The Best Transitional Champions of All Time

[SavageTaker]

There is always that wrestler who captures the top title in a promotion but is not always given a long-term title reign. In addition, they get the title only to drop it a short time later to someone who will more than likely hold the title for a longer amount of time. These wrestlers are known as transitional champions. People will sometimes think of a certain wrestler who was a transitional champion as a bad wrestler because they only held the title for a short amount of time. Nevertheless, that won’t be the case here because the point of this thread is to figure out who the Best Transitional Champions where, not who the worst where.

The first wrestler that pops into my mind when I think of a transitional champion is The Iron Sheik. It can be argued that he was the first transitional champions and was the man who invented what a transitional champion is. It can also be argued that he was one of the best transitional champions that ever lived.

In December 26, 1983, The Iron Sheik won the WWF title from Bob Backlund in a true heel manner, which would be controversially. Sheik had Bob in a submission hold, but Bob never submitted and the title was awarded to The Iron Sheik.

He went on to hold the title for a total of 4 weeks until he lost it to then a former heel, Hulk Hogan. Hogan was a heel a year prior to Sheik winning the title so they had to find a way to get him some real babyfaces pops since Hogan was one of the top babyfaces in the WWF at the time, but he was struggling to get over with the fans. Since back then it was unheard of to have faces take on other faces, they did not do a face vs. face match. Instead, they had one of the most hated heels of the 80’s take on Hulk Hogan for the title. Whom better than the one of the most hated heels of the 80’s to lose to the man they were trying to build up as the top babyface of the company.

Well, Hulk Hogan ended up defeating The Iron Sheik for the title and it immediately got him over since he defeated one of the best Anti-American heels ever. Sheik losing the title to Hogan really set the tone for Hulkamania and as they say, the rest is history.

 

[Double Eh]

How about Sgt. Slaughter. Only champion for what 3 months before losing to Hogan at Wrestlemania 7? Though his time was short as champion he was very effective, so good a heel he got death threats. Underated is the Sarge.

Also how about Bob Backlund. His second reign, winning the title off Hitman in the same manner he lost his first one. Then turning around and losing to Deisel in what.....8 seconds? He was also very effective in that role. Much like Sheik was the right guy to help Hogan reach that platform, Backlund did the same for Nash, helping to propell him to the moon as babyface champion.

I also really enjoyed Mikey Whipwreck's short time as ECW champion. The unlikely nature of his winning the belt, and then winning title defenses was great.

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

Does Jeff Hardy's second title reign count in this? Talk about a short title reign...

Although, if you think about it, with their major storyline that's going on now, that could easily be described as Jeff putting Punk over. His last time was World Champion was kind of useless, so having this face/heel/somewhere in the middle CM Punk as champion is letting the fans make up their own mind if they want to like him or not. I love it when WWE does this as they do not do it often. Jeff's VERY short reign was designed to give fans a choice about a now-top star in the business. Punk did exactly the same thing to Edge last year and no-one complained, but now he's done it to one of the WWE's favourite sons. This has put Punk over big and the best thing about it is that his character is so grey, not black or white in terms of loyalties, that it makes this plot all the more thick.

The other thought I have when I think of transitional champions is, oddly enough, The Rock. He won the title in probably the best Triple Threat match I've ever seen against Kurt Angle and the Undertaker at Vengeance 2002, and subsequently dropped it to "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar at Summerslam just a few weeks later. This obviously brought Brock up to the next level and was instrumental in making him one of the top guys in the company.

 

[Sasori]

Chris Benoit: He is arguably one of the great technical wrestlers of all time! 3rd IMO, 2nd would be Kurt Angle, and 1st Bret Hart. Anyways Chris'es first world championship was the WCW championship. Chris worked his ass off to get it, but to only vacate the title and go to the WWF!

Tommy Dreamer: It was amazing that he won the ECW title, but funny because after he won I went to take a piss, when I came back he lost the title lol, still an awesome dude though.

Chris Jericho: Well he's one of the best there is, IMO the 2nd best performer in the history of wrestling, the 1st being Shawn Michaels. So once upon a time Chris Jericho beat Triple H for the WWF title, he defied many odds as Trips cheated through most of the match, and Steph gave Trips every advantage he could, but in the end the Ahyatollah of rock n' rolla prevailed and won his I think 3rd or 4th world title which would be the WWF/E Championship, but only for it to be striped away from Chris by Steph McMahon and Jericho's reign not counting, 'nuff said the true Jericho-holics know the story!

Shawn Michaels: The greatest performer of all time! His 4th and apperntly last world championship reign came when he won the first EVER Elimination Chamber match. He triumphed his way into his first WWE World Heavy Weight Championship, and 4th world title, but only to lose it in a mere 28 days, so sad .

 

[ksuperman06]

Mic Foley.....TNA Mic Foley that is, wins title, keeps for a couple months, drops to Kurt Angle by help of Samoa Joe, catapultes Joe's heel status with his Nation of Violence and give the MEM a reburst of steam they were lacking with Sting

 

[mr.davidson]

U R forgetting the worst tittle regin and set up of all time.....

That is when Andre the Gaint held the Tittle for what not even a day and gave it 2 ted....

This was the biggest set up of all time, made just to put the Maddness of the Macho Man over the Top and try to make him as great as Hogan was at the time.....

I recall hearing that Vince didnt know where Hogans thoughts were at the time as he was looking into the movie bussiness and was taking somtime off... So Vince set up the whole madness thing in order to have a back up while Hogan took somtime off.......

Thats one story I heard...... But maybe he just wanted Andre in the books somewhere who knows....

Point being Andre was the worst Champion tranz of all time...... The Sheik is probably Second.....

But as 4 Slaughter.... that guy was a good Champ... and a excellent wreslter and Worker Hoagn even admits that when u faced the Sgt u were in for a run for your money... he said he probably had the best stamina he ever seen.... There were also rumors that if u hit Sgt in the ring the wrong way he would make u suffer 4 the rest of a match.... lol.... great guy...... loved hime as a breif Champ!!!

But Andre Sucked as Champ... he is the worst

 

[Shadowstorm220]

I can't believe no one mentioned Kane and his first, and I believe only reign as champion which lasted like 24 hours or something. It was all about continuing the Austin vs. McMahon feud and Kane never really got to hold on to the belt for long.

 

[WCCWfan]

I agree with Kane. That was then we was a real monster. I say give it to the guy on more time before he retires just as a thank you for years of hard work IMO. Rhino in TNA was another I thought at that time was deserving of a title shot again.