I was thinking about WWWF/WWF/WWE Champions 1963-2013.
wondered whether there was any correlation between the length of a championship reign and whether that wrestler had a winning-record in the months prior to winning the belt.
| Name | won | Cumulative Six Prior Months | REIGN | ||
| Bruno Sammartino | 5/17/1963 | 20-5-1 and 8 other | 80% | 2803 | |
| Ivan Koloff | 1/18/1971 | 29-3-4 and 9 other | 91% | 21 | |
| Pedro Morales | 2/8/1971 | 13-0-3 and 3 other | 100% | 1027 | |
| Stan Stasiak | 12/1/1973 | 9-11-4 and 5 other | 45% | 9 | |
| Bruno Sammartino | 12/10/1973 | 4-1 and 5 other | 80% | 1237 | |
| Superstar Billy Graham | 4/30/1977 | 10-0 | 100% | 296 | |
| Bob Backlund | 2/20/1978 | 49-1-1 and 15 other | 98% | 648 | |
| Antonio Inoki | 11/30/1979 | 0-0 | na | 6 | |
| Bob Backlund | 12/17/1979 | 55-9-7 and 9 other | 86% | 1470 | |
| Iron Sheik | 12/26/1983 | 36-4-1 and 4 other | 90% | 28 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 1/23/1984 | 3-0 | 100% | 1474 | |
| Andre the Giant | 2/5/1988 | 2-4 and 1 other | 33% | 0 | |
| Randy Savage | 3/27/1988 | 78-43-1 and 16 other | 64% | 371 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 4/2/1989 | 82-5 and 10 other | 94% | 364 | |
| Ultimate Warrior | 4/1/1990 | 103-0 and 18 other | 100% | 293 | |
| Sgt Slaughter | 1/19/1991 | 79-2-1 and 9 other | 98% | 64 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 3/24/1991 | 58-10 and 6 other | 85% | 248 | |
| Undertaker | 11/27/1991 | 46-80-1 and 17 other | 37% | 6 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 12/3/1991 | 49-7 and 6 other | 88% | 1 | |
| Ric Flair | 1/19/1992 | 38-37-1 and 7 other | 51% | 77 | |
| Randy Savage | 4/5/1992 | 75-6 and 12 other | 93% | 149 | |
| Ric Flair | 9/1/1992 | 21-98 and 6 other | 18% | 41 | |
| Bret Hart | 10/12/1992 | 109-7-2 and 9 other | 94% | 174 | |
| Yokozuna | 4/4/1993 | 47-25 and 6 other | 65% | 0 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 4/4/1993 | 3-0 | 100% | 70 | |
| Yokozuna | 6/13/1993 | 72-35 and 9 other | 67% | 280 | |
| Bret Hart | 3/20/1994 | 79-16-1 and 4 other | 83% | 248 | |
| Bob Backlund | 11/23/1994 | 27-14 and 1 other | 66% | 3 | |
| Kevin Nash | 11/26/1994 | 64-29-7 and 3 other | 69% | 358 | |
| Bret Hart | 11/19/1995 | 62-4 and 1 other | 94% | 133 | |
| Shawn Michaels | 3/31/1996 | 48-6-3 and 1 other | 89% | 231 | |
| Sid Vicious | 11/17/1996 | 68-5-2 and 2 other | 93% | 63 | |
| Shawn Michaels | 1/19/1997 | 89-8-2 and 2 other | 92% | 25 | |
| Bret Hart | 2/16/1997 | 26-15 | 63% | 1 | |
| Sid Vicious | 2/17/1997 | 83-16-4 and 2 other | 84% | 34 | |
| Undertaker | 3/23/1997 | 75-17-5 and 2 other | 82% | 133 | |
| Bret Hart | 8/3/1997 | 23-36-2 | 39% | 98 | |
| Shawn Michaels | 11/9/1997 | 6-5-4 | 55% | 140 | |
| Steve Austin | 3/29/1998 | 51-1-1 and 1 other | 98% | 91 | |
| Glen Jacobs | 6/28/1998 | 48-35-5 and 2 other | 58% | 1 | |
| Steve Austin | 6/29/1998 | 76-3-6 and 2 other | 96% | 90 | |
| Rock | 11/15/1998 | 45-52-7 and 1 other | 46% | 44 | |
| Mick Foley | 12/29/1998 | 27-67-7 and 1 other | 29% | 26 | |
| Rock | 1/24/1999 | 51-56-6 | 48% | 2 | |
| Mick Foley | 1/26/1999 | 32-61-6 | 34% | 20 | |
| Rock | 2/15/1999 | 50-57-5 | 47% | 41 | |
| Steve Austin | 3/28/1999 | 51-5-4 | 91% | 56 | |
| Undertaker | 5/23/1999 | 42-28-6 | 60% | 36 | |
| Steve Austin | 6/28/1999 | 53-4-4 | 93% | 55 | |
| Mick Foley | 8/22/1999 | 52-12-6 | 81% | 1 | |
| Triple H | 8/23/1999 | 24-65-8 | 27% | 22 | |
| Vince McMahon | 9/14/1999 | 4-1-2 | 80% | 6 | |
| Triple H | 9/26/1999 | 27-66-6 | 29% | 49 | |
| Big Show | 11/14/1999 | 58-35-14 | 62% | 50 | |
| Triple H | 1/3/2000 | 29-52-11 | 36% | 118 | |
| Rock | 4/30/2000 | 63-24-9 | 72% | 21 | |
| Triple H | 5/21/2000 | 31-46-6 | 40% | 35 | |
| Rock | 6/25/2000 | 58-25-8 | 70% | 119 | |
