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#4. Zack Ryder: Competed for the WWE Championship in 2010
After an initially promising start as a rising heel on ECW, Zack Ryder was sent to RAW when the brand was discontinued and slipped lower down the card. No longer on a tag team with Curt Hawkins, he struggled to find his footing as a singles star in 2010.
After months without a proper storyline, Ryder was given a WWE Championship match against then-champion Sheamus. At the time, WWE enforced a rule that every champion needed to defend their titles at least once every 30 days. With Sheamus' time soon running out, he selected Ryder, whom he hoped would be an easy opponent.
Sheamus could not be more correct. With a single Brogue Kick, he shattered Ryder's championship dreams in a mere 11 seconds. The latter would then slide further down the card until a resurgence in popularity in 2011.
In the coming years, Ryder became the US Champion Intercontinental Champion and won the Tag Titles one more time before leaving the company. Despite his increased popularity, he never received another shot at the WWE Championship again.
#3.Spike Dudley: Competed for the WWE Title in 2001
Spike Dudley is the perennial underdog of Professional Wrestling. Billed at 150 pounds, the smallest member of the Dudley Family was at a disadvantage against almost any opponent on the card. Despite that, he was the only one among his brothers to receive a WWE Championship match.
In 2001, Spike had begun to branch out from his brothers and entered into a relationship with Molly Holly. Like his time in ECW, his heart and refusal to back down from any challenge endeared him to WWF's audience. He soon ran into WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Austin soon granted his smaller nemesis an opportunity at the WWF Title. Although nobody expected Dudley to win, fans were pleasantly surprised by the fight he put up in the face of such insurmountable odds. As the company's top star, Austin was also praised for his willingness to make his opponent look as good as he did.
Although Spike Dudley never received a main-event opportunity like this again, he remained a member of WWE's mid-card for the rest of his time there and won the European, Cruiserweight, and Tag Team Championships.
