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This was the match at Royal Rumble 2004Every wrestler in WWE wishes to be a Champion and bask in the glory of greatness. Some have gone on to headline PPVs on multiple occasions for the WWE Championship and emerged victorious. There have also been many hardworking and talented wrestlers who didn't receive the push that they deserved, but still had a few moments of glory in the main event, elevated from the status of mid-carders to challenge the Champion for his title.The matches that they had against the Champion for the WWE title have been one of the highlights of their career. These matches also showcased their talent to the world, and their performance in such matches have surprised many. Let us now look at five 'Flash in a Pan’ Challengers, wrestlers who have had one or two chances at the gold.
#5 Taka Michinoku
Many of the younger fans of WWE might not know of Taka Michinoku, but he is a decorated and experienced wrestler who wrestles for the New Japan Pro Wrestling and has had a stint in WWE too. He is a former mixed martial artist and has performed all over the world and won multiple championships for various promotions. He was the first ever Light Heavyweight Champion in WWE, and has wrestled stars like Bradshaw and The Headbangers.
But his biggest moment came in 2000 when he accepted Triple-H’s open challenge for the Championship. He had been off TV for most of the year, and his acceptance of the challenge came as a shock to many. He was aided by Funaki and the Acolytes Protection Agency, but still couldn’t manage to win the match. After departing from WWE, he went on to wrestle in Japan for various promotions.
#4 Spike Dudley
Spike Dudley has always been an intriguing character for the fans. The little runt of the famous Dudley Family, he was known as ‘The Giant Killer’ for giving some amazing performances against wrestlers almost twice his size. Dudley is a decorated champion for WWE, having won many titles. It might come as a surprise to many, but Dudley is an eight-time Harcore Champion. Yet, he didn’t receive a shot at the WWE Championship in his career, except for once.
The most fantastic moment of his career came when he faced Stone Cold Steve Austin in a title match. Stone Cold had fired Molly Holly, Spike’s then girlfriend, and to stand up for her, he challenged Stone Cold to a match. Spike held his own in the bout, though the match was mostly dominated by Stone Cold. Stone Cold went on to win the match as expected, but Dudley had earned the respect of the fans for giving a performance that exceeded expectations.
#3 Brooklyn Brawler
The Brooklyn Brawler was a wrestler for WWE who is best remembered for his persona of a street fighter, dressed up in torn jeans and tattered t-shirts. He was given various personas in WWE, and he even briefly played the role of Doink the Clown. What many fans don’t know about, is that he was The Rock’s opponent in his first try-out match for WWE.
But the highlight of his career came when he won a battle royal for the WWE Championship in 1997 and went on to face the then WWE Champion Shawn Michaels at Madison Square Garden. Quite surprisingly, Brawler dominated most of the match and gave Michaels the beating nobody saw coming. But Michaels went on to win the match because of D-Generation X interfering in the match. Even though Brawler had quite a few title shots, this would be the most memorable moment of his career.
#2 R-Truth
R-Truth is mostly known to the fans today as a comic relief. He is known for his rapping style and being somewhat of a nutcase, that’s how his persona is portrayed. But what fans should also know about R-Truth, is that he is a two time Hardcore Champion, one time US Champion, and one time Tag Team Champion with Kofi Kingston. He is also the winner of a Slammy Award.
Despite being talented and experienced, R-Truth has not received a major push in his career, and has been stuck in the mid-card all this while. He did get a few opportunities when he took part in the first Elimination Chamber for the World Heavyweight Championship, but was eliminated by CM Punk. He had also faced John Cena for the WWE Championship title at Capitol Punishment PPV, but was unsuccessful in his attempt.
#1 John Morrison
John Morrison was probably the most talented wrestler in WWE in the late 2000's. Known for his charismatic style and techincal brilliance in the ring, he was loved by fans everywhere. During his stint for WWE, he won the Intercontinental Championship thrice, ECW World Championship once, and the Tag Team Championship on multiple occassions.
He is possibly the most talented and deserving wrestler of the PG Era to have never won a world title, despite getting a few chances at the gold. He got his first chance to win the World heavyweight Championship but was defeated by the then champion Jeff Hardy. He had also participated in an Elimination Chamber match for the title, but was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the match.
He received his first chance at winning the WWE Championship but lost the match to The Miz in a falls count anywhere match on an episode of Raw. He was soon released from WWE after an injury.
