WWE Champion(s) You Just Can't Take Seriously

[jacdnwarrior]

Sheamus is one. He has and did improve after winning the title but the way he won it was so cheap and ridiculous, I couldn't really get behind him.

Swagger was really bad. I thought he would have done a lot better than he did but he just didn't get the competition or storyline he needed to make his title reign worth while.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Anyway she's on the top of my list next to Cena. Then it goes.

You need to sue the school you attend or attended, not for the quoted comment above but just for having a lack of common sense, especially with the final line about Juggalo's.

How the hell is John Cena a Champion that can't be taken seriously? You know what, don't ask that question. Your answers will be probably because he has the Five Moves of Doom, he always seems to come out on top and because he appeals to younger kids? That it, I imagine it is. And when/if you read this, if you are capable of achieving such a large feat in your dim-witted life, you'll probably shit yourself and Google to see what other reasons you can use to explain how you think the guy whose a twelve time WWE Champion including his World Heavyweight reigns, has awards from PWI such as Match and Feud of the year plus a five star match can't be taken seriously as a Champion.

Jesus Christ, I swear some of the kids that pop-up on these forums are actually getting more idiotic. I miss when wrestling forums had intelligent posters showing up every single day. 2007 seems like a long ass time ago.

To answer the topic, Rob Van Dam. Although a great competitor and all, once he actually captured the WWE Championship and the ECW Championship the next night, coincidently I never felt like he had that stigma that he could be one of the top guys or a big contender for the WWE Championship once he lost it, and when he did lose it to Edge what I imagined to happen, happened. RVD dropped way back into the shuffle and never even got his rematch for the belt. Although a great wrestler at that time, Van Dam was declining as an actual star- still big but not as big as he once was.

 

[Rykopathe]

Rey Mysterio. Maybe one title run, but with the underdog status that he has, that should be it.

Christian. He's just terrible. Can't wrestle, no mic skills. Boring.

The Miz. I appreciate that he learned the business the right way, working his way up instead of just using his reality tv credentials. He'd make a great mid card champ, but not a World Champ.

Edge. See Christian.


Kane (ever since he took off his mask). He doesn't seem at all like a threat.

Jeff Hardy. My god, am I tired of watching this guy. He's the TNA version of John Cena. 3 moves, match over.

Now who I can see as a World Champion in TNA is Matt Morgan. He's been groomed long enough, and I think the World Title would've been his by now if not for his recent pectoral injury at the BFG Series. In the WWE, I could see Dolph Ziggler. He's in great shape, he's got the swagger and in ring talent to do it. Let's make it happen!

 

[akathelaw]

Christian: Doesn't come off like a World Champion. Too lean for such a large frame and very few memorable, devastating moves. Good promo work, but it lacks direction. I couldn't explain what his character is to a casual fan.

Alberto Del Rio: Rushed into the main event without letting us get to know him. I can't name any of his moves. Good performer but doesn't feel like the top champion yet. Would have liked to see him take the US or IC title once before going for the WWE title.

Jack Swagger: Again, rushed into the main event thanks to a year with 3 MITB contracts. While he looked good against Jericho there was no babyface underdog positioned to take the title from him, so he lost it quick and looked weak. Would have rather had him take the US title and hold it for a lengthy reign.

Daniel Bryan: I'm torn because I'm a big DB fan and I support him having the MITB briefcase, but WWE has booked him very weak over the last 8 months or so. I don't believe he could stay WHC for long at all, and if he does successfully cash in at WM, I expect him to drop the title immediately after.

David Otunga/Michael McGillicutty/Heath Slater: Not sure why these 3 have held any gold in WWE, they don't deserve it.

Curt Hawkins: It's been years since he held a title, but it was right after he and Zack Ryder became World Tag Champs that they decided to unify the Tag belts. Hawkins shouldn't work in WWE.

 

[The_Don]

To answer the topic, Rob Van Dam. Although a great competitor and all, once he actually captured the WWE Championship and the ECW Championship the next night, coincidently I never felt like he had that stigma that he could be one of the top guys or a big contender for the WWE Championship once he lost it, and when he did lose it to Edge what I imagined to happen, happened. RVD dropped way back into the shuffle and never even got his rematch for the belt. Although a great wrestler at that time, Van Dam was declining as an actual star- still big but not as big as he once was.

