WWE: The Top 4 Major Titleholders and Why They Deserve to Be on Top

The four major championships in WWE are currently held by four very unlikely individuals.

The two top-tier World Titles are held by a couple of guys who at one time headlined an independent wrestling promotion.  The two lesser championships are held by the son of The American Dream and a guy who didn’t really have a career until he became a star in an online YouTube show.

Who ever said WWE was not the land of opportunity?

I’m suddenly reminded of a time when Hulk Hogan ruled the company, and unless your name was, well, Hulk Hogan, you didn’t get much of anything.

I’m sorry, guys, I love nostalgia as much as the next man, but I have to say, I’m glad we’ve moved on.

The business has changed so much in the past 30 years, it’s almost to the point where it’s unrecognizable.  There’s a lot of good and bad associated with that, to be sure, but before everyone starts yearning for the good old days of WWE, let’s all stop for just a moment and think about the four men who are champions in the company.

CM Punk

CM Punk is the WWE Champion.  He is also the man who did what many deemed impossible.

He managed to be elevated, thanks to a little push and the opportunity he created for himself, to the level of John Cena, arguably surpassing him in many ways.  He’s now considered by a good portion of the WWE fanbase as being the top guy in the company.

Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes, the Intercontinental Champion, has a wrestling pedigree like no other.  

The son of the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and the brother of Goldust, Cody has all of the natural talent and ability in the world.  He’s now showcasing that ability on the biggest stage in the business, carving his own path independent of his famous family, and is surely headed for very bright things in the future.

Zack Ryder

What more can be said of the new United States Champion?  

Zack was a rarely used talent, but a guy who decided that he wasn’t content to just sit on the sidelines.  So, instead of accepting mediocrity in the sport that he loves, he instead chose to take his case to the people, broadcasting through social media in a big way.  

Now, he’s not only in the spotlight, he has his first singles championship in his WWE career.

Daniel Bryan

And, that leaves us with Daniel Bryan.  That’s right, Daniel Bryan is the new World Heavyweight Champion, pinning the Big Show mere moments after he beat Mark Henry at TLC.  

Bryan, like Punk, came up through the system, earning his stripes along the way, honing his craft, until this moment, the crowning achievement of his pro wrestling career.

Take a minute and look at these four guys. What connects them?  What separates them from the pack?  What makes these four men the ones who are given the responsibility of carrying the top championships in WWE?

For me, the answer to all of these questions is simple.  These guys are professional wrestlers.

They’re not bodybuilders.  They’re not guys who are using their WWE exposure to immediately catapult themselves to Hollywood stardom.  They are not overly egotistical or unreasonable in their approach to doing business, worrying more about themselves in the ring, rather than their opponents.

They are professional wrestlers, in every sense of the term.

Punk and Bryan had some classic matches in Ring of Honor, and looking back on those days, the bright lights of WWE seemed a million miles away.  But that didn’t matter for these two.  

All they cared about was going out and tearing the house down every night.  They cared about doing their best for the fans who paid to see them perform.  They still have the same approach to doing business, and they are finally being rewarded for their efforts.

Cody and Zack are both young and hungry, two guys who each have their own unique niche in the business.  

Rhodes has a newly revamped character that he’s playing to the hilt, riding the wave to the main event level.  He’s a great heel and is a natural in the ring.  

Ryder’s colorful gear and gimmick may be fun, but his ring work is that of a man who is serious about what he does.  His matches are improving every time he steps into the ring, and he is showing why he deserves the chance WWE gave him by putting him back out there the way they have.

It’s for all of these reasons that I believe they’re over and that they are successful in the company.  It’s also for these reasons that I believe WWE has really reinvented itself by spotlighting these four men.

Let us not forget the way the company used to look, with muscled-up gods who could bench press a truck, with matches that highlighted the typical big-man move set of clotheslines, power slams and clotheslines.

Lots and lots of clotheslines.

Now, the emphasis is back on the wrestling.  Where it should be.  Where it should have been all along.

I know, before any of you have to remind me, this small-man pro wrestler day of the company is just another era—one day, perhaps soon, it will pass, as WWE always goes in cycles.  Trust me, I get it.

But until it ends, I’m going to enjoy it.  I’m going to enjoy the fact that I can sit down and watch any of these four champions, and not only expect a good match, but get one, just about every time.  

I’m also going to enjoy being able to say that WWE is not only doing something right with its four major titles, it’s doing something relevant, while making many fans happy in the process.