Worst world champ ever?

[punchline]

So i've seen alot of threads and articles recently about the best wrestlers to never hold a world championship. so i wanted to kinda look at the opposite end of the spectrum.

so i have 2 questions to come out of this.
1. who do you think was the worst world champ ever?

2. what world champions do you think were undeserving of ever becoming so?

(note, this does not only pertain to the WWE)

P.S. I'm sure were gonna see alot of answers simply writing CENA!!! lets try not to dwell on that too much please.

 

[Rayne]

Tough call- I was tempted to say Bob Backlund's second reign, the one that lasted eight days, but I'm going to go much more recent then I expected.

Jack Swagger.

He is the only person I've ever seen for whom being world champion actually hurt their momentum. He got a lot more promo time, but all that did was show us how bad he was on the phone. (If you have a bad lisp, either get in speech therapy or pass on the career that involves public speaking.) All told, he's gimmicked as Kurt Angle because he's got a huge potential KurtAnglesque upside to him. But (and hindsight is 20/20), he was pushed too hard, too soon. He didn't look like a legitimate champion with the belt; I don't mean the kind of champion who never defends his belt and runs away like a coward (read: heel), he looked like someone far too green to be carrying the amount of segment time he was.

I think Swagger's time will come. The WWE still has faith in him- there's a reason they attached him to (and God help us all, this next part is true) the hottest feud in the promotion at Wrestlemania. But his title reign showed us that his time was not yet.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The Great Khali was an appalling World's Champion. Just being big and strong should not entitle you to a title shot, and sticking the strap on just a terrible wrestler who was unable to wrestle an entertaining match, and had incredibly limited offense was an insult to the other wrestlers on the roster who were far more deserving than Khali.

I know he makes the WWE a lot of money in India, but he should have been nowhere near the World Title, and its good to see the WWE have never had him near the top of the card again after he dropped the belt, his reign was an embarrasment

 

[K-Fizz]

David Arquette. Enough said about that - this was a slap in the face to the wrestling world, the wrestlers that worked hard to hold that belt and the history of it.

The most undeserving actual wrestler in recent history in my opinion is Sheamus and Jack Swagger. Mid-carders being forced to the top to create the "new star", but it didn't work. Not enough storyline development around these guys and they were just simply too fresh to be that high. Hell, even CM Punk's first reign was like that in my opinion when he cashed in Money in the Bank - sure it was great then, but Vince & Co. just took it away from him without him even defending the belt.

 

[RatedRKO2011]

Kane's first Tittle run was a waste of time, Christian's Tittle run was a waste aswel, but worst champion would have to be King booker or Swagger

 

[911 JP]

Speaking from what ive seen, christians war worst, sure he derserved it but u cant hold the title for 5 days (for when its shown on tv) and call it a good reign, sn his was worst imo

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

John Cena is the worst champ ever ( ok yeah i said it sue me). He is boring as a face, most fans depise the way he always wins and worst he only knows 5 moves ( hence the 5 moves of doom).

 

[Psyclone]

Speaking from what ive seen, christians war worst, sure he derserved it but u cant hold the title for 5 days (for when its shown on tv) and call it a good reign, sn his was worst imo

to be fair his reign was really just a result of edge's retirement... I'm sure the original plan was to have christian turn heel and then feud with edge and potentially get a world title reign later... Edge's retirement and del rio's subsequent moving to raw basically said christian was going to win, but as stated on this site it was just to get the title to orton... IT was the best of a bad situation at the time...

Worst champion= backlund 2nd time around..

 

[amazing_blue]

The Great Khali was an appalling World's Champion. Just being big and strong should not entitle you to a title shot, and sticking the strap on just a terrible wrestler who was unable to wrestle an entertaining match, and had incredibly limited offense was an insult to the other wrestlers on the roster who were far more deserving than Khali.

I know he makes the WWE a lot of money in India, but he should have been nowhere near the World Title, and its good to see the WWE have never had him near the top of the card again after he dropped the belt, his reign was an embarrasment

Before I opened this thread, "The Great Khali" was what immediately popped into my mind. I'm surprised more people in this thread haven't said Khali. Jack Swagger and Sheamus might have crappy reigns but it wasn't their faults. With those two, the talent is obviously there; they just never got the chance to go over cleanly or in Swagger's case be a part of intriguing storylines.

 

[punchline]

Time to throw in my 2 cents.
I think Khali was easily one of the worst champions ever. he was just a big lumbering hulk who could probably be outwrestled by david arquette.

Sheamus however, get's my vote for most undeserving. the guy was around for a minute before he got his first title reign simply do to his association with HHH and HBK.

P.S. I'm pretty sure i didnt post this under "old school wrestling". was moved in here? does it even belong here? lol.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

the only possible answer for this is David Arquette.. DAVID ARQUETTE... doesn't even need to be explained, he got to be world champion for being in a movie about being a fan of wrestling... not even Dolph Ziggler(as much as i hate the guy) can claim to be a worse champion than that....