Did you know that RVD was stripped of both titles because he got suspended? I mean, he had all the glory being the 1st wrestler to hold de WWE and ECW and he ALONE blew it! He was destined to go to the back of the line for that!

Now, following the topic, I agree with the reason given for Sheamus, Rey, Swagger, Khali and Miz. I'll profundise on Miz:

- Miz was horribly booked in his title reign...how did he defend his title? By interfierience and DQ from Riley...who did he beat cleanly? JoMo (who never has or will be WHC) and Jerry Lawler (are u kidding me? WWE didn't even put Miz in the Chamber because he is STILL not believable)...and then he won again with interfierience at WM (the promos were concentrated in Rock/Cena, people forgot Miz was the champ) So until today, he is a mid carder!

- Another one I dont like is Mark Henry...i mean the guy is old as hell, he's not even strong looking anymore, he has fat in his arms! It's not even muscle! From being Sexual Chocolate, then the WSM, he was always burried! He came off teaming with MVP and suddenly he beats Big Show? Kane? Sheamus? Orton? For crying out loud...WWE gave him the title because he has been 15 years there, nothing else! I asure u all that once Henry loses the title, he wont get it back EVER! I would prefer another Christian reign or even Kane!

 

[J.J.]

I love how you say "strong looking". How many guys can you military press and throw out of the ring. Or perhaps you can lift Big Show? Mark Henry has been a good PR figure for the company. Honestly who would have thought a guy who was involved in a storyline with Mae Young would be a world champ? I certainly didn't. Could his run as champ be WWE's way of thanking him for years of dedication? Guess this is a much similar run JBL had. World title aside, this side of Mark Henry is him at his best.

 

[TheKingofKings20222]

1. Khali

Great look, could have been a great champion, but poor ring skills, and NO Mic ability.

2. Swagger

........Really? Jobber to World Champ? No. Just No.

3. Alberto Del Rio.

Way too soon. The guy is horrible. Not in a "I hate the character he's too much of a bad guy" way. He's just simply boring..... If you constantly have to remind everyone what your name is, then your obviously not that over.......

I've also seen a lot of bashing on the Miz. Tbh, I think the Miz had an incredible reign and was a damn good champion. His title reign created so much publicity for the WWE. An Mtv star to WWE Champion. He proved to everyone he could do it. Not to mention his incredible Mic skills and athletic ability. The Miz is the definition of the Future, like it or not.

 

[Kizzani]

I love how people can't take certain people seriously as a champion people that worked hard and got themselves to the top tier and kept themselves near that upper echelon for professional wrestling. People like Del Rio and Miz who haven't even been around that long but that is who people choose.

What about Yokozuna? or (perviously mentioned) Khali?

Yokozuna couldn't speak english to save his life or wrestle for that matter his was a huge man in a g-string whose only talent was Jim Cornette. Without Cornette Yoko is just another fat man who lacks everything wrestling stands for.

Khali ( I have removed the great title due to lack of anything great) Another superstar that is better left behind, lacking wrestling skill and mic skills a manager couldn't even save the career of this over grown guy who only good thing was kiss cam with two chicks.

Truly the only two people that aren't worth the time they spent holding the titles.

 

[J.J.]

I love how people can't take certain people seriously as a champion people that worked hard and got themselves to the top tier and kept themselves near that upper echelon for professional wrestling. People like Del Rio and Miz who haven't even been around that long but that is who people choose.

What about Yokozuna? or (perviously mentioned) Khali?

Yokozuna couldn't speak english to save his life or wrestle for that matter his was a huge man in a g-string whose only talent was Jim Cornette. Without Cornette Yoko is just another fat man who lacks everything wrestling stands for.

Khali ( I have removed the great title due to lack of anything great) Another superstar that is better left behind, lacking wrestling skill and mic skills a manager couldn't even save the career of this over grown guy who only good thing was kiss cam with two chicks.

Truly the only two people that aren't worth the time they spent holding the titles.

While I understand your logic on Yoko, his reign was important because he was the first Samoan in WWE to be crowned World champ. It's funny to see many people say Miz, ADR and Shemus were given shots too soon. Yoko had only been there roughly 4 1/2 months before he won the title.

