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5 WWE Legends with surprisingly short championship reigns

Championship reigns can be short & bittersweet in WWE
Championship reigns can be short & bittersweet in WWE

After capturing world championship gold at Wrestlemania 36 a few short months ago, in the very first Wrestlemania to be presented over two nights in front of no fans, Drew McIntyre and Braun Strowman can proudly say they have joined a very exclusive club of Superstars who have reigned as world champion for more than 100 days.

Yes, believe it or not, Wrestlemania was 100 days ago. Time flies! But unfortunately for some stars, they are not blessed with an equal amount of time with their respective belts. In fact, by wrestling standards, holding a world championship for more than 100 days is quite the accomplishment. Especially when we look back to a time period like the late 90s when the championship seemed to move from person to person so quickly it was difficult to keep up with!

Anyone who has been privileged enough to hold the WWE Championship, for instance, can be proud that they have been able to hold the most coveted prize in sports entertainment, even if it was only for a short while, as we'll see in the following names. Given that some of these men are now considered titans in the industry, on paper, the short length of these title reigns may come as a bit of a shock!

With this in mind, here are 5 WWE legends with surprisingly short championship reigns.


#5 Kane (1 Day)

The Big Red Machine's reign was far too short
The Big Red Machine's reign was far too short

While Glenn Jacobs may have had various different roles in wrestling over the years before his "big break", when Kane debuted in WWE at 1997's Badd Blood pay-per-view, he was billed as the long-lost, horrendously scarred, back-from-the-dead brother of The Undertaker in a storyline that had been building for weeks.

Needless to say, The Big Red Machine made an impact when he, along with Paul Bearer, cost The Undertaker a victory in the very first Hell in a Cell match against Shawn Michaels - one of the best matches the company has ever produced.

It was clear right from the world go that Kane was a prescence to be felt in the ring, as well as having the physicality to back it up. It would be the very next year in 1998 that Kane would win his first WWE Championship at the King of the Ring event - the same event which saw Undertaker famously throw Mankind from the top of Hell in a Cell in one of the most memorable moments in wrestling history.

After some foul play, Kane would be awarded the WWE title over Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match. Despite the fact both men were bleeding, the referee only saw Austin's face and thus handed Kane his first world title.

But, it wouldn't last. The very next night on Raw, Kane lost the WWE title back to Stone Cold in one of the shortest WWE title reigns of all time.

Kane would go on to win multiple titles in WWE though, including a World Heavyweight Championship run many years later.

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