Wrestlers who should have been world champion.

[CCS]

It's simple , Who do you think should have been a world champion but never was.


Owen Hart - He was one of the WWE's greatest wrestlers during the 1990's. I realy believe that he would have eventualy won a world title in either WWE or WCW. If he wouldnt have passed away so soon , Is was only a matter of time before he would have been crowned as a world champion.


Curt Hennig - He was one of the WWE's best atheltes and i realy think he should have been a champion for the company. I realy dont know why he was never pushed to a world title but he definantly deserved it. It is worth mentioning that he was a AWA world champion back in their glory days.


Jake "The Snake" Roberts - We all know that Jake has gone down hill past in the last few years. But back in the 80's/90's he was one of the best heels in the buisness. He was one of the most intense wrestlers i've ever seen and his promos always seem to capture peoples attention. I'll never know why he never won the big one.Maybe Vince knew then what we know now.


There's much more great wrestlers who's never won the big one. So who do you think deserved to win a world title but never did ?

 

[DrFeelgood624]

Scott Hall- The man probably would of eventually won a world title if it wasn't for Hogan and/or Nash. The man was great on the mic, had a sweet finisher in the Razor's/Outsider's Edge. He could been a good world champ as a heel or face. I feel he would a been a far more credible WCW champion then say Jeff Jarret or Scott Steiner.

 

[Big Sexy]

Rick Rude/Mr Perfect- Both guys were extremely talented and were great on the mic. The only reason they never became world champion was because during their prime years Hulk Hogan was always on top, and back then there weren't too many heel world champs. If the WWE back then was like it was now, then they both would have been multiple time chapions.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

When this topic comes up, I always say The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase.

Could you imagine what would happen if he would've beaten Hogan or Savage for the belt? Or worse, if he was able to "Buy" the belt from Andre???

He would've been the biggest heel of all-time!!!

He would've started riots!!!

Imagine the kind of insufferable bastard he would've been with the World Title.

I would've been awesome!!!

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Curt Hennig/Mr. Perfect also comes to my mind. The man not only was so gifted in the ring, but he also had a huge amount of charisma and was effortless on the mic. He had the total package and should have had a run at the title. He made a very convincing heel and could have made a decent champion. But than again he was a great IC champion(when the belt meant a whole lot)and he made the most of the belt but he should have got a run.

 

[Showtime]

Ted DiBiase. The man was the biggest heel in the company during the Hogan Era in the late 80's and early 90's. He was charismatic and he played his character perfectly, the evil million who could buy off anyone and anything. I suppose as a pay off for him not winning the title at Wrestlemania 4, the WWF gave him his own title belt, but it just wasn't the same as him actually being World champion. If any one deserved to be champion, it's Ted DiBiase.

Now let's turn to the future and see if his son will win the title he should've won.

 

[waylon p]

wow, i guess you guys pretty much covered my faves, with hennig, dibiase, and hall,
but i've a few runners up i'd like to spotlight:

TERRY TAYLOR . i feel that if he hadn't been punished for rejecting the mr perfect gimmick by having to become the red rooster (at least i hope that's why he wound up soliciting "rooster boosters"), he would have been champ in wwf long ago.

MR WRESTLING II. mr walker was a huge hero of my youth. i think he was the stone cold of his day. he'd put up with only so much nonsense, then it was time to open a can of whoop ass.

PAUL ORNDORF. he got over without a shred of charisma, he wrestled great matches without any apparent aid from little things like talent or technical ability. i think that counts for a lot.

there are others, but i've opened myself to enough ridicule with this particular post already.

 

[Papa Shango]

People seem to be forgetting that Curt Hennig DID hold a world title; he held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship for over a year in the late 80's.

Personally, I always though The British Bulldog would have made a good World Heavyweight Champion. He wasn't the most charismatic superstar, but he always had Jim Cornette to speak for him, and that's all he needed to back up his phenomenal in-ring skills. He was a specimen, a great in-ring competitor, who could work as either heel or face, and in my opinion, one of the uncrowned champions of the industry.

