'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Nobody can ever predict what's going to happen when you make someone a World Champion or you decide to swerve the crowd. Sometimes it can pay off and other times it doesn't, but there's never a guarantee one way or another.
However, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and we're going to use it in order to look back on some of the biggest mistakes WWE have made in this department over the course of the last eight years.
Some are certainly bigger than others, but all of them deserve their own entry in our opinion. As is usually the case with these lists, all five guys involved are exceptionally talented individuals - but of course, that doesn't necessarily guarantee success.
In some instances, bizarrely enough, it actually leads to the storyline failing even more spectacularly.
With that being said, here are our five biggest WWE Championship mistakes from the 2010s.
#5 Jinder’s Reign
There are some people out there who loved every single thing about Jinder Mahal's first run with the WWE Championship, and that's the beautiful thing about professional wrestling.
There's no right or wrong answer for most things that happen in this business, and it all comes down to personal preference. In our opinion, however, this just didn't work.
Mahal was thrust into the main event picture on a few weeks notice, in a somewhat random attempt to break into the Indian market in a big way.
It's fair to say that the experiment didn't really pay off all too well, and while Jinder is still being utilised on a week to week basis, it doesn't feel like he'll be entering the main event picture again anytime soon.
#4 No Barrett Run
Back in the summer of 2010, The Nexus stable was the coolest thing going in professional wrestling.
The seven rookies from NXT completely altered the dynamic of Monday Night Raw and WWE as a whole, and the stable was led by the one and only Wade Barrett.
The Englishman was an incredibly impressive performer, and yet for some reason, his efforts were never rewarded with a WWE Championship run.
Instead, the company continued to prioritize the likes of Randy Orton, who would quickly run out of steam as a babyface champion.
Usually, we aren't in favour of short title runs, but looking back on it, we'd give anything to have seen Barrett hold the strap for even a few weeks before The Miz eventually cashed in his Money In The Bank contract.
#3 Cena’s NOC Win
John Cena has held a World Title in WWE on sixteen separate occasions, and that kind of feat needs to be recognized.
Big Match John is one of the all-time greats, and anyone who disagrees needs to seriously re-think their status as a fan of professional wrestling. Alas, a few of those title reigns were a little bit misguided, with one of the worst coming at Night of Champions 2011.
Cena defeated Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship, in a switch that just didn't need to happen.
He wound up dropping it back to Del Rio a few weeks later inside Hell In A Cell, and it only served to boost John's numbers in terms of WWE Championship reigns. It was a win that cheapened the title, and that's the harsh truth of the matter.
#2 Rey’s Short Run
Rey Mysterio may not have been a believable World Heavyweight Champion, but seeing him hold the WWE Championship just felt right. Mr. 619 was one of the most popular Superstars in the company throughout his run, and when he won the belt back in 2011, it felt like it could be the beginning of a really fun time for him.
Alas, the main man John Cena came into the fold once again and won the title from Rey within a few hours of him capturing it against The Miz.
It was a move that felt incredibly heelish on Cena's part, and the booking made absolutely no sense. While it was fun to see these two square off in a match of this magnitude, they should've saved it for a pay-per-view.
#1 The Rock’s Triumph
When you have a World Title reign that lasts well over a year like CM Punk's did, you want to end it on a high note. Unfortunately, when he dropped the WWE Championship to The Rock at the 2013 Royal Rumble, it did not feel like a high note whatsoever.
The People's Champion rarely appeared on WWE television with the belt in the lead-up to WrestleMania 29, and while you may think we're being harsh when we say that, anything other than showing up every week is considered to be 'rarely' in our opinion.
It was interesting to see him hold onto the title again, but the fact that it was being used as a plot tool for his rematch with John Cena didn't really help matters.
Do you agree with this list? Sound off in the comments section below!
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
