10 Most Disappointing WWE Champions

The WWE Championship is one of the most prestigious prizes in professional wrestling. The company's top title isn't something that they just toss around, although sometimes it may seem that way.

Whether it was the WWE Championship, the Universal Championship, the Undisputed Championship, or the World Heavyweight Championship, being awarded the top prize of whatever brand you were on meant that the company believed in your ability to carry the roster for the foreseeable future.

However, sometimes those plans don't work out. Whether it was the performer's in-ring ability or mic skills, or the lack of anything positive coming from the WWE's creative staff, the company has had quite a few duds when it comes to the WWE Championship.

Today, we're here to look at ten of the WWE's worst champions. While many fans may disagree with including the World Heavyweight Championship, those who have held it are considered WWE/World Champions by the company, and therefore are game for this list. Sorry to all the Jack Swagger fans out there.

#10 Christian

Christian came back to the WWE in 2009 after a stellar run in TNA. Captain Charisma was elevated to main event status in Orlando, Florida, earning the respect that he rightfully deserved. Christian left the Impact Zone as a two time NWA World Heavyweight Champion, and many fans assumed he'd be put into the main event picture of one of the WWE's brands.

They were right, but not in the way they hoped. Christian came back to WWE's incarnation of ECW, challenging young up and comer Jack Swagger for the ECW Championship.

It would take a few years, and the retirement of Edge, for Christian to get a real crack at the World Heavyweight Championship. After scratching and clawing to the top of the card on Smackdown, Christian earned a shot at the title in a 20-man battle royal, facing off against Alberto Del Rio for the title that the Rated-R Superstar vacated.

At Extreme Rules 2011, Christian defeated Del Rio in a ladder match to finally capture the World Heavyweight Championship. Fans were ecstatic as they finally saw one of their favorites, and Edge's best friend, ascend to the top of the card. However, he would lose that title two days later (five on tape delay) to Randy Orton, ending his first title reign in less than a week.

To make matters worse, Christian turned heel, becoming a whining, cheating, sore loser that only wanted "One More Match."

Christian would regain the belt after Orton DQ'd himself by kicking the Instant Classic in the groin at Money In The Bank, with the stipulation that if Orton got disqualified, he would lose his title. Orton would earn his title back a month later at SummerSlam, ending his run at the top officially.

Fans were ready to cheer Christian's name but weren't ready for the terrible booking that would ruin his hopes for another main title run.

#9 Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger had an incredible amount of potential. The Oklahoma native was pushed right to the top of ECW, capturing the ECW Championship four months after his debut on the main roster. Surprisingly, his reign with the third-rate title was more memorable than his time at the top of the Smackdown brand.

At WrestleMania XXVI, Swagger captured the Money in the Bank Briefcase, earning a title shot for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships whenever he wanted. He held the briefcase for two days before cashing in on Chris Jericho. Y2J had been speared by Edge, and his injured ribs made him an easy target.

Edge walked back up the ramp before Swagger took him out with the briefcase. Swagger then grabbed a ref, demanding a ref to come down to the ring.

Swagger planted Jericho with the Gutwrench Powerbomb, picking up the World Heavyweight Championship for the first, and only time.

Swagger held the championship for only 82 days. In that short time, he defeated the likes of Edge, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton. He also escaped a title match with Big Show by intentionally disqualifying himself.

After a few months, Swagger eventually lost his title to Rey Mysterio at Fatal-4-Way in a match that also included the Big Show and CM Punk. Swagger failed to recapture the belt at Money in the Bank but put on a pretty great match with Mysterio, so well in fact that some fans believed Swagger could be back at the top of the card at any time.

Sadly that wasn't the case. Although he was put into another world title feud in 2013, debuting his "Real American" persona, an arrest a month before the event would halt his push, and he'd float around the mid-card until he was released from the company in 2017.

#8 Rey Mysterio

As emotional as Rey Mysterio's title win was, the reign afterward was anything but impressive

Rey Mysterio is one of the WWE's most popular superstars of all time. The Lucha Legend has sold a ton of merch and has wowed the WWE Universe and wrestling fans in general for decades.

So it's strange to see how poorly he was booked as a WWE/World Heavyweight Champion. Rey Mysterio had three title runs in his career, with two lasting less than one day. His first, however, was probably his worst.

After the tragic passing of Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio worked to make his way to the top of the mountain on Smackdown Live. Mysterio dedicated his performance at Royal Rumble 2006 to his best friend and would win the match after lasting 1:02:12. While Daniel Bryan technically broke that record at the Greatest Royal Rumble this year, that event didn't really hold any relevance to storylines and is kind of forgotten about.

