Era was famous for how much they played hot potato with the belts, so it's great to see longer reigns... but, as we said earlier on in this list, you'll rarely see the straps defended these days.
It's a hybrid of the old and the new, but hopefully Cody Rhodes can end it soon...