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Becoming the king of the jungle in WWE isn't easy, but courtesy of the company now having two world titles in the form of the WWE Championship and the Universal Championship, more stars are being given the chance to shine on the biggest stage.
Some fare better than others, and it's safe to say that in the modern era, it's pretty difficult to stand out as a world champion.
There are multiple reasons as to why that's the case, but above all else, it comes down to how the champ is perceived by the WWE Universe. We can all go back and forth on who we think had a great run at the top, but it's all a matter of opinion.
Today, we want to run through five guys who we believe deserve another crack at holding the gold.
#5. Kofi Kingston
All in all, Kofi Kingston's first reign as WWE Champion was pretty successful. The chase for the title was great, the victory at WrestleMania 35 felt special, and he was able to defend it over the course of the year - looking like a strong and stable champ in the process.
Unfortunately, that all came crashing down when he was beaten in a matter of seconds by Brock Lesnar on WWE's debut episode of SmackDown on FOX. Brock made Kofi look like an amateur, with many believing they single-handedly destroyed the good work that Kingston had been doing since winning the belt at MetLife Stadium.
We think he's got another run in him, and somewhere down the road, we think there's serious money to be made in Kofi Kingston vs Big E with the WWE Championship being on the line. A few years ago, many would've laughed at that suggestion, but not anymore.
#4. Kevin Owens
From the moment Kevin Owens was pretty much handed the Universal Championship by Triple H, it seemed as if his tenure as champion was cursed.
While we were able to get some enjoyable moments out of his run, mainly due to his partnership with Chris Jericho, it fell short of what many expected and hoped it would be.
Instead of being the badass we all saw down in NXT, Owens came across as a cowardly heel who was forced to rely on Y2J. Then, when he turned on Jericho, WWE didn't follow through with having them battle for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 33.
Instead, they wound up colliding for the United States Championship after Goldberg tore through Owens in less than a minute at Fastlane.
Even though KO has always come across as a very natural heel, he seems to be thriving in a big way as a babyface. If he can beat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 36, then he will well and truly be off to the races.
#3. Seth Rollins
During his run with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Seth's tendency to hide behind The Authority didn't really get him over with the crowd as many would've hoped.
While some of his matches were entertaining enough, the belief was always that he'd be able to thrive more as a babyface champ so that he could entertain the masses with his high-flying style. Then, when he had two chances to hold the Universal Championship in 2019, things didn't quite seem to click into place.
The rise of The Fiend certainly didn't help matters, but now that he's been able to thrive under his new Monday Night Messiah gimmick, Seth has reminded us all that he's one of the very best bad guys in the business.
With Murphy, AOP and potentially a few more disciples by his side, we see great potential in Rollins as a heel champion - just with a whole lot more experience than he had five years ago.
If they still want him to be the face of the company, then something has to change.
#2. Bray Wyatt
We noted a few weeks ago that Bray Wyatt's first spell as Universal Champion could also be his last, and now, we're really hoping that isn't the case.
While his custom belt left a lot to be desired, Wyatt's split personality always makes for an entertaining show on WWE programming. He's easily one of the most over guys on the entire roster right now, and potentially in all of professional wrestling.
Alas, he fell victim to the same man that Kevin Owens did - Goldberg. Their match over in Saudi Arabia left a whole lot to be desired, with the WWE Universe crying out in frustration over Wyatt not carrying the Universal Championship into WrestleMania 36.
If he's able to overcome John Cena at the Showcase Of The Immortals then maybe, just maybe, he'll be on the right track once again.
In that scenario he could wind up challenging Roman Reigns for the belt, which is the feud we've all kind of been waiting to see for weeks now anyway.
#1. Finn Balor
Holding the Universal Championship for one day almost certainly wasn't the original plan for Finn Balor back in 2016.
He burst onto the scene on the main roster in quick order, establishing himself as a bonafide main eventer within a matter of weeks - with a win over Roman Reigns helping significantly. Then, at SummerSlam, he experienced joy and despair in equal measure as he beat Seth Rollins to win the belt before injuring himself, ensuring he had to vacate the belt on RAW the following night.
After returning after WrestleMania 33 in 2017, things didn't quite click for Balor in the world title picture. Now that he's on NXT, the hope and belief is that he can build himself back up before another run at becoming WWE or Universal Champion.
Balor has every gift you could hope for in order to become a main event star, and it's time for WWE to take action on that. The Irishman is hungry for success, and the WWE Universe is ready and willing to get behind that movement.
