Is the 50th WWE Champion in the business today?

[Shocky]

37. That's the number of different WWE champions in the history of the WWE (for arguments sake, Inoki is not reckognized, so he does not count, and Andre is recognized.) Slowly we are creeping up on the number 50 to represent WWE champions. Slowly is a relative term however.

For the first 25 years or so, there were only 9 men to win the WWF cchampionship, Andre became #10, and Savage became #11. That was 1988. So in 21 years, the number has exploded by 26 different men. Mick Foley Was the 24th Champion in 1999, and Triple H was #25. So in a little more then ten years, the number went up by 13. Follow that same trend, a little more then ten years after Foleys win, we are up 13 more guys to #37, so at this rate, we could very well expect champion number 50 around the year of 2020.

Now I know that seems a long ways away, but really, it's not. When savage won, Foley was in the business. When Foley won in 1999, Jeff Hardy was in the company. So as I ask this, do you believe that the 50th WWE Champion is in the company right now, whether in development, or do you feel that the eventual 50th champion isn't around yet? If he is around, who do you feel could be the 50th champion? I know it's a loaded question.

 

[DDPK7]

it will take years for a 50th champion, i doubt the 50th wwe champion is even in the wwe at the moment, i reckon this wont happen for another 10 years as there arent many in wwe atm who will push through to main event, maybe morrison, benjamin, punk, dibiase, christian, matt hardy are the people currently around who could get there but other than that there isnt much so we will probably have to wait for another generation to push through

 

[Joup7]

It's hard to say. 13 new champs in 10 years. But keep in mind alot of top guns retired earlier this decade. Alot of the current main events are young (Cena, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and of course Randy Orton). So it could be slower than the previous 13 champions. There is frankly no reason to assume that outside of Cena, Orton, Edge, Triple H, Hardy, Batista, and any other active former champion, anybody will rise to become champ for the first time in the next 3 years.

 

[dadadavie]

i have a small hunch that it could possibly be aj styles what do you guys think of aj styles being the 50th champ i see him jumping ship to wwe

 

[tyler.durden]

so we're trying to see if there's 13 guys in the wwe that will become champion someday? the way i'm seeing it right now, i don't think so. potentially, some of these guys could become champion:

christian
matt hardy
morrison
rhodes
dibiase
dolph ziggler
evan bourne
jack swagger
kennedy
kozlov

unlikely candidates are santino, kofi, umaga, mike knox, miz, regal, and charlie haas...

 

[Tastycles]

No, I don't think they are. When Jeff Hardy was a young newcomer, the WWE put them in tag teams, or pushed them on a small scale first. The time taken for people to be pushed into the main event is getting shorter and shorter.

The majority of the champions that joined the company in the 90s had been in either WWE/F or WCW for 5 years before they got the championship, there are exceptions like Angle and The Rock, but this was the case generally. Only four of the champions since Mankind weren't in a major promotion at the time of his win, but I can scarecly see 9 future WWE champions in the company now, especially when you consider that some of those with potential will win the WHC instead.

Nowadays, with no tag division, and the IC and US title divisions being a haunt of career midcarders rather than up and coming main eventers, people spend much less time in getting the title. Swagger, Kozlov, Christian MVP, Legacy and Kennedy are pretty much the only ones who I think have a solid chance of doing it, and I think all of them will do it sooner rather than later.

I imagine the 50th World Champion is currently in a High School wrestling tournament and is about 17 years old. However, I do think that within the next 10 World Champions, we will see a Chinese wrestler. It makes business sense.

 

[Blade]

I think so actually.
If you look back to when Savage was on top and(to a lesser extent) when Foley was on top, the wrestling business didn't seem to move so fast. Time was taken for building up a main eventer, it took years. Now, in the WWE anyway, the only main eventers who took years to build up are Edge and Jeff Hardy. And Hardy isn't a full blown main eventer.
Cena was in the WWE for 3 years before he won a world title. Same with Batista. Orton was 2 years.
Now young guys are getting pushed faster and faster. In 5 or 6 years, the current midcarders will start taking over the Main event. CM Punk, John Morrisson, MVP, Kennedy and Christian all seem like they'll definately be winning the WWE title in a few years.
And the people that have a very good chance of winning the title if they work hard; Swagger, TBK, Shelton, The Miz, Carlito, Kozlov (sigh) and Umaga.
Guys who have lots of potential and could eventually win the title in the distant future; The "other two guys" from the Legacy, Evan Bourne, Kofi and cause I'm in a good mood, lets throw Dolph Ziggler in there.