After earning his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXII, Mysterio began a feud with Randy Orton, who won Mysterio's opportunity at No Way Out 2006. However, Teddy Long would allow Mysterio to compete for the belt anyway, making it a triple threat between the two and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XXII, essentially making the past two months pointless.

Mysterio won the World Heavyweight Championship after pinning Randy Orton with the West Coast Pop, though the reaction from the crowd was poor. Once one of the most popular stars in the company, his run at the top felt forced, and fans instead wanted to see Kurt Angle retain that night.

It didn't help that Mysterio's run with the World Heavyweight Title run was full of losses. Though he successfully defended the title against both Randy Orton and Kurt Angle in the coming weeks, the Underdog Champion would lose many non-title matches in squash fashion, dropping to Mark Henry, The Great Khali, and Kane. Eventually, Mysterio was only able to hold onto the title thanks to Chavo Guerrero, who would interfere in matches on his behalf.

Mysterio would lose to RVD at WWE vs ECW Head to Head in June of that year, before his match with Sabu at One Night Stand, where the Extreme Rules match ended in a no contest.

Mysterio finally lost the title to King Booker at The Great American Bash when Chavo turned on him, bashing him in the head with a steel chair.

Mysterio's next run with the World Heavyweight Championship lasted minutes. After he defeated Jack Swagger at Money in the Bank 2010, Kane would cash in his MITB briefcase minutes later, ending Mysterio's second run. He would then win the WWE Championship in a tournament that was held on Raw after CM Punk left with the title in 2011. In the finals, Mysterio defeated the Miz but was then immediately challenged by John Cena, who he lost the belt to later that night.

For one of the most popular wrestlers of all time, it's crazy to think how terrible his runs at the top of the WWE were.

#7 Jinder Mahal

EJind — Jinder Mahal's six-month reign was painful to sit through

The Modern Day Maharaja's run as WWE Champion in 2017 might have been one of the strangest decisions the company has made in quite some time. Most of Jinder Mahal's career was spent as a jobber. Initially brought in to work with The Great Khali, Jinder's career quickly took a nosedive, and by the end of his first run with the company, he was best known for the jobber group 3MB along with Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre.

When he returned back in 2016, nothing changed. Though he won his first match back, pinning Slater to earn another contract with the company, he returned to his former status in the company, mainly being the warm-up match for those higher on the card.

However, a change in physique led to a change in attitude regarding Mahal. He began teaming with Rusev, demanding respect from the Raw locker room. He took part in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, losing thanks in part to Rob Gronkowski, and it looked like he would yet again be turned into a loser on the Smackdown brand.

However, seemingly out of nowhere, the WWE began taking Mahal seriously, and he wound up winning the WWE Championship from Randy Orton. The reign of the Maharaja began, much to the surprise of the WWE Universe. No one quite knew how to take it. On one hand, it was a surprise, and someone we never expected to win the title managed to rise to the top of the card and cement himself in history as a WWE Champion. On the other hand...there were stars that fans believe deserved the title more.

Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Shinsuke Nakamura had just joined Smackdown Live, and it was interesting to see none of them get the gold. Nakamura, in fact, was one of the men that Mahal successfully defended his title against!

While a new look, new theme song, and a new entourage in the Singh Brothers made Mahal seem legit, he never had any clean wins. In fact, it seemed that every single win came about through the same exact way.

Challenger dominated Mahal.

Challenger got distracted by the Singhs.

Challenger destroyed the Singhs.

Mahal hits the Khallas while they're distracted to win.

It happened repeatedly, and though Mahal held wins over guys like Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Baron Corbin, his title matches all ended in the exact same fashion.

#6 Dolph Ziggler

The Showoff is one of the best performers in the WWE. Always working to be one of the best professional wrestlers that the world can see, Dolph Ziggler has been a part of many great matches on the main roster. Not only is he a former 6-time Intercontinental Champion, former 2-time US Champion, and current 2-time Tag Team Champion, but Ziggler is also a former 2-time World Heavyweight Champion...not that many people remember his reigns.

Ziggler's first reign as World Heavyweight Champion lasted all of one day. Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero stripped Edge of the title after he used the banned spear in a title defense back in 2011. While Dolph Ziggler was awarded the title that day, a returning Theodore Long gave Edge a chance to regain his title, ending Ziggler's title reign in less than two hours.

That didn't deter Ziggler, however, who continued to work great matches over the next few years, earning the love and respect from the fans. The crowd was fully behind Ziggler for years, and when he finally won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013, the WWE Universe lost their minds.

Ziggler's next run with the big gold belt came when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Alberto Del Rio the Raw after WrestleMania XXIX. The crowd erupted when Ziggler's music hit after Del Rio defended his title against Jack Swagger. When the Showoff finally pinned Del Rio, the roof blew off the arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Sadly, a concussion would ruin Ziggler's second run with the belt, and after missing a match at Extreme Rules due to this, he would drop the title to Alberto Del Rio at Payback where the WWE Universe witnessed the rarely seen double-turn, turning Ziggler into a never-say-die babyface while Del Rio became an opportunist.

