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WWE's roster is so incredibly stacked right now that it is impossible to push every Superstar at once.
A lot of them have been Champions on RAW or SmackDown, though. Quite a few stars on the main roster are former world champions.
The majority of former world champions still active today have won the WWE Championship. The current WWE roster is littered with them, across both RAW and SmackDown.
Stars like Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar could become world champions again. However, quite a few former WWE Champions are unlikely to reach the top of the mountain again. They could be in title programs, but may never win a world title in WWE throughout the rest of their careers.
This comes either based on their standing in the company as veterans or the direction of their characters. Although they might never become world champions in the future, these Superstars are all sure to become WWE Hall of Famers upon retirement.
Here are five former WWE Champions who may never win a world title again.
#5. Three-time WWE World Champion Rey Mysterio
One of the most beloved WWE Superstars of all-time, Rey Mysterio has never had a sustained run at the top of RAW or SmackDown.
He has won three world titles, but neither reign was particularly memorable. Mysterio won the World Heavyweight Championship twice before becoming WWE Champion in 2011.
However, that WWE Championship reign started and ended on the same night. Mysterio's role has been altered over the years, with his focus being on building new stars. Right now, the Lucha legend is trying to set his son - Dominik - up for success in WWE. The pair are currently part of Friday Night SmackDown.
Both stars nearly overcame former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2019. That was probably the closest Mysterio would ever come to winning a world title these days. The father-son duo could become Tag Team Champions in WWE before Dominik embarks on a successful career of his own.
But Rey Mysterio's time as a main-event superstar seems to be over. He is 46 years old and has a couple of good years left in him. Most of these years would have the purpose of putting over up-and-coming stars.
#4. Four-time WWE World Champion Sheamus
Sheamus may be deep in the WWE Championship picture right now, but it is extremely unlikely that he will win the title.
Drew McIntyre looks set to march into WrestleMania as the WWE Champion, overcoming his former best friend along the way. Sheamus did have a strong showing against McIntyre in a gauntlet match on RAW.
The Celtic Warrior has won four world titles, with his first victory coming off as a major shock. Sheamus stunned the world in 2009, defeating John Cena at the peak of his powers in a Tables Match. Since then, he has always been around as a threat. His latest WWE Championship reign occurred in 2015. Sheamus cashed in on Roman Reigns to win the belt, but his reign barely lasted a few weeks.
After several years of being in tag teams, he is back in a prominent position. Sheamus is not actively a main-eventer compared to stars like AJ Styles and Randy Orton. However, the story with Drew McIntyre has enough legs to last until Fastlane.
Sheamus is still in incredible shape and could win a mid-card belt. The Intercontinental Championship is the only one he is yet to win.
He is still a multi-time Champion and has been one of the most successful WWE stars of the past decade. But a world title victory seems a bit too unlikely for Sheamus at this stage.
#3. Five-time WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan
It is a real shame, but it seems like Daniel Bryan will never win a world title in WWE again.
Bryan was rumored to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37, but Edge will likely step up to The Tribal Chief. Bryan would have had a shot at winning the big blue belt. Instead, with his full-time career nearing its end, the Leader of the 'YES' Movement has focused on building new stars on SmackDown.
He has put Cesaro over multiple times and is setting him up for the push of his WWE career. Hopefully, that comes to fruition, and The Swiss Superman realizes his potential.
While Cesaro's chances of winning the world title are getting higher, Daniel Bryan's world title opportunities are decreasing. The window for Bryan's next world title run is getting shorter, which is a shame. Bryan's last WWE Championship run was excellent. He flipped the switch on his character and became an exaggerated version of his nature-loving self.
However, it would be a shame if Daniel Bryan did not win another world title as a babyface. He is yet to have a proper reign as a protagonist, with his time as WWE Champion in 2014 ending prematurely due to injury.
#2. Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston
The last man to beat Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship, Kofi Kingston, wasn't even supposed to win the title. His story was completely organic, born out of a couple of spectacular performances around this time two years ago. WWE gave the fans what they wanted at WrestleMania 35.
Even though he became WWE Champion, Kingston remained the same character from The New Day. This essentially indicated that he would return to the tag team division upon losing the title. Following his nine-second defeat to Brock Lesnar on SmackDown's premiere on FOX, that is exactly what happened.
Kingston is getting a shot at the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber on Sunday, but he probably won't win. Kofi and Xavier Woods will continue to coast on RAW, while Big E is being pushed on SmackDown. The current Intercontinental Champion has put aside his New Day personality, but only to a small extent.
It looks like Kofi has had his moment in the sun at WrestleMania, followed by a six-month reign as WWE Champion. He will probably never reach those heights again. Still, KofiMania remains one of the greatest stories WWE has ever told for their biggest event of the year.
#1. 16-time WWE World Champion John Cena
Despite being tied with Ric Flair for 16 world titles, John Cena may never win a Championship in WWE again. Cena is firmly a part-timer now.
He may miss WrestleMania 37 due to his filming schedule and the COVID-19 pandemic. That being said, Cena will return to WWE once he can.
When he defeated AJ Styles to win the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble four years ago, Cena was widely expected to go on and win his 17th world title in the near future. That hasn't happened yet, and it doesn't seem likely that it will happen now. However, WWE can still tell a fascinating story surrounding his 17th world title chase.
There are many interesting scenarios Cena could find himself in when he comes back. The Firefly Fun House Match with 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania was a step in the right direction. He could challenge for the WWE or Universal Championship, attempting to win the record-breaking 17th world title, only to come up short.
This intriguing idea was pitched by Orton himself, who is now the favorite to break the record held by Flair and Cena. Either way, the Leader of the Cenation would likely end up putting WWE's biggest stars over instead of becoming a 17-time world champion.