Of course, Roddy Piper has to be considered one of the most deserving men to never hold a World Championship. He was a master heel, and the crowd would have eaten up Piper as the champ. Ive often wondered what if Piper had managed to steal the title at one point in his career. I think if he had done it during Hulk's four-year reign, it would have been legendary, and possibly have even made Hogan more of a legend once he won it back. It just boggles my mind sometimes that this legend never held a World Title.

 

[MachoManiac]

I would have to agree with all the guys mentioned so far. It's too bad that so many of them didn't get to hold the title due to Hulk Hogan having it at the time. Here are a couple not mentioned yet.

Arn Anderson- One of the best wrestlers of his day. He was a great technical wrestler. He could slug it out with the best of them and he could talk as good as anyone. But, if he had won the title, it would have broken up the horsemen and who knows how things would have turned out.

Barry Windham-Pretty much for the same reasons as Anderson only Windham was even better in the ring and had better looks to go with it. ( I know a few people will say, "he held the NWA title in 1993." I don't count that one because by that time, the NWA title didn't mean anything.)

 

[ExtremeSwagga93]

One guy I'm surprised never got a world title was Roddy Piper. He's had so many memorable moments, super charasmatic and probably the biggest heel in WWE history. It's a real shame they didn't give him a run with the world title it probably would have been really entertaining. And as mention Mr. Perfect, he was amazing on the mic, and great in the ring, he had the look, everything a main eventer needs.

 

[Mr. TM]

I have to agree with Papa Shango. Davey Boy Smith would have been a good champion. He could have been believable, not many have as impressive as the British Bulldog. He brought a lot of charisma in the ring. He could have dozens of main event feuds. But like Shango mentioned, he was not the best on the mic. But that hasn't stop many bumblers as being champion. I do wonder how his life would differ from being World Champion. I only feel he may have hit the drugs harder and would have cut even more years off of his life.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

None of the above. Most of these wrestlers are remembered more fondly because they never had a WWF or WCW title reign. As good as some of them were, they wouldn't get the kind of love they do now if they'd been world champion. A title reign might possibly have dameged their popularity.

There was never really a time when any of them were needed as a world champion. At a certain stage in their career there were always several wrestlers bigger and more popular than Davey Boy Smith, Curt Henning & Rick Rude.

 

[Ezzee]

I know he "technically" had a title reign, granted it was a 15 second one, but Andre the Giant I think deserved a title reign.

 

[The Redcrosse Knight]

Roddy Piper, Curt Hennig, and Scott Hall are the holy trinity of would be champions, but Ted DiBease, Jake Roberts and Owen Hart are honourable mentions (ofcourse I'm talking WWF/WWE champions). I wonder if Bret held Owen down (directly/indirectly). A world title feud with those two would have been spectacular, and would probably generate some dollars. But in 4 years of working various programs together, it never came into fruition which I find strange.

 

[klunderbunker]

The only person that comes to my mind is Davey Boy Smith. This guy was a big deal in WWE on more than one occasion, as well as making a quick splash in WCW where he was thrown straight into the main event scene. He had the name, the ability, the look, the moves, everything he needed to be both a main event player and a champion. he got a few title shots here and there but was never really built up as a legitimate threat for the gold. That powerslam was deadly to say the least. While he wouldn't have been a long term champion, a brief run, maybe from Survivor Series to the Rumble would have worked just fine in my eyes.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

This guy was a big deal in WWE on more than one occasion,

Career mid carder.

as well as making a quick splash in WCW where he was thrown straight into the main event scene.

When nobody really watched WCW.

