10 Greatest Champions In WWE History

The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla. The Best in the World at What He Does. Y2J. Chris Jericho is one of the most accomplished champions in WWE history. He holds the record for most Intercontinental Championship reigns (nine). He also holds the record of being the first WWE Undisputed Champion when he defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night. Jericho is also a seven-time tag team champion and three-time world champion.

CM Punk's run in the WWE didn't last as long as many would hope, but he accomplished a lot in the short amount of time. He began his career winning the ECW Championship. He moved on to the Intercontinental and tag team titles. Punk's first world title reign began in 2008 when he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Edge. He won the world title after another cash in on Jeff Hardy in 2009. He is most known for having the longest WWE Championship run since Hulk Hogan's in 1988, 434 days.

Bob Backlund's run as the champ in WWE wasn't as impressive as the other names on the list. However, his first WWE Championship reign is the second-longest in history. He defeated "Superstar" Billy Graham and would hold the title for 2,135 days. He was the face of the WWE during the early 1980s. His second reign would not be as impressive, only lasting three days. There's no doubt Backlund made an impact in the early days of the WWE.

The Olympic Gold Medalist had one of the most decorated WWE careers. From the get-go, Kurt Angle was destined for greatness. He won both the Intercontinental and European championships, dubbing himself the Eurocontinental champion. He would then challenge The Rock for the WWE title and win, with some help. When his WWE career was done, he would win six world titles and become the first to hold the WWE Tag Team Championship with Chris Benoit. Angle was one of the best athletes to enter a WWE ring and his credentials prove that.

If you look at Edge when he made his debut, he didn't look like championship material. However, the powers that be believed in him and sent him to the moon. The Rated-R Superstar is a 14-time tag team champion (most in company history), five-time Intercontinental champion and 11-time WWE world champion. His first WWE title reign came at the 2006 New Year's Revolution event when he cashed in his briefcase on John Cena. Edge held down the SmackDown brand as the world champ and proved his status as a main eventer.

Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold! The Texas Rattlesnake began his WWE career as the Million Dollar Champion under "The Ringmaster" moniker. He quickly shed that name and success soon followed. He won the Intercontinental Championship two times before moving up the ladder. His first WWE Championship victory came at WrestleMania 14 against Shawn Michaels. He would win it again the following year against The Rock. At the end of his career, Austin won the tag team titles four times and the WWE title six times. He was the top star in the Attitude Era and carried the WWE to new heights -- and that's the bottom line.

Triple H won the Intercontinental title a few times during his time as the "Connecticut Blue Blood" and member of D-Generation X. True success didn't come until 1999 when he defeated Mankind on the Raw after SummerSlam and the rest is history. The King of Kings would win 13 world titles along with being a five-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time European Champion and the second Grand Slam winner. The Game will go down as one of the best champions in history.

John Cena's career began with a bang. In his first match, he almost defeated Kurt Angle and gained the respect of a lot of superstars. He then won the United States Championship three times. His first WWE title win came at WrestleMania 21 against JBL. Cena is closing in on Ric Flair's 16-time championship record with 15 world title reigns. He is also a four-time tag team champion. Cena will undoubtedly be the face of the WWE for a few more years, so expect him to break Flair's record by the end of 2015.

Hulk Hogan was the man during the 80s and part of the 90s. He won his first WWE Championship after less than a month with the WWE, defeating The Iron Sheik. He would hold the title for over 1,400 days and hold it four more times before leaving for WCW. Hogan returned to the WWE in 2002 as a member of the nWo. He quickly shed the black and white for the yellow and red. He won his sixth and final championship at the 2002 Backlash event, pinning Triple H. Hogan is the most recognizable WWE superstar and possibly the greatest champion ever.

Many wrestling fans today probably won't recognize this name, but Bruno Sammartino was Hulk Hogan before Hulk Hogan was around. Everybody loved him. He sold out Madison Square Garden more than any other single performer in history. Sammartino's 2,803-day reign (eight years!) as champion is the longest in history and will most likely never be broken. His second reign wouldn't last as long but came in at 1,237 days, or four years. Bruno was what professional wrestling is about. In a time with very few titles, Sammartino made the ones he won count. No one will top him as the best champion in WWE history.