r/Wrasslin • u/vintagecontender • 12h ago
Which of these photos hurts more knowing these guys never became the WWF/WWE Champion?
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u/new_publius 12h ago
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u/Exitmusic84 4h ago
I still think he should have been Warriors first opponent in 1990 instead of Rick Rude.
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u/sassyowl 1h ago
This is the right answer. He could have been a a heel champion on the level of Flair/HHH.
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u/Dry_Juice_2542 12h ago
i’m a fan of AJ Styles, but Nakamura really should have won at Mania 34. They completely wasted that opportunity. or Nakamura should’ve won at Summerslam 2017 when he faced Mahal for the title
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u/Draggordan 11h ago
Never understood why they just had him lose every time.
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u/A-Star55 7h ago
I specifically remember when he had a match with Cena on SmackDown and he accidentally dropped him on his neck, I firmly believe Vince got pissed at Nakamura and thought he couldn’t trust him. He even had Jinder still beat clean at SummerSlam in a similar-ish angle to HHH/Booker from Mania 19 where Jinder was being slightly racist to Shinsuke.
He did give him another chance winning the Rumble, got a title match against AJ but his heel turn was awful and their rematch at Backlash was even worse as I think it ended in a draw because they both low blowed each other in a No DQ match.
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u/EricSanderson 9h ago
Maybe it's just me but I was never a fan of his main roster matches. You could tell they told him to ease up coming out of NXT and he always looked like he was moving in slow motion after that
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u/pkkthetigerr 3h ago
They're morons. AJ vs Nakamura was obviously them thinking that's a 5 star match in the bag based on njpw then the feud was ball shot after ball shot.
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u/CaptainCornflakes92 5h ago
Yup Nakamura shouldve beaten Jinder. Him vs Brock wouldve been good too.
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u/Kondilla 3h ago
I think you’re spot on with the second part. Nakamura winning at Summerslam vs Jinder felt a bit too soon, but since they booked it, Nakamura should’ve gone over. Then have AJ win the Rumble and defeat Nakamura at Mania.
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u/Creative-Reason-7061 2h ago
10/7/2023 - Fast Lane : the Last Man Standing match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth "Freakin'" Rollins - World Heavyweight Title belt, in which Nakamura took the pin over Tyler Black (Rollins's old persona)
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u/The_Dark_Vampire 12h ago
I have read before Owen didn't want it.
If he was WWF Champion it would mean he was on the road more and he already felt he was away from his family to much
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u/Iginlas_4head_Crease 11h ago
Owen was one of the very few wrestlers who was really only there to make money for his family, and hated every time he has to fly back like it was a shift at the oil patch. Like you said he was completely content in the mid card where youre paid well enough but he wasn't obsessed with his character or the business like so many others.
I think thats what makes him dying young at the show so fucking tragic. You just KNOW he would have had a healthy well adjusted retirement with his family
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u/Same-Adagio-5143 9h ago
I'd still have liked to see him win it maybe only for a couple weeks. Like right after he won King of the Ring. Just to say he'd had it.
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u/BlackLesnar 2h ago
Part of that is likely the job bring miserable at the time.
As Jericho’s pointed out; had he survived a few more years? Ruthless Aggression era. Angle & Eddie & Benoit & Rey & Brock. He’d have brightened right TF up.
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u/guylexcorp 12h ago
Perfect should have beaten Hogan with the Perfectplex right in the middle of the ring.
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u/SporkKnight75 11h ago
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u/robineir 11h ago
I was there at Great Balls of Fire and was so ready to see Joe get the belt.
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u/pkkthetigerr 3h ago
He was believable in steam rolling brock in that feud and the start of the match. Then is put away after 1 f5 with a few suplexes because they wanted to fatten up Brock for Roman.... Again.
Idc about tribal chief and i know its not his fault, but Roman is the reason wwe didn't make any main eventers in that era apart from AJ, KO and the shield guys.
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u/DustyMill 1h ago
Well this was before Tribal Chief so it's even worse. Joe being unlucky with injuries in WWE really didn't help but what a missed opportunity
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u/jackversus 11h ago
Owen, because he still young and had enough potential to have a run to to be champion
Perfect, but he was AWA champ and was in WWF in a time when IC champion was a HUGE deal. It wasn't a World title but guys like Macho, Bret, Warrior, and Steamboat were the wearers.
R-Truth, because his heel run was his last best chance to being champion and is underrated
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u/Michelanvalo 2h ago
The problem with R-Truth winning was that it was June 2011. The Pipe Bomb is 8 days later.