 

[[cL]]

The Miz was a joke as champion. He's a mid carder at best. His mic work is good but its not great. In order to BE great you have to work with great workers and when he had a chance to work with great mic workers (the Rock) he failed miserably. He gave maybe 1 good promo during that whole ROCK/CENA/miz situation leading up to WM27 but ultimately he looked like a donut on the back of a Bentley. Completely out of place. He has come up as a wrestler and doesn't botch spots nearly as much as he used to but crap dipped in fudge ain't candy. He still overall sucks. In my opinion i believe he got the push he got because worked hard backstage and he used his OWN connections in entertainment to help promote WWE which made him a great worker in the eyes of VKM. Other than that, If he had just came up in Ohio Valley, or some other farm league he'd be no further than John Morrison. My opinion.
When Sheamus first one the title I was like, you GOT to be kidding me. See, i can see him with the title NOW because he's been developed, but then, he had JUST got there...
Alberto Del Rio....i was really high on him when he first got there. He was experienced, great in the ring and seemed to have a JBL like swagger. But then he got on this "Destiny" kick when he got on the mic and never looked back....and I couldn't keep watching.
Speaking of Swagger........really?
and as much as I like Daniel Bryan....i mean...it takes more than just being a great wrestler. You gotta be able to talk...you gotta be able to get the crowd behind you...and he can't do that. He sucks on the mic...I just couldnt take him seriously, and spoiler alert, i think he's gonna be the first one to cash in and lose.
Thats my list.

 

[[cL]]

But why would Miz engage too much in a war or words with The Rock when the initial setup was for it to be buildup to Cena/Rock?

No, I'm talking about when Miz was champion during the road to Wrestlemania 27. It was Miz vs Cena for the title....but it quickly turned into the beginning of the Cena/Rock feud and Miz became the third wheel. It was ridiculous how out of the loop he seemed and no matter what he did, he could never get to a place where he could be taken seriously. He just became an afterthought.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Some interesting responses thus far. Some valid, some great and some flat out preposterous so it's pretty much par for the course.

I see The Miz continues to get a lot of hate from the IWC. I've read posts saying that he can't wrestle and that he's not intimidating. He's not supposed to be intimidating. He's about 6'0" and weighs about 220 pounds at most. A good sized guy, but not some gargantuan engine of destruction. The VAST VAST VAST majority of heels can't fit into that role. Most heels aren't as big or legitimately strong as the likes of Big Show & Mark Henry. If Miz tried to play a tough guy, he'd get laughed out of the building. He doesn't have the look, the size or physical presence to pull that off. As for Miz kind of getting lost in the build to WrestleMania, there's some truth to it but not entirely. Miz did retain his title at WWE's biggest ppv against the WWE's biggest star. He did it in a heelish fashion but...well..that's kinda what heels do. Miz did manage to remain relevant and not be completely overshadowed by Rock & Cena but, of course, Miz won't get any credit for that. I mean.. HE SUX!!! HE CAN'T WRASSLE!!!.

As for guys I couldn't take seriously. The most obvious one is Santino. Just can't take the guy seriously.

Some of the newer guys have been covered well so I'm gonna bring up a few old school ones. First up, for me, was the Honky Tonk Man. This guy, in my view, just flat out 100% sucked balls from day one. A friggin' Elvis impersonator has the longest IC title reign in the history of the championship. His promos were awful, he was awful inside the ring and he just looked ridiculous.

Another guy was The Mountie. His run as IC champ was mercifully short but, again, just a very clownish gimmick looking back on things. I just never got into the guy and this "cattle prod" thing he used was just...well it was just one of these parts of a gimmick that's too silly to suspend disbelief to any real degree.

Another WWE competitor that I never took seriously as champion is Chyna. Making Chyna an Intercontinental Champion is probably the darkest chapter in the title's history. A woman holding a "man's" title just devalues the title in and of itself and any wrestlers competing for it.

 

[MWRedskins]

well for me it's R-Truth if he were ever to win this because while he's not a bad heel, he doesnt seem to get cared for as a heel. the Miz may not be the best wrestler, but i can buy him as champ because of his mouth which is why i think a Punk/Miz feud over the title would be great for Mania as they could promote this well with their arguing on the mic back and fourth, but Truth, i dont know, i mean one week he plays an aggresive heel that's ready to fight and then one week he comes out acting all silly and dumb.

