What do you consider the greatest WWF/E Championship reign ever?

[Wald]

Gonna keep my answer to the modern era of wrestling

Just done watching the Macho Man documentary (bit disappointed with it I have to say) and one thing that stood out was Bret Hart talking about how Macho Man did such a great job holding the title from Wrestlemania 4 to Wrestlemania 5. He pointed out that Hogan took some time off after Macho won the belt but that crowds didn't drop and his pay cheque never suffered thanks to the job Macho did as champion.

That got me thinking, was Macho's year long reign the best ever?

You could certainly make the case for it. It did great business, built a massive storyline that is still remembered today as one of the best and also saw the WWF Champion successfully heel in the midst of his reign. I don't think that heel turn gets nearly enough praise for how it was so perfectly executed. My answer is that it was but I fully appreciate that that is coloured by the fact that it was the Mega Powers angle that turned me from a wrestling fan in to a fanatic and that without Macho Man I may never have developed such a love for the industry.

But what do you think? Was it the best? Was Hogan's near four years at the top from Wrestlemania to when he dropped the title to Andre? Any other contenders?

 

[TheICChampion]

Gotta go with ol' H-B-Shizzle on this one. It's been said by fellow superstars that he was the glue that held the company together when WCW was kicking their butts throughout that year. And indeed, had Shawn not been as popular as he was during that time, a case could probably be made that WWE may not be around now. It's been said that HBK's matches during his reign were the best matches on each and every card he was on. Obviously it wasn't all that long, but still a pivotal title reign and one that allowed WWE to continue fighting the war.

 

[Evil Ernie]

Realistically, I don't see how you can't say Hogans first reign. Not only for the length of it, but the era. Hogan as champion took the WWF to staggering heights.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Defo NOT Shawn's first or second reigns... they were godawful, business was NOT good during them and his ego ruined possibilities to kick start the business... Why lose to Sid but not Vader? it made sense to Shawn but not many others... how his 2nd reign ended with his "lost smile" was also not good... realistically his 3rd reign post Montreal was his best, but no THE best...

It's tough really because once everyone began having 5 or 6 reigns+ it became hard to pick any one reign out...

Macho's first reign is up there, but also Flair's first that led into it...while short, for that one feud Flair was THE MAN...it wasn't his fault they gave Hogan his own way but in many ways working with Savage was FAR better for him, it's a shame he took the loss and Warrior return as such a slight...when he regained it it was set up perfectly...

CM Punk's year long reign is arguably the modern template, they booked nearly everything right and he delivered for 99% of it... only when he had injuries did he slow down but not convinced it's the best ever.

Bret's first reign was impressive in that people bought it immediately. There was no "what the fuck?" or "get out of here" from the fans, the wrestling media or the talent... Bret won the belt in a shock but WAS the champion immediately and acted like it... even if Hogan usurped the spot later.

It's tough to call anything but Hogan's long reign as the best... not only did he hold the belt for a long time, but at no point until the build to Mania 4 did he not look like he SHOULDN'T be holding it... You could say Andre could have won at Mania 3 to set 4 up... but other than that till Savage and DiBiase were ready, there was no competition for him... so is a guy with no true competition the best? or just coasting?

You could say The Rock's last reign, after all he was the top movie star in the world at the time... AND the WWE Champion... while he didn't wrestle as much that in itself is a major period for the WWE in terms of mainstream acceptance.

You could say Jericho's one night "non-reign" was...or the Trips reign he "ended"... you could say Jericho's win during his "Best In The World"/Vs Shawn phase...


On balance, I don't belive you can look at one reign, but have to look at the sequence of reigns rather than one... I think the below is the best period, certainly of the more "modern era" and each was totally logical, enhanced the belt and each reign was better than the last and there was a BIG payoff for the company.

It started with Brock Lesnar winning the title from Kurt Angle in an EPIC Iron Man match... while he only held it for around 6 months, the belt was elevated massively by him in that period. Sure some of his defences were not A-list, like the aborted attempt at pushing Hardcore Holly... but Lesnar WAS the champion in that time in a big way...

When No Way Out came around and he lost shockingly to Eddie, the title was arguably bigger in stature than the "Big Gold Belt" for the first time since Trips had been "awarded it"... the epic feud between Brock and Angle, the defences against guys like Benoit had made it so... it seemed so routine for Brock... but Eddie shocked the world and began the 2nd part of this great sequence...

Eddie's reign was again, short but summed up by the Angle match at Mania... even though Benoit closed out the show, it was Eddie's performance as champion that was standing out... the "lesser" guy was arguably the bigger of the two champions... Benoit had the pedigree of being the former WCW champ but Eddie seemed more "The Man".

