Female star surpasses John Cena, Stone Cold's "stunning" US title record- 5 Surprising facts you may not know about WWE championship reigns
This past week has been a historic one for The Bloodline and WWE's world and tag title scenes. Tuesday, November 8 marked Roman Reigns' 800th day as Universal champion, extending his record-breaking reign to new heights. Friday Night SmackDown saw The Usos guarantee that they will surpass New Day's 483-day record as the longest-reigning tag champions in the company's history by defeating the latter.
These milestones will live long in fans' memories alongside iconic marks like John Cena's sixteen world title reigns and Stone Cold's three Royal Rumble wins. However, deep in the annals of the WWE champions reside some facts and records involving iconic stars that are little-known to fans. In honor of The Bloodline's history-making week, we dug up a few of the best such facts for your entertainment and education.
Without further ado, let's dive into five surprising facts you may not know about WWE championship reigns
#5: Mandy Rose's single title reign in WWE is longer than any of John Cena's twenty-five
Mandy Rose is more than 385 days into her current reign as NXT women's champion. This reign, the first of the Toxic Attraction leader's WWE career, came after seven years in the company, but it has been worth the wait. Rose has carried the NXT women's division for more than a year and is on track to beat Asuka's iconic record of 522 days with the title.
Little is it known that Rose's 385+ day reign is longer than any of John Cena's twenty-five reigns in WWE. The sixteen-time world champion may have arguably the most highly regarded record in the company's history, but none of his runs as world, United States and tag champion exceeded Rose's single one. His third world title reign is his longest so far at 380 consecutive days, falling just short of the ever-extending mark set by God's Greatest Creation.
The Champ may arguably be the greatest Superstar ever, but his part-time legend means he is unlikely to ever surpass Rose in this aspect.
#4: Bo Dallas is the youngest ever NXT champion
What a time to be a wrestling fan when Bo Dallas was the guy in professional wrestling
His NXT Championship reign was so good man https://t.co/DXd9mkxsK4
The NXT championship has a fairly illustrious history, having been held by 20 men including Samoa Joe, Finn Balor and Sami Zayn. From first champion Seth Rollins to longest-reigning 403-day holder Adam Cole, many luminaries of the industry hold impressive records related to the title. Thus, it is often forgotten that Balor is the longest-reigning combined champion, or that Jinder Mahal was the man Rollins defeated to become the inaugural champion.
Arguably the most forgotten record in the title's nearly decade-long history is the fact that Bo Dallas is the youngest man to ever hold the title. This is because unlike fellow NXT champions who found great success on the WWE main roster, Dallas struggled with the transition. While he had entertaining gimmicks as a solo and tag performer, he was never a main eventer under Vince McMahon.
If rumors are to be bo-lieved, Dallas will be revealed as the mysterious Uncle Howdy and become the main event player promised by NXT alongside real-life brother Bray Wyatt.
#3: Bianca Belair has reigned longer as WWE RAW Women's champion in her first reign than Sasha Banks in her 5 combined reigns
#WWERaw Women's Champion @BiancaBelairWWE retains against @itsBayleyWWE in a #LastWomanStanding Match at #WWECrownJewel!
#AndStill https://t.co/MzFydGVngC
Current WWE RAW Women's champion Bianca Belair is more than 225 days deep into her first reign. The EST has staved off challenges from Becky Lynch, Bayley and other stars to become the company's foremost babyface champion. Only Roman Reigns and The Usos are currently longer-serving champions than her on the main roster.
Belair's reign is impressive as it is, but it becomes even more majestic when compared with the reigns of another iconic superstar. Sasha Banks has held the RAW Women's title five times for a total of 167 days, averaging 33.4 days per reign. The shortness of Banks' reigns is mainly due to her legendary feud with Charlotte Flair in 2016 when the duo exchanged the title in Attitude Era-esque hot-potato fashion.
Nevertheless, it is impressive that Belair has held the title longer in one reign than the iconic five-time champion in all five of hers. Upon The Queen's return, she might have something to say about the longevity of EST's reign.
#2: Charlotte Flair holds the shortest reigns in the history of all 3 women's singles titles in WWE
Is #MsMITB @CarmellaWWE CASHING IN?!?!?!??!?!??!?!
#SDLive @MsCharlotteWWE https://t.co/2KfO5r6YYi
Charlotte Flair is the most decorated female competitor in WWE history, with thirteen world championships to her name. The Queen has won at least six more women's titles than any other competitor, reigning for a record 1013 combined days as RAW, NXT, Divas and SmackDown champion. However, the incredible number of reigns she has added to her resume have not all been the same.
The Queen's 2nd, 4th, and 5th reigns with the NXT, SmackDown and RAW championships respectively were each the shortest in the titles' histories. They lasted 63 days, 4 minutes 55 seconds and 22 hours respectively, as she fell victim to Money In The Bank cash-ins with the latter two. Flair is one of the best in the women's division, meaning that she will always have a target on her back, especially after grueling championship battles.
Hopefully she has better luck with cash-ins in the future!
#1: Stone Cold Steve Austin owns the shortest reign in United States championship history
The United States championship has an illustrious history dating back to its pre- WWE days. It has been famously held by Harley Race, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, John Cena and Bobby Lashley, among others. One of the most illustrious names associated with the title is Stone Cold Steve Austin, a two-time champion from his WCW days.
Austin's first reign came in at a respectable 240 days, and this wasn't eclipsed for another fourteen years. His second reign, however, lasted less than five minutes, making it the shortest in the title's history to date across the NWA, WCW and WWE. The Texas Rattlesnake may be one of the most popular, celebrated and fearsome Superstars of all time, but this peculiar record he set once upon a time as "Stunning" Steve Austin still lives on in US title history.