Ziggler has been a successful competitor in the WWE, and will more than likely go into the Hall of Fame for the number of titles he's won and the storylines he's been a part of. However, his two World Heavyweight Championship runs will always be a black mark on his record of excellence.

#5 The Miz

Regardless of how much people respect him now, The Miz was a terrible WWE Champion

The Miz has become one of, if not, the best heel in the WWE. The Awesome One spent the past few years elevating the Intercontinental Championship, picking up wins over big names like Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns. Along with his improved ring work, there are few better on the mic today than The Miz.

So it's tough to look back on his only run with the WWE Championship as one of the worst runs in the company's history. When he captured the MITB contract at Money in the Bank 2010, The Miz looked like he was finally about to elevate to a main event player. Holding the United States Championship as well as the briefcase, Monday Night Raw was extremely Miz focused, even during the Nexus storyline. Though he would eventually lose the US Championship to Daniel Bryan, that didn't hinder his momentum at all.

Eventually, Miz would cash in his opportunity on Randy Orton, picking up his first and only WWE Championship after a brutal Skull-Crushing Finale. The build to his WWE title run wasn't bad, really, but his run with the belt was just pathetic. His first title defense was against Jerry "The King" Lawler in a TLC match the Raw after his title win. He would beat Orton in a Tables match at TLC thanks to Alex Riley.

While The Miz is crafty now, cheating in unique ways to win against opponents, during his WWE Championship run he was only able to keep his title thanks to interference from Riley or other wrestlers on the Raw roster. Prior to his defense at WrestleMania, The Miz got a pretty impressive video package highlighting his career in the WWE. It looked like the company was finally going to take him seriously, but that just wasn't the case.

The Miz never really had a solid win or won a legit feud while holding the WWE Title, causing his reign to become forgetful. He'd eventually lose the title to John Cena at Extreme Rules in a triple threat also including John Morrison. The Miz would actually defeat John Cena at WrestleMania XXVII, successfully defending his championship against the face of the company...thanks to The Rock who laid out the leader of the Cenation.

The Most Must-See WWE Champion in WWE History was never the focus of the WWE or Monday Night Raw, and in his last few months as champion was considered the B-Story of Raw, as John Cena and The Rock had started building to a match months before Mania.

Seven years after he lost the WWE Championship, The Miz has risen in popularity and respect and has definitely earned another shot at the championship. We can only hope that, if he does win the title, his reign is handled correctly, giving The Miz the respect he deserves.

#4 Kane

Neither one — Neither of Kane's title reigns

As successful as Kane was, it's incredible to know that he never got a great run with the WWE Championship. The Big Red Machine's first run with the big belt ended after a day. Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin at King of the Ring 1998 in a First Blood match. However, he would lose it back to the Rattlesnake on the next episode of Raw is War.

It would take twelve years for the Devil's Favorite Demon to pick up another top title, capturing the World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank 2010. Kane won the MITB briefcase that night, then cashed in on Rey Mysterio who had just defended the title against Jack Swagger. This run came at the time where Kane was looking for whoever assaulted The Undertaker.

Kane revealed that he found The Undertaker in a "vegetative state" over Memorial Day weekend. To be honest, The strangest part about that story to me is that a flame conjuring demon and an undead wizard were hanging out on Memorial Day. It wasn't a well-received story, as it felt like something that would've been done a decade before.

After stealing the World Heavyweight Championship from him, Kane then accused Rey Mysterio of putting his brother out of commission. However, Mysterio turned the accusations back at the champion, claiming he was the perpetrator. Eventually, the Deadman returned to reveal that yes, it was Kane, who had turned on The Undertaker multiple times in the past. What a twist, right?

Kane and the Deadman reignited their longstanding feud, which ended when Kane put his brother away in a buried alive match. The problem with that, though, was that Kane couldn't defeat his brother by himself, instead enlisting the Nexus to do his dirty work.

Kane would eventually lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Edge, ending his reign at 154 days.

Sadly, neither one of Kane's World Championship runs lived up to expectations. The Big Red Machine deserved better.

#3 Sgt. Slaughter

A terrible storyline and poor in-ring performances put Sgt. Slaughter near the top of the list

If controversy alone equated to a successful title run, Sgt. Slaughter just might be one of the most successful WWE Champions of all time. However, that's not the case.

Sgt. Slaughter had already garnered quite a bit of hate after turning his back on the United States, aligning himself with Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Slaughter joined forces with General Adnan and would trash the United States any chance he got. Eventually, he earned a title opportunity against then WWF Champion Ultimate Warrior. The Warrior put his belt on the line at the Royal Rumble 1991 PPV, and thanks to some interference from The Macho Man Randy Savage, lost his championship to Sgt. Slaughter.

