Greatest Wrestlers never to be WWE/World Champion

[RedVDave]

A couple of times I think, although the only one I can recall off the top of my head is when he took it from Lesnar.

The other one was also at Survivor Series from memory when Austin got run over and Big Show took his place against HHH & The Rock in the triple threat match.

 

[Gene Krupa]

Piper.

Piper has never won a World singles title.

 

[Gene Krupa]

If by Giant you mean Andre, he held the WWF title for 30 seconds before giving it to Ted DiBiase.

 

[Westernised Panther]

Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat

 

[Moffo]

rick the model martel

 

[Marshall_magic]

Ricky 'The Dragon' Steamboat

How'd I forget him, with the exception of about 5 guys (Kingston, Jericho, Michaels, Taker, maybe a few others) he outperformed everyone on the WM25 card, despite being nearly 60 years old. Definitely deserved to hold a major title.

 

[Big Pete]

I didn't include Steamboat because he won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[Sparky 74]

WWF Years

The Junk Yard Dog
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Brutus The Barber Beefcake
Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
Jimmy Superfly Snuka
Tito Santana
Greg The Hammer Valentine
Ravishing Rick Rude
The Honky Tonk Man
Doink The Clown


WWE Years

The Big Bossman
The Bulldog
Owen Hart
Mark Henry
Mr Kennedy
Matt Hardy
Christian
Goldust
Umanga
William Regal

 

[Bulldog Force]

Ken Shamrock without a doubt. I also think that back in the mid 90s the Big Bossman would've been a great heel champion. I remember how unique, fresh and intimidating he was with his prison guards uniform and nightstick.

 

[RedVDave]

the Big Bossman would've been a great heel champion. I remember how unique, fresh and intimidating he was with his prison guards uniform and nightstick.

Yeah I remember when I was a kid I thought BBM was the ultimate heel I thought at one stage he would have got the belt though it was never to be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W356F8uCYwI

^ Although the match sucked and lasted 2 minutes from memory this is a great promo for mine and shows what a great heel he was.

 

[Moffo]

WWF Years

The Junk Yard Dog
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Brutus The Barber Beefcake
Ricky The Dragon Steamboat
Jimmy Superfly Snuka
Tito Santana
Greg The Hammer Valentine
Ravishing Rick Rude
The Honky Tonk Man
Doink The Clown


WWE Years

The Big Bossman
The Bulldog
Owen Hart
Mark Henry
Mr Kennedy
Matt Hardy
Christian
Goldust
Umanga
William Regal

with respect...some streches there. honky tonk man, junkyard dog and doink? ffs

 

[Iafeta]

I'd factor both WWE/WWF and WCW. Some may have been WCW Champions but not WWF champions, and both were the premier belts of the day.

'Ravishing' Rick Rude - he won the International Championship for WCW, but not the big gold belt
'Mr Perfect' Curt Hennig
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper - there was some weird match around '95 or '96 in WCW where he main evented against Hogan, but he had put in a clause that the match was not for the Championship. Piper had a quote that he felt he never needed the belt to get over.
'Million Dollar Man' Ted Di Biase - Great heel
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts - wicked ability to connect and tell a story

I haven't included Owen Hart, he gets a slight bias IMO because of what happened in people's estimations of him. I think he was at max upper midcard value. Maybe in a year or two with proper programming rather than the Blue Blazer concept he may have got over, or if he had have been given 'a brother scorned' storyline when Bret left, he may have got to the level he needed to. Scott Hall IMO was rightly denied a fair crack of the title because the dude was heavily unreliable due to his own personal demons.

 

[Satsok]

The Big Valbowski, Val Venis

 

[Special K]

I haven't included Owen Hart, he gets a slight bias IMO because of what happened in people's estimations of him.

I have no doubts Owen would have got a title run if he didn't die.

If guys like Rey, Y2J, Eddie, Punk, Benoit etc all had runs then surely Owen would have got one after the brand split at least. He was only 34 when he died and always at the top of the card. He died in 99 and within the next few months we had guys like Y2J, Taz, Benoit, Eddie all enter the WWE who Owen could have torn it up with and helped get him over that hump and keep him up the top while he waited for a title run.

Owen and Austin had great chemistry also. I'm sure they could have eventually visited the Owen and Vince vs Austin well also during the early 2000's.

 

[Iafeta]

For two main reasons, I'm not so sure. Firstly, the injury he popped on Austin a year or two before that. I personally believe accidents happen, but I have a feeling VKM was keen to control any push he got as punishment for it. Secondly, the Bret Hart side of it. I have a feeling VKM was keen to be vindicative to the Hart family after Montreal. IMO, Owen v VKM represented by Austin would have been the way to go. A very natural rivalry.

 

[PJ Marshal]

Ernest The Cat Miller

 

[Big Pete]

or if he had have been given 'a brother scorned' storyline when Bret left,

He did have one.

He was known as the 'Black Hart' and he was going after DX for their role in the Montreal incident. It died out after Mania 14.

 

[brooksy19]

Owen was awesome as Black Heart..

"We'll enough is enough and it's time for a change!"

Than from memory he joined the NoD and when the disbanded he either tagged with Jeff Jarrett or played Blue Blazer role.

Ahh what could of been...

 

[Iafeta]

Yeah, sorry, you're right. Black Hart. It didn't seem like VKM though was willing to go the whole hog with Owen. I just have a feeling given what had happened with Bret that VKM was possibly unwilling to invest lock, stock and barrel the prize of the WWF in Owen. He died in 1999 didn't he? The Radicalz, Jericho and the Giant basically turned up in the WWF over this period, so they were added into the WWF Title mix, and then by 2001 you had the InVasion and the likes of Booker T are added to the WWF Title mix. I get the feeling again he would have missed out and basically played a jobber to the stars, winning midcard matches and putting on top main events, but not being granted the right to go over.

I would think if Montreal never happened and Bret hadn't have been the one who left, perhaps say it was HBK instead, then VKM could trust another Hart to hold the WWF Title. Politically I just don't think he'd sign off on a Hart title run at that time after what happened.

 

[Evil_Mush]

I'd factor both WWE/WWF and WCW. Some may have been WCW Champions but not WWF champions, and both were the premier belts of the day.

'Ravishing' Rick Rude - he won the International Championship for WCW, but not the big gold belt
'Mr Perfect' Curt Hennig
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper - there was some weird match around '95 or '96 in WCW where he main evented against Hogan, but he had put in a clause that the match was not for the Championship. Piper had a quote that he felt he never needed the belt to get over.
'Million Dollar Man' Ted Di Biase - Great heel
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts - wicked ability to connect and tell a story

I haven't included Owen Hart, he gets a slight bias IMO because of what happened in people's estimations of him. I think he was at max upper midcard value. Maybe in a year or two with proper programming rather than the Blue Blazer concept he may have got over, or if he had have been given 'a brother scorned' storyline when Bret left, he may have got to the level he needed to. Scott Hall IMO was rightly denied a fair crack of the title because the dude was heavily unreliable due to his own personal demons.

I agree wholeheartedly with all the above. Particularly Rick Rude & Mr Perfect.