Best to Never Win the World Title: 21st Century Edition

[justinept]

This might be a stretch, but I'm curious what you guys think about adding Bubba Ray to the discussion. Sure, he's playing a slightly different character right now, and since he was predominately a tag-team wrestler in the WWE, there was never actually a moment when I said "man, this guy should be champ" during his WWE run. But his title run in TNA was pretty good - in fact, it was the only watchable part of TNA for a long, long time.

 

[Blade]

This might be a stretch, but I'm curious what you guys think about adding Bubba Ray to the discussion. Sure, he's playing a slightly different character right now, and since he was predominately a tag-team wrestler in the WWE, there was never actually a moment when I said "man, this guy should be champ" during his WWE run. But his title run in TNA was pretty good - in fact, it was the only watchable part of TNA for a long, long time.

That's the difference between TNA and WWE. WWE are more sure of who they like and who they want to succeed. They know what they're look for in a World Champion.

TNA, meanwhile, are more likely to give less obvious wrestlers a shot because they're always looking for that star who can bring them to the next level. They tried it with AJ, Joe, Roode, Aeries, Ray and now they're giving Magnus a shot. It's never really done much for their ratings, but it's something they should be commended for. TNA doesn't really have a glass ceiling like WWE does.

With that said, would Ray have eventually been given a chance if he'd stayed in the WWE? It's hard to say. A World Heavyweight Title run may not have been out of the question if he'd had the bully gimmick in WWE. But like I said, WWE are more selective with their champions.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Ugh... very few within this first 13 years of a century even deserve mention when compared to the genuine talents who just never got the push in the 80's or early 90's or who in reality never had the chance of it.

The problem with a 21st century "hero" is that they all have HAD opportunity in the way guys like Rick Rude, Curt Hennig, Bam Bam, Davey Boy and others just didn't get. So picking one who got that and blew it is hard..

Matt Hardy - Yes, he deserved more than he got and Edge killed it for him rightly or wrongly. Hardy at one point was the single most decorated titleholder in WWE/F history and that is not to be sniffed at. I'd go so far as to say, seeing his recent shape it COULD still happen for him but in terms of ability he is top 3 in this list without fail and if people are truly honest #1. He didn't FAIL, just other stuff was considered more important than him!

Wade Barrett is #2 - why they held back on total Nexus/Barrett domination is still beyond me... even then Cena was surely not that scared... something happened, maybe Wade pissed off the wrong person or more likely they were SO high on him and intent on a path that when Zig F***ED UP and wrecked his arm, there was no plan b... Barrett is the closest the BUSINESS has had to Harley Race since the early 80's and it's criminal how he is being wasted.

3....Anthony Carelli AKA Santino Marella - OK so Santino is a "joke" character, but the guy behind it, other than being short was capable of a HELL of a lot more... that he has settled/excelled in his role, hey I won't judge he is paid by the E, I am not... but anyone who knows wrestling even a jot knows this guy is FAR FAR better than he is allowed to be. Had his Boris Alexiev gimmick come into WWE instead of Santino, he would be a 2 time champ guaranteed by now... Irony of course is now they have the Bulgarian guy who is slightly bigger, but doing exactly the same thing..

Honorable mentions for Nick Dinsmore/Eugene who was always World title level as a worker, but they made him a (insert word here) as a gimmick. Paul Birchill deserves a massive credit, he was THAT good, Vince just didn't get/like him and Muhammed Hassan... how good was he?

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

3....Anthony Carelli AKA Santino Marella - OK so Santino is a "joke" character, but the guy behind it, other than being short was capable of a HELL of a lot more... that he has settled/excelled in his role, hey I won't judge he is paid by the E, I am not... but anyone who knows wrestling even a jot knows this guy is FAR FAR better than he is allowed to be. Had his Boris Alexiev gimmick come into WWE instead of Santino, he would be a 2 time champ guaranteed by now... Irony of course is now they have the Bulgarian guy who is slightly bigger, but doing exactly the same thing..

Santino Marella....this is a tough one, because just watching him in the ring, particularly some of his earlier WWE matches before the comedy gimmick, you can clearly see the guy is a very talented wrestler. The thing for me is, I like his gimmick. Holy shit, this guy took what could've been an absolute turd of a role, and made it work. He made it actually funny, while still being able to show off some of his skills in the ring. So as much as it may be a missed opportunity, I've always felt like I benefited as a fan from having Santino Marella in his comedy role. He helps to balance out the sometimes overly stupid "serious" promos/angles they've tried to run with over the years.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Seems like most people are just listing guys who haven't won world titles. John Morrison has talent, but he's not a top guy. At best he's a guy who, if he hangs around long enough, gets given the WHC for a couple of weeks. A bit like Christian. And there's nothing wrong with that. But people who should be WWE Champion (WWE's biggest prize) usually get a hold of it.

People like Santino, Barrett, Morrison, Benjamin (if the WHC means what it does not in 2004) are all worthy of holding WWE's second string title.

 

[rbv13]

Trick question, if their name is not on the list they did not deserve a run with the Undisputed, WHC or WWE Championships. While guys like Kennedy, Morrison and Benjamin were fan darlings they were nowhere near championship caliber. In fact there are a few names that should have never been given the strap, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, The Great Khali and Hollywood Hogan. In the cases of Ziggler and Swagger they were too green and in the long run the title victories hurt more than they helped. Christian was a mercy transition champion. Putting the title on his was more or an insult than an honor. Khali, don’t even get me started. Hogan for once last ride was just pointless. In this case why not honor Flair and given him a last dance with the WHC? Oh yeah, Flair at heart was a NWA/WCW boy so that wouldn’t fly.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

Considering John Morrison was one of my favourites, I'd have to list him here as well. It's funny that some people say they never saw him as championship material, because ever since he debuted the Jim Morrison gimmick, I saw him as a future champion. Hell, probably even before that while he was in MNM.