Throughout his run from 1990-1991, Slaughter received multiple death threats and would wear a bullet-proof vest when going out in public.

Slaughter eventually lost the WWF Championship to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII, but they were completely overshadowed by Macho Man vs Ultimate Warrior which took place earlier on in the night. At this point, Slaughter's career was already winding down, and it was clear he didn't have the stamina necessary to carry on in title matches. Between that and a storyline done in poor taste, it's hard not to consider Slaughter as one of the worst champions of all time.

#2 Bray Wyatt

It's hard to believe how far Bray Wyatt has fallen over the past few years.

It's crazy to think that someone as intriguing and unique as Bray Wyatt had one of the worst WWE Title runs in history. The New Face of Fear won the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber 2016, eliminating top stars John Cena and AJ Styles on the same night. It was assumed that this would be the beginning of a long reign at the top for the leader of the Wyatt Family.

However, that wasn't in the cards. In fact, Bray Wyatt's reign was incredibly short, only lasting 49 days. The Eater of Worlds began his reign by defeating John Cena and AJ Styles in a triple threat match, further preparing the WWE Universe for a great reign for Wyatt.

Randy Orton, who was a member of the Wyatt Family at this point, stated that even though he won the Royal Rumble, he refused to challenge Wyatt for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 33. This was a ruse, however, as Orton burned down the Wyatt compound along with Sister Abigail's corpse before challenging Wyatt. Somehow this turned Randy Orton face.

Wyatt watched these events in the ring at Smackdown Live, breaking down in tears and anger. The WWE Championship match looked to be an incredibly emotional bout at WrestleMania. Instead...we got graphics of bugs appearing on the ring mat during their match before Randy Orton put him down with an RKO in a little over 10 minutes.

Wyatt never even got his rematch. While he did face Orton at the next PPV Payback in a "House of Horrors Match," it wasn't for the WWE Championship, as Wyatt had been moved to the Raw brand and couldn't challenge for the belt. Orton did lose this match, but the damage was already done, and Wyatt's credibility as a top heel was incredibly damaged.

It was incredibly disappointing to see Bray Wyatt's first singles title run handled this way. Hopefully, the New Face of Fear will rise back to the top of the card in the upcoming months since he and Matt Hardy aren't a team anymore.

#1 The Great Khali

The Great Khali was an incredible sight to behold. I remember when he debuted on Smackdown back in 2006, decimating the Undertaker in one vicious strike to the head. Khali came in with his manager, Daivari, who had been attempting to destroy The Undertaker over the past year, with both of his previous clients Muhammad Ali and Mark Henry failing.

Over the next month, Khali abused and demolished anyone who stood in his way, including Rey Mysterio (see what I meant?) before finally facing The Undertaker at Judgement Day, dispatching him quickly.

Eventually, Khali would begin feuding with Batista in 2007 for the World Heavyweight Championship. When then champion Edge had to vacate the belt after suffering a legitimate injury, a battle royal was held to determine the new champion. Khali would win, eliminating both Batista and Kane last to earn his first, and only, World Heavyweight Championship.

Khali came into the WWE early as a monster, but prior to his run with the World Heavyweight Title, had been more or less run through by John Cena, taking away his mystique and essentially crippling his gimmick. Khali wasn't known for his spectacular wrestling ability, and by the time he came to the WWE had a hard time moving around the ring, but when he was a dominant monster, he was seen as a legit threat.

After he got pinned...some of the magic kind of disappeared. In a feud with Batista, who in all rights was basically Smackdown's Cena, Khali was still seen as an underdog due to his pure brute strength. This feud is most known for the time when Khali popped a basketball with his deadly vice grip, causing Batista to utter the magical words, "Basketballs don't hold grudges."

Khali's feud with the Animal also featured Rey Mysterio, who Khali would often beat down to enrage his rival. However, it just became comical at some point, turning Batista into the blue brand's Superman coming out to save the poor defenseless Lucha Legend.

After 61 forgettable days with the belt, Khali lost it to Batista in a triple threat match also involving Rey Mysterio on an episode of Smackdown.

Putting the belt on Khali wasn't a terrible idea in theory. A giant, imposing beast with a solid manager in Ranjin Singh, and a pretty solid roster of guys who can chase him made this look like a decent move. However, the promos and overall storyline of this run pretty much killed Khali's time as champion, and most people seem to have forgotten that he ever held a title in the WWE.

Think we got it wrong? Who do you consider the worst WWE/World Champion of all time? Sound off in the comments below!!

Edited by Pratyay Ghosh