5 WWE Legends with surprisingly short championship reigns

After capturing world championship gold at Wrestlemania 36 a few short months ago, in the very first Wrestlemania to be presented over two nights in front of no fans, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman can proudly say they have joined a very exclusive club of Superstars who have reigned as world champion for more than 100 days.

Yes, believe it or not, Wrestlemania was 100 days ago. Time flies! But unfortunately for some stars, they are not blessed with an equal amount of time with their respective belts. In fact, by wrestling standards, holding a world championship for more than 100 days is quite the accomplishment. Especially when we look back to a time period like the late 90s when the championship seemed to move from person to person so quickly it was difficult to keep up with!

Anyone who has been privileged enough to hold the WWE Championship, for instance, can be proud that they have been able to hold the most coveted prize in sports entertainment, even if it was only for a short while, as we'll see in the following names. Given that some of these men are now considered titans in the industry, on paper, the short length of these title reigns may come as a bit of a shock!

With this in mind, here are 5 WWE legends with surprisingly short championship reigns.

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#5 Kane (1 Day)

The Big Red Machine's reign was far too short

While Glenn Jacobs may have had various different roles in wrestling over the years before his "big break", when Kane debuted in WWE at 1997's Badd Blood pay-per-view, he was billed as the long-lost, horrendously scarred, back-from-the-dead brother of The Undertaker in a storyline that had been building for weeks.

Needless to say, The Big Red Machine made an impact when he, along with Paul Bearer, cost The Undertaker a victory in the very first Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels - one of the best matches the company has ever produced.

It was clear right from the world go that Kane was a prescence to be felt in the ring, as well as having the physicality to back it up. It would be the very next year in 1998 that Kane would win his first WWE Championship at the King of the Ring event - the same event which saw Undertaker famously throw Mankind from the top of Hell in a Cell in one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history.

After some foul play, Kane would be awarded the WWE title over Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match. Despite the fact both men were bleeding, the referee only saw Austin's face and thus handed Kane his first world title.

But, it wouldn't last. The very next night on Raw, Kane lost the WWE title back to Stone Cold in one of the shortest WWE title reigns of all time.

Kane would go on to win multiple titles in WWE though, including a World Heavyweight Championship run many years later.

#4 Edge (21 Days)

The Rated-R Superstar's first reign was short-lived.

The wrestling world stood collectively in shock when Edge successfully cashed in the very first Money in the Bank briefcase on a broken and wounded John Cena at New Year's Revolution back in 2006.

Cena, having been through a hellacious battle in the Elimination Chamber, was in no condition to defend his title. But as you know, he had no say in the matter, and Edge walked away with his first WWE Championship.

But the question was immediately in play: how long would it be before Cena reclaimed his championship from the Rated-R Superstar? Or, would Edge go on to have a long and succesful run with the title?

Cena mocked Edge in the build-up to their meeting at the Royal Rumble, going as far to call Edge a "paper champion." As it turns out, this would be the case, as Cena would once again become WWE Champion, leaving his fallen opponent with a short-lived reign of just 21 days.

Of course, the now Hall of Famer would go on to have an insanely illustrious career, picking up more championships than anybody else in the history of WWE and multiple more world titles to boot. Which begs the question as to why his first title reign was so short?

Perhaps WWE knew they were onto something special with Edge. But maybe it simply wasn't the right time to pull the trigger.

#3 Kurt Angle (15 Days)

The Olympic Gold medallist is no stranger to championships

Kurt Angle is, without question, one of the greatest performers in WWE history and stands rightly as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. But even he is no stranger to shorter than desired championship reigns.

While Angle enjoyed a healthy 126 day reign during his first stint as WWE Champion, his second period with the belt wouldn't prove to be as fruitful. At a thoroughly disappointing 15 days, Angle would pick up a hard-fought victory against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Unforgiven 2001, even making the Rattlesnake tap out in a very rare sight, only to lose the championship a mere two weeks later to the very same Rattlesnake on Monday Night Raw.

Angle would, of course, hold multiple world and WWE championships in the coming years, including a particularly memorable rivalry with an up-and-coming Brock Lesnar, where the pair would offer each other some of the best matches of their careers.

Still, the decision to take the title from Angle after only two weeks might have been the best for business at the time, but maybe not for the reputation of the Olympic gold medallist, especially considering just how respected he is within the business today.

#2 Shawn Michaels (25 Days)

The Showstopper has multiple WWE championships to his name

When you hear the name Shawn Michaels, many would instantly consider him to be the very best wrestler to ever walk the face of the earth. His list of accomplishments is seemingly endless and many credit him with helping to establish the style of performer and pop-culture success the wrestling industry is still experiencing to this day.

But one of his reigns as WWE Champion was surprisingly short. Not because he was booked to lose the championship in a short space of time, but because he had no other choice.

After picking up the championship from Sycho Sid at the Royal Rumble (who was enjoying a very popular push of his own at the time) Michaels was on top of the world and seemingly on top of the wrestling industry. But this joyous time would not last very long.

On the February 13th 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw, the Heartbreak Kid would vacate the WWE Championship in a famous segment that widely became known as Michaels "losing his smile."

Given that at the time this looked like the end of Michaels' WWE career, it would mean he'd be leaving the company with a short 25-day run as WWE Champion. HBK cited a severe knee injury which may have prevented him from ever wrestling again (we now know he would recover and go on to have a stellar career) but back then it truly did look like the last call for the Showstopper.

There were backstage rumblings that elements of Michaels' personal life were what forced him to take a hiatus from the company, as well as a real-life feud with fellow Hall of Famer Bret 'Hitman' Hart whom Michaels reportedly was not in favour of feuding with at the time. But all of this remains speculation.

#1 The Undertaker (6 Days)

The Deadman is one of the most respected WWE superstars ever

6 days?! Yes, believe it or not, The Undertaker once lay claim to one of the shortest WWE championship runs in history.

At Survivor Series 1990, The Undertaker debuted and quickly made a name for himself as a disturbing powerhouse in the WWE. His spine-tingling aura and chilling entrances were only matched by his athleticism in the ring, and it was obvious he was there to make a name for himself, under the watchful eye of his manager, Paul Bearer.

A mere year later and The Deadman wound up pinning none other than the immortal Hulk Hogan (albeit under strange circumstances thanks to outside interference from Nature Boy Ric Flair) to capture his first taste of WWE Championship gold.

However, Hulk Hogan was still riding high as the most popular Superstar in the company, and it would only take six days for the Hulkster to get his revenge and reclaim the title he lost less then a week earlier.

Did this unceremonious loss hurt the Undertaker's career? Absolutely not. If we have seen the last of the man known as Mark Callaway, he goes out as one of the very best to ever step between the ropes.