Eddie's reign didn't last long either as it was ended by the final guy in this sequence, and the guy I am actually gonna give the most credit... JBL.

When JBL won the title, not only did it seem as shocking as Eddie winning it, but it provoked REAL hatred... people despised him for taking the belt from their Latino hero... for daring to goosestep on the German leg of the World tour and basically be a great HEEL CHAMP...His reign was longer, finally coming to an end at the birth of the Jaaahn Ceeeena... we know and erm "love/hate" today... but for that 9 months JBL was the most hated and "old school" champion since the Iron Shiek... fans loathed him...but he drew... and drew heat by the bucket load...

Cena is where he is today because he was the beneficiary of winning the the title after that amazing sequence of title runs... the belt he won was far more elevated that the belt Brock won in that Iron Man match... It's hard to call one reign of the 3 better cos they all played a crucial part but JBL arguably was the most successful of them and in many ways was the best heel champion since Savage....

That's my view... don't judge the reigns alone, judge the sequence...and who benefited... and you'll see I am right.

 

[MrTDG]

First off, I want to state that I watched the Macho Man documentary last night for the first time and it brought back so many memories. I like you, was transformed into a wrestling fanatic over that Mega Powers angle that had been building for well over a year.

To answer your question, it's really hard to argue against Hogan's first reign. During that four year run, WWF really went from a northeast promotion to a national one and reached staggering heights. Wrestling made it's return to network television with Saturday Night's Main Event. The NWA through Jim Crockett Promotions had already done two Starrcade's, but the first WrestleMania took things to a different level, culminating in the epic WrestleMania 3. There was the War to Settle the Score, the Rock N Wrestling Connection, the cartoon, Hogan's appearances on the A-Team, etc. And Hogan truly was THE champion. He had some damn good feuds in that time as well with Roddy Piper, Paul Orndorff, and Andre the Giant. I think Hogan's reign really is the model for a champion that isn't going to appear on TV every week (ahem Brock Lesnar).

Now with all of that said, I have to give a special shout out to the Macho Man's first reign and Bret Hart's first and second title reign. 1988 was just a special time in wrestling. The WWF really could do no wrong in my eyes. Looking back at it, I like it even better than I did the first time around. Everything from Savage's face turn (which happened in 1987), his feud with the Honky Tonk Man (I wished they had interviewed him) and the chase after the IC title, the meeting of the Madness and the Mania on October 3, 1987 SNME (this should've been included on the DVD, even if it has already been released, as well as several other Mega Power appearances), Savage's four victories in one night to become the true first undisputed World Wrestling Federation heavyweight champion, Elizabeth's rise in popularity, the feud with DiBiase culminating in the first Summer Slam, etc. You really could go on and on about that year and a half. The slow turn of Macho Man was also one of the best heel turns in wrestling. The funny thing about it all is that, as we became older and understood the world better, who DIDN'T empathize with Savage "turning" on Hogan?

Onto Bret's first and second reigns. Bret Hart did an excellent job with his first reign establishing himself as a wrestling champion. It's the closest thing the WWF ever had to the NWA style of champion of multiple title defenses against everyone in the top 10. I think they did a great job of establishing Bret Hart as a main eventer, only to have his push derailed by Hulk Hogan. The consolation is that Bret Hart ended up as KOTR and had a great feud with Jerry Lawler. The second title reign was equally as good with the company fully behind Bret and he had some classics with Owen Hart, a good match with Diesel at KOTR '94, made Bob Backlund relevant for the first and only time in his return to the ring, and of course the Hart family drama that dominated 1994. I only wish they would've let Bret Hart regain the title directly from Bob Backlund on a Raw or at the Royal Rumble the following year.

 

[MrTDG]

One more thing, Savage wasn't heel long enough for me to count him as a heel champion.

The best heel champions IMO were

1) Ric Flair: January 1992 to April 1992.
2) Corporate Rock: Three different reigns between November 1998 to March 1999
3) Triple H: January 2000 to April 2000
4) Brock Lesnar: September 2003 to February 2004

I'd like to throw Triple H's reign when he led Evolution in, but he buried too many people for my liking.

JBL was more of a Honky Tonk Man kind of champion. And that isn't mean in a disrespectful way. I thought he was a damn good champion and probably would be fifth if I had to pick someone.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

Following on from Taylor, but a controversial view: the combined first two reigns of John Cena (as he held the title from Wrestlemania 21 in April 2005 until One Night Stand in June 2006, a total of nearly 14 months, bar 3 weeks in January when Edge had it).

