10 times Vince McMahon went out of his way to break a WWE record

#8. AJ Styles - Longest-reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history

AJ Styles was the face of SmackDown Live

Nobody defines SmackDown post-2010 the way AJ Styles does. He was every bit as important to the brand as Edge was post-2007 and even Eddie Guerrero in 2004. He was the second draft pick for SmackDown when the brand split was reintroduced in 2016 and for nearly three years, he held the fort, being SmackDown's biggest star.

That run included two WWE Championship reigns, the first of which was less than 8 months after his debut with the company. The second reign, however, holds more weight. He crossed a full year as WWE Champion, holding the title for 371-days.

Before Styles, the longest-reigning WWE Champion in SmackDown history was JBL, who held the title for 280 days. JBL himself congratulated Styles, admitting that his record was broken by a deserving superstar.

Vince McMahon went out of his way to have Styles hold the title as long as he did, establishing him as the face of SmackDown. In holding the WWE title for a full calendar year, Styles joined an elite list of superstars to do so - Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and CM Punk.