Per week earlier than he defends his Undisputed WWE Common Championship in a deadly four-way match on the Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns continues to etch his identify into the annals of wrestling historical past.
On Saturday (Jan. 20), the Tribal Chief claimed the fourth-longest world title run in WWE historical past, surpassing Bruno Sammartino’s 1,237-day reign set by the Italian Strongman in his second run as WWE Champion. Reigns now sits behind Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, and Sammartino once more, whose first run because the WWE Champion lasted a file 2,803 days.
Reigns, whose marketing campaign because the Undisputed WWE Common Champion now stands at 1,238 days, has inched nearer to overtaking Sammartino utterly within the file books. Nevertheless, he nonetheless has a protracted method to go. To take action, Reigns should retain his title via Could 4, 2028.
Whereas that could be a tall order, what is fairly near Reigns’ attain is Hulk Hogan and Hogan’s 1,474 days atop WWE as world champion. If he can overtake the Hulkster, Reigns will grow to be the longest-running world champion of the final 40 years and arguably its biggest.
Reigns started his run because the Common Champion after defeating then-champion Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman in a triple-threat match to assert the crown at Payback on Aug. 30, 2020. He later unified the title with the WWE Championship after beating Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, making him the Undisputed Common Champion.
Lengthy thought-about the face of WWE after John Cena started transitioning to a profession in Hollywood, WWE has seen unprecedented success beneath Reigns, experiencing unbelievable monetary development in 2020, 2021, and 2022. In 2023, as followers expressed outrage over the corporate’s resolution to maintain the title on Reigns over stars like Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso, WWE was having its greatest 12 months ever.
Whereas a lot of the corporate’s success stems from its tv offers and its partnership with Saudi Arabia, a case will be made for Reigns and his star energy as contributing components.
Reportedly, the villainous Reigns was among the many high merch movers in WWE for 2023. After headlining his third consecutive WrestleMania as champion, WWE acknowledged WrestleMania 39 as essentially the most profitable WrestleMania in historical past. And rankings for SmackDown proceed to enhance with every look by the Head of the Desk.
Nevertheless, Reigns’ authority hasn’t been with out controversy.
Most of his victories have include assistance from the Bloodline. Whereas such shenanigans are commonplace for heel champions, the frequency with which they occur has left many followers upset and dissatisfied.
But it’s the infrequency of Reigns’ title defenses that has pushed audiences to the brink.
In 2023, Reigns defended the Undisputed Common Championship 9 occasions. Whereas the rarity of those defenses has made Reigns’ matches extra significant, it’s left a bit of the fan base livid, as they demand an ever-present champion. It has additionally sparked a debate about whether or not the emphasis must be on the standard or amount of a champion’s title defenses.
No matter the place followers stand on the controversy and regardless of the controversial features of his run, there isn’t a denying the impression of Roman’s reign on the business. And whether or not followers like him, love him, or hate him, in the present day, they need to acknowledge him as one of many longest-reigning world champions in WWE historical past.