That's 15 guys who at least have potential to win the title within the next 11 years. Ok, a few of them might be a bit of a long shot, but I personally wouldn't bet against the 50th champion already being in the WWE.

 

[I_Like_All_Wrestling]

People keep throwing out names seemingly without taking their age into consideration. A lot of guys aren't that young. Christian is 35, MVP is 35, Matt Hardy is 34, Jeff Hardy is 31, Matt Hardy is even CM Punk is 30.

If we're talking about 10 years or beyond I don't know if WWE is going to have a bunch of mid 40s guys in the main event. Of course there will be some (HHH is 39, JBL is 41 I think) but it's a long shot to say someone like Jeff Hardy, with the way he wrestles, will be on top when he's 40. It could be someone like Rhodes or Dibiase or someone around that age, but I would guess that no, the 50th champ is not in WWE currently.

 

["Cool Guy" Jensen]

In order for the 50th WWE Champion to be in the WWE right now, that would have to mean that between the current top stars, such as Cena, Orton, HHH, Edge, and Batista being champion, a lot of the current mid-carders would have to rise up to the main event. Just this past year alone, it was pretty much the same set of people who became champions, you had Orton, Edge, Triple H, Batista, and Cena but we got a few surprises with Undertaker, C.M. Punk, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Hardy. If the same people continue to hold the top belts, it will be decades until we see the 50th WWE Champion. As of right now, we've had 89 reigns, but as I believe the starter of the thread said, we've only had 37 different holders. So, I hope that WWE to slow down the trend of having the same title holders and come up with new, more surprising title holders.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

12 new individuals would have to be made Champion, before we could get to the 13th (50th) new Champion. I say no. Simply because we currently don't have 13 guys on the roster, who aren't or haven't been Heavyweight Champion, that could ever forseeably become it.

Ted DiBiase
M.V.P.
Mr. Kennedy
Jack Swagger

That's my list of 4 names, who all seem destined to become Heavyweight Champion before their career ends within this company. But that isn't going to get any of them the #50 spot.

I would arguably think whomever becomes the 50th Champion, isn't even within the company currently, because it's someone that won't possibly be developed and enter until 2015. My guess, anyways.

The way everything seems, the company is pretty dead-set on only having the same group of credible Heavyweight Champions constantly find their way back to the title. Punk was the newest, unknown risk, and I think it's safe to say that risk was pretty much a flat-out failure.

People can say Hardy was just as big a risk, but truth is, at least Hardy had been in the company longer and people wanted that risk to happen.

In the end, I don't think #50 is within the company currently. I don't even think #50 is a known star right now in general.

 

[shafe_41]

I'm going to agree. I'd be willing to bet my left testicle that the 50th Champ is currently in middle school somewhere. You have to look at the age of the talent now and see how many guys that are still pretty young that have already held titles and will hold many many more before their careers are over. Cena, Edge, and Orton are the 3 that come to mind right now and I don't believe any of them have hit their peak yet. Although it could be argued Edge is peaking right now. But none of those guys are old. Then I know many people have listed their possible contenders that are mid-carders right now. I'll go one step further and list those who have an outside chance. First are the guys with pretty legit shots. MVP, Kennedy, Evan Bourne, Morrison, Hi I'm Dolph Ziggler (but his name and gimmick will have to be changed first), Kozlov (that will be a sad day), Umaga, Christian, and Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase, Swagger, CM Punk and I just hope hope HOPE Shelton Benjamin. Those are pretty realistic to me. Although I'll bet 3 MAYBE 4 see the WWE Title. And of those 3 or 4, 50% chance it's a one time deal and they hold the WHC.