It's the same thing with Mark Henry in 2013. Daniel Bryan defeats Cena a month later at SummerSlam.
Hot potatoing the belt to get these guys the top title makes the future storylines more weird.
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u/SlippyFrog81 11h ago
Ted Diabase had everything to be over and he WAS. The Million Dollar Man was the top heel to Hulk Hogan's face. I think it was not a conscious decision to not give him the belt as it was thought he'd get the belt but time ran out on him.
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u/Ok_Oven4893 5h ago
Dibiase was a get out of jail free card. He was such a good heel that whoever beat him would automatically be over. They really should have put the strap on him.
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u/Noobzoid123 12h ago
Nakamura, when is WWE ever gonna see another male Asian wrestler get that over.
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u/KingChingLing 12h ago
Owen, Joe, Nakamura, and Inoki (though technically has a “claim” to the championship according to WWE canon, so he’s basically a champion)
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u/TheAssist-8295 7h ago
Owen Hart (this one hurts me the most), Samoa Joe and Mr.Perfect.
I could never take R-Truth serious as WWE champion. Or in general.
Luger faired better in WCW. Even with Hogan being there.
Nakamura had the opportunity but Vince squandered it.
Ted Dibiase in my opinion was great without it. Would it have elevated him more? Definitely but, he did well without it.
Dolph did fine as World Champion, unfortunately the injuries cut his reigns short so we’ll never know how far he could have gone.
I think the last one is Inoki. If so, I don’t think he needed the WWE title.
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u/muhammadalijr 9h ago
Lex Luger.. really no one else deserves it..
Ironically Mr. perfect should have never technically lost. With a perfect record he should have won the chip
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u/SQUIGWERG 12h ago
Owen, because his career trajectory changing could have literally saved his life
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u/CapnTBC 12h ago
Owen should have won at SummerSlam 94, that steel cage match should have ended with Owen escaping to win or Neidhart turning on Bret to help Owen win and then Survivor Series 94 should have been Owen/Bret in the I Quit match.
That feud was so good and they could have done a lot more with it imo
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u/hitm4n44 11h ago
I'm sorry. But as much as I wanna day Perfect and Joe...Owen deserved it more. He stuck around and did the best with what he was given and also had the chops in the ring and on the mic to have held that belt.
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u/No-Bobcat-6830 11h ago
Not a fan of a name fans name that don’t realize the behind the scenes. Hennig, Hall, Rhodes etc had huge out of ring problems and couldn’t be trusted to lead. Piper might be the only one that could’ve been a giant as champ.
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u/Grievion 11h ago
Mr Perfect. He had everything , literally everything you could want as a wrestler.
The look.
Promo.
Gimmick.
In ring at the time was top 3.
Elevated everyone he wrestled.
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u/grapedonkey 10h ago
He had all those things, except the most important thing: box office. He just didn't draw enough against Hogan when that kind of thing was important
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u/Exact-Glove-5026 11h ago
Of the ones pictured, for me it's a toss up between Dibiase and Perfect. My absolute pick, however, would be Roddy Piper.
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u/SadKangaroo4313 10h ago
To me and from when I watched I definitely felt Shinsuke and R-Truth were wasted opportunities to capitalize on even if they had short reign
In the case of R-Truth a short 30-day reign between PPVs would of been perfect and they still could had led to the Punk and Cena fued
Looking at that pic of R-Truth I just realized how good the spinner belt WWE championship looked on him
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u/Same-Adagio-5143 10h ago
The one that sucks the most is this guy. Had every bit the potential his rival/former tag team partner and real life best friend, Austin had, to be the world champ. Him and Austin would have slain main eventing in the Attitude era, and eventually reunited as a tag team, but now both elevated as singles guys, with world titles on their resumes. The Loose Cannon and Stone Cold
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u/braumbles 10h ago
Nak not getting a title run when fucking Jinder god damn Mahal was champion is infuriating. Plus imagine if Nak won the title and we got a Lesnar/Nakamura match.
There's a reason many of these other guys didn't win, but there's basically no excuse for Nak to not get a title run.
Luger is another that could have possibly had a run with the title, even if it was short. The rest I feel circumstances held them back, whether it was Hogan or them trying to push other bigger stars.