 

[One to Remember]

Did you know that RVD was stripped of both titles because he got suspended? I mean, he had all the glory being the 1st wrestler to hold de WWE and ECW and he ALONE blew it! He was destined to go to the back of the line for that!

- Another one I dont like is Mark Henry...i mean the guy is old as hell, he's not even strong looking anymore, he has fat in his arms! It's not even muscle! From being Sexual Chocolate, then the WSM, he was always burried! He came off teaming with MVP and suddenly he beats Big Show? Kane? Sheamus? Orton? For crying out loud...WWE gave him the title because he has been 15 years there, nothing else! I asure u all that once Henry loses the title, he wont get it back EVER! I would prefer another Christian reign or even Kane!

Did ya kno? Did ya kno? Did ya kno that RVD's little minute legal issues bore no relevence to sports entertainment/pro wrestling? RVD did not screw RVD, VKM did. Vince knew from day one how the ECW guys were and that they might get jammed up every now and then. The suspension was stupid, none of his damn business, and he hurt his own sales trippin like an old guy would.. I'm str8 edge here and even I didn't give a fuck. He also may have weakened the ECW brand by coming down on RVD.

As for henry, are you that much of a moron? You really think the loss of muscle tone is the same as a loss of strength? He's stronger then you and I combined and we are both have his age and probably half his size and twice his speed.. he is one of the few guys who can slam a Big Show or Khali with ease.. he's four decades old but he's still a credible. Champion. He's still got fight left in him. Triple H is 42, depending on the source Batista is either 42 or 45, Goldberg was 38 when he got the WHC, Hogan was 39 by the time he dropped the WWF title he had taken from Slaughter, Sammartino was Henry's age when he reigned for four years during his second WWWF title run, Hogan was 41 when he captured his first WCW title, Steiner was 39, Flair was 39 when he dropped the NWA World title to a 36 year old Steamboat who he took back from at the age of forty. Kane is 44, Undertaker is 45, Ken Shamrock was TNA's NWA champ at 38. RVD captured his TNA title at forty and Kevin Nash and Sting are both born in the late fifties!! You act like. He's the same age as Flair or worse Terry freakin Funk!! As for his late career reign, when he drops the belt he's gone.. so what? That's called the twilight of a career. When he drops it the guy who gets it will be elevated, he will through kayfabe photosynthisis convert his heel steam to face propulsion. Its going to be like when Hollywood Hogan dropped the title clean to Goldberg on that one Nitro.. that's the best thing for everyone. Yeah he spent time as a stooge, a freak, a sicko, a jobber, the most unEuropean looking European champion in history, and yes he only has captured 3 titles over the course of 15 years, but the fact that he has finally overcome those debacles and the fact that all the slams are sticking and the punches are connecting make his rise all the sweeter. His constance referencing of past upsets links this era to the Attitude Era and the Federation Years providing the fans with goose bumps and him with drive. For all we know this could be the culimation of a 15 year story line!!

CL that's not fair on the Miz because the Rock had 15 years to establish himself and Cena had half that. He did not have the same level of prominence or experience but to say he's not of the same caliber is were it can get complex. My biggest issue with him is his build. I love his persona. Its true a lot of us remember him swingin from the top of the stairs on the Real World Back to New York over a decade ago but he respects the sport more then Lashley and lovesit more then Lesner. People need to look at that before they attack him for being a reality tv veteran because it was obvious back then he wanted to be apart of our sport..

 

[Existence_is_Futile]

Edge... horrible, just horrible..... ok, kidding people, don't rip my head off.

So, i might catch heat for this, but Mick Foley.

Sure, he deserves it, but i could never take him seriously as champion. He made a career out of hurting himself. when it comes to pure wrestling talent, 'eh. when he was world champion in WWE, he was mostly a joke character. Mr Socko anyone? I just couldn't do it.

Don't get me wrong, I love Foley, and love him for what he's done in this business, but i couldn't take him as a legit world champion

 

[Saeros]

The Miz is the obvious answer for me. Not because of the usual response of "he cant wrestle that well" bla bla bla because Cena isn't too good either, but hes still very convincing as a world champion.

