5 Great WWE Stars Who Never Won The WWE Championship

Looking back at five major WWE stars who never won the big one.

The WWE Championship is the oldest title in the company. Originating way back in April 1963, after the then World Wide Wrestling Federation broke away from the National Wrestling Alliance and decided to go it alone within their North East region.

Buddy Rogers was the inaugural Champion but would soon relinquish the title to Bruno Sammartino, who would reign for eight years, which is still by some considerable distance, the longest Championship reign in the belt's 55-year history.

With Sammartino as it's figurehead, the WWWF Championship grew immeasurably in reputation and became even more revered than the NWA World Championship.

By the time, Hulk Hogan won the rechristened WWF Championship in January 1984, the title was the most important in the wrestling world.

With Hogan leading the charge, WWE under Vince McMahon Jr, who had bought the company from his father two years earlier launched a calculated move to invade the world's mainstream consciousness to become a pop culture phenomenon with the first Wrestlemania show in March 1985.

Over the past half century, many of the biggest names in wrestling have held the coveted title, in addition to Sammartino and Hogan, the most notable names to have called themselves Champion were Macho Man Randy Savage, The Undertaker, Ric Flair, Bret "Hitman" Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, John Cena, Edge and Roman Reigns.

However, while many huge stars of their respective eras held the WWE Championship, many others for differing reasons, didn't.

In the following slideshow, SK looks back at five of the biggest names in WWE history who never wore the WWE Championship and analyses why they never won the big one.

#5 William Regal

William Regal: Blew his big chance at the big one in 2008

When William Regal debuted in WWE at the height of the "Attitude Era" in late 1998 with the mid-1990s gimmick of "Real Man's Man" Steven Regal, few would ever have pegged him as a potential contender to win the WWE Championship.

However, after personal issues led to Regal exiting the company, it was a blessing in disguise.

Regal returned to WWE in late 2000 with a new first name, William and a completely new character.

Now, portraying a posh, arrogant English "gentleman", Regal now recited Shakespeare and chastised the WWE audience for their poor manners.

The character got over with the audience huge and soon reigned as European and Intercontinental Champion.

Regal was finally pegged for a headline run in the company in 2008; as King of The Ring and Raw General Manager, he was one of the top names in the promotion and was under strong consideration for a WWE Championship run.

Regal knew this. Which is what led to it never happening. Regal received a 60 day suspension having failed a drug test, as he was caught trying to enhance his physique for a headline run.

When Regal returned to the ring, he never recovered that spot and slid down the card until he quietly retired as a in-ring performer in early 2014.

#4 "The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith

The British Bulldog: Should have been the first British born World Champion

"The British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith was a sensation and in 2018, 16 years after his untimely death, he remains the most famous British wrestler of all time.

Smith was one half of the superb tag team, The British Bulldogs with "The Dynamite Kid" Tom Billington with whom he reigned as Tag Team Champion.

The pinnacle of Smith's career was his Intercontinental Championship victory over Bret "Hitman" Hart at Summerslam 1992 from Wembley Stadium in London, England.

In one of the most heated and greatest technical matches of all time, Smith pinned his brother-in-law Hart to win the title in the main event.

WWE pulled over 80,000 paying fans to Wembley Stadium and make no mistake who they were there to see.

Unfortunately, any momentum Smith hoped to build from his victory were extinguished just two months later when he was fired for taking Human Growth Hormone.

After a disappointing run in WCW, Smith returned to WWE as a player in summer 1994 and was the runner up in the 1995 Royal Rumble to Shawn Michaels and main evented both the October and December 1995 In Your House events against WWE Champions, Diesel, then Bret Hart but came up short on both occasions.

He also lost consecutive title matches to Shawn Michaels at In Your House: Beware of Dog and King of the Ring 1996, in May and June of that year, respectively.

Smith was pegged for another headline run in early 1997, as a baby face and had begun to sow the seeds on television for a feud with his brother-in-law, Owen Hart.