His reign began by beating JBL at Wrestlemania - JBL having had the longest reign since Diesel a decade earlier. So it was off to a strong start. Then a good rematch with JBL, a mini feud with Christian (that could and should have been longer but they stupidly let Christian go to TNA instead of pushing him), then onto Jericho and Angle in very good ppv main events, solidifying and legitimising his title reign. He may have lost the title to Edge at New Year's Revolution, but only after retaining in a bloody Elimination Chamber.

Once he got the title back, Cena main evented Wrestlemania with Triple H before eventually losing the belt to Rob Van Dam in front of one of the most hostile crowds in WWE history at One Night Stand.

Whether you like Cena or not, his first two reigns strengthened the business, and his long reigns helped re-legitimise the title. Arguably his reigns were a huge reason as to why WWE decided to return Wrestlemania to stadiums - Cena v Triple H at WM22 was the last one so far to eminate from an arena.

Hulk Hogan's initial reign from '84-88 was the best - as quite simply without it wrestling may never have become as big, as mainstream as it has done. But credit where credit is due and John Cena deserves credit for his initial title reigns.

 

[The Boss]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Bruno Sammartio's 7 years, 8 months and 1 day title reign. It the longest World title reign of any promotion in the history of the sport. The then World Wide Wrestling Federation which had just broken from the NWA was carried on his broad sholders for so many years. Even after dropping the title Bruno still main evented and two years later regained the title and reigned for another two and a half years and was the only man to regain the championship until HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN accomplished this in 1989 at WrestleMania V.

That said however, I have to believe that HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN'S 1st, 4 year title reign was the greatest. During his time on top the WWF - indeed the entire sport of wrestling saw an unprecedented surge in popularity. His popularity helped the WWF to expand nationally, start WrestleMania and begin showcasing on PPV. This lead the way for wrestling to return to network television which eventually lead to the return to prime time and the highest rating of all time. Figures, cartoons, video games, wrestlers appearing on talk shows etc. At no other time, before or since has wrestling ever been as popular.


Savage's first reign, while fun - after all he was a great champion - is hampered by the fact that he was merely a coat rack for the belt while HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN took time off for the birth of Brooke and to film the movie No Holds Barred. The plan was always for HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN to get the belt back. I dare say that if not for the birth of Brooke, HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN would never have lost the title.

Savage was also fortunate enough to get the belt while wrestling was at it's peak. He had a great wave of wrestling popularity that he was able to ride and showcase his great skills. Probably most helpful however was HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN himself. Starting from the handshake on Saturday Night's Main Event, Savage had a connection with the HULKSTER that the fans would always be reminded of. The team of the Mega Powers allowed the World title to still be associated with HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN until such time came for him to win it back.

 

[relentless1]

Its Hogan, got to be Hogan, 4 years is a long time to hold the belt especially in an era of national expansion like the WWF were going through at the time, Hogan was responsible for arguably the greatest boom period in modern wrestling and he was that figurehead as champion.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Bruno Sammartio's 7 years, 8 months and 1 day title reign. It the longest World title reign of any promotion in the history of the sport.

No other reason but the OP did pose the question regarding the 'modern era', which I and I assume most others took to mean the ppv era. If the question was the best reign in history, I doubt there would be a debate.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I would need to go with Hulk Hogan's first reign, If you compare the WWF to before Hogan beat the Iron Sheik, Then during the reign going into Pay Per View, The Rock N Wrestling era, Wrestlemania 1 and even their national TV and attendance records, action figures, video games, magazines, I suppose its only a matter of opinion who your favourite reign is though but I feel Hogan's has to have made the biggest impact and difference to wrestling.

 

[jamesubrown1]

I'll go with Brock Lesnar as the greatest WWE championship reign.

 

[Makaveli31]

I personally really enjoyed Warrior's reign. I know it will be an unpopular pick but I became a WWF and pro wrestling fan during the Warrior Era and he brought color, energy, and charisma. There are no singular memorable moments like during Hogan's reign (which from a purely historical stand point is #1) or Austin's but it was definitely different from Hogan's or Austin's in that he wasn't given "the heel" like Hogan had Piper and Andre and Austin had McMahon. Warrior basically carried it on his own and IMO did a good job.

I liked the chemistry Warrior had with Sherri/Savage. I would've liked have seen a Tittle vs. Career match at WM 7. I think that would've cemented Warrior's legacy as champion.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

This is one of those questions that can be looked at from different angles and result in different answers.

