5 Hall of Famers who were not World Champions in WWE

As it stands, 228 wrestlers have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame since its inception in 1993. The Hall of Fame honors the greatest stars to have ever performed inside the square circle.

Elite names such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair and Bruno Sammartino have all been inducted over the years. Not all Hall of Famers have won the big one in WWE. That "one" being a WWE World Championship that very few have had the privilege to carry.

That being said, let's take a look at five WWE Hall of Famers that have never been a world champion in WWE.

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#5 Sting never became a world champion in WWE

Sting has had an illustrious career in professional wrestling. He had his best runs performing for Jim Crockett Promotions, World Championship Wrestling and IMPACT Wrestling. He became a world champion in all of those promotions and left a mark and legacy that his fans will remember forever.

One accomplishment that The Icon never achieved was winning a world championship in WWE. Sting was reluctant to sign for Vince McMahon's company in his prime, but eventually signed for WWE in 2014 during the tailend of his career.

At the Night of Champions pay-per-view in 2015, Sting received his first and only shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins. This turned out to be Sting's final outing in WWE as he sustained a serious injury during the match.

Many wondered why Sting was so reluctant to sign for WWE. He answered that question on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast:

"Number one, WCW would always give me what I asked for. I knew that the commitment that I would have to make with Vince was being gone a lot more, a lot more time on the road, a lot more time away. With WCW at the time, I was able to kind of tailor make my schedule to something that I could tolerate and something that was easier for my family at the time. Financially they always gave me what I wanted, but I was really close to leaving on a few different occasions and I was ready. If WCW didn’t give me what I wanted, then I was willing to take that risk and go to WWE. One of the other reasons why I never did, I always talked about this as well, I at the time and I still don’t know if it’s accurate or not, but I thought that Vince wanted me as a talent to undermine WCW more than he wanted me as a talent working for him," Sting said. (h/t WrestleTalk)

We can certainly be grateful that we eventually got to see Sting perform in a WWE ring. His legacy was honored when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and now he continues to perform for All Elite Wrestling.

#4 The British Bulldog never became World Champion in WWE

The British Bulldog was one of the greatest performers in WWE during the 80's and 90's. He has won multiple accolades, including the Intercontinental Championship. He won Intercontinental gold in front of his hometown fans at Wembley Stadium in England at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in 1992.

One championship that is missing from the British Bulldogs' impressive resume is the World Championship. The Bulldog was one of the finest performers of his generation, and could certainly have made it to the top of the company and carried the prestigious title. He no doubt earned the opportunity and had full support of the fans.

Sadly, the British Bulldog passed away in May 2002, but his legacy continues through his family. His son, Davey Boy Smith Jr., and daughter, Georgia Smith, continue to make sure that his name and legacy will never be forgotten.

After years of petitioning and calls from fans around the world, the British Bulldog was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2020. The ceremony took place a year later due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, but he finally got his rightful place amongst pro-wrestling's best.

#3 Scott Hall never won a World Championship in WWE

"Bad times don't last, but bad guys do!" exclaimed Scott Hall as he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as Razor Ramon. Hall has no doubt earned his place in the Hall of Fame, especially for the impact he made with the New World Order in WCW. The NWO were one of the pioneers of the Monday Night Wars that brought pro-wrestling so much success during that period.

One thing that is noticeable about Hall's career is that he never managed to win a world title in any major promotion. Of course, he held the Intercontinental title in WWE multiple times and the United States title in WCW. A world title has always seemed to have elluded him for one reason or another.

He will go down as one of the greats and one of the most influential wrestlers of all time. A lot of the talent on today's roster looked up to Hall and want to replicate the natural charisma and gift that the The Bad Guy possessed.

#2 Dusty Rhodes never became World Champion in WWE

Where do you start with WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes? One of the most beloved and decorated professional wrestlers ever, he had feuds and storylines that will be remembered forever. The American Dream cut promos that will stand the test of time. He was a father, a mentor, a friend and had a heart of gold.

Rhodes never became a World Champion in WWE, but that was mainly due to the fact he didn't spend a lot of time in the company. He mainly wrestled for Jim Crockett Promotions, the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling.

The impact he has had on the business exceeds holding any World Championship in any promotion. He will not be remembered for his title reigns, but for his charisma, his in-ring work and the connections he had with fans and wrestlers all over the globe. There will never be anyone quite like Dream ever again.

#1 Roddy Piper never became a World Champion in WWE

Why didn't WWE put the world title on Roddy Piper? Regarded as one of the most gifted entertainers the company has ever seen, Piper became one of the greatest heels ever. He made talk shows famous in pro-wrestling and had a legendary feud with fan-favourite Hulk Hogan.

His greatest accolades in WWE include winning the Intercontinental Championship, the World Tag Team Championship and main-eventing the first-ever WrestleMania. He never managed to add the WWE Championship to his collection, which to this day, has left many a fan bemused as to how it never happened.

Lanny Pofo spoke to Inside The Ropes about why he thinks "Rowdy" Roddy Piper never became a world champion:

"Randy [Savage] was a businessman. He had no problem losing the Intercontinental Title to Ricky Steamboat or the World Title to Hulk Hogan. You know how much I loved Roddy Piper. I still miss Roddy Piper. But you couldn’t have given the belt to Piper because they might not be able to take it off of him. Piper would have done anything to hold onto the title, would have been unreasonable about it. Randy wasn’t like that," Lanny Pofo said. (h/t Inside The Ropes)

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper will be forever remembered as the greatest WWE Champion we never had.