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They’re not the same belt! It’s not even a real record! Fake news!
Valid points or not, WWE’s version of pro wrestling history is pro wrestling history to a lot of people. So that they’ve done what most of us thought they would and begun to trumpet Brock Lesnar’s current Universal Championship run as the longest of the modern era is noteworthy. That they’re pointing out it breaks their previously recognized record is also worth pointing out, especially since the person who held that record is CM Punk.
They have used an interesting bit of cover in touting the “news” - reporting on current Lesnar and former Punk advocate Paul Heyman’s announcement that Brock reached the 435 day milestone we mentioned yesterday (June 11):
Congratulations to @BrockLesnar for day #435 as the reigning defending undisuputed @WWE #UniversalHeavyweightChampion. This is yet another historic accomplishment for my client, the longest consecutive-day tenure as a globally-recognized champion in the modern era! pic.twitter.com/bVAhhBtdKT
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) June 11, 2018
WWE.com’s story doesn’t leave much doubt about the company’s version of history, however:
“Brock Lesnar’s long list of WWE accomplishments has now grown by one: The Beast Incarnate has officially notched the longest World Championship reign of the modern era.
Lesnar’s ongoing run as Universal Champion surpassed the previous marker, CM Punk’s 434-day stint as WWE Champion that stretched between 2011 and 2013. Lesnar’s advocate (and, coincidentally, Punk’s former hype man) Paul Heyman commemorated the occasion by taking to Twitter.
That Lesnar has powered his way into the history books is impressive in and of itself, but given that no challengers have yet to emerge for The Conqueror’s throne, the most awe-inspiring aspect of his reign isn’t that it has lasted this long, but that it seems unlikely to end anytime soon.”
As much as it might strike fear into the hearts of observers who believe Lesnar’s reign has been a hindrance to Raw, signs point to that last bit being the most kayfabed part of the announcement. But even if Brock drops the Universal Title at SummerSlam to head back to UFC, his by then 500+ days with the red belt will be hard to displace from WWE’s version of the history books.
But don’t get too upset, Punk fans. According to the calculations of redditor cheikhyourselfm8, if we looked at it in terms of title defenses, the Straight-Edge One will always have Brock beat. Considering he’s only had 10 championship matches in his run (counting house shows), it would take The Beast Incarnate 6133 days - or roughly 16 years and 9 months - to make the same number of defenses Punk made in his 434 days as WWE Champ.