5 Superstars who were WWE World Champions in 3 different decades

Modified Sep 20, 2019 10:38 GMT

#4 Bob Backlund

Bob Backlund was one of the biggest wrestling stars of the 70s. He defeated 'Superstar' Billy Graham in 1978, and won the WWE title in the process. He held the belt for more than 2000 days. This includes a house show title loss to Antonio Inoki, but WWE doesn't recognize the same.

Backlund took the belt with him to the next decade, and dropped it to The Iron Sheik in 1983. He came back to WWE in the early 90s, and met Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1994 with the WWE title on the line.

Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE

Backlund’s Crossface Chickenwing led to Bret's mom throwing in the white towel (at the request of Owen Hart) and giving Backlund the win and the WWE title.

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#3 The Undertaker

The Deadman won his first WWE title way back in the early 90s, when he defeated Hulk Hogan at Survivor Series 1991. He went on to become a mainstay in WWE, and carved a legendary undefeated streak at WrestleMania.

He also won several WWE World titles in the 2000s. One of those reigns kicked off in 2002, when he defeated Hulk Hogan at Judgment Day. He didn't keep the belt for long though, and lost it to The Rock at Vengeance 2002, in a Triple Threat Match that also included Kurt Angle.

The Undertaker won the World title in 2009, and carried it to the 2010s. He lost the same to Chris Jericho inside Elimination Chamber, due to an interference by Shawn Michaels.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Nishant Jayaram