The "Best of the One-Timers"

[tsull2121]

Ok, here's something to think about... I've got a list (not complete i dont think... the pwi almanac only lists up to 12/14/08) of most WWE champions.. i omitted the wwe tag champs and the world tag champs, and the US champ cause theres too many champions to go thru.. but heres the deal.

going thru the list.. You tell ME who YOU think the "best of the one timers" is.. meaning.. who was the BEST champion that wore the belt ONLY once!

this is NOT going by "wrestling skill" or "drawing power" or "popularity" etc.. its YOUR OPINION


here's "the contenders":

WWE- ivan koloff, pedro morales, superstar billy graham, antonio inoki, iron sheik, andre the giant, ultimate warrior, sgt slaughter, diesel, kane, vinnie mac, eddy guerrero, jbl or rvd

WORLD- goldberg, benoit, angle, orton, khali, booker t, cena

INTER-CONTINENTAL- ken patera, greg valentine, randy savage, honky tonk man, ricky steamboat, kerry von erich, mountie, roddy piper, davey boy, marty janetty, diesel, ahmed johnson, marc mero, ken shamrock, road dogg, godfather, d-lo brown, rikishi, billy gunn, albert, test, lance storm, booker t, ric flair and kofi kingston

WOMENS- lei lani kai, velvet mcintyre, sensational sherri, rickin robin, bull nakano, bertha faye/monster ripper, sable, the kat, harvey wippleman, stephanie mcmahon, chyna, gail kim, candice michelle and michelle mccool

ECW- johnny hotbody, tito santana, bam bam bigelow, mike awesome, masato tanaka, justin credible, jerry lynn, steve corino, rhino, rvd, big show, vince mcmahon, johnny nitro, cm punk, kane, chavo guerrero, mark henry or matt hardy


There may be more "one timers" but like i said.. i was going by the listings in the PWI ALMANAC so if i missed anyone, feel free to throw them in too.


Timmy!

 

[lcbball154]

RVD no doubt....The guy was explosive in the ring and a great move set....The sad thing is the only reason he ever became champion is because ECW was brought back but in my honest opinion rvd should have been a multiple time champion on skill alone. He was over with the fans i just wish vince would let him talk more and give decent promos like he did at One Night Stand....

 

[tarp]

gotta go shortly so I may have to comeback later and finish.
1st
WWE - I go with JBL. His title reign was lengthy, he defended the belt regualry and is underrated as far as a actual wrestler. He plays the heel so well it gets overlooked. Honorable mention to Ivan Koloff and Andrea the Giant(Andrea's came to late in his career should've been in late 70's early 80's.

World- By far Chris Beniot. His win was one of the most exicting, tearful and well deserved ones of all time. I mean look at when they did the tribute to him before they found out everything. One of the all time greats HHH even said walking back how great it felt to see him holding that belt. Honorable mention to Angle, one of the pure best techinal wrestlers of all time who played the heel and good guy good. I'll be back later.

By the way my name is Timmy also.

 

[TheFuture]

WWE Title- Easily JBL, he held the title for just shy of a year and had some memorable matches to go with that reign, especially his feud with The Undertaker. He had the heel character down as best as anyone could possibly get it.

World Title- If we aren't counting WcW reigns, then I would go with "King" Booker T, he had a nice reign and one that I believe was long overdue at the time. Sure many people may not have liked the "King" gimmick that he was using, but it fit him so perfectly for what he was going for, the accent and everything just gave him that "it" factor. If we are counting WcW reigns then I'd have to go with the one who held it right before Booker in the form of Rey Mysterio. Mysterio broke the thought that no cruiserweight could ever hold the title, he put on some pretty good matches if I'm remembering correctly, and it put him into that main event status that people had wanted for quite some time.

Intercontinental- Am I the only one who remembers Randy Orton holding that title? He WAS the Intercontinental title for quite some time, he made that title a title worth having at the time. Enough said, Orton was without a doubt the greatest one time Intercontinental Champion in history.

Women's - No opinion here, the ones worth mentioning have won it multiple times. Only one that could possibly be used is Chyna, but she was just squash matches most of the time.

ECW - This may be the toughest, it's a split between John Morrison and that Justin Credible guy, both were known only for tag teams before their respective wins, and both had decent reigns with the time. Only difference is Morrison got pushed further because he won it in the ECWWE, while Credible won it in the original ECW.

 

[JJ "the Devil's Advocate"]

WWE: Kane and Andre, Kane held the belt for one day (which was stupid) and he's always been a great wrestler for his size, and Andre well he's Andre the giant, perhaps the most popular wrestler not named hulk hogan.

