The Miz joins Brock Lesnar, The Rock, and two others in elite list after winning WWE title at Elimination Chamber
The Miz has joined Brock Lesnar, The Rock, Bruno Sammartino, and Bob Backlund in an elite list of WWE Superstars after his WWE title win at the 2021 Elimination Chamber event.
The Miz won the Money In The Bank briefcase with a win over Otis, last year. Tonight, Drew McIntyre retained his WWE title inside the Elimination Chamber and was brutally attacked by Bobby Lashley following the match. Ever the opportunist, The Miz came out with his Money In The Bank briefcase and defeated McIntyre to win the coveted belt for the second time in his career.
The Miz joins an elite list of former champions
With this win, The Miz has now become a part of an elite list of WWE Superstars. This list, now consisting of five WWE Superstars, features men who have gaps greater than ten years between two of their WWE title wins. Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, and The Miz are the only Superstars in WWE history to achieve this feat.
(Note: The gaps mentioned here are from the date the Superstar won the WWE title, to the date that they won it the next time around)
Let's take a look at the incredible records of these five Superstars:
Bruno Sammartino: May 1963 - December 1973 (10 years and seven months)
Bruno Sammartino became the 2nd ever WWE Champion on May 17, 1963. He held the belt for 2,083 days, and finally dropped it to Ivan Koloff in 1971. The next time Sammartino won the belt was on December 10, 1973, thus putting a whopping 10 years and seven months between his two WWE title victories.
Bob Backlund: December 1979 - November 1994 (14 Years & 11 Months)
Bob Backlund became WWE Champion on December 17, 1979, following a win over Bobby Duncum. 14 years and 11 months later, he defeated Bret "The Hitman" Hart in a Submission match to win the prestigious belt again. He would lose the belt to Diesel in eight seconds.
The Rock: July 2002 - January 2013 (10 Years & six Months)
The Rock became a seven-time WWE Champion in July 2002, by defeating The Undertaker and Kurt Angle at WWE Vengeance. It took The Rock more than a decade to come back into the WWE title picture. At the 2013 Royal Rumble event, The Rock defeated CM Punk to win his eighth WWE title, thus putting an end to Punk's legendary 434-day WWE title reign.
Brock Lesnar: September 2003 - August 2014 (10 Years & 11 Months)
Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle in a 60-minute Iron Man match for the WWE title on an episode of SmackDown in September 2003. Lesnar would leave WWE following WrestleMania XX. After a successful MMA stint, Brock Lesnar returned to the company in 2012. At SummerSlam 2014, Brock Lesnar would demolish John Cena, and win his fourth WWE title.
The Miz: November 2010 - February 2021 (10 years and three months)
The Miz successfully cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase on Randy Orton on WWE RAW, in November 2010, to win his very first WWE title. Last night, The Miz defeated Drew McIntyre for the belt, ten years and three months after his first win.