| Kurt Angle | 10/22/2000 | 37-58-2 | 39% | 126 | |
| Rock | 2/25/2001 | 56-19-4 | 75% | 35 | |
| Steve Austin | 4/1/2001 | 40-6-8 | 87% | 175 | |
| Kurt Angle | 9/23/2001 | 42-38-4 | 53% | 15 | |
| Steve Austin | 10/8/2001 | 24-28-3 | 46% | 62 | |
| Chris Jericho | 12/9/2001 | 56-40-1 | 58% | 98 | |
| Triple H | 3/17/2002 | 19-9-1 | 68% | 35 | |
| Hulk Hogan | 4/21/2002 | 5-2-1 | 71% | 28 | |
| Undertaker | 5/19/2002 | 38-22-2 | 63% | 63 | |
| Rock | 7/21/2002 | 17-7 | 71% | 35 | |
| Brock Lesnar | 8/25/2002 | 53-21 | 72% | 84 | |
| Big Show | 11/17/2002 | 34-47-4 | 42% | 28 | |
| Kurt Angle | 12/15/2002 | 28-67-2 | 29% | 105 | |
| Brock Lesnar | 3/30/2003 | 61-7-5 | 90% | 119 | |
| Kurt Angle | 7/27/2003 | 27-12 | 69% | 51 | |
| Brock Lesnar | 9/16/2003 | 45-24-3 | 65% | 152 | |
| Eddie Guerrero | 2/15/2004 | 44-28 | 61% | 133 | |
| JBL | 6/27/2004 | 37-31 | 54% | 280 | |
| John Cena | 4/3/2005 | 48-1-1 | 98% | 280 | |
| Edge | 1/8/2006 | 13-31-4 | 30% | 21 | |
| Edge | 1/8/2006 | 13-31-4 | 30% | 21 | |
| John Cena | 1/29/2006 | 81-9-1 | 90% | 133 | |
| Rob Van Dam | 6/11/2006 | 28-23 | 55% | 22 | |
| John Cena | 9/17/2006 | 75-21-4 | 78% | 380 | |
| Randy Orton | 10/7/2007 | 18-58-2 | 24% | 0 | |
| Triple H | 10/7/2007 | 7-2 | 78% | 0 | |
| Triple H | 4/27/2008 | 62-8-1 and 1 other | 89% | 210 | |
| Edge | 11/23/2008 | 6-35-1 | 15% | 21 | |
| Jeff Hardy | 12/14/2008 | 67-24-3 | 74% | 42 | |
| Edge | 1/25/2009 | 10-33-1 | 23% | 21 | |
| Triple H | 2/15/2009 | 66-11-3 and 1 other | 86% | 70 | |
| Randy Orton | 4/26/2009 | 14-54-3 | 21% | 42 | |
| Batista | 6/7/2009 | 26-11 | 70% | 2 | |
| Randy Orton | 6/15/2009 | 14-59-7 | 19% | 90 | |
| John Cena | 9/13/2009 | 76-7-4 | 92% | 21 | |
| Randy Orton | 10/4/2009 | 16-64-9 | 20% | 21 | |
| John Cena | 10/25/2009 | 81-12-4 | 87% | 49 | |
| Sheamus | 12/13/2009 | 40-8-3 | 83% | 70 | |
| John Cena | 2/21/2010 | 71-11-2 | 87% | 0 | |
| Batista | 2/21/2010 | 18-37-3 | 33% | 35 | |
| John Cena | 3/28/2010 | 75-13-2 | 85% | 84 | |
| Sheamus | 6/20/2010 | 27-58-4 | 32% | 91 | |
| Randy Orton | 9/19/2010 | 52-19-6 | 73% | 64 | |
| Miz | 11/22/2010 | 40-42-4 | 49% | 160 | |
| John Cena | 5/1/2011 | 70-17-3 | 80% | 77 | |
| CM Punk | 7/17/2011 | 17-77-1 | 18% | 8 | |
| Rey Mysterio Jr | 7/25/2011 | 66-12-2 | 85% | 0 | |
| John Cena | 7/25/2011 | 90-17-2 | 84% | 20 | |
| CM Punk | 8/14/2011 | 15-72-7 | 17% | 0 | |
| Alberto Del Rio | 8/14/2011 | 26-65-1 | 29% | 35 | |
| John Cena | 9/18/2011 | 98-13-9 | 88% | 14 | |
| Alberto Del Rio | 10/2/2011 | 26-75-1 | 26% | 49 | |
| CM Punk | 11/20/2011 | 33-45-8 | 42% | 434 | |
| Rock | 1/27/2013 | 0-0 | na | 70 | |
| John Cena | 4/7/2013 | 32-3-1 | 91% | 133 | |
This image is a detailed record
of the 6 months prior winning the belt.
of the 6 months prior winning the belt.
Observations:
- This only covers the WWWF/WWF/WWE Championship which is now typically considered the RAW brand belt. It does not include the "World Heavyweight Title" (Smackdown!) history.
- The 1963-1987 era is so separated from the 1988-2013 era. There were six reigns over 500 hundred days in the WWWF/WWF era dominated by Sammartino, Morales, Backlund and Hogan. Meanwhile the new average title reign drops to under 90 days (per capita) from 1989-2013.
Let's focus on the last 25 years (1988-2013)
| winning % | examples | avg reign |
| below 10% | 5 | 32 |
| 20% | 12 | 34 |
| 30% | 8 | 62 |
| 40% | 8 | 101 |
| 50% | 7 | 90 |
| 60% | 14 | 118 |
| 70% | 10 | 69 |
| 80% | 20 | 90 |
| above 90% | 17 | 129 |
There is a general trend that champions with a higher winning percentage prior to obtaining the belt do have longer reigns. However, the counter-example is found in CM Punk's modern record-making 400+ day reign which was on the heels of a very low winning percentage (42%).
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