For over five decades, the WWE championship has been held by many legends of the sport.When Drew McIntyre won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania 36, he became the 137th man to hold the championship. In this blog post I'd like to list the top 5 World Champions in WWE history.
BRUNO SAMMARTINO
In 1963, Bruno Sammartino won the World title from Buddy Rogers. The Italian strongman held the title for nearly 8 years in the World Wide Wrestling Federation, the precursor to WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment). The World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) was owned by Vincent J. McMahon, the father of current owner and WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon. Due to his muscular physique, Vincent J. McMahon marketed Bruno to the New York audience as a superhero. McMahon made the fans believe that Bruno could conquer all the different villains that were in wrestling at that time including foreign menaces like Ivan Koloff and giants such as Ernie Ladd and Bill Watts. Bruno would lose the title in 1971 but his impact on wrestling and the WWE would last a lifetime.
HULK HOGAN
When Hulk Hogan entered the WWE in 1983, he was marketed as a superhero just like Bruno Sammartino. He defeated the Iron Sheik, an Iranian sympathizer in 1984 to become the World Champion. This was a time when fans still remembered the Iranian hostage crisis and Hulk Hogan was an American hero. At 6'7 and 300 pounds, Hulk Hogan had a superhero appeal to fans. WWE marketed him to the hilt having him face all the major villains of that era like Rowdy Roddy Piper and monsters like King Kong Bundy. Hogan would have his biggest win, literally and figuratively against Andre The Giant at Wrestlemania 3. With that win Hogan cemented his legacy as a superstar. In 1994, Hogan left WWE for World Championship Wrestling. His presence in WCW made the company into a national powerhouse. Hulk Hogan is the only wrestler that was apart of two companies that he helped become mainstream entities. When Hogan left WWE, the company needed another superstar and that man was Steve Austin.
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
In 1995, Steve Austin entered the WWE and changed the wrestling business. When he won the King Of The Ring tournament in 1996, Stone Cold coined the phrase, "Austin 3:16 means I just whooped your @$$"and brought a new atttitude to wrestling. Austin's in-your-face attitude attracted fans to the WWE especially after he had a face-off with Mike Tyson on RAW in 1997 right before Wrestlemania 14. Austin was the maverick that wouldn't abide by any of the rules that Vince McMahon set before him. The Austin vs. McMahon feud was great TV and made Austin a pop culture icon and gave WWE a global platform. Austin is a six-time WWE champion that had great feuds with The Undertaker, Dude Love, Kane, and Kurt Angle. His greatest feud was with the next person on our list: The Rock.
THE ROCK
Before he was the biggest star in Hollywood, he was the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment. Dwayne Johnson a.k.a.The Rock has held the WWE World title eight times during his illustrious career. He had amazing feuds with Triple H, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Hulk Hogan. His biggest feud was against Stone Cold Steve Austin who was the champion of the working class. The Rock in sharp contrast was Vince McMahon's corporate champion. His feud with Austin would make him the biggest star in the wrestling business and give WWE global notoriety. The Rock left the WWE in 2003 but has made sporadic appearances since 2011. In 2012 and 2013 he appeared at Wrestlemania to square off against our last entrant: John Cena.
JOHN CENA
For over a decade, John Cena has been the top star in pro wrestling. No other champion in WWE history has had that type of longevity in pro wrestling. He has held the WWE World title 13 times. Like Bruno and Hulk before him,WWE marketed Cena to kids and families as a superhero. Cena has had major feuds with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, CM Punk, and The Rock. Cena has taken his success in wrestling and parlayed that into a successful Hollywood career.
Since 1963, the WWE World championship has been held by some of the biggest names in the wrestling industry. The 5 names on this list have been some of the best and most influential champions in WWE history. I hope Drew McIntyre has the chance to make his mark as a WWE champion.
THE PROFESSOR
THE ROCK
Before he was the biggest star in Hollywood, he was the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment. Dwayne Johnson a.k.a.The Rock has held the WWE World title eight times during his illustrious career. He had amazing feuds with Triple H, The Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Hulk Hogan. His biggest feud was against Stone Cold Steve Austin who was the champion of the working class. The Rock in sharp contrast was Vince McMahon's corporate champion. His feud with Austin would make him the biggest star in the wrestling business and give WWE global notoriety. The Rock left the WWE in 2003 but has made sporadic appearances since 2011. In 2012 and 2013 he appeared at Wrestlemania to square off against our last entrant: John Cena.
JOHN CENA
For over a decade, John Cena has been the top star in pro wrestling. No other champion in WWE history has had that type of longevity in pro wrestling. He has held the WWE World title 13 times. Like Bruno and Hulk before him,WWE marketed Cena to kids and families as a superhero. Cena has had major feuds with Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, CM Punk, and The Rock. Cena has taken his success in wrestling and parlayed that into a successful Hollywood career.
Since 1963, the WWE World championship has been held by some of the biggest names in the wrestling industry. The 5 names on this list have been some of the best and most influential champions in WWE history. I hope Drew McIntyre has the chance to make his mark as a WWE champion.
THE PROFESSOR
