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When you think of the all-time greatest superstars in WWE history, they have all held, if not the WWE Championship, then at least the Intercontinental or Tag Team Championship.
However, there is quite a surprising list of some of the best wrestlers in the history of the business who have not only never held the WWE Championship but have never held any Championship at all in WWE. No Intercontinental Championship, United States, European, or even Tag Team Championship.
When you take into account that even one of The Godfather's Ho's held the WWE Hardcore Championship, it really is surprising to think of how some of these never held anything, especially when some of them are among the greatest of all-time.
With that in mind, here are the 10 pretty big names in WWE history who have never held a Championship title in WWE.
#10 Super Crazy
Lucha Libre legend Super Crazy has held more than a dozen Championships across the world and, pound for pound, one of the best wrestlers in the world at the turn of the century.
After years of many fans hoping, Super Crazy was finally picked up by WWE in 2005 after he impressed WWE officials with his performance at the ECW One Night Stand. Around the same time, WWE would also pick up Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis, and they were put together as a trio, The Mexicools. They would make their entrance dressed in jumpsuits, eerily similar to cliche Mexican school janitors, and drive to the ring on lawnmowers. So just teetering on that line of heavy stereotyping to borderline racist.
For a while, it seemed like The Mexicools could become serious players for the WWE Tag Team Championship on SmackDown, especially when SmackDown was light on tag teams at the time and only really had The Mexicools, MNM, and one or two others, but it wasn't meant to be. The team were broken up in the early summer of 2006.
The break-up at least gave some hope that Crazy could become a big contender for Gregory Helms' Cruiserweight Championship, as he even unsuccessfully challenged him for it in a good match at Judgement Day 2006. Crazy would go down with an injury shortly after and make his return as a member of the RAW brand, before receiving his requested release in 2008 due to how he was being treated on television.
Super Crazy was one of those talents that made executing high flying moves look like a piece of cake. He was extremely skilful in the ring and was like a breath of fresh air injected into the dwindling cruiser weight division. But he unfortunately never got to see a title in the WWE.
#9 The Bushwackers
WWE Hall of Famers The Bushwackers teamed together, on and off, for an astounding 38 years. During that time, they held various Tag Team Championships 26 times and wrestled for WWE, on and off, for just under eight years.
And over those eight years, they managed to hold the WWE Tag Team Championships a total of zero times. I think that is pretty incredible. I mean sure, they were not as technically skilled as the Hart Foundation or The Rockers, or not as tough as Demolition or the Road Warriors, but they were still over like rover.
At a time when even dull teams like Men on A Mission reached the top of the tag team mountain, you would think that a super over and entertaining tag team like The Bushwackers would get their due in WWE, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. They were at least given the honor of being inducted into the prestigious WWE Hall of Fame class of 2015.
#8 Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami was a huge wasted opportunity for WWE.
Itami became one of the biggest and best wrestlers in all of Japan during his time with Pro Wrestling Noah, where he was a GHC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion, a three-time GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion, a GHC Tag Team Champion, and a winner of the Differ Cup, Global League and many more.
Itami was the hottest free agent in the world at the time of his signing with WWE in the summer of 2014. So much of a huge deal was made about it in fact, that WWE sent Hulk Hogan to Japan to have the then KENTA sign his contract live in the ring, to much press coverage. Although he took in in an impressive win/loss record early on, he suffered two near back-to-back injuries that would keep him sidelined for over a year and a half in total.
He unsuccessfully challenged Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship at NXT Takeover; Chicago in 2017. He would then have a miss guided heel turn that saw him pretty much being kept out of storylines, and only showing up on NXT for random matches. He was moved to 205 Live later that year but was used in a similar position until he received his requested release in 2019 over his frustration and position with the company.
#7 Austin Aries
It really seemed like Austin Aries came to WWE at the right time.
Aries had tried to come to WWE in the past but was overlooked over his height, even reportedly failing to make the cast of the 2011 season of WWE Tough Enough. Before finally joining WWE in 2016, Aries held more than a dozen championships all over the world, including being a World Heavyweight Champion in both Ring of Honor and TNA Impact Wrestling.
Aries arrived in WWE at a time when Superstars of his height, weight and background were absolutely flourishing in WWE NXT. Initially debuting as a face, Aries had impressive matches with Baron Corbin, Buddy Murphy and Shinsuke Nakamura, among others. Aries suffered a large orbital socket injury during a live event in October 2016 and would be out of action until the following March. Aries would then spend the next and final three months of his WWE career feuding with WWE Cruiserweight Champion Neville, but was unsuccessful in three Championship attempts.
Aries was released from WWE that July, after being told creative had nothing for him, but in reality, it was due to his alleged attitude issues. Had Aries kept his attitude in check, he likely would have been a great WWE Cruiserweight Champion and possibly moved onto other titles on WWE's main roster. At least he is doing better today.
#6 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
WWE Hall of Famer 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan may have won the very first ever WWE Royal Rumble match all the way back in 1988, but that doesn't get included as a Championship.
As crazy as it sounds, the very first Royal Rumble winner, who was incredibly over everywhere he went, never held a Championship while working for Vince McMahon. Early on into his WWE career, it seemed like they had rather high stock in him. However, Duggan, along with The Iron Sheik, would be arrested for DUI in New Jersey. His push was diminished for a number of months, but he remained very over with every audience.
He would receive a more prominent push in 1988 following his Royal Rumble win. Duggan would participate in a few top angles with big stars such as Harley Race, Yokozuna, André The Giant and even had a brief feud with Sgt. Slaughter, unsuccessfully challenging him for the WWE Championship.