WORLD: i think your forgetting, HBK he held it ONCE, and well he's HBK. hahaha

IC: Booker T, he was perfect for the IC title, i wish he would come back.

WOMANS: to be honest they all suck except Chyna so she wins by default

(old) ECW: Mike Awesome. this guy had it all, it's a shame he never got a good shot in WWE

(new) ECW: John Morrison, the next HBK doesn't say enough about the talent of morrison

 

[jellmoo]

WWE - Andre by leaps and bounds. He WAS wrestling before there was anything even remotely resembling a worldwide, or even nation wide audience. Andre was beyond territories and was a massive draw regardless of where he went, or who he wrestled.

World - Despite the later tragedy, I have to go with Benoit. His win was a phenomenal shift in the business, taking the belt away from the usual suspects. It was a risky move, and one that should have worked a lot better than it did if the WWE hadn't completely jumped the gun on the Orton face turn.

Inter Continental - Without a doubt, Randy Savage. I grew up watching him hold that title, and making it matter. His feuds were epic. I still remember his feud with George "The Animal" Steele. His best career moments center around him holding the IC title.

Women's - It plain doesn't matter to be honest. The Women's division has never been strong enough for a 1 time champion to really stand out. Even at it's peak, the division pretty much swapped the belt between 3 women, tops.

ECW - Rhino. This guy was perfect for ECW. He had the perfect size, build, look, intensity and mentality for what ECW needed. Best "spear" in the business by miles, and played the part of a psycho bully to perfection. His matches were great and he brought out great matches in guys who were, frankly, not the best wrestlers.

 

[InterestingDrug]

WWWF - Billy Graham - So close to saying Eddy here, but Billy Graham was what a WWF/E champion would eventially become... Hulk Hogan. He could have had several runs, but the times changed, injuries, steroids, Vince purchased the territory and it was over for the Superstar.

World Title - Kurt Angle - He's just a machine. Of the people in this list, Angle is the best. I pick him over Benoit, because if you do remember, Benoit actually held the WCW World Title before jumping ship less than 24 hours later.

Intercontinental - Randy Savage - This was his prime and he had his best matches in his career while he was Intercontinental champion. This set him up for several world title runs. The list is great.. but Flair and Piper were past their prime and their runs were just beneath them at this point.

Womens - Sherri Martel - Out of the list, she was the best wrestler listed. I vaguely remember her run, but who else are you going to pick??? Rockin Robin?? Who the hell is Bull Nakano???

ECW - RVD - So many names to like here, but seriously, RVD should have been a multiple time ECW champion.

 

[JJohns]

WWE Title: Have to go with Eddie. Great, great wrestler. Amazing performer.

World Title: Got to go with Shawn Michaels. All around, the best performer in WWE history.

Intercontinental: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The only reason he didn't hold the title longer is because he wanted to take some time off to spend with his family.

Women's Title: If you ever saw what she did in Japan, you would have to go with Bull Nakano, who's one of the greatest Women's WRESTLERS of all time, with Leilani Kai coming up a close second.

ECW: I know that everyone is on RVD's jock for this one, but in my humble opinion, I think that the greatest was Jerry Lynn.

 

[RatedRPiedmont]

WORLD- goldberg, benoit, angle, orton, khali, booker t, cena

I Don't know if it was already mentioned but Cena is a 2 time WHC, he beat Jericho for it at Survivor Series 08 and then won it again at WM 25.

As far as the greatest one timers..

WWE - For me it really came down to 2 people. RVD or Eddie Guerrero. The choice is became very clear to me after thinking. RVD was incredibly talented and deserved to be the champ, but he lost it the way he did and had never won it before or since because he made bad decisions that cost him suspensions. Eddie Guerrero still stand IMO of one of the best all around wrestlers i have ever seen. He was definitely deserving of more then one 5 month reign and with todays WWE landscape i think it is safe to say if it wasnt for his untimely death he would have won a few more.

World - I am afraid i have to follow the theme here and go with Chris Benoit. Angle was great, but had a few WWE title reigns. For Chris, this was it in the WWE. He was such a great wrestler that it made up for his lack of ability on the mic. He was so over due to his ability that he didnt have to speak, but he was still one of the top performers. Id have to say same thing as Eddie
(except for the untimely part) if it wasnt for his death he might have had another reign.