However, Bret's heel turn at Wrestlemania 13 shelved those plans and Smith never again ascended higher than the mid-card ranks and left the company following the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series 1997.

Smith spoke openly of his desire to win the WWE Championship when he returned to WWE in late 1999, but his body was so broken down by that point, it was never going to happen.

WWE missed a trick in the mid-1990s by not giving Smith the ball.

#3 Razor Ramon

Razor Ramon: Personal problems prohibited a run as WWE Champion

Razor Ramon made a splash when he debuted in WWE in late 1992 and was immediately pushed as a player, aligned with former two-time WWE Champion, Ric Flair.

Razor received a crack at Bret Hart's WWE Championship at the 1993 Royal Rumble but ultimately came up short.

After that title shot, Razor's tenure in WWE was spent entirely in the Intercontinental Championship division. He would hold the mid-card title a total of four times between 1993 and 1996 but never again ascend the ranks to be a contender for the big one.

The reason for this was simple. WWE did not trust him to hold the organisation's top title. Razor had numerous problems with alcohol and substance abuse and although he largely kept his issues in check during his WWE tenure, WWE was never prepared to take the risk.

In fact, no company did. Razor never held a World title anywhere in his near 30-year career.

#2 Ted DiBiase

Ted DiBiase: Attempted to buy the WWE Championship

If Ted DiBiase had competed in any other era than the one he did wrestle in for WWE, then he would undoubtedly have reigned as WWE Champion, probably multiple times.

However, unfortunately for the "Million Dollar Man" his WWE run coincided with that of Hulk Hogan. DiBiase debuted in WWE in 1987 during Hogan's first run with the WWE Championship.

The closest he would come to wresting it away from the "Hulkster" was when he concocted a plan to steal the belt away from Hogan.

In an elaborate storyline, DiBiase paid for referee Dave Hebnar's brother Earl Hebnar to undergo plastic surgery to more closely resembling him. During a Hogan title defence versus Andre "The Giant" in February 1988, Earl swopped places with Dave and counted Hogan's shoulders down for a three count, despite the fact Hogan's shoulder was clearly up. DiBiase then purchased the gold from Andre to become WWE Champion.

However, DiBiase's effort proved to be for naught, when WWE President, Jack Tunney stripped him of the title and cancelled the title change from the records, ruling that a title cannot change hands that way.

DiBiase was initially scheduled to win the title for real a month later at Wrestlemania IV, however, plans changed and "Macho Man" Randy Savage was given the belt instead.

DiBiase would continue to entertain fans and become a bonafide legend in WWE but would never come close to the big one again.

#1 "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

Roddy Piper: Only wore Intercontinental gold in WWE

"The Hot Rod" Roddy Piper was a massive star. One of the very biggest in WWE history. He is unquestionably the most famous star to never win a World title anywhere.

Piper, much like DiBiase was a victim of Hulk Hogan's success. Piper was Hogan's most famous opponent in the mid-1980s and challenged him for the WWE Championship at the company's first ever pay per view event, The Wrestling Classic in November 1985.

Piper was disqualified in said bout and could never wrest the title away from Hogan.

However, interestingly, Hogan would never beat him clean either. Piper refused to ever be pinned by Hogan and he never was. This preserved Piper's immense star power and made him one of the most famous wrestlers in the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

The only title Piper ever won in WWE was the Intercontinental Championship which he earned at the 1992 Royal Rumble when he defeated The Mountie, only to drop it two months later at Wrestlemania VIII in a classic match-up with Bret Hart.

Piper came close to winning the WCW World Championship at Starrcade 1996 when he defeated WCW Champion, Hogan at Starrcade 1996. However, in a fact that was withheld from the paying audience, the WCW Championship was not on the line and Hogan remained Champion.

Piper as World Champion was a missed opportunity for the entire wrestling world.