Your thoughts on the WORLD Heavyweight Champions (2002-2012)

[womenwrestlerfan]

Hey guys,

In honor of 10 years of the WORLD Heavyweight Championship in the WWE, I would like to know your thoughts on the following WORLD Heavyweight Champions:

Triple H


Shawn Michaels


Chris Benoit


Randy Orton-The Youngest WORLD Heavyweight Champion in History


Batista


The Undertaker


Edge-The 1st EVER 7x WORLD Heavyweight Champion


Kurt Angle


Rey Mysterio


Booker T.


The Great Khali


CM Punk


Chris Jericho


John Cena


Jack Swagger


Kane


Mark Henry


Big Show


Daniel Bryan


Jeff Hardy


Christian


Sheamus


GOLDBERG




Please share your thoughts on all of this

[metfan51]

The World Title has taken so many twists and turns in its first 10 years. You had a bunch of guys who are sure fire Hall of Famers holding it, to guys in the middle of the pack and back to big time Superstars. The earlier reigns of Triple H were his best since he was such a dominant champion, thus making the title a big deal. I was also a huge fan of Benoit's reign at the time and Bryan's.

[The Legend Killer]

I agree with Metfan. For as much as I don't like Triple H, he was a dominant champion. His later runs as champion might not have been great, I think him having more control in WWE had a part, but, his earlier reigns had to have been great, he earned those. I'm npot a fan of Big Show as champion at all. Last Friday was the first time I watched SmackDown in over 3 years, or WWE at all, but, him as champion hasn't impressed me at all. I do think the direction the WWE is going with Big Show as champion could be interesting, but, Big Show is just plaiun boring. I never have been a fan of him, but, seeing him as champion has really made me remember why I think he's boring. I don't know who i'd want as champion, I do want to say Randy Orton of course, but, i'm sure alot of these new superstars that I haven't seen before are impressive. Sheamus wasn't too entertaining too me, but, he was enjoyable. Zack Ryder was entertaining. So, i'm not sure who i'd want as champion at this point.

[Darth Shizzel]

I think it was a waste for Goldberg to hold the title if he was just going to lose it back to Triple H who by then had buffed up way too much and didn't look like he could move that well.

Randy was way too young and immature to hold the belt.

Chris Benoit's title reign took a backseat to Triple H much like CM Punk with John Cena but he was an entertaining champion.

Kane's was good until the feud with Edge that ruined it badly.

Rey Mysterio's first reign was terrible I've never seen a champion job so much and his second was a 3 week waste.

Kurt Angle was good wish he had for a bit longer.

Booker T's reign was terrible nuff said about that but probably had more to do that he never got a proper victory except against Rey Mysterio and in the fatal 4 way.

CM Punk's reigns were pretty bad as a face his best challenger was JBL and the feud had little build up and his second reign and third reign were too short due to Jeff Hardy and Undertaker and his backstage attitude at the time.

HBK's was just a 3 week break from Triple H.

Sheamus had a good reign.

Big Show has been entertaining but he needs someone other then Sheamus to fight now because so far he's faced only Sheamus.

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

HHH's long dominating title reign was a huge negative for WWE IMO. Kane, Booker T, RVD, Scott Steiner and Goldberg were all guys that the fans were hugely behind and he had derailed each and everyone of them.

I think WWE for the remainder of that last decade would have turned out a lot differently if HHH hadn't had that title reign.

[Darth Shizzel]

I'm glad Steiner never got a reign he was overated in my view when he came to the WWE.

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

His first appearance was one of the biggest pops I have ever heard. At the very least he could have been a big star for a year or two, instead of falling into the midcard with Test.

[womenwrestlerfan]

Shawn Michaels held the title for 4 weeks, not 3 weeks just like when Randy Orton 1st won the belt in 2004, his reign lasted only 4 weeks, but then, he held the title twice in 2011

The reason he became the Youngest World Heavyweight Champion in the history of the WWE is probably for Vinnie Mac to forget about Brock Lesnar who is still the youngest WWE Heavyweight Champion in history

and I do agree with you MTM, Steiner would've been a Big Time World Champion just like he did in WCW or he would've been on SD! feuding with Lesnar, Angle & Big Show

and I also agree the way Triple H was burying WCW Talent is what made me dislike him and his World Title Reigns

also, I do feel bad for Booker T. being buried by Triple H @ WRESTLEMANIA XIX, but also, his King Booker Gimmick was just stupid, but I don't blame Booker T. for that, I do blame Michael "P.S." Hayes for coming with that God Awful Gimmick

[Goldie79]

I'm actually amazed that Shawn Michaels only won the world title once after his comeback... and that was his 2nd match!
He dropped it very quickly because I think the idea was he would work a limited schedule.... but then he came back full time!
I know he is one of those wrestlers who didnt need the title to be over... but still.... when you consider how often its been swapped around, a top guy like Shawn should have seen more of it.