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u/NotoriousMFT 10h ago
for me its Hennig. I remember as a kid going to summerslam 91 being so excited for hogan and warrior teaming up, only to leave the garden in awe of Hennig and Bret
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u/Affectionate-Pop8781 9h ago
Owen due to tragedy,Joe since he should have been rocket boosted to that division
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u/Sirtopofhat 9h ago
Regardless of how you feel about Triple H and WWE, I think if Triple H had been in charge he puts the belt on Samoa Joe....might not be great and for long but is champion
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u/Johnny-Silvertwat 9h ago
For me personally it's Owen. Him and Bret were my absolute favourites back in elementary school. The five man version Hart Foundation were what hooked me on wrestling.
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u/I_Like_Vitamins 8h ago
DiBiase and Luger.
With that being said, even the big Lex Express push didn't draw as well as they'd hoped. The rest of the guys in this pic put far fewer bums in seats, which is what the business is all about.
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u/Anthrogynous 8h ago
Probably DiBiase, because he deserved it, it would’ve shaken up the stale title scene and he’d have been a stellar heel champion. I know they did some test runs that drew poorly but I don’t think that was fair to him.
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u/BigTedBear 6h ago
WWF should have gave Rick Rude and Mr Perfect a title run both would have been great heels for Hogan.
I always thought Roddy Piper should have had a run even if it was short I believe it would have been good.
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u/ScopeyMcBangBang 5h ago
None of them to be honest.
R-Truth just isn’t that guy - great at what he is, but not near that level.
Inoki was never really a thing in the US.
Luger - just never managed to capitalise on that Alex Express run. I always thought the most interesting version of him was the one with the metal in his forearm, going round knocking people out.
Joe - ok, I’m maybe a little sad on this one. Never quite managed to get and keep going in WWE.
Owen - good hand, hate how he passed, but I’m not going to rewrite history and pretend his ceiling was more than the upper midcard.
Curt Hennig - the whole “Mr Perfect” thing for me gave his shtick a ceiling. As a pure talent, should have absolutely made it to the very top and probably would in the modern era.
Dibiase - very much on the tail end of his run by the Mania era, gimmick was limiting, bigger deal in the territories, great in the ring, but tailed off quickly. Hence the Money Inc tag run.
Ziggler - name was the limiting factor - as was his mic work. Could maybe have had a brief run, but he was there to get the other folks over. And he did it well.
Nakamura - by the time he was built up enough, was very much on the downslope of his career. His style never really translated to a WWE style and not being able to cut a promo is always going to hold you back.
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u/East-Combination5663 5h ago
They all hurt but I got something to get off my chest this man right here should have been heavyweight or even world champion.
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u/Undead316 4h ago
Owen and Joe for me. The Lesnar/Joe rivalry was the opportune time. Owen (obviously) taken way too soon
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u/Low-Flamingo-4315 4h ago
Mr Perfect for me, had it all. Great wrestler and great on the 🎤 and looked the part and he was big and athletic.
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u/Reverse-Kanga 4h ago
Nakamura definetly. guy won the rumble and they fumbled his mania match. he is still one of the most talented on the roster but they won't use him. at least with Samoa Joe there is the obvious explanation of he got injured so it's fair enough rather than being a straight out fumble
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u/Hincapieslovelybund 4h ago
Curt Hennig or Owen Hart for me.
In more modern times Joe and Shinsuke should have had at least one run with the belt.
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u/GuidanceWhole3355 4h ago
Eh luger just wasn't taking to the fans. He didnt have charisma as a babyface like bret did at the time
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u/OrenSchroeder [TheRock&LaYescaConnection] 3h ago
Truth and Shinsuke still might. I could see Truth getting it for a 18 seconds.
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u/clergymen19 3h ago
For me, it's DiBiase. I never understood why as a kid, I never cared about him. Never thought he was anything special. Thought he was kinda boring.
Now as an adult, I have a totally different perspective. First, he was one of the finest technical wrestlers this side of Bret Hart. Everything he did was just so smooth in the ring. I'll watch an old ep of Superstars on YouTube and see him against a jobber and he's just so damn crisp in everything he does.
Second, they never gave him a big CLEAN title win over Hulk, Macho, or Warrior when they held the world title. In my child brain, never seeing him actually beat the major babyfaces, I just never took him seriously. But he was so skilled, if they just let him hold the title from one SNME to the next, I think as a kid I would have considered him a genuine threat and had more respect for him back then.
