The 1990s saw the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart have a stranglehold on major championships and the emergence of The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H. Nevertheless, WWE continued to be in a vital state in the 2000s with the continuation of the Attitude Era and that era transitioned into the Ruthless Aggression Era, and 2009 ended with the PG Era.
RELATED: The Worst WWE Title Reign Every Year Of The 2000s
The 2000s saw some championships change hands frequently, but some titleholders managed to hold their championship for a long time. There's an honorable mention for Molly Holly's second WWE Women's Championship reign from July 2003 to February 2004, and MVP's WWE United States Championship reign from May 2007 to April 2008.
10 2000: The Rock - WWE Championship (5th Reign)
The Rock was the top babyface in 2000 in Steve Austin's absence, and he feuded with Triple H over the WWE Championship. At King of the Ring, The Rock teamed up with The Undertaker and Kane, and they defeated Triple H, Mr. McMahon, and Shane McMahon in a six-man tag team match with Rock pinning Mr. McMahon to become a five-time WWE Champion.
Rock's fifth WWE Championship reign was his longest with the title. He held the gold for four months, and he retained the title against Triple H and Kurt Angle in a triple-threat match at SummerSlam. His reign was ended by Angle at No Mercy.
9 2001: Steve Austin - WWE Championship (5th Reign)
The unthinkable happened at WrestleMania 17 when Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon put their rivalry to bed as Austin turned heel with Austin and McMahon brutalizing The Rock in Austin's WWE Championship match with The Rock. Austin saw off Rock to clinch his fifth WWE Championship reign, which was his third WWE Title win at WrestleMania in four years.
Austin's fifth WWE Championship reign lasted five months, and he was a double champion for a month as he held the WWE World Tag Team Championship with Triple H. Austin had a successful championship reign seeing off the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker, and Chris Jericho. The Texas Rattlesnake was the co-leader of the Alliance when he dropped the WWE Championship to Kurt Angle at Unforgiven 2001.
8 2002: Brock Lesnar - WWE Championship (1st Reign)
Brock Lesnar had a strong 2002 as he beat Rob Van Dam to win the King of the Ring tournament. Two months later, Lesnar decimated The Rock in the main event of SummerSlam to become the youngest WWE Champion in history at 25. There weren't a lot of dominant championship reigns in 2002, but Lesnar's maiden WWE Championship run was solid.
Lesnar feuded with The Undertaker and their rivalry culminated in a brutal Hell in a Cell match at No Mercy which Lesnar won. He retained the title in a handicap match alongside Paul Heyman against Edge at Rebellion. However, Lesnar's WWE Championship reign was shockingly ended by Big Show at Survivor Series.
7 2003: Triple H - World Heavyweight Championship (2nd Reign)
Triple H's 280-day World Heavyweight Championship reign was a part of his "Reign of Terror." Triple H defeated Shawn Michaels in a Three-Stages of Hell match at Armageddon 2002 to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. The Game dominated 2003 with his World Heavyweight Championship reign, which irked many fans.
RELATED: Triple H's 10 Greatest Accomplishments In Wrestling, Ranked
Scott Steiner, Booker T, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, Kane, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton unsuccessfully challenged Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. The Game nursed a groin injury which saw him wear longer tights, and Goldberg beat him for the World Heavyweight Championship.
6 2004: Randy Orton - Intercontinental Championship
Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam at Armageddon 2003 to win the Intercontinental Championship, which was his first championship in WWE. Orton held the Intercontinental Championship for 210 days and did a superb job as Intercontinental Champion.
The highlight of Orton's Intercontinental Championship reign was his Falls Count Anywhere, No Holds Barred match with Mick Foley at Backlash 2004. Orton won that match without help from Evolution. Orton dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Edge at Vengeance, and a month later, he became the youngest World Champion in WWE history.
5 2005: John Cena - WWE Championship (1st Reign)
There were a couple of stellar World Championship reigns in 2005 with John Cena defeating JBL for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21, and Batista dethroned Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the same event. However, Cena's WWE Championship reign was slightly better than the Animal's World Heavyweight Championship run.
Cena moved from SmackDown to Raw in the 2005 WWE draft lottery, and he had to fend off the likes of JBL, Chris Jericho, Christian, Carlito, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Masters during his maiden WWE Championship reign. Cena was the victim of the first Money in the Bank cash-in at New Year's Revolution 2006 when Edge ended his 280-day WWE Championship reign.
4 2006: Paul London And Brian Kendrick - WWE Tag Team Championship
The tag team division was in good hands when Paul London and Brian Kendrick defeated MNM for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Judgment Day 2006. They were WWE Tag Team Champions for 331 days, and they were involved in some exceptional matches.
RELATED: 5 Best WWE Tag Team Champions Of The Ruthless Aggression Era (& 5 Worst)
Cena was the WWE Champion three times in 2006 and Edge won the WWE Championship twice in 2006 but Kendrick and London had the best championship run of the year. At Armageddon 2006, London and Kendrick defeated MNM, the Hardys, and William Regal and Dave Taylor in a fatal-4-way ladder match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. Ultimately, Deuce 'n' Domino ended London and Kendrick's title reign in April 2007.
3 2007: John Cena - WWE Championship (3rd Reign)
Unquestionably, John Cena was the wrestler of the year in 2007. Cena defeated Edge for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven 2006 in a TLC match. Cena took the ball and ran with it, and he ended Umaga's unbeaten streak in their WWE Championship matches at New Year's Revolution and the Royal Rumble.
Cena was a double champion as he won the World Tag Team Championship alongside Shawn Michaels. Cena headlined WrestleMania 23, and he beat Michaels in a superb WWE Championship match. Cena continued his stranglehold on the WWE Championship by registering wins over the likes of Randy Orton, Edge, The Great Khali, Bobby Lashley, and Mick Foley.
2 2008: Triple H - WWE Championship (7th Reign)
Triple H's 210-day WWE Championship reign in 2008 was refreshing, and The Game moved from Raw to SmackDown in the Draft. The Game was a mainstay on Raw for many years, but he engaged in some new feuds on the blue brand.
Triple H and Edge contested an underrated WWE Championship match at The Great American Bash with Triple H retaining the gold. He had an underwhelming feud with The Great Khali which resulted in a WWE Championship bout at SummerSlam. Nevertheless, Triple H and Jeff Hardy had a couple of excellent matches at No Mercy and Cyber Sunday with Hardy coming close to ending Triple H's title reign. However, a returning Edge defeated Triple H and Vladimir Kozlov in a triple-threat match at Survivor Series to win the WWE Championship for the third time.
1 2009: Jeri-Show - Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
2009 was not a good year for World Champions as the WWE and World Heavyweight Champions changed hands frequently. Chris Jericho and Edge were the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, but Edge tore his Achilles. Jericho replaced Edge with Big Show at Night of Champions.
The two former World Champions had a successful run as Unified WWE Tag Team Champions. They beat the likes of Cryme Tyme, MVP and Mark Henry, and Rey Mysterio and Batista. At TLC, DX's Shawn Michaels and Triple H ended Jeri-Show's championship run in a TLC match.
