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The WWE Championship was established in 1963 when it was awarded to Buddy Rogers. Since then over 50 men have gone on to claim the company's top prize. Add in the Universal Championships and the now retired World Heavyweight Championship, ECW and WCW Titles and over 100 men can claim that they were the best in company history at one point in their careers.
Last year, Kofi Kingston claimed his first World Championship, and this year Drew McIntyre seems poised to capture his first major title when he takes on Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36.
Who else might reach out and grab that coveted brass ring in the near future? That's a great question. The WWE locker room is as stacked with talent as it's ever been and there are a number of stars who are long overdue for a run on top. Samoa Joe is a name that comes to mind, but as with everything in life, timing is so important. It seems like every time he's primed for a big run, there's something that halts his momentum. Whether it's an injury, or in the case of this week, a 30-day suspension.
Every fan hopes their favorite Superstar will one day win the big one. Sadly, it just doesn't happen for everyone - whether they deserve it or not. The following is a list of five Superstars that I would love to see get their opportunity to hold either the WWE or Universal Championship one day.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.
#5 Big E
There's a term you hear in baseball a lot when describing someone who has all the talent to be a big time star - 5 Tool Player. Big E is the wrestling equivalent of that. He has it all; size, power, speed, agility, athleticism and the best pecks in the business.
It's been a little over seven years since E's main roster call up, and for the most part, it's been an incredible ride. He may have lost his last name along the way but he's won a number of Championships, including the Intercontinental Title and seven Tag Team Titles with his boys Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.
In-ring skills aside, it's Big E's personality that has helped turn The New Day into one of the greatest teams of all time. I find him very comparable to The Rock. He can absolutely own a comedy bit one moment and then get really serious at a moments notice when it's time to throw down.
The New Day seemed destined to stay together forever, but it's my hope that one day E gets the chance to follow in Kofi's footsteps and be your WWE World Heavyweight Champion. I think he'd do incredible work with that Championship.
#4 Baron Corbin
Ok... hear me out.
If you look past the cheesy King gimmick, the dog food stipulation matches, and the months-long feud with Roman Reigns that can't come to an end fast enough - you'd realize that Baron Corbin is one of the best workers in the company.
He's safe in the ring, can work with pretty much anyone and he has an awesome move set. Oh and the most dominant finisher in the company. He told me late last year that he's well aware of how lethal the 'End of Days' is and he's quite proud of it.
"I 100% do and you know I had a conversation with Taker about that. He really made the Tombstone something very special. Nobody kicked out of it for a long time and he held it very sacred. So that was something I took to heart and something I wanted to do with it. Because yeah nobody's ever kicked out of End of Days. When it lands it's over and people know that."
Now as for his character, you can debate whether the type of "heat" Corbin gets is the appropriate type until the cows come home, but the only thing the company cares about is his ability to get a reaction. People hate him. He's great at his job. He just needs to be taken more seriously.
I think a little time off to the shed the King persona could be the best thing for him. A guy with the size, strength, and power of Corbin shouldn't be playing the "I'm afraid to fight anybody" heel gimmick. The guy is a former Golden Glove Boxing Champion for crying out loud.
He needs to throw the crown away and start playing a dominant heel role. He has the talent to be a legitimate threat to any competitor and could be a fantastic WWE Champion in the future.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura
The King of Strong Style tops the list of WWE Superstars who are long overdue to win the company's top prize. The 2018 Royal Rumble winner was in a prime position to capture the WWE Championship when he took on AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34. Much to the surprise of the WWE Universe, the company decided to have The Phenomenal One retain the Title and then have Shinsuke Nakamura deliver what would become his signature low blow.
The post match heel turn was the catalyst to a series of matches between the two wrestlers. Not one single time was Nakamura able to come away with the gold. Since then he has appeared to be going through the motions at times, as he's been lost in the shuffle of those lower down on the card. He has managed to capture both the U.S. and Intercontinental Championships, but neither run was relatively memorable.
In fact, if you count the Smackville special that aired on the WWE Network, Nakamura only had four televised defenses in his 201 days as Intercontinental Champion. That's a crime for someone with the talent of Shinsuke Nakamura. For whatever reason, he just hasn't reached his full potential since moving up from NXT.
Much like King Corbin, Nakamura has become the heel that chooses to run rather than fight. I love his pairing with Sami Zayn, but I'd like to see "The Great Liberator" find a way to bring back the artist we all know and love. Maybe even one day capture the WWE Championship many believe he should have won two years ago.
#2 Keith Lee
Keith Lee is riding an absolute wave of momentum right now and appears well on his way to becoming a "main roster" star one day. You could say his potential is limitless. Since his impressive showing over Survivor Series weekend, Lee has gone on to capture his first singles Title and had a memorable encounter with Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.
Their time in the ring together may have been brief, but The Beast put the big man over in a big way. Seemingly unimpressed with a majority of his competition, Lesnar showed Lee a certain level of respect - in the most hilarious way.
At the very least Lesnar recognized Lee as legit competition, which he was right to do so. Lee is a big - big man, and he's able to do things in the ring that no man his size should be able to do. Like being able to jump on the large shoulders on Dominic Dijakovic and deliver a thunderous hurricanrana.
It won't be long before the entire NXT locker room is basking in his glory. That is unless Vince McMahon decides to bring him over to RAW or SmackDown first. It was just a couple months ago that rumors were swirling about Mr. McMahon not only wanting to call up Lee, but have him defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. If their interaction at the Royal Rumble is any indication of future plans, that rumor might just be proven true one day.
#1 Montez Ford
I've been on this bandwagon for a while now. Whether you think his promos are funny or not, you cannot deny Ford's charisma. It's hard to define what "it" is, but whatever it is, this guy just has it. Montez Ford just oozes star power. His energy, his passion, and his skills on the mic are all off the charts. He knows when to clown someone, and when it's time to get down to business.
You just can't help but take notice whenever he's on your television screen. Oh, and I haven't even talked about his in-ring ability yet, which as we saw when he took on Seth Rollins, is also off the charts.
The athleticism that he can display in a wrestling ring is truly a sight to behold. I've never seen anyone get as much air as this man does coming off the top rope, and that's saying something in today's day and age of wrestling.
Ford is so good he almost does a disservice to his tag team partner. Nothing against Angelo Dawkins. I have a ton of respect for my fellow Cincinnati, OH native, and I hope they accomplish great things together as a team. However, if there's an "Edge" of this team, it's Ford.
He has all the tools of a future WWE Champion. You may look at him and say he lacks the size of a traditional World Champion. To that point, I'll argue it's not that important nowadays.
All you have to do is look at the runs of Daniel Bryan, Adam Cole, and Kofi Kingston to realize you can be a "smaller" guy and still be a great World Champion. It probably won't happen this year and maybe not even in 2021 or 2022, but I hope that one day Montez Ford will get a chance to be the guy in WWE.