Guys with an outside shot in my book. Mike Knox, The Miz, Mysterio (since we are discussing the WWE Title and not the WHC.), Cody Rhodes, Santino, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple on both ends. There's a ton of young talent right now and if you ask me, the mid-card in the WWE is more entertaining and more interesting than the main event guys. It's been that way for a couple years in my book. I don't know why, but it seems like the year or two the WWE lost Lesnar, The Rock, Austin, and Angle... the main event lost a lot of steam. That's why we saw Eddie vs. JBL. Not knocking those guys or their work, neither of them are HBK, Hogan, Rock, Austin, etc...

The WWE is on it's way back up and with this "New Superstar Initiative" that goes on in ECW, I love it. It's giving these young guys a shot and has already produced great talent like Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne (although he's not exactly new), Jack Swagger, and my personal favorite for my entertainment dollar... DJ Gabriel. That song, the dance moves, Alicia Fox's fine @$$... just plain entertaining to me. But I digress. There's a ton of great young talent out there but sadly they all can't turn into champions with staying power. That's why I would say you won't see a 50th different WWE champion until at least 2020.

 

[bucheonman]

I am surprised that many of you are so high on Dolph Ziggler. He's a decent wrestler but I can't see him ever becoming more than a mid-carder.

I forsee Mr Kennedy, MVP, John Morrison, Dibiase (not Rhodes), and possibly Kofi Kingston to be champions in the future. Vince McMahon has never been big on Christian, so he will peak off around high mid-carder. Shelton Benjamin never gets a fair break, and Evan Bourne is too small.

 

[rowdy ruben]

i think with guys like cena, triple h, jeff, and punk being around for a while it might take more then 10yrs for it till happen. i think when it does its gonna be a second generation star like steamboat or fliar's son

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Reid Flair.... or Ricky Jr.... one of the two....

It's written in the stars.... so to speak..

Seriously, such an accolade will be reserved for a "name" maybe Cody if he's lucky... but Reid is much more likely...

 

[farlance]

I don't think the 50th champ is in the WWE yet maybe in about 5 years. Like it was said earlier things move at a faster pace and new champions are usually the guys that break in fast and are champ within a couple years of being there. Nowadays we see more vetrans getting multiple title reigns and less new guys breaking through. I see maybe 3 or 4 guys there now that may become champ, MVP, Kennedy, Christian, Morrison. Other than that most of the guys that havent been champ already have been midcarders for years and will only get pushed as a champ if they are given it because they are believed to have paid their dues or something like that.

 

[f_roEDGE]

We cannot say that the 50th champion is in the business right now.

Look at Brock Lesnar?? He was in the WWE for 5 months before he became WWE Champion. Whose to say that the 50th champ won't be the same kind of thing???

I will say this. There WILL be at least one WWE Champion anywhere between #38 and #49 that isn't in the business right now.

The chances of #50 being in the business is just that.....50/50.

 

[NSL]

I'm going to take the easy route, and say no.

The number of guys competing for the title right now, really prevents anyone new from going for it. They're all past champions, and are playing Hot Potato with the belt as it is.

We'll see Triple H, John Cena, Edge, and Jeff Hardy each hold the title at least 4 more times within the next few years, and then once they start to put over other talent, we'll see the number of different champions start to build.

Are any of those guys in the WWE now? Possibly. I believe Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, and Ted DiBiase Jr. may be the only ones. Swagger is working very well as ECW Champ, is gaining fans at the same rate he's getting heat. Bourne is an excellent talent, and can "wow" anyone in the ring. I haven't heard him on the mic, but it'll be interesting to see what happens when he returns.

DiBiase's career could be interesting. Will he have a career like his father's, and be the top heel that never wins the big one? Or, will they book him to be better than his dad, and win every title he gets a shot at?

 

[WrestlingHistorian]

37. That's the number of different WWE champions in the history of the WWE (for arguments sake, Inoki is not reckognized, so he does not count, and Andre is recognized.) Slowly we are creeping up on the number 50 to represent WWE champions. Slowly is a relative term however.

For the first 25 years or so, there were only 9 men to win the WWF cchampionship, Andre became #10, and Savage became #11. That was 1988. So in 21 years, the number has exploded by 26 different men. Mick Foley Was the 24th Champion in 1999, and Triple H was #25. So in a little more then ten years, the number went up by 13. Follow that same trend, a little more then ten years after Foleys win, we are up 13 more guys to #37, so at this rate, we could very well expect champion number 50 around the year of 2020.

