One of the most important accolades in wrestling is the WWE Championship, with it being the pinnacle of individual achievement for many in the industry. It has been the primary title within WWE for decades, with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, and John Cena elevating it as the top prize.
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The belt’s legacy has taken a knock at times with certain champions not exactly living up to its expected level. However, the title has been on quite a good run as of late with the recent champions being mostly good influences on the heralded WWE Championship.
10 The Miz
It is a testament to The Miz that he is even among the most recent champions given how his time as main event talent has long been over and never lasted that long in the first place. However, his fleeting WWE Championship reign after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Drew McIntyre was the definition of a transitional move.
Miz only held onto the belt for just over a week before being squashed by Bobby Lashley in early 2021, putting an end to his second WWE title reign almost a decade after his previous one. Whilst it was nice in some respects that the ultimate company man was trusted with the accolade once more, it probably did not need to happen, and it was a waste of that year's Money in the Bank stipulation.
9 Brock Lesnar
Lesnar has actually been WWE Champion three times in the space of the last ten people to hold the belt, with none of the reigns being especially meaningful. He has actually been used as a bigger-name transitional champion if anything, dropping the belt twice at WrestleMania to Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns.
What will probably be remembered more about his recent reign is the people he took the title from, which included the New Day pairing of Kofi Kingston and Big E, much to the dismay of the fans. It always feels like a safe decision when WWE decides to go back to Brock instead of investing in a new wrestler as champion.
8 Big E
The euphoria surrounding Big E's WWE Championship win unfortunately did not extend into his reign with the title, which was uncharacteristically flat and without any memorable moments. The former tag team champion broke out as a singles star in 2021, winning the Money in the Bank briefcase before cashing in on Bobby Lashley to win the gold.
RELATED: 9 Wrestlers That Big E Is Friends With In The Wrestling Business It is a shame that WWE dropped the ball on his run as champion before he was made to give up the title to Brock Lesnar ahead of 'The Beast's' clash with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Nevertheless, Big E can always call himself a former WWE Champion among the many other accolades he achieved in wrestling
7 Randy Orton
Whilst it was kind of lost amidst the malaise of the pandemic, Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre had a decent feud over the WWE Championship in 2020. Inside the Thunderdome the two men battled for months, allowing Orton to win his fourteenth world title in the company.
He did lose it back to Drew only a few weeks later but the feud was so even that it was sensible to allow Orton a short spell with the belt. Considering how many of Randy's title reigns are not at all memorable, his most recent stint as WWE Champion can be remembered fondly.
6 Kofi Kingston
There has rarely been an experience in wrestling that was as exhilarating as Kofi-Mania, with the long-time fan favourite finally managing to win the big one at WrestleMania 35. Buoyed on to the big title win by his New Day brethren, Kofi Kingston finally made it to the main event by winning the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan.
Unfortunately, Kofi would go on to have a very boring and underwhelming title reign as he tried and failed to replicate the magic of his initial win against the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton. He would then lose the title unceremoniously to Brock Lesnar in a squash match before returning to the tag team division without so much as a proper attempt to win the belt back.
5 Bobby Lashley
It was so great to see WWE finally trust Bobby Lashley with its top prize after he squashed Miz for the world title in early 2021. He would go on to have a good title reign which included a fun feud against former champion Drew McIntyre and high-profile matches against Randy Orton and Goldberg.
RELATED: Bobby Lashley Vs. Bray Wyatt & 9 Other WWE Angles That Were Just Dropped InexplicablyHis second reign with the title was less memorable as he traded the belt with Brock Lesnar throughout early 2022. Bobby is one of the few former champions who are quite likely to capture the gold once again, provided he remains a valuable main event guy within the promotion.
4 AJ Styles
AJ Styles' second reign with the WWE Championship stems way back until late 2017, when he beat Jinder Mahal for the belt. He would go on to have a number of matches against Samoa Joe, Shunsuke Nakamura, and Rusev, before losing the title to Daniel Bryan over a year later.
It was incredible that Styles managed to win multiple world titles in his first couple of years in the company, with both his reigns being memorable for different reasons. His second reign was great though as it showed how the company had grown to trust AJ as a top guy, being able to main event shows for a whole year.
3 Drew McIntyre
It is not truly appreciated how difficult of a task it was for Drew McIntyre to win his first world title just as the pandemic engulfed the world in 2020. Both of his reigns with the WWE Championship happened throughout the Thunderdome era, and he was more than a serviceable world champion.
Drew had really good matches against Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley and Dolph Ziggler, before trading the title with Randy Orton later on in the year. It is just a shame that he could not perform as champion in front of a crowd, but he will likely get that chance again someday.
2 Roman Reigns
The incumbent WWE Universal Champion has been an unstoppable force atop the wrestling world for some time, combining both of the top belts in the company. Roman has had a significant title reign too as he remains undefeated as a world champion for over three years.
The only knock against Roman is that his title defenses are relatively sparse, but when he does perform it is usually great. He perhaps should have dropped his belts to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania this year, but that is also a subjective opinion that not all fans will agree with.
1 Daniel Bryan
The 'Planet's Champion' was such a terrific gimmick for Daniel Bryan after he returned to wrestling following a two-year retirement, as he became the most self-righteous version of himself. Bryan defeated AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, ending his opponent's year-long reign and turning heel in the process.
His run as the eco-friendly champion will be remembered best for how he played the antagonist to Kofi-Mania, putting on one of the all-time great heel performances leading into the 'Show of Shows.' It is easy to see why he is regarded as one of the best wrestlers ever, and this short but amazing run is evidence of this.