ECW - i wont even field that question as ECW has basically just become a jumping off point for future World or WWE champs, and i dont know enough about the real ECW to make judgment. But if its for the new ECW i will say Chavo..yes..Chavo. He has been through so much between losing people close to him, and very bad gimmicks (he was a golfer, dolph ziggler was his caddy..need i say more)..he has incredible work in the ring and is great on the mic, never understood why he isnt respected.

Womens - for me it has to be China. While she did win the intercontinental title, the fact is she is the strongest and baddest woman to ever step foot in the WWE or any other promotion. She could have easily had more reigns, the fact that mini-china aka Beth Pheonix already has 2 proves it.

Intercontinental - for this i am gonna say people who never won a world title. my choice is..Carlito. I havent been a life long fan, iv only been watching since 2004, and i have to say Carlito. I think he is incredibly talented in the ring and on the mic, and it is a shame he cant play along with WWE, cause he has much more potential that we has reached in 5 years with WWE

 

[PEP3]

Great thread idea. Before the more recent era of pro wrestling, most champs within the WWE held the belt only once. These reigns generally lasted longer, were more defined and significant to the industry and viewers and secured a professional wrestler's place in the history books. Within the last 20 years, though, that has changed. As PPVs became the life-blood of the WWE, titles began to switch back and forth between wrestlers with increasing frequency, making title reigns much shorter, less significant and, in my eyes, way less interesting. Nowadays, it's nothing to find guys who are two-, three-, even six-or-more time Intercontinental and World Heavyweight champions. Am I wrong to miss those days when even a single run with the belt actually meant something? I don't think so.

Anyway, on to the question at hand...

WWE Champion: For my money, The Ultimate Warrior is the greatest one-time champ in the federation's history. Nothing short of the Goldberg of his era, UW ran roughshod over the competition on his way to two Intercontinental titles and defeated the great Hulk Hogan -- when that was even more impressive than it would later be -- in a title-verus-title match, making him the only person in history to ever hold the WWE and Intercontinental title simultaneously. The guy is a fucking weirdo in his day-to-day life, but he was massively over with the fans and made to look so incredibly invincible by the E, the only way they were able to convincingly take the belt off of him was to have Sgt. Slaughter -- the most hated man in the entire industry at the time -- and "Macho King" Randy Savage screw him out of the gold. Amazing!

World: In my book, since the "World Heavyweight title" traces its roots back to the WCW/NWA World heavyweight title, neither Benoit or Booker T count as one-time champs. And since most everyone else has worn the WWE title multiple times, I'll also discount these guys as "one-time" champs. Then when considering what I'm left to choose from, I think I'll skip this one all-together.

Intercontinental: Noticeably absent from you list of one-time champs is "Ravishing" Rick Rude, one of my all-time-favorites. Defeating the Ultimate Warrior for the belt was no easy feat, considering had just spent the previous summer getting :48 second victories over Andre the Giant. Rude also became the first person in his career that Bobby "The Brain" Heenan guided to a WWE title. Even with all of that going for him, my vote for greatest one-time WWE Intercontinental champion goes to "Macho Man" Randy Savage. This man absolutely epitomized the WWF Intercontinental title during his reign and put on incredible matches to defend it. His feud with George "The Animal" Steele and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat were two of the hottest the WWF produced throughout the entire '80s. Of course, the WrestleMania III match when he finally dropped the belt to Steamboat remains one of the greatest, most legendary in not just WWE history but the history of the sport itself.

Women's: Entering the WWF as the reigning AWA Women's champion, "Sensational" Sherri Martel won the Women's title within days of her debut, becoming champion of two of the industry's "Big 3." She went on to hold the title for the next 15 months, defending it again people like Velvet McIntyre (who I always found about as bland as dry toast), Rockin' Robin (who ultimately unseated Martel) and Lei Lani Kai, among others. Considering not only the length of her reign but also what she accomplished later in her career as a manager/valet, Sherri gets the nod. To me, Chyna was built as a competitor for the men, so it seemed as beneath her to go for the Women's belt as it did when Flair became IC champ.

ECW: Simply put, like most others, I separated the WWECW title from the original. Of the WWE brand's one-timers, I'm giving that to John Morrison, who I predict with have a World Heavyweight title to his credit by this time next year. However, among the originals, I'm going with Steve Corino. This is a great, truly old-school competitor who I believe could -- if used properly -- still be a tremendous asset to pro wrestling today. He was grossly misused during his brief tenure with TNA, and I wish they'd give him another go.

 

[tsull2121]

Womens - Sherri Martel - Out of the list, she was the best wrestler listed. I vaguely remember her run, but who else are you going to pick??? Rockin Robin?? Who the hell is Bull Nakano???


