Championship titles often hold a lot of prestige and importance in the sporting world, especially that of professional wrestling. Like with boxing and mixed martial arts, theyre what wrestlers battle over and fight for. Holding a championship means that the company depends on that person in some way; that they have faith in them. Some titles are often considered stepping stones to bigger and better things, while World Championships traditionally meant that a promotion felt a competitor was capable of carrying the company -- sometimes to new and great heights. However, as the decades wore on and the world of sports entertainment changed, championships began to mean less. While they are still a definite honor within wrestling -- prestigious straps to signify importance -- there were some gross mishaps in regard to their use. Titles became a thing that bookers used to try and get superstars over, rather than putting a championship on a wrestler that deserved it. By the late 1990s, in the midst of the Monday Night War and the Attitude Era, championships were often tossed around with reckless abandon. WCWs World Heavyweight Championship went through 25 status changes in the course of just one year, back in 2000. From late 98 into 1999, the World Wrestling Federations top prize changed hands multiple times, often within the span of just a few days. During this time period, and in the years following, there were some questionable decisions made in regard to championship titles and their holders. There were even a handful of non-wrestlers who held gold over the years. Join us as we take a look back at some of the most notorious non-wrestlers to hold a championship.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