He had the name,

Davey?

the ability,

Not really. Good as a unit, but he was very lazt. He only put forth any effort if it was a big match. Most of the time the wrestler he tagged or who he was facing did most of the work.

the look,

He was short, which is why he took so many steroids. His ''look'' killed him. And he was wrestling crappy indy shows by the end of his career.

the moves,

Power moves aren't enought to get you by. Certainly not when you were 5'10'' in an era when every main eventer was at least 6'.

everything he needed to be both a main event player and a champion.

Apart from a personality. He was a charisma vaccume.

he got a few title shots here and there but was never really built up as a legitimate threat for the gold.

Because there were just better options for the gold. He was also given plenty of In Your House main events. Yeah, I've done a list.

vs. Bret Hart (Summer Slam '92)
w/ Yokozuna vs. HBK & Diesel (IYH III)
vs. Diesel (IYH IV)
vs. Bret Hart (IYH V)
vs. HBK (KOTR '96)
w/ Vader & Owen Hart vs. Ahmed Johnson, HBK & Sid ( IYH IX)
w/ Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman vs. Steve Austin, LOD, Ken Shamrock & Goldust (IYH XVI)
vs. HBK (One Night Only)

Considering that WWF main event's at the time usually featured the same 4 guys, that's quite a few matches. Most of them are good, but none of them were down to Davey Boy Smith.

Like others he's probably looked at as being a wrestler who should have had a title run. Him being dead will do that. But there was no real reason. Especially when there were better all round wrestlers, and he didn't excell in one particular aspect of his game.

 

[klunderbunker]

That's all very true, but I was thinking something like winning it at an IYH. No way should Davey have ever been a long term champion. But I was meaning for a reign that was purely transitional. Maybe have won it from Taker with interference, only to lose it back to maybe, Bret? Or Taker for that matter. While it's true that he only brought his A game to big matches, what better way to get his A game to come out more than to give him a few more big matches as potential motivation? He never would have been a huge star, but a lot of guys have won the World Title and not gotten long reigns out of it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

That's all very true, but I was thinking something like winning it at an IYH. No way should Davey have ever been a long term champion. But I was meaning for a reign that was purely transitional. Maybe have won it from Taker with interference, only to lose it back to maybe, Bret? Or Taker for that matter. While it's true that he only brought his A game to big matches, what better way to get his A game to come out more than to give him a few more big matches as potential motivation? He never would have been a huge star, but a lot of guys have won the World Title and not gotten long reigns out of it.

Even though nobody was watching it at the time, WWF had a really strong main event scene. The Bulldog didn't have anything that others didn't. For strength they had Sid, Diesel, Yokozuna, Vader, Undertaker. For charisma you had pretty much the whole of the upper-mid card roster. Straight wrestling ability you had Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels & Owen Hart.

There was no real place for even a transitional reign. WWE only trusted him in two proper PPV main events. One that happened in his home country. If that's not going to inspire you to be carried by Bret Hart, then nothing is. And the others was KOTR, which I assume was one of the lower drawing of ''The Big 5'', otherwise they wouldn't have got rid of it. And at that time there wasn't anybody to challenge HBK, and it's not like they were going to take the title off him.

His other main events consisted of cheap In Your House shows, and a British exclusive show.

 

[klunderbunker]

I hadn't thought of most of that and it's all true. At the end of it all he was a somewhat generic power guy. That much was shown in his final run that went absolutely nowhere at all. Back in the earlier 90s would have likely been his best shot having come off the high he had with Bret at SS 92, but I believe the title was being held by Savage and Flair at the time. Now he would have had a chance against Flair for a fluke win, but there's no way to validate him beating Savage. After that I think Bret took the title back, and it would have made no sense then to put Smith over him again for the belt, as it would have made Bret look amazingly weak. All in all, you're right, as there really was no time where he would have made sense to be champion, despite possibly being good enough to do it.

 

[crimetraveller]

Scott Hall- he had it all but it never happened for him, maybe due to his own personal demons.

 

[The Redcrosse Knight]

Back in the earlier 90s would have likely been his best shot having come off the high he had with Bret at SS 92, but I believe the title was being held by Savage and Flair at the time.