Bull Nakano was WWF Women's Champion in 94, winning the belt on November 27 in Japan from Alundra Blayze (Madusa).

In addition ot that, she was multiple time champion in AJW (All-Japan Women) and was pretty much the female equivalent to Big Van Vader, in that she had held versions of the Womens' World Championship in different countries (Japan, America, and Mexico)

Her list of title reigns are...



All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling

AJW Championship (1 time)
AJW Junior Championship (1 time)
All Pacific Championship (1 time)
WWWA World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times)
Japan Grand Prix (1988)
===========================================
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre

CMLL World Women's Championship (1 time) first ever champion
===========================================
World Wrestling Federation

WWF Women's Championship (1 time)

============================================

she was also inducted into the AJW Hall of Fame in 1998 and inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2001

she had one of the most VICIOUS clotheslines i have ever seen, and possibly the most DEVASTATING finishing move for a woman of her size (230 pounds) executinig a guillotine legdrop off the top rope.

she also had an amazing submission move that can only be described as an elevated camel clutch.... BRUTAL! watch her match against alundra blayze at summerslam94 to see what i mean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLGZDCyzDLM


Timmy!
Timmy!

 

[tsull2121]

I Don't know if it was already mentioned but Cena is a 2 time WHC, he beat Jericho for it at Survivor Series 08 and then won it again at WM 25.

Well thats whay i said in the beginning i was going from the stats in the PWI ALMANAC and that they only listed up until Dec of 08... obviously WM25 was after December.. but thanks for pointing that out... I know theres probably a few i overlooked.. like Rick Rude.. HOW i did that is beyond me!

Oh, and when others say that booker and benoit had been world champ/wcw champ before, yes while that is true, I am going from the WWF/E versions of the titles... so thats why i listed them in there... sorry for the confusion


Timmy!

 

[tarp]

I'm back to finish my list. Also I see some are going by who the greatest wrestler was but I am looking at what they did when they had the title.
IC title- This might be the exception to what I stated but Rickly Steamboat the match with how he won it and the emotion is what seperates his run.
Womens- Chyna I mean she is the most dominat female wrestler ever. I would love to have seen her and Awesome Kong go at it.
Gotta go customer.

 

[mr.davidson]

The best IC Champ of all time is Ric Flair

when Ric won the IC Tittle it was like he was the NWA Champ all over again. I really enjoyed watching him hol a tittle like that for one last time. They really should have given it to him again, as when he held it it brought back alot of creditbility back to that tittle that it had been missing for along time!!!

 

[philly_kid]

tsull2121, its funny you mention johnny hotbody as one of the ecw guys, the guys my dad haha. i remember the good old days going to the arena and being part of the best thing going on in philly back then.

 

[HollywoodLuthias]

I'm going to have to go with Bill Goldberg.he was a WCW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) and WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time)with Bret Hart.also PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (1998) and PWI Rookie of the Year (1998)PWI ranked him #2 of the 500 best singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1998

 

[tarp]

Hopefully I'll finish this time. I like what Mr. Davidson had to say. Ric Flair brought back credibility but his reign wasn't long. Flair is the greatest of all time but I tried to look at the time involved and matches involved.

Last on ECW. I have a tie here. Mike Awesome first. A true big man that was perfect for the ECW rules, when you saw that table set up in the corner look out. I look at ECW as two different eras and the second one was dominated by Big Show. He was a dominat champion like a big man should be you didn't think anyone could beat him and Bobby Lashley sure didn't deserve to. Big Show vs Flair ( I am bias here) but it was a very underrated match. I thought it was great. As far as the thread though I have to go with Big Show and Chris Benoit neck and neck overall.

 

[ashe draven]

Good thread

WWE- im goin w/ warrior. dont wanna rehash what PEP said, id just be be quoting the same things. unstoppable, beat hogan cleanly. nuff said.
WORLD- benoit weather you recognize the E's tenure w/ it or not. i HATE what happened outside of the ring w/ this guy but he DESERVED when he won it in wcw & wwe
IC- i wanna go w/ ahmed here, he was so over at the time & looked like they were settin up a fued w/ micheals before he fell from grace. but i gotta go w/ savage. his reign was legendary when the title really really meant something.
WOMENS- uh..no comment. sorry.
ECW- RVD RVD RVD!!! C'mon this is no contest in my opinion! should be a HOF & should of carried this brand extension. woulda coulda shoulda i guess.