Jim Duggan parted ways with WWE in 1993 and would go onto WCW, where he held the United States and Tag Team titles. I think Hacksaw would have made a great Intercontinental Champion in the early 90's in WWE or maybe even a short stint as WWE Champion, but somehow neither happened.
Jim Duggan even today holds a special place in the WWE Universe's mind. His sporadic appearances in the WWE are greeted with much fanfare owing to his immense popularity.
#5 Bam Bam Bigelow
The late Bam Bam Bigelow is one of the greatest big men in the history of professional wrestling. After a short run with the WWE in the late '80s, Bigelow returned to WWE in 1992 and was given a strong push with a dozen squash match victories.
Bigelow eventually joined the Million Dollar Corporation and unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The peak of Bigelow's success in WWE came in 1995 when he started a feud with NFL player Lawrence Taylor and would go onto headline WrestleMania XI with the former New York Giants All-Pro linebacker, in a losing effort.
Bam Bam Bigelow probably wouldn't have had the mainstream success as WWE Champion that others had at the time, but he at least deserved to be the Intercontinental or Tag Team Champion, but amazingly it just never happened. After Bigelow parted ways with WWE in 1994, he would wrestle for ECW, where he would become the ECW World Heavyweight Champion and Television Champion. He would also have some success in WCW.
#4 Sting
'The Icon' Sting is one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time. Sting was to WCW what The Undertaker is to WWE and rightfully so, would be a 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and hold multiple other titles before WCW closed its doors in 2001.
Sting would go onto wrestle a few matches for the World Wrestling All-Stars and TNA in 2003, before seemingly having possibly retired. Sting shocked the wrestling world in late 2005 when it was announced that he had struck a deal with TNA Wrestling to perform for them on a part-time basis in 2006, a relationship that would last until early 2014. During his time with TNA, Sting would become a 4 time TNA World Champion and would also hold the NWA World Championship once more and the TNA Tag Team Championship.
For over 13 years, it really seemed like the Stinger would always be that one huge name who would never work for WWE. That all changed at the 2014 WWE Survivor Series when Sting made his WWE debut. During his time as an active performer in WWE, Sting would compete in four matches, with his final match being a WWE Championship match with Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. So really, it seems almost impossible that Sting could have held a Championship. Almost impossible, but not entirely impossible.
I really don't think it would have been impossible for Sting to be a Champion in WWE, especially when you consider things like Bret Hart winning the WWE United States Championship from The Miz in 2010.
#3 Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts is one of the greatest WWE stars of the 1980s and early '90s. He had one of the best characters ever and was phenomenal in promos.
The Snake wrestled for WWE, on and off, for just about 7 years, and during that time, he never held any Championship in WWE. Roberts had battled every big name you can think of, Hulk Hogan, André The Giant, Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase, Ricky Steamboat, Rick Rude, The Ultimate Warrior and many more. Despite being involved in so many high profile feuds and angles, Roberts never held the WWE Championship, Intercontinental Championship or even Tag Team Championship.
At least someone like the aforementioned 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan got to win the Royal Rumble match, Roberts didn't get to have any accolade of that kind of stature. At the very least, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts was happily inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014, and rightly so.
In hindsight, however, Jake did not need a title to legitimize his position in his company. He was beyond that.
#2 Dusty Rhodes
'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes is a crown jewel of the wrestling business. He was one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, and one of the greatest wrestling minds of all-time.
Dusty has held countless championships, including being a 3 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion. Dusty was everything to Jim Crockett Promotions and was up on top almost every step of the way with the company's face, Ric Flair. Having the career that he had in the NWA in the '80s, you would think that WWE would push him right to the top and give us those dream WWE Championship matches with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, but nope.
In fact, not only did Dusty not receive any big-time WWE Championship matches but didn't even get a crack at the Intercontinental or Tag Team titles either. The fact that The American Dream wrestled for WWE and not only never challenged for the WWE Championship but never held a Championship period, should be a crime.
Dusty actually came close to holding the WWE World Tag Team Championship, but that wouldn't be until he was practically retired in 2006 when he was an option to team with Ric Flair to face The Spirit Squad for the Tag Team titles at Cyber Sunday.
The winner of the poll, the late 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper, would go onto team with Flair to defeat the cheerleaders for the Tag Team titles that night.
#1 Jerry 'The King' Lawler
Jerry 'The King' Lawler was the greatest wrestler that the south and Memphis had ever seen. The King dominated the AWA, becoming heavyweight champion literally countless times and held more than a dozen more heavyweight titles elsewhere.
By the time 1992 had rolled around, The king was easily the best wrestler in the world who had yet to work for WWE, until he finally signed with them that year. When The King signed, his contract was to see him be both an announcer and part-time wrestler. The part-time of that would make it tricky for him to ever win a Championship in WWE. It wasn't like today where the Champion can be a part-time performer and barely ever show up and still be Champion, back then The King still had other commitments outside of WWE and thus, couldn't be a defending Champion on the road.
Despite that, I still think The King deserved to be some kind of Champion. Whether it be a Tag Team Champion with son, the late Brian Lawler during their tandem in 1998, or a Hardcore Championship run since almost everybody else held it, or even a short run as an Intercontinental Champion, The King should have been given something. No one ever expected him to become WWE Champion in 2011 when he challenged The Miz, but in the early '90s, I don't think a short run should have been out of the question.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