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Actually, 5 moves of doom was named after Bret Hart.

Ah i didn't know, thanks for the Info. Yeah David Arquette, he was a bad champ but it was a publicity stunt for the movie Ready to Rumble. In our day and age there is no way some actor would win a wrestling championship not even on TNA.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The answer to both questions are the same two guys. Vince Russo and David Arquette. Neither of them deserved to be world champion because Arquette was an actor not a wrestler, and Russo.... do I even need to add ANYTHING there? They are easily the two worst world champions ever. Khali is not far behind, and is the worst of the more recent former world champions.

 

[batistafan4life]

I think john cena is the most undeserving because quite frankly he has had too many title runs since he started and I am getting tired of seeing his face all the time wwe needs to do whatever it takes to get batista back and he needs to accept

As 4 the worst it is christian people say he deserves to be champion right now but I just dnt see him being anything more than he already is / doing matches to get people ready 4 the main event!!!

 

[Dagger Dias]

I think john cena is the most undeserving because quite frankly he has had too many title runs since he started

Really? REALLY!? You mean to tell me that Cena having a lot of title runs that he EARNED by busting his butt to get where he is, deserves it less than someone like Vince Russo who booked himself to be champion to show that world titles are only props? Cena's not going anywhere, so tough luck. He deserves everything he got because he worked hard and never gave up on his dreams.

and I am getting tired of seeing his face all the time

Then don't watch WWE. Problem solved. Try TNA or ROH.

wwe needs to do whatever it takes to get batista back and he needs to accept

They don't need Batista. They can push Mason Ryan as the next big guy, and have plenty of midcarders ready to step up as new top tier talent when the time comes for their pushes.

As 4 the worst it is christian people say he deserves to be champion right now but I just dnt see him being anything more than he already is / doing matches to get people ready 4 the main event!!!

So Christian is the worst world champion because he is a jobber to main eventers that defeats other jobbers? How is that worse than Khali who can't even wrestle? Khali was the worst world champion due to his in-ring ability not existing, and Russo was the most undeserving due to him booking himself to win to prove a point that fans still disagree with. Cena and Christian.... really? Sorry but I simply disagreed with your entire post.

 

[mr.ready]

I think the most overrated wrestler of all time and the worst World Champion of all time is Sid Vicious. To this day, I still don't see what Vince McMahon saw in this guy. I understand that 1996-1997 was a rough time for the WWF/E but Sid Vicious is absolutely awful. Just awful. He was one of the first wrestlers to make people realized Vince McMahons obession with pushing large monsters because that is the only reason Sid Vicious got a push. He had the charisma of a bottle of salad dressing, was very clumsy in the ring and had an average look. What I don't understand, is that, at the time, the WWF/E had so much more talent on their roster that they could have pushed over this guy, for example Ron Simmons or Goldust, both big guys.

His Wrestlemania Match with The Undertaker is probably, the Undertakers most forgettable Wrestemania Match of all time and Sid Vicious is probably the most forgettable World Champ of all time. Even more so than Swagger.

 

[J.J.]

David Arquette! Without question! And any world champion that lost the title via fingerpoke of doom(Kevin Nash).

Forgot to add Vince Russo in. And that stint in early 2000 before Arquette won the title where nobody was holding onto the title longer than a week or 2 for first several months of 2000.

 

[vthokie8]

1. who do you think was the worst world champ ever?
Khali was awful but there are two names that far surpass him. DAVID ARQUETTE and VINCE RUSSO. Thank you both for killing WCW

2. what world champions do you think were undeserving of ever becoming so?
Without a doubt the two named above. Besides them, I felt Sheamus got the title a little too soon, I have never thought Jeff Jarrett was a good draw as a World champion, I don't think Benoit deserved to get the WCW title at Souled Out the night before he left I felt this was a slap in the face to Sid and Billy Kidman who both did the job that night and who were both with the company that day. I don't think Vince McMahon should have ever had a title reign either. Kane's first title reign was kind of a waste too. I don't argue with Bob Backlund beating Bret Hart for the belt, but I thought it was kind of bs how he lost it.

 

[finchster1]

David Arquette or the great kahli. come to think you can add vince russo and vince mcmahon to the list to. i mean seriously what was the point of any of them having the title?

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

John Cena is the worst champ ever ( ok yeah i said it sue me). He is boring as a face, most fans depise the way he always wins and worst he only knows 5 moves ( hence the 5 moves of doom).

Being a good champion doesnt always mean you have to liked by all the fans. Cena does divide opinion, but he still has a bigger fanbase than pretty much any other face on the roster. He plays his role perfectly and that is why he is idolised by a large percentage of the WWE fanbase- especially kids who are the target market right now.

