10 Shortest WWE Championship reigns of all time

The WWE Championship is one of the most prestigious titles in all of pro wrestling. Only a number of select talent have won the coveted title with the best, winning it multiple times in the career.

Today, we take a look at the 10 shortest WWE Championship title reigns of all time and these include some which truly lasted the blink of an eye, metaphorically speaking of course. From Triple H, Daniel Bryan and John Cena, a number of WWE greats are on this list.

#10 Daniel Bryan - 22 hours

The summer of 2013 saw Daniel Bryan feuding with WWE Champion Randy Orton, who was backed by The Authority. Bryan had the odds stacked against him, as The Authority did everything in their power to stop Bryan from winning the WWE Championship.

It looked liked Bryan had finally thwarted then when he beat Randy Orton at Night of Champions 2013 to win the title. However, the next night on RAW, it was deemed that the referee had made a fast count which led The Authority to strip Bryan of the title.

Bryan’s title reign lasted around 22 hours, meaning that he just edged into this list of shortest reigning WWE Champions.

#9 Triple H - 2 hours

No Mercy 2007 saw Triple H wrestle thrice in one night. The night opened with an impromptu title match after Triple H challenged Randy Orton to a title match (more on this later). HHH won the match and went on to face his scheduled opponent Umaga later in the night and beat him.

Randy Orton came out later and then immediately invoked his rematch clause in a Last Man Standing match which closed the show. This turned out to be a smart decision on Orton’s part as he beat The Game to regain the WWE Championship. This title reign of Triple H only ended up lasting about 2 hours.

#8 Rey Mysterio - 1 hour

Rey Mysterio is one of the greatest luchadors of all time. Even though he’s in his 40s now, he still at the top of his game.

The summer of 2011 saw the WWE Championship vacated after CM Punk “walked out”. WWE organized a tournament on RAW to crown a new champion and the final saw Mysterio beat The Miz to win the WWE Championship.

For some reason, John Cena came out soon after this to challenge Mysterio to a title match on that very night. Cena ended up beating Mysterio, which meant that Mysterio’s run only lasted an hour.

#7 Randy Orton - 22 mins 55 seconds

Next up on the list of shortest WWE Championship reigns is ‘The Viper’ Randy Orton. We’re also back to No Mercy 2007 for this entry.

The original plan for the PPV was for Randy Orton to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship. However, Cena got injured in the run-up to the PPV. This led Vince McMahon to hand Orton the title at the beginning of No Mercy 2007 before Triple H came out to challenge him. Orton ended up losing the match, meaning his title reign came in at just under 23 minutes.

#6 Roman Reigns - 5 minutes 14 seconds

The main event of Survivor Series 2015 saw former Shield brothers Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose facing each other for the WWE Championship. After a hard-fought battle, Reigns won the match and the WWE Championship.

Triple H then came out to congratulate Reigns, but the ‘Big Dog’ hit him with a Spear for his troubles. As Reigns turned around, Sheamus hit him with a Brogue Kick and cashed in his Money In The Bank contract to win the WWE Championship. Reigns’ title reign clocked in at 5 minutes and 14 seconds.

#5 Daniel Bryan - 4 minutes 7 seconds

Next up, Daniel Bryan makes his second appearance on this list and once again we see a Money In The Bank contract cash-in.

Daniel Bryan challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2013 with Triple H as guest referee. Right after Bryan won the title, Randy Orton came out and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Bryan’s reign lasted only 4 minutes and 7 seconds.

#4 John Cena - 3 minutes 33 seconds

16-time world champion John Cena also holds the record for the fourth-shortest WWE Championship reign. Cena won one of the Elimination Chamber matches at the 2010 EC PPV to win the WWE Championship.

Unhappy with this, Vince McMahon immediately put Cena into another match against Batista for the title. The Animal came in and destroyed Cena with a Batista Bomb to win the Championship. How long did Cena’s title reign last? 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

#3 Yokozuna - 2 minutes 6 seconds

We head back to the mid-’90s for the next entry on our list. The record for the third shortest WWE Championship reign is held by Yokozuna. The main event of WrestleMania 9 saw Yokozuna challenge Bret Hart for the WWE Championship. Yokozuna ended up winning the match, and his first WWE Championship after Mr. Fuji famously threw some kind of powder into Bret’s eyes.

Hulk Hogan came out after the match and demanded that he challenge Yokozuna for the title, for some reason. Hogan ended up beating Yoko to win the title. Yokozuna’s title reign only lasted a little over 2 minutes.

#2 Seth Rollins - 1 minute 59 seconds

2016’s Money in the Bank PPV was a good one. The show saw Seth Rollins beat Roman Reigns in the main event to win the WWE Championship. Right after this, Dean Ambrose music hit. Ambrose, who’d won the Money in the Bank match earlier in the night, sneaked up on Rollins from behind and laid him out with the Dirty Deeds.

Ambrose then cashed in his contract to leave with the WWE Championship. Rollins’ reign didn’t even last the full 2 minutes.

#1 Andre The Giant - 1 minute 48 seconds

We head a long way back for the number one entry on our list, 1988, to be specific. Andre The Giant challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship on The Main Event. This was the match where Ted DiBiase had famously “kidnapped” Earl Hebner and replaced him with his twin brother, Dave.

After Dave Hebner helped Andre The Giant win the title, he surrendered it to Ted DiBiase. Andre’s title reign clocked in at 1 minute and 48 seconds.

Meet Randy Orton's lovely wife HERE