5 Weirdest Choices Of WWE Champion Ever

In which luck isn't necessarily for losers.

Bray Wyatt WWE Champ
WWE.com

Bill Apter, legendary gatekeeper of kayfabe, remarked on his latest Is Wrestling Fixed? podcast that Bray Wyatt is "one of the weirdest people" to hold the WWE Championship.

"If you really think about this and go outside the box of pro wrestling: Is this a guy that you could put on a celebrity talk show with the belt? I don’t mean that in a bad way. He’s a really unusual character to be holding that belt. That belt is usually awarded to someone who doesn’t have that much of a gimmick and is more of a wrestler type."

He was half-right; though scorched psychopathic mute Kane and the hapless masochist Mankind had runs with the then-WWF Championship, their reigns were transitional, booked more to generate ratings than to position them as top dogs. Wyatt's is different; he is flying into WrestleMania with the gold wrapped around his waist. But Apter judged the decision against a defunct standard. The Champion is no longer the figurehead, WrestleMania no longer his stage.

In reality, to counter Apter's argument yet further, it's a wonder WWE didn't put the strap on him sooner. If you are remotely over in today's WWE environment, contention beckons. Fans have clamoured for Wyatt's ascension since his first spooky vignette aired.

Wyatt as WWE Champion is an expected - even delayed - development. He was always going to win at some point. He is hardly one of the weirdest people to hold it...

5. Mr. McMahon

Bray Wyatt WWE Champ
WWE

In 1999, the WWF patently cared little about old-timey traditions of prestige and lineage - so much so that, in a baffling ratings grab, Vince McMahon booked himself - or his alter-ego, Mr. McMahon, which was effectively himself - to win the WWF Championship.

More bizarre than the decision itself was the insane storyline surrounding it. Mr. McMahon had been written off television, having been banned following Steve Austin's WWF Title win at Fully Loaded. By the time he returned, Austin was no longer champion. This was 1999. The top prize changed hands on a literal monthly basis, so much so that it practically lost all meaning.

Even though McMahon was excommunicated as a result of Austin, he helped him upon his return because Triple H annoyed him (flippancy aside, that was about the extent of it) and made sexual overtures towards his wife Linda - the same Linda he later cuckolded by molesting Trish Stratus right in front of her catatonic eyes. In a hastily-arranged match with new champ Triple H, Vince beat him with help from his past and future arch-nemesis.

The whole thing was mercifully retconned on the next episode of RAW, on which McMahon simply decided to vacate the title. As weird a choice as McMahon was as WWF Champion, it was far from the weirdest thing on WWF television in 1999.

It wasn't even the weirdest thing on the card. Al Snow defeated Big Boss Man in the undercard on a "Pepper On A Pole" match.

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Contributor
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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!