WWE's Best-Ever Champion vs. Champion Matches Ahead of Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins

In addition to already being an international attraction, Crown Jewel has shifted its focus in the last two years toward becoming the one night of the year when WWE's top titleholders face off.

Survivor Series previously held that distinction between 2016 and 2021, but it's now less about brand supremacy and more about cementing superiority.

Although the Crown Jewel titles and gaudy rings don't make the matches any more meaningful, Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins should deliver from an in-ring standpoint, just as last year's Rhodes vs. Gunther main event did, where excellent action overshadowed the lack of stakes and story.

In the past, WWE has held countless champion vs. champion matches without anything on the line, whereas in other instances, both belts have been up for grabs. Several situations have also seen tag team champs collide in singles competition, and by definition, those too fall under this category.

The following are the best of the bunch as well as the most memorable and monumental.

10. Triple H vs. Tazz (SmackDown, April 20, 2000)

While far from the wrestling clinic that John Cena had with Seth Rollins with the WWE and United States titles on the line at SummerSlam 2015, Triple H vs. Tazz cracks the top 10 for its significance alone.

In the midst of Triple H's dominant reign as WWE champion, he faced off with WWE newcomer Tazz on the April 20, 2000 edition of SmackDown. This was mere months removed from Tazz's explosive debut at Madison Square Garden at the Royal Rumble.

Even more historic was that one week prior to this bout, WWE-sanctioned Superstar Tazz defeated WCW's newest signee, Mike Awesome, on SmackDown for the ECW World Championship, thus making Tazz's first-ever one-on-one outing with The Game a week later a rare WWE champion vs. ECW champion match.

As noted, it was your average outing with little standing out and Triple H winning was hardly surprising, but Tazz being put in such a prominent spot so early into his run with the company was an encouraging sign for his future at the time.

It also foreshadowed WWE's eventual acquisition of ECW the subsequent year, leading to it becoming a third-rate show for the company in 2006.

9. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 23)

Craig Melvin/WWE via Getty Images

Many may not remember the WrestleMania match between John Cena and Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 2007 came at a time when the two were the reigning world tag team champions together.

They knocked off Rated-RKO for the belts three months earlier. Triple H's untimely injury caused plans to change with Michaels taking his spot against the number one contender to Cena's WWE title at 'Mania.

The build to their bout was notable in that Cena and Michaels were tag champs the entire time. They didn't defend the tag titles a single time prior to their pay-per-view main event, though they did beat Batista and The Undertaker in a huge tag team match at No Way Out.

The World Tag Team Championship took a backseat for their WrestleMania matchup. Cena successfully defeated Michaels to retain his own title in what can only be described as an outstanding encounter, but their bad blood didn't end there.

They were ordered to put their belts on the line in a loaded tag team Battle Royal one night later on Raw, where they lost to The Hardy Boyz.

Cena and Michaels went on to have arguably their greatest match against each other on Raw in England later that month, where the latter pinned the former in clean fashion after almost an hour-long escapade.

8. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels (King of the Ring 1997)

Tag team champions not being able to coexist and facing each other one-on-one was hardly a new concept when John Cena and Shawn Michaels did it in 2007, as Michaels was involved in a similar storyline with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin almost a decade prior.

Austin was still on the ascent at this point. He had just lost yet again to Bret Hart in an instant classic at WrestleMania XIII and paired with Michaels to dethrone Owen Hart and The British Bulldog as world tag team champions in May 1997.

It wasn't long into their alliance that they fell apart as it was clear both had their sights set on bigger and better things. They decided to wage war at the King of the Ring pay-per-view to find out who the true captain of their team was.

Remarkably, this match ended up being far better than their WrestleMania meeting the subsequent spring, largely because this was before both men suffered injuries that not only impacted their in-ring styles but also shortened their careers.

The double disqualification finish was disappointing, but it did leave the door open for them to revisit their rivalry over the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIV.

7. Chris Jericho vs. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (Vengeance 2001)

In the immediate aftermath of WWE's infamous "invasion" angle, there was a WWE champion and a WCW world heavyweight champion, and only one could be viewed as the real world champ of the company.

A small yet star-studded tournament was put together for 2001's Vengeance PPV where The Rock and Chris Jericho would fight for the WCW title on one side of the bracket while "Stone Cold" Steve Austin would defend the WWE title against Kurt Angle on the other.

Jericho and Austin advanced in their respective matches and met in the finals to determine an undisputed WWE world champion. While it wasn't even the best championship clash on that show, it was an epic occasion that ushered in a new era for the company.

Simultaneously, it was the night Jericho officially arrived as a main event player, having beaten both Austin and Rock in the same night to claim the two titles. He'd boast about that incredible accomplishment for many years to come—and rightfully so.

Jericho's reign left a lot to be desired, but he'll forever be in the record books as the one who emerged from Vengeance with both belts in tow.

6. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens (Elimination Chamber 2015)

Kevin Owens made an instant impact in WWE by debuting on Raw in May 2015 as the reigning NXT champion and laying out then-United States titleholder John Cena in emphatic fashion.

Although that marked his main roster call-up, he continued to pull double duty between Raw and NXT for the next three months. Cena remained in his crosshairs, and at Elimination Chamber less than two weeks after he arrived on the flagship show, they faced off one-on-one for the first time.

Neither title was at stake, but it was a must-see match, regardless. Their chemistry was remarkable right out of the gate, and the crowd was on its feet for every minute of it.

Many assumed Owens would have a strong showing before narrowly losing, but instead, he flattened Cena with a second pop-up powerbomb to claim the clean win.