High is right. In Bret Hart's book he had said that the entire week before that match he was out smoking crack with Jim Neidhart. Bret was calling him frequently to work out some of the bigger spots in that match, but could never get a hold of him. The night before or day of he finally got him alone, but the guy was in a 'lights are on, nobody home' state, and was barely receptive. As it was he botched up a few moves in that match almolst seriously injuring Bret, an up and coming main eventer at the time.
Although I loved Davey and found him exciting to watch, this isn't a guy I would trust with my belt. If I were a promoter I would have filed him under 'Too unreliable', and this seems to be what happened.
I'm hoping DH has more success then him. He seems to have the build and the height... let's hope he doesn't screw up the reliability part!

 

[48.7 is Approximately 49 Times Better Than You]

There was never really a time when any of them were needed as a world champion. At a certain stage in their career there were always several wrestlers bigger and more popular than Davey Boy Smith, Curt Henning & Rick Rude.

This is what I was thinking as I read the thread. Sure these guys were good, but they simply were not good enough to be World Champion. They weren't stars.

I agree with everyone above on both Ted Dibiase and Roddy Piper. They were two of the best heels this company has ever seen and it's a shame they never held the strap.

Piper was a badass. He was a loud mouthed, in your face type of guy. And he drew incredible heat. If he had snuck the title off of Hogan during his 4 year reign, prefferably by cheating, then held it for 8+ months.. Wow.. That would have been epic.

Dibiase had the perfect gimmick. He bought his way into and out of everything. It would have been incredible if they had let him buy the belt off of Andre. That would have put him over as the greatest heel of all time, I think.

There's others, I'm sure, that could have done it, but those are the two I think would have been the best choices.

 

[Tenta]

....................... Doesn't my name give it away?

For Christ Sake, Earthqauke was one of the most over heels in quite some time. He was dominant, he could move around the ring, and he was a legitimate threat to Hogan. Hogan even had to add another demandment (Good God) just to beat Earthquake, believe in yourself. Sure, he wasn't exactly the most technical wrestler, but he knew enough to work a good match. And he really knew how to use his size in the ring. He didn't try to work like anything other than a big man, and he used his huge gut as an advantage. And for his time, he cut a pretty damn good promo. He always worked the most out of his gimmick whenever he could, even with something as terrible as the Shark and Golga. He was a real company guy, and always did what the company asked him. And he was truly dominant. I think he would have made an outstanding champion.

 

[klunderbunker]

When you say he was dominant, I say this: name one big match that he won.

Tenta would never have been a world champion and never should have been. The problem with that theory about Hogan was during that feud, Warrior was champion, not Hogan. The other main problem is that everything he was good at, there were others that were better. People like Vader, Bigelow, hell even the waste of space Yokozuna beat down Earthquake. He was in one major feud and then was in an overrated tag team soon thereafter. He was decent, but in an era of musclemen as world champions, it just wouldn't have worked.

 

[Tenta]

Fair enough... Now let me just say that I feel WWE severely underbooked him after his Hogan feud. Even after that point, most people thought Hogan was untouchable. Yeah, Warrior was the champ, but Hogan was still the man to beat.

Now then, let me address all the big men you bring up.

Vader- Tried to work like a fucking cruiserweight. He tried to work like a japanese wrestler, because it was what he was use to. There is no reason a big guy should be trying to move and try a moonsault like he does.

BBB- Ok, I'll employ the same theory.... Name one big Bam Bam Bigelow match? Oh right.... his match with Lawrence Taylor...

Yokozuna- Extremely underrated as a worker. Most people look at how fat he is... The fact is, he knew how to use his weight. And his motions in the ring, his selling, his facial expressions, these were all great for a big man.

Now, why was he put into that horrendous Natural Disaster team? I don't know. It's like I said, I wouldn't have booked Tenta like the WWE booked him. It was an era of body builders.... And as we've seen, musclemen fade over time.