WWE History: Best and Worst WWE Champions

The history of the WWE Championship is a long and storied one.  Over the past 47 years, there have been many memorable and even forgettable champions to hold the belt.  From Buddy Rogers (the first champion) to The Miz (current champion) and everyone in between, it's been an interesting time in WWE.

Many of these champions have been WWE Hall of Famers who helped define generations of wrestling. The torch has been passed from Hulk Hogan to Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels to Steve Austin to The Rock to Triple H and to John Cena.  

Also, there have been scores of others in between this time.  The men mentioned above are some of the immortals in WWE history.

While the face of the champion and appearance of the belt has changed, the prestige of the championship remains intact.  We've seen a standard title turn into a Smoking Skull (Austin) Belt.  Since, we've even seen the title become unified and spin too.  

Here are the best of the best WWE Champions.  

Worst Tenure As Champion: Kane

How did they even have enough time to take this picture?  Kane held the title for just a short 24-hour period back in 1998.  At the King of the Ring, he defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in an intense First Blood Match.  However, Kane would lose the title back to Austin the very next night on RAW.

Kane has been one of the mainstays in WWE for over a decade.  He's never left the company for any reason and has always been a constant.  During his early days, he was a monstrous figure who really put fear in his opponents.  

At the time, his gimmick with the mask and not having his own voice was perfect for the character.  

It was nice for us wrestling purists to see Kane finally get a lengthy title run this past year.  

Best Run As Champion: Bruno Sammartino

This Italian-American was the longest-tenured champion in WWE history.  Bruno Sammartino held onto the prestigious title for nearly eight years.

In all, it's calculated as an astounding 2,803 days.  He defeated Buddy Rogers to become the second champion in WWE history.  This was in 1963.  The next man to beat Sammartino was Ivan Koloff in 1971. 

Sammartino's reign meant so much to the early success of the then-WWWF.  He was a marketable champion who people could easily identify with.  

This underdog became a champion, possibly the best in WWE history to boot.  

A.) Most Unbeatable: The Undertaker

The Undertaker was and still is a "phenom."  During the beginning of his "reign of terror" over WWE, The Deadman was the most feared wrestler ever.  About 20 years have since passed and he remains the most frightening presence the wrestling world has ever known. 

His gimmick is flawless and is the most fitting of all.  By analyzing the persona of The Undertaker, we see a man who constantly wins off fear and respect.  

'Taker's many reigns have been entertaining and filled with many worthy opponents.  The fact that this man has been so dominant for such a long period in time is incomprehensible.  

Just look at his stunning 18-0 mark at WrestleMania for further justification.  

B.) Most Unbeatable: Brock Lesnar

People tend to forget but Brock Lesnar was one of the most dominant WWE champions ever.  This freak athlete later became the UFC Heavyweight Champion.  

No other man in the world can claim such feats.  Nor can they even claim that they worked for both companies.  That's pretty impressive whether you like Lesnar or not. 

Lesnar tore The Rock apart at SummerSlam 2002 and sent him packing to Hollywood.   It was on this night in Uniondale, N.Y., that Lesnar had "arrived" in WWE.  From that point on, it was clear that  WWE had a rare gem in this D-1 standout. 

Opponents could not defeat Lesnar despite throwing everything that they had at him.  If the WWE really wanted to, they could have made his run similar to Goldberg's in WCW.  Although, this may have gotten old after a while. 

Shortly thereafter in 2003, a memorable rivalry with Kurt Angle would ensue and the start of a great real-life friendship.  This series of matches pitted two of the best technical wrestlers ever and was a pleasure to watch.  

Worst Champion: Vince McMahon

Mark A. Wallenfang/Getty Images

GREEN BAY, WI - JUNE 22: Vince McMahon attends a press conference about the WWE at the Austin Straubel International Airport on June 22, 2009 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Mark A. Wallenfang/Getty Images)

Vince McMahon is the czar of sports entertainment as we know it.  Back in 2001, he bought out his competition (WCW/ECW) and has elevated his status.  Ever since, McMahon's company has re-established itself as the mecca of wrestling.  But having the owner as champion is a bit absurd, right?

At 54 years of age McMahon did the unthinkable by defeating his (on-screen/real-life) son-in-law HHH to become WWE Champion.  This was an unscheduled match that Steve Austin! helped McMahon win.  

McMahon is a businessman and a shrewd one at that.  He doesn't have to get into the ring.  The Boss has not an ounce of athletic ability in his body, yet he was WWE Champion back in 1999.  

Best Technical Wrestler: Kurt Angle

This was definitely the toughest to decide.  There have been so many fabulous technical wrestlers in the WWE.  

Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart and Brock Lesnar were all great pure wrestling champions. But shining above them all is the 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle.

Think about it for a minute.  How many people in the world can claim to be an Olympic Gold Medalist? That's quite an impressive feat.  When you consider that this particular athlete was also one of the greatest champions in wrestling history, WOW!  

Just about any Angle match was a classic.  His rivalries with Benoit were some of the best matches I've ever seen.  Also, his unforgettable rivalry with Lesnar was always PPV-worthy.  

Wrestling purists have always salivated at the thought of a match pitting Bret Hart and Kurt Angle in their primes.   

Most Heat/Hated: Sgt. Slaughter

During his short title run in the early '90s, Slaughter was the most hated wrestler in the world.  

