Almost every WWE fan would know that Bruno Sammartino is the longest reigning WWE Champion in history, who held the title for almost eight years. However, many might not know that WWE legend and Hall of Famer Bob Backlund is not much behind in this list.
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Backlund held the gold for almost six years. The numbers stacked up by Roman Reigns with the Universal Title are nowhere near this figure. While Backlund had a prolific career in the last three decades of the 20th century, it was the 1970s that saw him rise to fame and become one of the greatest pro-wrestlers ever.
10 He Fought With The Fans During His Early Career
In the early 1970s, Backlund was an NCAA Champion, which helped him during the beginning of his pro-wrestling career. Those days, not many fans knew that pro wrestling was, in fact, pre-determined.
Thus, some drunk fans thought they could beat these wrestlers in a real fight. Backlund was hired by various promotions to fight off these drunk fans. He had to fight numerous such fans at night and did so gracefully.
9 His Time Before Joining WWE
Backlund made his debut in American Wrestling Association (AWA) before joining National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). There, he wrestled all across the United States in various territories of the NWA.
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Next, he joined Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), where he won the tag team titles alongside Jerry Brisco. During the mid-70s, he joined Championship Wrestling from Florida, where he won the tag titles again and defeated Bob Orton Jr, Randy Orton's father.
8 He Had A Natural Face Look
Backlund's "clean-cut look" and technical approach made him look like a natural face to the promoters during the beginning of his career. Thus, they took no time to build him in a good light as he had the ability to make fans love him.
They were not wrong as his natural face look quickly got over fans. His rising fandom was maybe one of the reasons why WWE brought him on board and chose him to be their next champion.
7 He Was Good In Arm Wrestling As Well
"The Model" Rick Martel, in an interview, shared a story involving Bob Backlund in the 1970s. The two were drinking in a bar in 1975 when a drunk trucker wanted to test how strong wrestlers are by challenging Backlund to an arm-wrestling contest.
Backlund initially declined the challenge, but the trucker's constant appeals made him accept it. He slammed his hand within no time and continued to do so until the trucker apologized for bothering him.
6 The WWE Debut
Bob Backlund joined WWE, then known as WWWF, in late 1976. Many consider him to be one of the last Vince McMahon Sr. guys before McMahon Jr. took over. He was managed by "The Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland.
Skaaland also managed Bruno Sammartino. While Backlund and Sammartino wrestled around the same time and are the only two stars to hold the World title for more than 2000 days, it's interesting to note that the two never had a match against each other.
5 Getting Numerous Title Shots Right After His Debut
Just within four months of his WWE debut, Backlund had the chance to challenge for the ultimate prize the promotion had to offer. Throughout 1977, the All-American went back and forth with then-WWWF Champion 'Superstar' Billy Graham for the coveted title.
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The champion won the first few matches before Backlund started dominating. He defeated Graham in a number of matches via count-out. However, the title could not change hands via countout, and it was not until 1978 that Backlund won the title for the first time.
4 The Controversial Title Victory
After months of chasing the title, Backlund faced Graham at the renowned Madison Square Garden on February 20, 1978. This was finally the night when Backlund secured a pinfall victory over the champion and ended his 296-day title reign.
However, during the pinfall, Graham's leg was on the rope, which should've made the pinfall stand nullified. Nonetheless, Backlund won the belt and would go on to defend it against Graham in a string of matches thereafter.
3 Tag Team And Feud With Peter Maivia
During his reign as the WWE Champion, Backlund formed a tag team with The Rock's maternal grandfather Peter Maivia. The duo was managed by Skaaland and also challenged for the tag team gold.
However, in October 1978, Maivia turned on Backlund and Skaaland which led to Backlund unleashing his furious side for the first time. He vowed to kill Maivia after the incident. Backlund defeated him in a series of matches after that including a steel cage match at Madison Square Garden.
2 Defending His Championship Against Champions Of Other Promotions
While imagining the WWE Champion taking on AEW Champion may be a pipe dream, a few decades ago, Backlund roamed the United States to take on the champions of different promotions.
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Just three days after winning the title, Backlund faced the NWA World Heavyweight Champion Harley Race. He would then go on to face the AWA World Champion, NWA World Champion Ric Flair, NWA Florida Heavyweight Champion, "International Champion" and the NWF Champion (later brought into NJPW).
1 Bob Backlund Lost The Title To Antonio Inoki But WWE Does Not Recognize It
The pro-wrestling legend and founder of NJPW, Antonio Inoki had actually won the WWE Championship once, although his reign isn't officially recognized. The NWF Champion Inoki faced the WWE Champion Bob Backlund on November 30, 1979, in Japan. Inoki won the match, and it took Backlund one week to reclaim the title in the rematch. The latter title change was declared ineffective due to interference from Tiger Jeet Singh.
Despite being the champion, Inoki vacated the title and Backlund won the vacant title on December 17. However, WWE does not recognize Antonio Inoki as one of the WWE Champions, and instead, Backlund's reign as the champion is recognized to be uninterrupted until 1983.