Triple H was just given this world title wasn't he in 2002? as the first champ. At least have him win a tournement.... its arrogance like this that tarnishes Trippers legacy.
On his day he is the ultimate heel.... but I'd have him as a good all rounder.... he won't be remembered amongst the best workers (Dynamite, Benoit, Shawn, Flair, Bret) or amongst the best talkers (Rock, Hogan, Piper, Austin).

I think Benoit was rewarded with the world title as a token thankyou for all the years of great matches. However I wouldnt have imagined business improving with him as champ due to his charisma bypass. I'm surprised he was given 5 months with it, I was expecting him to lose it at the next PPV at the time.

Kurt Angle was a well deserved world champion. An all time great in my opinion... however he never really had a long lenthy run with the title. I suppose injuries may play a part in that.

Randy Orton was only 24 when he won the title.... may have come too soon for him? However I'm not a fan of his. For a wrestler with such little charisma hes done well for himself

Though hes won it since, I think Rey Mysterios first world title in 2006 stemmed through his close association with the recently deceased Eddie Guerrero. Though we all know wrestling is pre-determined.... I remember Bret Hart once saying 'it has to at least pretend to be real'.... Rey is a talent but sometimes I still don't buy it when a 5'3 150pound guy beats wrestlers twice or 3 teams his size.

Edge may be in double figures as world champ...but blink and you missed them.

Jericho has had a couple of runs with the title... but more often than not plays 2nd fiddle to the top guys. His most comfortable place on the card is the spot below the main event. Ditto Kane! ....

Big Show - How many monster pushes has he recieved? then folded back to the midcard? hes been beaten too many times and been involved in too many comedy matches for me to take him seriously... when he gets his next 'Big Shows a Monster' push.

Mark Henry- Similar to Big Show in a sense. a 15 year midcarder who was ritually humiliated with storylines... suddenly gets a Monster Big Show like push.
I was surprised when he was made champion...but then again it doesnt seem too difficult to become one these days.

And that brings us to Christian.... another lifelong midcarder who was given a title, and then sent back to the midcard when it ended. I like Christian.... but for me he was always the sidekick to another wrestler.... he was Robin to Edge or Jerichos Batman.

Undertaker is a guy who didnt need the world title.... but when he wanted it... he got it (just ask CM Punk in 2009).
Due to Takers age... a long run was out of the question.

Jon Cena knows the belt pretty well huh? As Triple H seems to have failed in his quest to beat Ric Flairs record 16 world titles.... Cena may be the man to do it.
Despite the constant pushes.... not all fans take to him. The WWE pretend they do.

Goldberg wasn't pushed the way he was in WCW (in fact didnt Triple H beat him very early on??). As a WCW creation I think he was undermined a little.

Bookers title run probably came a tad too late. He was 41.... I think he'd have had a better run if it came years before.

Daniel Bryan is great at comedy... but does a great comedian make a great world champion? More often than not... they don't! As proved by Sheamus destroting him in a matter of seconds when he lost the title

CM Punk is one of the more recent success stories in the WWE, asign that hard work and perseverence can pay off ... however due to his thin phssique....he still looks like 'just a regualr guy on the street' who is a world wrestling champion!

Sheamus is built like the traditional wrestlers of old.... hes a mate of Triple H which helps his pushes.... but probably not quite the success the WWE hoped he would be.

Jack Swagger- how did a jobber win the world title?

Great Khali- Terrible! Goes to show that size can still count

[womenwrestlerfan]

Triple H never beat Goldberg 1 on 1, but he did in the Elimination Chamber @ Summerslam 2003 and again in a Triple Threat Match @ Armageddon 2003 which was a RAW PPV and it was the year of Evolution

[wolfie27]

Personally I feel that they have cheapened he World Heavyweight championship in the past 10 years. It's a secondary title that should be equal o he WWE championship. I still despise the current WWE championship title's design and feel it should be the secondary title...but of course being that it says WWE on it they have to put first. The World title has so much more significance just for i's history and the wrestlers how have held it. They have made a joke of such a historic title that it has been reduced in value.

Hopefully they will make the World title have more meaning in the near future and if they don't, they may as well retire the belt for good.

