5 long world title reigns that weren't as good as Roman Reigns' current Universal Championship run

#2. Not as good as Roman Reigns' current run: JBL (2004-05)

How does JBL's WWE title run compare to Roman Reigns' Universal title run?

JBL's 2005 WWE title reign can be described in a way that Roman Reigns' current run can't - underrated. Perhaps because it was the only WWE title reign of his career, JBL's 2004-05 run doesn't get nearly enough credit.

Roman Reigns is the most dominant heel in WWE and for a while, JBL was the most annoying one. The circumstances of Brock Lesnar's departure and Kurt Angle's unavailability meant there was a vacant spot for the top heel of SmackDown.

The spot that Roman Reigns has now on SmackDown belonged to JBL more than 17 years ago. He dethroned the popular Eddie Guerrero to win the WWE Championship and would embark on a 280-day reign.

During that time, "The Cabinet" faction proved to be an important force for JBL as they were his insurance policy on many occasions. Roman Reigns, on the other hand, had Jey Uso do his dirty work.

Even still, JBL's run between 2004-05 saw him defend the WWE title against the likes of The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, Big Show, and Kurt Angle, among others. The man he would lose the title to would be Roman Reigns' future adversary (and apparent predecessor) John Cena.

JBL's run was incredible, but it was a bit different since he was a cowardly heel Champion while Roman Reigns has been a dominant one. JBL undoubtedly benefited from the lack of top heels on SmackDown, while Roman Reigns looks like he was meant and bred for it.