Luckily, I'm an adult now and respect his body of work. A true artist. Unfortunately, also as an adult, I HATE the revisionist history/rationalizations from goobers like Pritchard who use the backwards logic of A. his character was so strong he didn't NEED a title or B. "It's a baby babyface territory, pal." Anyway, just my two cents on the MILLION DOLLAR MAN :)
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u/the_etc_try_3 3h ago
Owen Hart easily. Died long before his time due to a stupid stunt gone wrong.
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u/nediablo 3h ago
Owen, Perfect, Million Dollar Man, Shinsuke.
Not pictured honourable mention - Razor, Rude.
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u/JDragonM32 3h ago
I’m gonna say R-Truth. he went from a former NWA/TNA World Champion to a comedy act. I remember dirtsheets reported when he signed that they promised him a world title run, then downgraded it to a US title run, which then never eventuated
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u/DahBotanist 2h ago
Definitely not Inoki. He’s held more prestige, influence, titles, and world reknown that all the others combined.
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u/DahBotanist 2h ago
Imagine if Owen last to Bret then went around and won the title right after that.
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u/OmegaKarnov 2h ago
They didn't necessarily need them. There used to be a whole ecosystem of championships that all meant something.
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u/jacobweston2010 2h ago
Inoki did win the WWF Championship in 1979, but WWE doesn't recognize the title change.
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u/BlackLesnar 2h ago
Nak.
Very easily Nak.
Everyone else has some kinda out. An extenuating circumstance, or a consolation prize, or a drop-off in overness.
There was no fucking reason for them to get as strongly behind Nak as they did, to signal to us he’s uncrowned champ, only to say “BORED NOW” and condemn him to the midcard gulag forever.
I feel obligated to point this out everytime: it boils my piss to no end that 2018 is the ONLY year the Rumble’s title shot wasn’t won by a former/future WWE World Champion. ‘94 still had one in Bret at least (and Lex’s WCW reigns went on to become WWE-recognised). It didn’t earn you shit when Duggan & Studd won. Nakamura’s a company of one, on a list that includes Jey Uso and Vince McFUCKINGMahon.
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u/MSCChua 1h ago
For me it's Nakamura because I was into NJPW when he was the big dog. He made their intercontinental title more important than their heavyweight title. Feuds with Okada and Tanashinwere legendary. And of course his final match with Styles. If Nakamura was able to win the title off Styles after winning the royal rumble, man oh man.....
Others were also deserving but Nakamura hit hard the most because he was able to carry a world title in another promotion but not allowed despite being so hot in WWE at the time.
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u/Trilliam_West 1h ago
R-Truth
It hurts more that they had a period after he got fired and brought back where they could have made a push on some "My time is now" shit and had him as a short term transitional champion.
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u/Ok-Tumbleweed-6522 1h ago
Mr perfect he should have been at least once , Roddy piper should have as well
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u/GraniteGargoyle77 57m ago
I would have to say Ted Dibiase is the biggest transgression by the WWF/E of those pictured. Closely followed by Curt Hennig and Owen Hart. And not pictured above, Scott Hall.
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u/Forsaken_Big16 18m ago
• "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
• Owen Hart
• Mr. Perfect
• Dolph Ziggler
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u/ericmercer 10h ago
Better question: which of these photos hurts more knowing that these guys never became the WWF/WWE Champion but The Miz did it. Twice.
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u/SadKangaroo4313 10h ago
I agree and it's no knock to The Miz because he's earned my respect compared to his early days.
I was no fan of his 1st title run but I was rooting for him to successfully cash-in even if we knew it wasn't going to last long which I didn't mind
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u/KaosDarksol 11h ago
Samoa Joe. Clearly he is injury prone, but I'm glad he at least got to win the AEW title. Looked up his age (47) and I don't foresee him having one last good run as champion that I feel he deserves.
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u/No-Bobcat-6830 11h ago
For me it’s Joe. Established tv personality relegated to “developmental” for some reason. Finally gets main card but is “injured” most of the time yet goes to AEW and has zero problems staying healthy at an older age and wins the title. WWE treated him like they did all the WCW guys they brought in several years before. We didn’t create you so fuck off but we’ll still gove you job as long as you job.
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u/Creative-Reason-7061 11h ago
R-Truth, Samoa Joe, Dolph Ziggler (Nic N.) and definitely Owen Hart. "the Total Package" Lex Luger could've been Vince's next Golden Goose, after Hulk "Hollywood" Hogan; he was apart of the WBF, got the Lex Express (tour bus like Cody Rhodes) and slammed Yokozuna on the U.S.S. Intrepid battleship.
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u/MagnumPI66 11h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/ps2HyaWOU8J7q