If we are judging by best for business then its really a two horse race between Hogan's first run and Austin's 1st and 2nd run (only separated by a day). Those runs both kick started the two best times for the WWE.

If you go by the guy who was on top of his game from in ring to character development then I would go with Bret Hart's last title reign. He got way over as a heel really fast and just like any other time in Bret's WWE career he was turning in great performance after great performance.

If we judge just by the quality of the matches then I would go with the title swapping that occurred between Mankind and Rock between Survivor Series and the Raw after St. Valentine's Day Massacre. In that time they had 7 televised matches against one another and they ranged from good to classic. Now that is truly an impressive feat.

 

[The Warlord]

Realistically, I don't see how you can't say Hogans first reign. Not only for the length of it, but the era. Hogan as champion took the WWF to staggering heights.

Can't really argue with this.

However, there's two ways to look at the question. When you say "greatest" is it the most successful or is it the most entertaining??

For most successful then you're absolutely right. The first Hogan reign was untouchable and got the WWF to new heights and a household name. Although the Attitude era proved to be more successful as a whole, it didn't have any title reigns that stood out and the title was basically hotshotted Monday to Monday, or PPV to PPV.

The CM Punk title reign really pulled me on board. I loved everything about it because he made a long title reign fun to watch. He constantly put on great matches while reminding everyone how great his reign is. He'd bring up guys from the past and as the weeks went on he'd climb further and further up the list. When he finally lost the title it was a huge moment (although some may argue that it was the wrong opponent to lose to).

 

[HurriKane]

Got to go with Hulk Hogan. Mainly because the impact he had on the business as champion, he's not my favorite wrestler, but I do acknowledge what he's done for the business, and that his reign had some truly memorable moments that fans still remember to this day.

So yea.

 

[King Patrick Star]

In my own opinion, I think the greatest WWE Championship reign was from December 9, 2001 at Vengeance 2001 to March 17, 2002 at WrestleMania X8. I really enjoyed the Undisputed WWF / WCW Championship Title reign of Chris Jericho. I’m sure there are others that many consider better than this one, but this one was my favorite.

 

[Waylon Mercy]

In terms of impact: Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin (tied in my opinion)
In terms of legitimacy / work ethic: Bret Hart
In terms of star power / charisma: The Rock

 

[Ultimate Randy Savage Fan]

Savages' year long title reign closely followed by Punks year long reign. Regarding the new Macho Man Story DVD recently released mentioned by the OP I was more than a bit disapointed with how much of his amazing IN RING work wasn't even mentioned...his blood fued with 2 of the biggest names the industry has ever seen, Warrior & Flair & no mention of his 2nd WWE title reign what so ever

 

[Khaosom]

In terms of most impact Mick Foley's..
In Terms of greatest all around wrestler to hold it, CM Punk
In Terms of legitimacy I gotta Go With the Hitman

 

[Kidpolean]

Defo NOT Shawn's first or second reigns... they were godawful, business was NOT good during them and his ego ruined possibilities to kick start the business... Why lose to Sid but not Vader? it made sense to Shawn but not many others... how his 2nd reign ended with his "lost smile" was also not good... realistically his 3rd reign post Montreal was his best, but no THE best...

It's tough really because once everyone began having 5 or 6 reigns+ it became hard to pick any one reign out...

Macho's first reign is up there, but also Flair's first that led into it...while short, for that one feud Flair was THE MAN...it wasn't his fault they gave Hogan his own way but in many ways working with Savage was FAR better for him, it's a shame he took the loss and Warrior return as such a slight...when he regained it it was set up perfectly...

CM Punk's year long reign is arguably the modern template, they booked nearly everything right and he delivered for 99% of it... only when he had injuries did he slow down but not convinced it's the best ever.

Bret's first reign was impressive in that people bought it immediately. There was no "what the fuck?" or "get out of here" from the fans, the wrestling media or the talent... Bret won the belt in a shock but WAS the champion immediately and acted like it... even if Hogan usurped the spot later.

It's tough to call anything but Hogan's long reign as the best... not only did he hold the belt for a long time, but at no point until the build to Mania 4 did he not look like he SHOULDN'T be holding it... You could say Andre could have won at Mania 3 to set 4 up... but other than that till Savage and DiBiase were ready, there was no competition for him... so is a guy with no true competition the best? or just coasting?

You could say The Rock's last reign, after all he was the top movie star in the world at the time... AND the WWE Champion... while he didn't wrestle as much that in itself is a major period for the WWE in terms of mainstream acceptance.

