Ranking EVERY WWE Champion From Worst To Best
7. Bob Backlund
Bob Backlund transitioned the WWE Championship between babyfaces Bret Hart and Diesel in over a matter of a few days in November 1994, went absolutely mental in the build to become an anti-New Generation heel to do so, and rewrote his own history with a generation of fans in the process.
This isn't really the story of Backlund and the top strap.
His 2,135 days (give or take a few sly non-televised hold-ups here and there) between 1978 and 1983 speak for themselves, with only Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan above him for longevity and proven ability to maintain the all important Madison Square Garden audience. The two/three formula of Backlund Vs Heels worked over and over again for Vince McMahon Snr - the latest and last of his inspired choices to hold the prestigious title in this manner before his son bought the company and took things in an aggressively different direction.
Time's not been kind to Backlund's matches or the character itself, particularly when viewed in between the ruggedness of Bruno and bombast of Hogan. But contextually, few can compete with what he accomplished, and even fewer could remain in such rude health well into their 70s having kept to that brutal schedule.