10 WWE Champions Who Never Lost Their Titles

With its storied history, the holder of the WWE Championship and its derivatives (the World Heavyweight Championship) and subsidiaries (the Universal Championship) is the bearer of wrestling's most prominent prize.

From Bruno Sammartino's legendary eight-year run with the title throughout the 1960s to CM Punk's contemporary classic reign as Champion from 2011-2013, a tenure as WWE champion is perhaps the most sought-after position in wrestling.

However, even the greatest of title reigns have to come to an end.

While losing it fairly - clean in the middle - is the classic conclusion to ensure a new champion begins their reign with credibility, sometimes an angle demands a different manner of relieving a champion of their title.

Whether being unjustly stripped of the championship, selling your strap to a private investor or being forced into retirement due to injury, there have been numerous instances of title reigns ending without the incumbent champion legitimately losing their title throughout pro wrestling's illegitimate history.

Here are ten such instances of WWE champions losing their crown contrary to expectation.

Antonio Inoki is a man of many titles. A former member of the Japanese government, a public representative for his own Sports and Peace Party; Inoki, the original king of strong style, was also the founder of New Japan Wrestling.

A friend to Fidel Castro, Inoki is famous for making unofficial one-man diplomatic visits to both North Korea and Iraq, the latter in a successful attempt to negotiate the release of Japanese hostages.

What Muhammad Hussain Inoki is less known for, however, is ending Bob Backlund's year long reign as WWF champion in 1979.

Defeating Backlund for the title in Tokushima, Japan, Inoki - famous for not doing jobs - dropped the strap back to Backlund a week later. However, the match was declared a no contest due to interference, leaving Inoki as the reigning WWF champion. Not one to be constrained by American influence or tradition, Inoki simply refused the title and went back to his series of battles with opponents of various disciplines, effectively creating MMA in the process.

Backlund would go on to beat Bobby Duncam Jr. a week later to regain his title.

WWE recognises him as an uninterrupted champion from 1978-1983.