Slaughter became a hated figure overnight and became an Iraqi sympathizer.  Somehow, Slaughter was viewed as an "American Hero" before this.  

A controversial main event at WrestleMania VII against Hulk Hogan was where it all came to a head.  This was during Operation Desert Shield and got personal.  

Slaughter had insulted the troops publicly and his gimmick drew so much heat at the time.

Most Beloved: Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is probably the most beloved WWE Superstar of all-time.  His "child-like" approach to life makes him a real character to watch on TV.  

Michaels' talents are unmatched and will never be duplicated. My generation in particular grew up with Shawn Michaels as the WWE Champion, so his retirement was hard to take.  

Michaels' victory at WrestleMania XII was so special.  Even at age 5 at the time, I still remember watching it to this day.  With my eyes glued to the TV, I saw one of my childhood idols win his first title.  

What we didn't know then was how much bearing this would have on the WWE moving forward.  In the coming year, Michaels was an incredible champion.  He constantly battled opponents who were much bigger than him.  

Michaels could do it all in the ring and with his gimmick.  He could make you laugh and cry.  He could even make you very mad or ecstatic.  Regardless, he may have been the greatest WWE competitor ever.   

Best WWE Title Match Ever: WrestleMania XII: Shawn Michaels Vs. Bret Hart

This is hands down the greatest match in wrestling history in my mind.  These two incredible superstars went back and forth for a full 60+ minutes.  At every moment of that match, you felt something special about it.  

Remarkably, Bret Hart held Shawn Michaels in his patented Sharpshooter for the last minute of the match. To Michaels' credit, he never quit despite the excruciating pain.  

This match had so many different styles attached to it as well.  At times, it was a grappling/technical match, then suddenly it went to the air and back and forth it went.  Regardless of the styles, we were entertained the entire time.  

These two gladiators battled until the overtime where Shawn Michaels hit the Super Kick for the victory.  

Best Rivalry: The Rock Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin

The rivalry between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin highlighted the late '90s/early '00s.  They fought in a series of matches, most notably over three WrestleManias (XV,XVII,XIX).  Austin won two of those three meetings and was the WWE's flag-bearer through their most fruitful period.

These two switched personalities during this rivalry.  In the beginning, Austin was the face and Rock was the heel.  But by their second match at WM XVII, Austin turned heel and sold his soul to "the devil" (Vince McMahon).

Whether they were fighting for titles or bragging rights this was a rivalry that can never be done again. There's not enough words to describe how important this was to the entire WWE landscape.  

With the WWE and WCW on the line in the "Battle For It All" at Survivor Series 2001, these two men were the anchors for their respective teams.  Who else could it have come down to?  

Love to Hate Champion: The Rock

The Rock was certainly the type of champion that we all "loved to hate."  He was absolutely hysterical whether he was a heel or face and was always entertaining.  

Either way, he was just that. ENTERTAINING!   This is why he's made a successful actor in Hollywood.

The Rock provided WWE fans with some of the funniest and most memorable moments ever.  His brilliant humor and crowd-pleasing abilities are truly one-of-a-kind.  No one can make an audience love and then suddenly hate quite like The Rock.  

In terms of athletic ability, few athletes have more than The Rock.  Maybe it's in the genes.  His grandfather was High Chief Peter Maivia.  His father was "Soul Man" Rocky Johnson.

Throughout the family history, there has been a long lineage of successful wrestlers.  

Best Champion Of Each Decade: 1960s & '70s: Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino may have been the most dominant champion of all-time.  In the 1960 and '70s there were none better.  By the '70s a lot had evolved and Sammartino had some new competition: "Superstar" Billy Graham. 

Over these two decades, Sammartino held the title for more than 12 years.  That was incredible dominance at the time and still stands the test of time.  

This Italian immigrant was a very powerful in-ring performer.  His "bearhug" was his specialty and ended many of his matches.  

1980s: Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan personified an entire era of wrestling.  In the 1980s, Hogan wasn't just on top of the wrestling world but literally on top of the world.  

Hogan defined American culture during that time and was everything that was good about sports.  The times were successful in America and Hogan was a "larger than life" figure in and of himself.  

Hogan is easily the most identifiable face in wrestling history.  Hogan may have been a horrible actor but he could definitely wrestle even though he only had about three moves.  

When Hogan body-slammed Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III, it was the most amazing moment in wrestling and remains so.  

1990s: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin was a continuation of Hogan in a lot of ways but cranked up about 10,000 percent. Austin was a beer-drinking, finger-gesturing, hell-raising rattlesnake.  He cursed like a sailor, or cussed as he likes to say.  

Like Hogan, Austin too had a very limited move list but was effective, exciting and won titles.  Austin was the dominant figure of the '90s.  

In a short time, he emerged and became the WWE's best pick-up ever.  WCW's Eric Bischoff had done him wrong and Austin ultimately made out far better in the long run.  

"Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16.  Austin 3:16 says 'I just whooped your ass.'"  

2000s: Triple H

Triple H ruled over the 2000s with an "iron fist."  He was so dominant and consistent and always found ways to win.

HHH was WWE/World Champion 13 times in the decade and really re-defined the heel distinction. 

Whether a member of DX or Evolution or just riding solo, HHH was always racking up titles. Great feuds with Stone Cold, Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and The Rock were highlights of his reigns.  

He is The Game.