This matchup would have made the list no matter the outcome, but KO having his hand raised in victory was huge for his burgeoning career and sent the message that the NXT Championship was very much on the same level as any main roster title at that time.

5. Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles (Survivor Series 2017)

The nonsensical brand supremacy storyline between Raw and SmackDown at Survivor Series from 2016 through 2021 didn't produce many fond memories for fans, but it did make for a handful of matches that may not have been possible otherwise.

Chief among them was Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles at the 2017 installment.

Lesnar had been in possession of the Universal Championship since WrestleMania 33, while Styles was fresh off reclaiming the WWE Championship from Jinder Mahal on SmackDown earlier that November.

Lesnar vs. Styles was an infinitely more interesting attraction, especially with Styles being able to bring the best out of The Beast Incarnate like few others could at that point.

They told the logical story with Styles having to fight from underneath throughout but still hitting a fair amount of offense and even coming close to winning on a number of occasions.

Lesnar catching Styles on a Phenomenal Forearm attempt and turning it into a F5 made for a fantastic finish.

The only knock against this outing is that it didn't close the show as it should have. A Lesnar vs. Styles showdown would have been unfathomable even two years prior, so fans were fortunate this dream match finally became a reality on such short notice.

4. Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (Survivor Series 1992)

Of course, the most memorable match Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels ever had at Survivor Series happened in 1997, if only because of the ending that saw The Hitman "screwed" out of the WWE Championship by Michaels, Vince McMahon and referee Earl Hebner in his home country of Canada.

The match itself was nothing compared to their original outing at the event five years earlier.

Michaels walked into Survivor Series in 1992 as intercontinental champion, but his title wasn't on the line when he challenged Hart for the WWE Championship that night.

He was already having a breakout year by betraying Marty Jannetty and capturing the IC title soon after, so headlining Survivor Series with The Hitman for the prestigious prize put him in a position to shine.

For nearly 30 minutes, the two ring warriors went back and forth and had the exciting affair that they were capable of. The Heartbreak Kid more than proved his worth in defeat and even elevated the intercontinental title to the next level simply by holding it going into this elite opportunity.

Michaels wouldn't win his first WWE Championship for another four years, coincidentally by beating Hart in the inaugural Iron Man match at WrestleMania XII.

3. Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan (Survivor Series 2018)

One year after Brock Lesnar and AJ Styles had their amazing encounter at Survivor Series 2016, they were set to run it back at the 2017 installment with them once again holding the Universal Championship and the WWE Championship, respectively.

Similar to how Styles won the WWE title right before Survivor Series that year, he dropped it almost the same way to Daniel Bryan in an impromptu match days ahead of the event.

As much as fans were looking forward to the sequel from Styles and Lesnar, The Beast vs. Bryan was another highly-anticipated match that had eluded the audience for whatever reason. Booking it at the last minute with no build whatsoever wasn't ideal, but to get it at all was a blessing.

Despite the heel vs. heel dynamic, this was an exceptional piece of business. This was the best bout Bryan had been a part of since returning from retirement earlier in the year, and Lesnar came across as more motivated than usual.

This hard-hitting battle was everything it was expected to be and then some. Lesnar came out on top, but not without first being pushed to his limit by WWE's resident "Yes!" man.

2. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania VI)

Perhaps still the biggest babyface vs. babyface match in WWE history to this day, Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior more than makes up for its in-ring limitations with pomp and circumstance along with its electric atmosphere inside Toronto's SkyDome.

Hogan kicked off his second stint as WWE champion at WrestleMania V with a win over Randy Savage and was virtually unstoppable in the year that followed.

His path was paralleled by only The Ultimate Warrior, who was on the fast track to superstardom after ending The Honky Tonk Man's whopping 454-day reign as intercontinental champion at the inaugural SummerSlam and dominating that scene for the next year-plus.

Hogan won the 1990 Royal Rumble match, yet it was Warrior who was really riding the wave of momentum heading into WrestleMania VI.

For the first time ever, both the WWE and intercontinental titles would be fought for in the same matchup, and it was an unprecedented attraction worthy of the WrestleMania main event.

The two titans traded multiple finishers and had the audience in attendance hanging on every near-fall.

Warrior getting the decisive victory over Hogan was a huge happening because of how rare it was, and the image of him celebrating with both belts will forever be ingrained in the minds of those who were lucky enough to experience it.

1. Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania X)

Technically, Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels is every bit a champion vs. champion match as the others listed considering the story that was told at the time.

When Michaels was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship in the fall of 1993 as a result of a storyline suspension, Razor Ramon stepped up and emerged victorious in a Battle Royal to claim the vacant title for the first time in his career.

The Heartbreak Kid returned to television in the lead-up to WrestleMania X claiming to be the real IC champion because he was never beaten for it, and even brought with him a belt of his own.

It was determined that they would settle their dispute by hanging the two titles high above the ring and vying for them in WWE's first-ever televised ladder match.

It's been a tough one to top with the company having done so many of them since then. They kept their spots simple, and the audience was in awe all the same.

Michaels' leap off the top of the ladder onto Ramon in the center of the squared circle was the definition of a WrestleMania moment, but it didn't pay off.

Ramon endured every ounce of punishment HBK dished out, only to capitalize when it mattered most by sending him spiraling off the ladder to the outside and retrieving the two titles for himself.

WWE has attempted to replicate this rivalry and its accompanying clash of champions storyline on a number of occasions over the years, but it's never been better executed than it was here.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.