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The history of professional wrestling is adorned with trailblazing champions that set the world on fire. World Championships have always been thought of as one of the most prestigious titles in all of professional wrestling. Over the years, we have seen many great World Champions in WWE and WCW history.
Men like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock started revolutions when they confidently carried gold belts. These men enriched the championship lineage. However, there are numerous individuals who held wrestling's highest honour and only served to diminish its history.
Here is a list of the seven most underwhelming world heavyweight champions.
#7 The Iron Sheikh
The hated Iranian athlete served as a transitional champion for one month in the early 80s. He amassed the title under scrutiny, as his opponent Bob Backlund never submitted.
Rather, his manager Arnold Skaaland submitted for him by throwing in the towel. Between the tainted victory and his pathetic one month reign, that would see him dropping the title to Hulk Hogan in a match that would result in the birth of Hulkamania.
Sheiky-baby will go down as one of the worst champions in wrestling history.
#6 Jeff Jarett
It should come to no surprise that Jeff Jarrett only held a heavyweight championship when either his friend Vince Russo was in charge, or after he founded TNA Wrestling.
Jarrett was a talented mid-card wrestler for Vince McMahon, but when he went to WCW with Vince Russo, his head writer friend pushed him to the moon. Despite being a slightly above average national worker, Jarrett never delivered as Heavyweight Champion. But he did give us the catchphrase "slap nuts."
#5 The Miz
The former reality TV star became the WWE Champion when he cashed in his Money in the Bank opportunity against Randy Orton in an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2010. Orton had just defeated Wade Barrett and then endured a beat down from Nexus when Miz cashed in his opportunity.
Whether it was his short stature or D-list celebrity career, something just didn't click with The Miz as he dropped the WWE Championship to John Cena at the Extreme Rules 2011 pay-per-view.
#4 The Great Khali
The lumbering Great Khali won championship gold after enduring a 20 man over the top rope battle royal on Smackdown. The battle royal took place after Edge was forced to give up the title due to an unfortunate injury.
I imagine that the championship was given to The Great Khali because someone questioned out loud what it would've been like had El Gigante won a title in 1991. Khali held the title for two months before dropping it to Batista.
#3 Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon's title victory was not unlike the Vince Russo title win in WCW. But at least McMahon was one of the most over personalities in the WWE when he attained the championship from soon to be son-in-law Triple H.
It wasn't the worst scenario by any stretch of the imagination, but anytime a non-wrestler controls the most prestigious title in the company, I think it dims the light that shines on the belt.
#2 Vince Russo
Vince Russo was the head of WCW creative when he determined to put the championship belt around his own skinny, non-athletic waist. Russo won the belt in a steel cage match when Bill Goldberg speared him through the cage door.
The referee ruled that Russo's body hit the ground first and thus, he was declared the winner. Asinine finishes like this helped the deterioration of WCW.
#1 David Arquette
Another one of Vince Russo's brilliant ideas that embodied everything that was defective with World Championship Wrestling. Russo put the WCW Championship on David Arquette in a bid to regain the edge in the rating war against WWE.
What the company got instead was criticism and fan backlash. The only positive thing that came from this manoeuvre was Arquette donated all his WCW salary to charity.
Some enthusiasts might argue that a few of the men were celebrated athletes and deserved their run as champion. But in comparison to juggernauts like Ric Flair and Triple H, these wrestlers could not stand on the same platform as those true legends. They are the 7 most underwhelming world champions in pro-wrestling history.
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