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It is often said that reaching the top is not hard, staying is! WWE championships are similar, winning one is tough but holding on to it is tougher. Over the years, there have been many championships in the company. Few are still active while others are defunct.
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Championships play a major role in shaping a wrestler's career and it is the honour of carrying a championship belt, the prestige of being a champion what drives every superstar.
Wrestlers' desire to reach the pinnacle and the championships prove to be a monumental mark in ranking one's career.
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Talking about titles and champions, the one who last the longest are the one who is being talked about.
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In years when many men can claim of being a champion at a certain point in their careers, the one who can outlast the others in terms of the number of days as a champion is the one who truly stands out.
Here we rank down the 10 longest title reigns of the 21st Century in the World Wrestling Entertainment:
#10 Brian Kendrick and Paul London- 331 days(WWE Tag Team Champions)
Remember Brian Kendrick and Paul London? The high flying duo who wore long shorts and wrestled on the blue brand. The tag team worked like a well-oiled engine and their chemistry was well appreciated worldwide.
Brian and Paul won the tag team titles in 2006 when they defeated MNM for the Tag titles at Judgement Day.
The duo was often accompanied by former WWE Diva, Ashley Massaro. Ashley stayed part of this team for long and was often involved in the ringside drama when the champs feuded with K.C James and Idol Stevens who were then managed by Michelle McCool.
Brian Kendrick and Paul London held on to the prestigious tag title for almost a year as they defeated almost every tag team on the roster in order to retain the titles.
Their reign which lasted for a good 331 days was very well tested by the best of tag teams on the blue brand of the company.
Their reign was at jeopardy when they were asked to defend in a fatal 4-way ladder match at Armageddon in 2007 which involved Dave Taylor and William Regal, The Hardy Boyz and MNM. But the duo was at top of their game as they were able to fend off this mighty challenge and retain the tag titles.
Their significant time as the WWE Tag Team Champions came to an end when they were defeated by Deuce 'n' Domino.
#9 MVP- 343 Days (United States Champion)
Montel Vontavious Porter, or as the WWE Universe call him, MVP! MVP competed prominently on the Blue brand. It was during his time at Smackdown in 2007 when he captured the United States title.
MVP defeated Chris Benoit at Judgement Day in 2007 and thus began his glorious reign as the United States Champion, a reign which lasted for a spectacular 343 days. MVP's first title defence turned out to be against the nature boy, Ric Flair.
The 16-time world champion surely gave the United States Champion a run for his money but in the end, MVP was able to retain the title. A win against Ric Flair proved his credibility and there on MVP's hot streak continued.
The big red machine, Kane proved to be a major obstacle in MVP's reign and it is fair to say that the champ escaped the wrath of Kane in order to keep the title to himself.
#8 Dean Ambrose- 351 Days(United States Champion)
The Lunatic fringe takes up the No. 8 spot courtesy of his mighty applaudable reign of 351 days as the United States Champion.
Dean Ambrose was part of the famous faction-Shield when he won the US title. The title was the first one won by Ambrose and it might be his most memorable one.
The Lunatic fringe defeated Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules in 2013 and thus began his reign as the United States Champion which went on to last for a praiseworthy number of 351 days.
Ambrose saw off some resilient opponent in his quest to keep hold of the United States Championship.
The likes of Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and more tried to dethrone Ambrose but his shield brothers did help out the Lunatic Fringe every now and then, as a result of which he held on to the United States title for 351 days.
#7 AJ Styles- 371 Days (WWE Champion)
And on No. 7 we have The Phenomenal One, AJ Styles! Styles is often regarded as one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time and the man from Georgia didn't take long before establishing himself as the man on Smackdown.
The Phenomenal One is often credited as the main guy who took smackdown live to great heights courtesy of his supreme display every single week.
Styles single-handedly took SmackDown Live to great heights as the phenomenal one was able to put on a tremendous show with almost everyone.
Styles battled Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania before getting into a heated rivalry with Samoa Joe. He conquered every challenge in front of him before finally being defeated by Daniel Bryan.
AJ Styles' reign was greatly appreciated as the fans long wanted a fighting world champion and in him they got exactly what they wanted.
Styles defended his title on numerous occasions and succeeded every time but one. The phenomenal one kept the WWE title for an impressive 371 days before being defeated by Daniel Bryan on Smackdown live, before Survivor Series, 2018.
#6 John Cena- 380 Days (WWE Champion)
The Cenation Leader is one of the greatest of all-time to ever step foot the WWE's sacred squared circle.
John Cena is a 16-time world champion and there is no denying of the fact that he is one of the most loved WWE superstars of all-time.
This was Cena's third world title reign in three years and the man from Massachusetts sure as hell made it large.
