10 Great WWE Stars Who Never Won A World Title, Somehow
There is a special value in a WWE Superstar becoming the World Champion. Even in a scripted setting, becoming a champion is a reflection of hard work. It shows how the Superstar has connected enough with audiences as a character to garner enough popularity to justify being awarded professional wrestling's top prize, along with putting on enough consistent performances for the top brass to trust them in the role.
And yet, sometimes, hard work and consistency still isn't enough for a WWE Superstar to earn their stripes at the top of the ladder. Sometimes, the Superstars who seemed prime for a World Title run were conspired against by bad timing, bad luck, or a mistake that was damning enough to lose the trust that backstage top brass had in them to begin with. In some cases, it just wasn't meant to be. Most readers are familiar with the most underrated WWE Champions, but what about the most underrated WWE Superstars to never put big gold around their waist?
10 William Regal
One Mistake Cost Him Everything
A company man in every sense of the word, the versatility of William Regal has seen him fill any role that WWE needed for him over two decades. He's been an Intercontinental and Tag Team champion, a challenger, a serious contender, a joke of a comedy act, a bumbling authority figure, and a respected General Manager - and he's excelled at every opportunity. In 2008, there were plans to reward his dedication to the company with a WWE Championship reign after winning the King of the Ring tournament.
Predicting WWE WrestleMania 41's Midcard Title Matches: Who's Coming Out On Top?
We're officially on the Road to 'Mania 2025, and it's time to begin thinking about possible WrestleMania 41 matches regarding the midcard titles.
Unfortunately, just as WWE was pushing for his title run, he failed the WWE's Substance Abuse and Drug Testing Policy for the second time in his career, getting him suspended for 60 days. He'd never receive such a major push or opportunity again in his career.
9 "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
A Change of Plans Cost DiBiase a Shot at Glory
Technically speaking, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase is a former WWE Champion, or at least should be. In the most controversial moment of Andre the Giant's iconic in-ring career, two minutes after defeating Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship at The Main Event, he sold the title to DiBiase. Everyone has got a price for the Million Dollar Man, but onscreen WWE President Jack Tunney could not be bought as easily. Not only did he strip DiBiase's reign from the record books, the title was vacated.
Originally, there were plans in place for DiBiase to officially win the title at WrestleMania IV, but as Ted Dibiase Sr. explained to Sportskeeda, agent Pat Patterson had an alternative idea and pitch for the Million Dollar Man's plans to backfire at Mania, inspiring him to create his own Million Dollar Championship. This was the route that WWE went with, as Randy "Macho Man" Savage defeated DiBiase in Mania's tournament finals.
8 Jerry "The King" Lawler
Arrived Too Late in WWE to Become World Champion
Before coming to WWE, Jerry "The King" Lawler dominated the Memphis territory scene, winning numerous World Championships in the area. As a result, he was already in the latter stages of his wrestling career by the time he debuted for WWE. Because he was on the older side, already about 43 years old, he joined WWE not as a wrestler, but as a commentator. He'd make sporadic appearances in the ring over the years, but he was primarily a commentator.
He never had a real chance or opportunity to win the big one because Lawler was never truly a member of the internal wrestling roster, just the announcing team. In fact, he would never get a title shot for the WWE Championship until feuding with then-champion The Miz in 2011, challenging him on his 61st birthday in an underrated, but forgotten match from the PG Era.
7 Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Too Beloved to Wrestle Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship
Some will argue that Jake "The Snake" Roberts was the greatest wrestler to never win the World Championship. His persona was magnetic enough that he didn't necessarily need a title to maintain his popularity, but the closest he came was when he started a feud with Hulk Hogan for his WWE Championship.
They shot a TV angle together where Roberts dropped Hogan with the DDT, but the angle was only shown in two markets: Rhode Island and Montreal, to promote the two headlining house shows in those areas. Both shows were sold out and crowds were favoring the heel Roberts. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon wanted fans to unquestionably always be in Hogan's favor, so Vince killed the feud before it could start.
6 Dusty and Dustin Rhodes
It Took Cody to Break the Rhodes Curse
When Cody Rhodes first kicked off his journey to finish the story, he detailed that it all began when his father challenged "Superstar" Billy Graham for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship (the predecessor of the WWE Championship) on September 26, 1977, in Madison Square Garden. Dusty won the match and was given the belt, but due to a technicality, he did not win the title. The belt was given right back to Graham, setting Cody on his mission almost 50 years later. Although Dusty would become a prolific NWA World Champion, not winning the WWE Championship is considered by some a blemish on his legacy.