I find him boring, with a limited moveset. But Hogan had a small moveset and I think he did ok didnt he? Cena is a money-making machine, his merchandise sells, he usually puts on solid matches without anything being amazing. He represents the company well and works his ass off for the business. His match with The Rock next year should be a big PPV success and I think he does well as champion, although I am not a fan of his.

To say Cena is the world Worst Champion ever is absolutely ridiculous, he is a credit to the WWE, probably the biggest name in the business over the last few years and while i think he is stale as a face, I cannot see his position as the number 1 guy in the company changing any time soon. Cena is the golden boy, and wouldnt be in that spot if he didnt do well as champion.

Vince would not have a guy as his top face if he was not working as champion. He is all about making money, and Cena makes him money. So he is a good champion

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't think Benoit deserved to get the WCW title at Souled Out the night before he left I felt this was a slap in the face to Sid and Billy Kidman who both did the job that night and who were both with the company that day.

It was very strange that Benoit was given the belt the night before he left, it made WCW look even more stupid. But I can't call him one of the worst champions ever, even if he only held the title for 24 hours.

Chris Benoit worked his ass off in WCW for years with little reward. With the higher paid "superstars" putting in lazy performances in the main event for years, while Benoit was delivering world-class performances night after night, he was well overdue a title reign. If WCW had focused on talent like Benoit, maybe they would not have ended up going out of business. I think he deserved better than he got, but at least he did end up leaving as a former WCW title holder.

 

[The Rob]

The Great Khali.

Wow, what an absolute waste of time his reign was. He can hardly work in the ring... hang on scratch that, he can hardly move in the ring. Every step looks like it's causing him a massive amount of pain. He obviously can't talk on the stick and his gimmick was just poor. Sure he was 7ft 3 inches tall and 400+ pounds but that doesn't mean your gonna look convincing as world champion. He looked out of place and despite his appearance, I always used to think "bullshit" whenever he retained the title, because he was just so bad in the ring. I actually prefer the comical, light-hearted Khali, because it's so stupid it's funny.

Can I just make the point that Sheamus' first title reign wasn't terrible at all. It was surprising. And I'm a little lost as to what people want anymore. People were tired of Cena retaining every week, and holding on to the belt for 6 months at a time. So when a young lion over-throned the King Lion, everyone was up in arms about it, saying it was too soon or whatever. Was it the best reign in history, no. But it established Sheamus as a star right from the off and he happens to be probably the best new blood to arrive on the scene in WWE (along with the currently under-used Wade Barrett) in the last few years.

 

[god-soldier]

The worse world champion in my opinion is Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels.Yes I said HBK is the worse world champion of all time. When HBK first became the WWE champion in 96 ratings on Raw started to decline rapidly, The WWE struggled to maintain the company with HBK as champion the company started to see all time record lows. HBK could not sell out arenas could not sell PPVs could not draw the ratings to keep everyone interested. WCW was pounding the wrestling world with top matches and stars. No one even cared when HBK was having big matches with Davey Boy Smith, Vader, or Goldust. When HBK showed up as champion for Survivor Series 96 @ MSG he was booed out of the arena and the fans celebrated in rejoice that Syscho Sid was the new champion. When HBK came to the Royal Rumble in 97 in his hometown of San Antonio he still couldn't sell out the arena!!! When HBK came back from his injury and won the WWE championship for the second time in 97 fans continued to turn from WWE and still watched WCW. Until Austin won the championship @ WM XIV after one month as champion fans started to turn back to the WWE. The whole time Michaels was champion fans continued to turn away from the WWE because no one cared that he was champion because nobody wanted him as champion. HBK is a great athlete and a great in ring competitor but He never really made the company any real money they never benefited from him being champion because they almost went out of business when he was champion. I will go as far as saying when HBK won the World Heavyweight Championship and was set to defend it at Armageddon in December it was the worse WWE PPV ever not because the action but because it was lowest attended WWE PPV in history and the least selling PPV of all time. If you think I am completely wrong about this then why after this PPV we never saw HBK win another world title????? Its not because they wanted to put other guys over because they knew he is only capable of being in the main event not being the champion or winning the championship. It has been proven when he is champion he can't draw any money. And if you can't draw any money it doesn't matter how good you can wrestle you can't be the champion if we can't make any money. So in my opinion HBK is the worse world champion of all time

 

[Spidey Revivey]

1. who do you think was the worst world champ ever?

Vince Russo, for so so many reasons. Yes David Arquette was a slap to the face for wrestling fans, but lest we forget that people would actually pay to see a celebrity. Why the fuck would they pay to see a booker?

2. what world champions do you think were undeserving of ever becoming so?

Jack Swagger, because it didn't do anything at all for his career. At least the belt helped The Great Khali a bit- even got him in a high profile feud with John Cena. But the belt was wasted on The All American American.

 

[relentless1]

Lex Luger, Sid Vicious and Big Show come to mind, all slow, shitty in the ring and shitty draws, Kevin Nash almost makes this list save for his year run with the strap in WWF