In his reign which lasted well over a year, Cena defeated the cream of WWE's roster in order to keep a firm hold on the title.
The likes of Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton and many more tasted defeated at the hands of John Cena as the Cenation Leader proved to be an indestructible force in his long reign.
Unfortunately, the title reign ended after 380 days of sheer dominance as Cena suffered a torn right pectoral tendon and had to relinquish the belt.
#5 Gregory Helms- 385 Days(Cruiserweight Champion)
Gregory Helms, who is most notably remembered as The Hurricane, was a famous name on Smackdown back in the early 2000s. His superhero gimmick was adored by fans, especially the kids who loved the superstar who wore a cape as part of the character.
The cruiserweight championship might not be active now but back in the days, it was a significant belt.
Men like Rey Mysterio and Chavo Guerrero won the belt on more than one occasion with Mysterio being the eight-time cruiserweight champion- the most by any men.
With all that said, none of the aforementioned names was able to hold the belt for that as long as Gregory and that truly marks helms' reign as praiseworthy.
385 days, the number of days Gregory Helms held the cruiserweight title. He was at the top of his game and the entire cruiserweight locker room on Smackdown did try to put down helms but Gregory managed to beat them all.
It was at No Way Out in 2007 when Gregory Helms lost his title to Chavo Guerero in an 8-men open elimination match.
#4 CM Punk- 434 Days(WWE Champion)
Over the years many men have stepped up to be the alpha superstar of the company but not many have had a journey like that of CM Punk.
The former world champion was a cult figure who apart from possessing a tremendous aura, was a genuinely magnificent in-ring performer.
Punk had the attributes to deliver a great match with almost everyone. The Best in the World, as Punk used to call him, had numerous memorable feuds in the game. His fight against the authority to his longtime rivalry with John Cena, Punk was a major figure in the company.
The Superstar from Chicago held the prestigious WWE title belt for 434 days! Punk literally defeated everyone in these 434 days, ranging from John Cena, Ryback to the likes of Chris Jericho and more.
It was at Royal Rumble in 2013 when punk squared off against the great one in a singles match for the WWE Championship. The Rock went toe-to-toe with Punk before finally beating him and thus ending Punk's reign.
#3 Trish Stratus- 448 Days (WWE Women's Champion)
A seven-time women's champion, a future Hall of Famer, a legend in every sort, Trish Stratus was household name back in the early 2000s.
The Canadian wrestler is surely one of the greatest of all time and is still being talked about every now and then on the WWE network.
Stratus has won the prestigious Women's championship a record seven times, more than anybody in the history of sports entertainment.
The Canadian born has been involved in quite a few intriguing storylines over the ears and is part of a golden generation of female superstars who enthralled the WWE universe with their high calibre performances.
With all that said, Trish is the longest reigning women's champion of the 21st century and third on this prestigious list of all champions.
The Canadian Superstar held the title for 448 days, beating almost everyone from the women's locker room. Her feuds with the likes of Mickie James, Lita and more are still being talked about.
#2 The New Day- 483 Days(Tag Team Champions)
Whenever great trios, stables are being talked about, there is one name strongly mentioned in that discussion and that is The New Day. The trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E have been the mainstays on the main roster.
The stable was earlier recognized as a comic faction but the amount of success these three men have achieved together is unbelievable. From hosting the Wrestlemania to competing all around the world, The New Day rank as one of the most successful groups of the 21st century.
With all that said, there is one monumental record to their name and that is of the longest reigning Tag Team Champions of the WWE. The New Day held the prestigious tag title for 483 days and defeated almost every tag team on the roster to reach the majestic number.
Their run at the top was ended by The Bar- Sheamus and Cesaro.
Irrespective of the fact about how their individual careers turned out, the 3 men got great support from the WWE universe and their reign as tag team champions will be remembered forever.
#1 Brock Lesnar- 504 days (Universal Champion)
And on No. 1 we've got the beast incarnate who held the Universal title for an unbelievable 504 days. Brock Lesnar is once in a lifetime of an athlete who has accomplished loads of success in his glorious career.
It was at Wrestlemania 33 when Brock Lesnar finally defeated his longtime rival, Goldberg and became the Universal Champion.
The beast faced numerous challenges in the form of Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and more but once the second bell rang, the announcement was the same on each and every occasion.
Lesnar was often blamed in his reign for not showing up or fighting a limited amount of matches, some often called him a part-timer who did little to bring prestige to the Universal title but in the end when we stroll down the history lane in say about 10 years, it will just say one thing- Brock Lesnar held the Universal Title for 504 days!
The Beast's reign was ended by Roman Reigns as the Big Dog defeated him at SummerSlam and became the new Universal Champion.