Cody's mission is highlighted as him winning the WWE Championship for his father, but he also did it for the Rhodes family. His brother, Dustin Rhodes, was never a World Champion either. The Goldust character was never taken seriously or respected enough to justify a main event push, while he also failed to get over outside of that iconic character.
5 Razor Ramon
Addiction Cost Him a Shot in WCW, While He Might've Won in WWE if He Never Left
While there are many wrestlers who failed to win the big one on WWE soil, a lot of those same wrestlers became World Champions elsewhere, either in another company after or before or on the territory scene before coming to WWE. In the case of Scott Hall, he never won a World Champion anywhere. While some expect that he might have won such gold as Razor Ramon had he stayed with WWE instead of jumping to WCW as part of the nWo, it's a headscratcher for many to think that he never became a WCW World Champion either.
Unfortunately, Hall was a known addict and his addictions were at their worst during his time in WCW, making WCW's top brass reluctant to put the World Title on him. Still, though, that shouldn't take away from his legacy as one of the most important wrestlers ever.
4 Shelton Benjamin
Says He Was Too Nice to Be a WWE Champion
There was a time when Shelton Benjamin was unanimously considered the most skilled Superstar on the WWE roster. Much like his Minnesota Wrecking Crew teammate, Brock Lesnar, Benjamin was a natural athlete, but unlike the 10-time World Champion, Benjamin's career never elevated past the midcard level. Some speculate he was held back because he struggled with promos and charisma, but the same could be said for Lesnar early in his career. Brock had Paul Heyman as a manager when his promo ability was still lacking.
4 Years On, One of WWE's Most Reckless Mistakes Looks Even Worse Thanks to AEW
WWE made a huge mistake splitting up the Hurt Business. Their current run in AEW proves that.
In an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Benjamin details that he thinkshe was just too nice, and not big enough - physically - compared to his contemporaries he shared the ring with, like Brock Lesnar. In the former case, it appears he's referring to being too willing to "do the job" (as they say in the industry) and not displaying a hunger to strive for more in a backstage setting.
3 Owen Hart
He Never Won the WWE Chairman Over as a Main Eventer
Similar to Ted DiBiase before him, Owen Hart had his opportunities to win the WWE Championship, and on one occasion technically did. His 1994 feud with his brother Bret culminated in a classic SummerSlam Steel Cage match, and in the build to it, the two wrestled house show events. At one live event in Portland, Maine, on August 17, the two wrestled in a Lumberjack Match for the title. With an assist from Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, Owen was able to roll the Hitman up for a three-count that shocked the crowd in attendance and even the cameramen present.
After a minute of celebrating, the babyface Lumberjacks convinced the referee of Owen's wrongdoing, leading to the decision beingreversed and stripped from the record books. The ref also restarted the match, allowing Bret to retain. Reportedly, Vince McMahon was never sold on Owen as a main eventer, and so, Owen slumped down the card following his feud with Bret, never receiving such a push again.
2 R-Truth
Is Truth Too Good of a Comedian to Be Taken Seriously as a Potential WWE Champion?
In theory, with R-Truth still being a member of the WWE roster today, he could shock everyone by becoming a WWE Champion. Some will say the window is still open, but it's hard to say if the comedy prevents him from being taken seriously. His WWE career has seen him mostly serving as a comedy act, even when he was a Tag Team Champion or a United States Champion. Even his 2011 heel turn against John Cena going into Capitol Punishment painted him in an unintentionally humorous light, thanks to the Lil Jimmy running gag.
R-Truth has found incredible success due to his natural humor and comedy talent, having some of WWE's funniest moments. Unfortunately, being funny doesn't always yield championship results. In TNA, he became the first black NWA World Champion when he could still be taken seriously. His antics in WWE have kind of prevented people from seeing him beyond his comedy act in a way that would permanently cement him in main event contention.
1 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Piper Was in the Right Place at the Wrong Time During Hogan's Reign
It's hard to pinpoint exactly why "Rowdy" Roddy Piper never held the WWE Championship. The best answer may be just bad timing, as when Piper was at his most hated and - simultaneously - his most popular, he was feuding with Hulk Hogan, who was enjoying a 1,474-day title reign. There was never a right time for the title to switch hands when the champion was the franchise player during the company's hottest time, its Rock 'n' Wrestling era.
On the opposite end, Piper never needed a title. Not many who never won the World Title can say the same, but there's a reason why Piper only ever held the Intercontinental Championship. Even then, it was brief so he could put over his cousin, Bret Hart. Piper was a WrestleMania headliner who gained pop culture fame through a years-long feud with Mr. T and a respectable movie career, and is considered wrestling's greatest heel. He accomplished all that without a WWE Championship run.
- Founded
- January 7, 1953