He had the look, the in-ring ability, and I never thought his mic skills were bad. He wasn't the best, but certainly not bad at all. Considering the number of guys who have held the World Heavyweight Title with worse mic skills, I think Morrison for sure would have been a future champion if he stuck around longer. Plus, he'd just get better on the mic as he got older and more experienced.

 

[HBK89Bill]

I've been racking my brain trying to think of someone who hasn't been mentioned yet. My first thought was Benjamin and basically everyone filled in the rest, but then it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks.

What about me? What about Raven?

From 2000 until 2003 Raven was a Hardcore competitor and was completely overlooked for no reason. He was given zero mic time and had no interesting feuds. It was miles below the ass kicking machine he was in WCW. If Raven gets over in WWF/E in the early 2000's. There isn't a doubt in my mind, he is a damn good IC champ for them and then potentially, who knows?

 

[Dum Dum Dudley]

None of the names mentioned deserved the WWE title, let me just state that right off the bat. To say guys like Rikishi, Goldust and Regal deserve a WWE title reign is laughable. The World Heavyweight championship is a different story

Ever since the Punk/Hardy feud in 09, the world title has been a secondary title. An opportunity to experiment with talent and see what would happen if they got the rub. Champions like Christian, Swagger and Bryan all started with the World Heavyweight and all had varying levels of success. I'm not saying these guys didn't put on great feuds or matches (hell, Christian/Orton in 2011 was hugely entertaining and Sheamus v Bryan at ER 2012 was a fantastic match), but they weren't the man like how Cena, Austin or Hogan were.

With the right booking, I could have seen Mr Kennedy as a second-tier champion, feuding on cards under Cena v whoever. He had just about enough of everything but not quite enough to cement himself at the next level. I could see him feuding with Cena for the WWE title, I just could never see him as the top champion in the company. Maybe I'm wrong but it's my opinion.

Anyone deserving of being the world champion in an era of two world championships would have been champion. It's different from the late 80's-early 90's with only one champ and multiple deserving challengers. WWE can take a risk putting one belt on an unproven draw, because Cena will be the guaranteed star on the other side. Case in point, Punk holding the WHC in '08 with HHH as WWE champ.

 

[must_kag]

for me it would be either MVP or Carlito as both couls cut good promos and were decent in ring too

 

[NegativeFeedback]

John Morrison, Shelton Benjamin and Carlito are definitely the first three that come to mind. All three of them were fantastic and really underutilized by the company.

But I'd like to add Shane McMahon to the conversation. I don't know if they ever thought about giving him the title, but Shane oozed talent and he always put on great performances. I can't remember a bad Shane McMahon match.

I'd also add Umaga to the list. He should have won the WWE title during his undefeated streak. He was huge, he was over, he was talented and should've given the top stars a run for his money. But after being fed to Cena, he was bumped down the card.

Or how about Ken Shamrock? There was a point where he was so over in the late 90's that I think he should have been given the belt. Granted, he disappeared right before the dawn of the 21st century, but I still thought he should be in the conversation. He ended up winning the NWA title in TNA though.

I also want to mention MVP and Elijah Burke. Both of them had some really great matches on PPVs but management seemed to fizzle on them for no practical reason. It's a shame because both of them oozed charisma and could've been top guys had they been given a better chance.

Val Venis, Goldust and William Regal are guys who have been with the company for years and never really got the shot they deserve. I think Regal especially could have been an amazing foreign World Champ, but he was never given a fair shot at the top of the card. Venis ended up becoming a World Champ in CMLL though.

Mr. Kennedy and Matt Hardy both had a bunch of wasted potential, but I think we can agree that it was their own fault that they didn't make it.

How about Faaroq? That dude was just oozing talent even in his old age, and I can't help but think that they should have done more with him. Granted, JBL was talented too, but I think a top feud between him and Faaroq could have ended with a Faaroq title win. Sure he was older than the typical top guy, but he deserved it.

I think there are a few others. Here are some honorable mentions: Billy Gunn, Kofi Kingston, Raven, Rhino, Santino Marella, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Finlay, Ted DiBiase, Jr. and Wade Barrett.

I mention Wade, Kofi, Drew and Santino even though they're all still with WWE, because frankly I think those ships have sailed big time. Now with only 1 world title, I don't see them ever winning. They should have won them when they were at their most over, but WWE dropped the ball. Drew should've won MitB when he was The Chosen One, Wade should've won the Six Pack Challenge in NXT, Santino should've been pushed to the top as when he was an Italian bad guy and Kofi's feud with Orton should've propelled him to that next level.

Rodney Mack.

Seriously, John Morrison? Talk about overrated!

If anybody, you should pick.. no one. Because no one stands out to me.

Rather, the year they should of won the title.

Booker T should of become champion in 2001 while a member of The Alliance.

Rob Van Dam should of become World Champion champion in 2002

Christian should of become Champion in 2005, same with Muhammed Hassan.

SHOULD'VE, as in SHOULD HAVE. It's one thing to make the mistake once, but it's another to do it 4 times.