5 Longest WCW World Title reigns in history

The WCW World Heavyweight Championship began it's lineage way back in January 1991.

On January 11 of that year, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair defeated Sting to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which WCW rechristened the WCW World title.

The WCW title was still represented by the NWA World Championship belt and as such, the company claimed the NWA title's lineage to boost the prestige of their new title. However, that all changed on July 1, 1991, when Flair fell out with WCW booker, Jim Herd and left the company, signing on with Vince McMahon's WWE instead.

Flair took the title belt with him and WCW were forced to create a new title belt to represent the WCW World Championship. The "Big Gold" belt returned to WCW screens in 1992, and continued to represent the NWA title which was now regarded as separate title to the WCW title.

In September 1993, WCW left the NWA, and as such the company were forced to rename the belt representing the NWA World title, the WCW International Title.

The title belt confusion was resolved in 1994, when WCW unified the WCW World Title and WCW International Title and the "Big Gold" belt now represented the WCW World Championship.

Between 1991 and the title's unification with the WWE Championship in December 2001, there were 61 reigns in total with 22 different champions. Although, in it's final year of existence, the title seemed to change hands almost every week, making it difficult to keep track of who the champion was.

The title did not last long in WWE, six months in fact from when it debuted on WWE television with Booker T as it's titleholder until Chris Jericho defeated The Rock and unified the strap with the WWE Championship, one month after WWE's WCW Invasion angle ended.

This slideshow looks at the five longest WCW World title reigns in history.

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#5. Lex Luger - 1991-1992 (230 days)

Lex Luger: First WCW World title reign lasted much longer than his second

Lex Luger is a name rarely mentioned on WWE television in 2019, which is surprising considering he is employed by the company as an advisor on WWE's Wellness Policy and the fact that he was one of the biggest stars of the 1990s.

In truth, Luger's matches in the 90's were not too thrilling and were not a patch on the electrifying bouts he contested in the mid to late 1980s.

Once Luger achieved World Champion status, he effectively began phoning in his in ring performances, knowing he would be a main event level talent, regardless of whether his bouts were entertaining or not.

However, despite this fact, WCW persevered with Luger as champion in 1991-1992 as their successor to longtime figurehead, Ric Flair, who had departed the company for WWE in July of 1991.

Luger's run lasted until SuperBrawl II, when he was defeated by Sting. Luger, followed Flair out of the company following his loss.

Luger's phoned in performances meant his second (and final) WCW World title win, in August of 1997 lasted a mere six days.

However, his first remains the fifth longest WCW World title run in history.

#4. Big Van Vader - 1993 (285 days)

Vader: Three time WCW World Champion

Big Van Vader dominated WCW in the first half of the 1990s and held the WCW World Championship three times. His final reign lasted the longest. 285 days in fact.

It began on a House Show in Dublin, Ireland when he defeated Sting, who in turn had beaten him six days earlier at another House Show, England.

Vader smashed through the competition and engaged in a very memorable feud with Cactus Jack, which culminated in a classic bout at Halloween Havoc 1993.

However, it was WCW's most dominant performer of the 1980s who finally upended him for the gold. Ric Flair put his career on the line versus Vader's WCW World title at Starrcade 1993.

In one of the greatest matches of the decade, Vader played his monster heel character to perfection as Flair played the underdog baby face.

After almost half an hour of rewarding action, Flair tripped and cradled Vader to win the strap and Vader's final WCW World title win was over.

He would never regain the strap despite challenging Hulk Hogan several times in 1995.

#3. Ric Flair - 1993-1994 (289 days)

Ric Flair: Held sixteen World titles in total

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair held sixteen World Championships in total and the majority of them came in WCW. Flair's final two WCW World title reigns only lasted a combined eight days but his earlier runs with the title lasted much longer.

None lasted longer than his second reign with the gold.

It began at Starrcade 1993 in December of that year, when he upended Vader in a classic encounter and lasted all the way to Bash at the Beach in July 1994, when he was defeated by the debuting, Hulk Hogan in a heavily hyped bout. In between those two bookends, Flair defended the strap in memorable encounters versus Vader, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and Barry Windham.

Flair's title run was one of the best of his career and perhaps his swansong as a world-class World Champion. It was only surpassed in length by two other reigns and one other performer.

#2. Hollywood Hulk Hogan - 1996-1997 (359 days)

Hollywood Hogan with his "nWo" World Championship

Hulk Hogan became Hollywood Hogan at Bash at the Beach 1996, as the Hulkster shocked the world by turning on the fans and his friends by joining The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall and establishing the nWo (New World Order).

Hogan was a heel for the first time in a decade and a half.

As the figurehead of the renegade group, Hogan soon challenged the man who had defeated him for his first WCW World Championship, The Giant at the next pay per view, Hog Wild in August.

Hogan won the WCW World title for a second time and held it for almost as long as his first reign. Hogan defeated all comers with the help of his nWo comrades.

He finally dropped the title, 12 months later on WCW Monday Nitro, when he succumbed to Lex Luger's Torture Rack. He would regain the strap just five days later.

#1. Hulk Hogan - 1994-1995 (469 days)

Hulk Hogan: First reign as WCW World Champion was the longest in the title's history

Hulk Hogan signed on with WCW to huge fanfare in the summer of 1994 and huge expense.

Hogan penned the richest deal in wrestling and only signed on for an initial six months. However, he ended up staying for six years, almost to the day.

His last event in WCW was Bash at the Beach 2000 and his first was six years earlier at Bash at the Beach 1994.

At that event, he faced WCW World Champion, Ric Flair for the title. It was the first time the pair had fought on pay per view and was a huge financial success for the company and Hogan personally.

So, much so, that WCW kept the belt on Hogan for well over a year. He finally dropped the strap to newcomer, The Giant (The Bigshow) on a silly screwjob, as his lost the belt via DQ after his manager, Jimmy Hart hit the referee with the title belt.

Hogan's reign had been a massive success and his second would be even greater.