Now I know that seems a long ways away, but really, it's not. When savage won, Foley was in the business. When Foley won in 1999, Jeff Hardy was in the company. So as I ask this, do you believe that the 50th WWE Champion is in the company right now, whether in development, or do you feel that the eventual 50th champion isn't around yet? If he is around, who do you feel could be the 50th champion? I know it's a loaded question.

If anything I would recognize Inoki and NOT recognize Andre, which is how I view it and how I have it in my homemade title history tracking files.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The WWE Championship isn't the hot potato that it used to be. It also doesn't change hands as frequently as the WHC which I predict will likely reach 100 title changes before the WWE Championship reaches 50.

But the answer is obvious. Triple H. He'll reach Flair, that's a certainity. He's also the only wrestler of the past year who's had a long, serious title run. While he's having reigns that last 6 plus months, others are having ones that last about 6 weeks.

Bar serious injury, he'll carry on for a good while yet. Even when he get's older he'll still make the odd appearance, probably for a title.

50 WWE Championship reigns on paper sounds important, more important than it actually is. And another dozen or so title changes isn't that many, really. I can't see it being anybody else.

 

[dadadavie]

i just want to apologize to everyone about my posts i didnt know i was offending people or spamming i just wanted to voice my opinions like the rest of you i didnt know that i had to have proof that aj styles was going to be the 50th champ i just thought it would be great if he was so i apologize and ill try to be more factual in my future post so if any of you have a problem do you think maybe you can message me instead of trying to get me kicked off cause i like you guys my friends don't like wrestling so i only have you guys to talk about it so please don't hate me so much AJ STYLES 50TH CHAMP!!!

 

[Tastycles]

The WWE Championship isn't the hot potato that it used to be. It also doesn't change hands as frequently as the WHC which I predict will likely reach 100 title changes before the WWE Championship reaches 50.

But the answer is obvious. Triple H. He'll reach Flair, that's a certainity. He's also the only wrestler of the past year who's had a long, serious title run. While he's having reigns that last 6 plus months, others are having ones that last about 6 weeks.

There have been wel over 50 reigns of the WWE Championship, the thread means that there are 50 different champions.

Interestingly enough, or not, depending on how you look at it, Triple H did have the 50th reign of the championship, with his first reign in 1999.

That being said, we're currently on reign 89, so I think reign number 100 has a good chance of being HHH's historic 17th world title reign. It wouldn't even need to mean that 4 of the next 11 reigns have to be his, becuase he bolster up his total by winning the WHC.

 

[golden miz]

heres my pick for you- Nick Hogan.



But in all seriousness I think the person is in the company. WWE has recently decided that the WHC is more important giving it to their top players. Now that the WWE title is becoming a raw title again, thats 8 title changes per year, and 4 to 5 diffrent champions chances are that at least 2 per year will be new champions because WWE likes to give the WWE title to the winner of the money of the bank, thats one winner and this year it looks like morison or miz are in the cards to win it, after they loose to punk they have so much anger and rage that when they get their last sec spots they destroy the comp. But anyways I see Morison and Bourne getting it this year. Also only HBK, Undertaker, HHH, Big Show, jericho, jbl, cena, edge, and orton are the only wwe employees that won this championship. This leaves batista, punk, mysterio, kahali, morison, mark henery, chavo, matt hardy, and swagger who have all won the other two big championships that could easily be given a run with the wwe championship in the next five years. Thats 9 potential champions just in the pool of won the other two championships and theirs 6 others who are destined to become a major champ: Evan Bourne, Brian Kendrick, MVP, Mr Kenedy, ted diabiasse, an cody rhodes. Also you got 3 people in the names of tyson kidd, miz, and dh smith that you dont know they could awalys get big heat. Theirs a list of 18 potential champs on the roster and out of them 13 will deffently win the championship

*edit- and theirs also guys like christian, finley, and regal who have been on the verge of main event fueds in the wwe. Christan was a multi time champ in TNA and the other two are vets that they could use as a transitional camp to prove anyone can win the title, anyone remeber shawn sustank (botched spelling)

 

[XxHardyFan4LyfxX]

doubt it the 50th champ will come to WWE in bout 4-6 years and will win the title 4-5 years after that