Its his background i cant get over, Hes still essentially the same guy that announced diva searches and completely fucked up his lines week in week out.

I also don't think hes that good on the mic. I think he over sells and over acts. He doesnt make it convincing to me, hes similar to Cody Rhodes in that respect.

Jack Swagger is another i didnt and still cant find convincing. Unless he changes his character to hide the flaw of his horrible lisp, i cannot take him seriously. Maybe if he turned into this aggressive all out machine like Angle was towards the end of his WWE run, then i think that would help him.

Jeff Hardy was one from the past i never took seriously. He just looked like a teenagers homoerotic wet dream when he came out.

I HATE to say it, and i doubt many will agree but Mark Henry is another failing to convince me. His character at the moment is fantastic, his run is very good but i cant ignor the 15 years of doing nothing to suddenly being dominant....The guy is 40 years old. If he can't be the monster he is now 10 years ago in his prime, how can he suddenly become one.

And i know people will also refer to Kanes run last year, but Kane has kept himself relevant and been in some big storys and kept himself in the upper midcard - main event picture his whole career.

Mark Henry has been Midcard - Lower Midcard his whole career minus one or two small pushes.

 

[Jessie Lynn DivaGirl]

The Miz all the way.

When he first one I was kind of excited because we fially had someone new as champ but then after about a week I was like, "Give it to someone else already." I just could not wrap my head around Miz being champ. I didn't like it, but he was a decent champ. I just could not get myself to take in that he was champ. I figured every title match he was going to lose. I mean, I was there when he freaking changed the WWE title belt (John Cena and the Penguin Jersey guy.... good times) . But he held onto it for a good amount of time but I still couldn't get over him being champ. It just didn't sit well with me.

 

[1TheRockHHH]

Alberto del rio
Jack Swagger

Both have the in ring ability but both seem to lack that serious character inside them and both are extremely boring with terrible mic skills.

 

[Schwing]

I'd disagree on the point of Mark Henry. Sure, he hasn't been all that relevant for most of his 15 year career, but a lot of us can look back on our lives and find a period where we thought about things a lot differently to how we do now. Henry has now reached 40 years old, looked back at his last 15 years and figured that playing nice with others or staying within the guidelines like he has in the past hasn't made him successful. Now he's breaking the rules like he never has before in any of his previous heel turns. Once you find something that works, you never go back. Mark's story reflects that and it's true for us all, no matter how old we are. It works for me.

 

[Hero_Kid]

Jack swagger because he could only get cheap heat world titles and swagger dont mix
ADR he's the same as jack
DBD i know it aint happen yet and mite not but him as WHC going to b a hit or miss i dont think he ready
Sheamus at da time he was only mayb 6 months in and the wwe title was his 1st u can only go down

 

[Mantis]

I lost all faith in the Miz as WWE champ after he needed Michael Cole and Alex Riley's help to beat a 61-year-old Jerry Lawler. And for the most part, I haven't been able to suspend disbelief when watching Rey Mysterio since he was in WCW.

 

[mrpops]

Alberto Del Rio

Boring. Bland. Can barely understand a word he's saying. And when he does say something...its the same thing and it falls flat.

And his matches are BORING. I dont understand why alot of you praise his matches? The only move he has in the armbar. Thats it. When i see him wrestle he's completly lost in the ring. He has NO idea what he's doing so he just kicks and punches. I honestly cannot picture anything else he has done in the ring.

Seriously, go re-watch any ADR match and you'll see how lost he is and how much he needs to be carried in the ring. Infact just watch RAW tommorow and if he wrestles i promise you he will only kick and punch the entire match.

 

[OldSchoolGradNB]

To the OP: A most excellent topic, good sir!

I'll begin with the fact that I haven't been able to take WWE as a whole seriously in about six years (rough estimation, although there have been a few truly great moments during that time frame), and can imagine that a lot of old-school fans like myself would be in the same boat.