You could say Jericho's one night "non-reign" was...or the Trips reign he "ended"... you could say Jericho's win during his "Best In The World"/Vs Shawn phase...


On balance, I don't belive you can look at one reign, but have to look at the sequence of reigns rather than one... I think the below is the best period, certainly of the more "modern era" and each was totally logical, enhanced the belt and each reign was better than the last and there was a BIG payoff for the company.

It started with Brock Lesnar winning the title from Kurt Angle in an EPIC Iron Man match... while he only held it for around 6 months, the belt was elevated massively by him in that period. Sure some of his defences were not A-list, like the aborted attempt at pushing Hardcore Holly... but Lesnar WAS the champion in that time in a big way...

When No Way Out came around and he lost shockingly to Eddie, the title was arguably bigger in stature than the "Big Gold Belt" for the first time since Trips had been "awarded it"... the epic feud between Brock and Angle, the defences against guys like Benoit had made it so... it seemed so routine for Brock... but Eddie shocked the world and began the 2nd part of this great sequence...

Eddie's reign was again, short but summed up by the Angle match at Mania... even though Benoit closed out the show, it was Eddie's performance as champion that was standing out... the "lesser" guy was arguably the bigger of the two champions... Benoit had the pedigree of being the former WCW champ but Eddie seemed more "The Man".

Eddie's reign didn't last long either as it was ended by the final guy in this sequence, and the guy I am actually gonna give the most credit... JBL.

When JBL won the title, not only did it seem as shocking as Eddie winning it, but it provoked REAL hatred... people despised him for taking the belt from their Latino hero... for daring to goosestep on the German leg of the World tour and basically be a great HEEL CHAMP...His reign was longer, finally coming to an end at the birth of the Jaaahn Ceeeena... we know and erm "love/hate" today... but for that 9 months JBL was the most hated and "old school" champion since the Iron Shiek... fans loathed him...but he drew... and drew heat by the bucket load...

Cena is where he is today because he was the beneficiary of winning the the title after that amazing sequence of title runs... the belt he won was far more elevated that the belt Brock won in that Iron Man match... It's hard to call one reign of the 3 better cos they all played a crucial part but JBL arguably was the most successful of them and in many ways was the best heel champion since Savage....

That's my view... don't judge the reigns alone, judge the sequence...and who benefited... and you'll see I am right.

HBKs reign was awful? From a kids perspective, when that reign was actually happening, it was awesome. You are speaking from an adult perspective, looking back, and nitpicking.
Also, Punks reign was TERRIBLE!!! His matches with DB are overrated and should have been much better. His feud with Jericho is really the only time anyone actually cared that he was champ. Promos with Rocky were good but the matches weren't and he had probably the worst HIAC match of all time during that reign.

Machos first or Hogans first imo. Or HHH's 2000 99-00 run wasn't long but it was still awesome.

 

[RobertTheBruce]

Greatest: HBK (SS97 - WM98)
Historically Significant: Hogan (1st since arriving from AWA)
Most Important Today: JBL (CRUCIAL an under appreciated transitional champion to take the title from the old guard to the new)

Dishonourable mentions (aka The Shit List):
* Yokozuna
* Psycho Sid
* The Miz

If history was fair we'd be talking about:
* Goldust
* British Bulldog
* Owen Hart
* John Morrison
* Razor Ramon
* Farooq (Ron Simmons)

 

[Mighty NorCal]

There is really no argument against Hulk Hogan's first WWE run. The backbone of modern day wrestling was built on it.

It completely changed the game forever. Pay Per View, mainstream appeal, selling out big cities for TV, and furthermore massive ones for PPV....All standards established during Hogan's run. Not to mention more than a few all time attendance records.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

We're talking about the greatest reign of the modern era... and people are actually bringing up HBK or Punk's reigns? Foley and JBL have also been mentioned?

Even though I've never been the biggest fan of his... this discussion begins and ends with the first real reign of the modern era... Hulk Hogan's 1st title reign (84-88). When McMahon lured Hogan away from the AWA, he was in the earliest stages of his national expansion. He needed that largest of life character to lead the way, and he correctly identified that Hogan was that man. He then brought in a perfect foil in Roddy Piper, got a couple of the biggest stars of the day (Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper) on board, and the rest was history. Without that initial reign of Hogan's coming off so perfectly, who's to say where the WWF and wrestling in general ends up?

Sure there were reigns afterwards that may have been more fun, or hold up better... but if we're talking 'greatest', then it can only be the reign that actually set the stage for everything that followed.