[Mr. Tambourine Man]

They should just combine the WWE and World title. Having two major titles is stupid when they don't represent anything different. They aren't representative of different companies, different divisions, different regions. They are exactly the same other than design. If you asked your average fan who had which belt I bet a good chunk would mix up the two titles.

[Goldie79]

Triple H never beat Goldberg 1 on 1, but he did in the Elimination Chamber @ Summerslam 2003 and again in a Triple Threat Match @ Armageddon 2003 which was a RAW PPV and it was the year of Evolution

He did.... I don't think it was at a PPV though... but he did.
Very early in Goldbergs WWE career, so the 'unbeaten Streak' was out of the window straight away

[metfan51]

Triple H never beat Goldberg one on one. He beat him at Summerslam in the Chamber, lost to Goldberg at Unforgiven and Survivor Series and beat him at Armageddon in a Triple Threat match with Kane.

[Goldie79]

Triple H never beat Goldberg one on one. He beat him at Summerslam in the Chamber, lost to Goldberg at Unforgiven and Survivor Series and beat him at Armageddon in a Triple Threat match with Kane.

As i said I dont think it was a PPV... if needs be I'll try and track down the television episode

[metfan51]

Misread. Sorry but I am 99.99% sure he never beat Goldberg one on one.

They only had one one on one match on Raw I believe and it ended after Kane interfered.

[WWE Gary]

The day Eric Bischoff handed Triple H the Big Gold Belt, I knew it was going to be a meaningless, cheap championship . I was gonna say that's the day it's legacy ended , but that happened a long time ago when Dave Arquette won it .

Back when WWE first introduced the title , the roster was full of major stars , many of whom had been acquired by Vince after the WCW buy out . So really , it could have worked . Nowadays , there just aren't enough top quality superstars to warrant having two major titles in the WWE. Hence the reason it gets passed around and nobodies like Swagger and Khali end up wearing it .

Enough already I say . Unify the belts once and for all .

[The Legend Killer]

I'll still never get how guys like Khali won the belt. I'm sorry to be mean, but, i've never heard of him being over at all. The World Heavyweight Championship definitely isn't what it used to be.

[Shockage]

I vomit on this belt and the audacity that there is a World Champion for each brand.

[womenwrestlerfan]

Well ya know something?

Whether you like CM Punk or not, he has a valid point

The WORLD Heavyweight Championship is a 2nd tier to the traditional WWE Heavyweight Championship

Right On!

[Goldie79]

I would rather they would have run WCW as a separare promotion than split the WWE brand with 2 world champions.

When I follow the lineage of the THE undisputed WWE champion... despite the WWE title being the original one... I get oh so muddled by 2002 onwards

[womenwrestlerfan]

I hear ya, I mean, when Eric Bischoff awarded the belt to Triple H, I was SOOOOOOO pissed off

and not to mention, every time you watch the Royal Rumble, they have a choice who to face:

The WWE Heavyweight Champion or the WORLD Heavyweight Champion

I mean, Benoit, Batista, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, Edge, Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus all faced the WORLD Heavyweight Champion 5 of them won, but the other 2 did not

Later on this weekend, I will do a topic on that

[adamsmith]

I wonder why broke lesnar has never won world heavyweight title.....

[metfan51]

I hear ya, I mean, when Eric Bischoff awarded the belt to Triple H, I was SOOOOOOO pissed off

and not to mention, every time you watch the Royal Rumble, they have a choice who to face:

The WWE Heavyweight Champion or the WORLD Heavyweight Champion

I mean, Benoit, Batista, Rey Mysterio, The Undertaker, Edge, Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus all faced the WORLD Heavyweight Champion 5 of them won, but the other 2 did not

Later on this weekend, I will do a topic on that

To be fair on this, only once has a Royal Rumble winner left his brand to compete for the other title, that being Benoit. As far as the winners winning the World Title and not the WWE Title, it could be a coincidence. Then again, if it's not than what does that say about the winners of the Royal Rumbles in recent years if all they are capable of is winning the World Title. I'm going with a coincidence.

[Goldie79]

Misread. Sorry but I am 99.99% sure he never beat Goldberg one on one.

They only had one one on one match on Raw I believe and it ended after Kane interfered.

Ok gone through my magazines and found it.
Goldberg & Tripper clashed for the first time on a house show July 20th 2003 which Tripper won by pinfall (with inteference by Orton & Flair).
This was the night before the RAW TV taping where Goldberg & Tripper came face to face on Television for the first time.
Obviously the TV show made no reference to what happaned on the previous house show, to ensure that the viewers assumed they were seeing the first ever confrontation between the two.