For starters, the WWE Championship lost any and all credibility the instant John Cena tricked/pimped it out. I have always believed that and I always will. The world title is a sad, broken shadow of its former self, being a relic of the legendary legacy of the National Wrestling Alliance. Although I started losing respect and admiration for anything WWE related a while ago, I stopped taking the belts seriously altogether the moment Vince decided to simply just give them away to just any old swingin' richard that came walking through the door. Lemme explain.

It's happened a couple times throughout WWE history, but the worst of these "door prize giveaways" started happening a year ago when Sheamus won his first WWE Championship from Cena. It seems like instead of properly developing his new guys and taking some time to do so, he believes that giving a guy the company's top honor (and thus the company, essentially) will do the job just as well, and that just isn't the way things ought to be done. So many guys within that company have gone their entire respective careers without even sniffing the leather on any belt. This approach is pretty much stepping over those guys and stepping on everything they've accomplished.

When Sheamus got the belt as quickly as he did, being so little known as he was - yeah it was a shock...yeah it got the company those immediate temporary shock value ratings that Vince is so good at on RAW the next night...but it wasn't right. Let's think just for a second about what the definition of a champion was just six years ago versus what it is now. Being a champion used to mean you didn't just have a belt to get over with. It meant you spent years getting over, you were already as over as you could get, and you carried the company and the era of the time. None of the people who have been champion over the last six years (barring a rare couple) were even remotely championship material. None of them come even remotely close to being the definition of a champion. The rare exceptions are Undertaker, Triple H, Randy Orton, Kane, CM Punk and yes, even John Cena. Notice how most of those are leftover warhorses from the Attitude Era.

I was utterly disgusted when Swagger won MITB and even moreso when he actually won the gold. It completely demeaned and disgraced the World Heavyweight Championship (moreso than it had already been). That was just wrong.

As if his first reign wasn't bad enough, Sheamus was given the belt again almost immediately (if memory serves me correctly). What the hell? Yeah, cause it worked so well the first time LOL. I will admit that I took Sheamus seriously as King of the Ring. I thought that was a good move for the guy.

Then there's Miz. I can't say much that hasn't already been said about the guy. While I will admit that, backstage, he's one of the hardest working guys in the business, on-screen is a different story. He's still a reality-TV reject with no business stepping into anything that even remotely resembles the hallowed ground we've come to know as "the Yard". That he was given any belt of any kind at all is a travesty. The US title grew so stagnant around his waist that it had begun to grow mold. He is the farthest thing in the world away from the definition of a champion.

Now then, last but not least, a word on Cena. I know why people hate this guy so much. I do. But he does have his pluses. Nowadays it's solid gold every time he grabs a mic. Period. The guy can get a pop so easily you'd think his shoes were made of bubble wrap! Sure he has the five moves of doom, but then again, most of the young guys on the roster have a limited repertoire themselves, and some have less moves than Cena (Alberto Del Rio comes to mind). Like him or hate him, he's the face of the company. He's the new definition of a champion in a new era of pro wrestling.

So those are my picks for this topic. Other dishonorable mentions include Alberto Del Rio, Harvey Whippleman as Women's Champion, and any Diva that was ever Hardcore Champion.

 

[AWESOME!]

I'd disagree on the point of Mark Henry. Sure, he hasn't been all that relevant for most of his 15 year career, but a lot of us can look back on our lives and find a period where we thought about things a lot differently to how we do now. Henry has now reached 40 years old, looked back at his last 15 years and figured that playing nice with others or staying within the guidelines like he has in the past hasn't made him successful. Now he's breaking the rules like he never has before in any of his previous heel turns. Once you find something that works, you never go back. Mark's story reflects that and it's true for us all, no matter how old we are. It works for me.

I don't know how anyone can say Henry isn't a believable champion. Meet this man in person and see him wrestle and cut promo's live, if you still say you think there is a man on the earth other then chuck norris who won't back down like a little puppy dog your lying, even though i still think people are lying. you don't need to see him live, this man is the most fearsest champion of all time and cuts amazing scary ass promo's that are straight from the heart. Henry is what a heel champ should be, an unstopple, unbeatable, scary as hell undefeated monster!

 

[relentless1]

Sgt Slaughter was a bad choice for champion, way too old, if he was gonna be champ it shouldve been in the 80s and even when he got it they were playing off the gulf war as an angle which ahd already ended BTW... saw no point in it at all.