Ranking Every WWE Grand Slam Champion From Worst To Best

The Golden Generation

Triple H
WWE

Coining the term in 1997 ahead of unexpectedly scooping the glory in a controversial conclusion to UK-only supercard One Night Only, Shawn Michaels dropped 'Grand Slam' into his woozy and boozy pre-match promo in yet another attempt to separate himself from the chasing pack, and especially Bret Hart.

'The Hitman' took himself, his craft and his title reigns incredibly seriously. Undeniably a trait grossly missing from the modern era's careless character presentation, the hunger for cutting edge personalities and near-the-knuckle outlaws on the cusp of the Attitude Era made his pride look dated and isolated.

Never afraid of his rival's wrath, the cocktail of incredulity, envy and frustration 'HBK' felt towards his enemy manifested itself in yet another button-pushing moment from the fearless and peerless performer. Already a five-time WWE Champion, Hart was also a two-time Triple Crown winner. These were rare achievements in 1997, and ones Michaels wasn't within touching distance of. In preparation for snaring Davey Boy Smith's vanity title, he coined the 'Grand Slam' moniker for winning the company's four major titles.

Yes, four major titles - it was a simpler time. Today, superstars trip up over pieces of tin, but the Grand Slam prize remains prestigious for the select few that have managed to hold at least one variant of a World/Tag Team Title as well as a combination of Intercontinental, United States, European and/or Hardcore Gold. Roman Reigns became the most recent on Monday, but is the 'The Big Dog' the prized pooch?

18. John Bradshaw Layfield

Triple H
wwe.com

Time's been awfully kind to Bradshaw's latter-day reinvention as a contemporary 'Million Dollar Man' retread, with only his p*ss-poor sojourns to the commentary desk acting as a reminder of just how flagrantly awful JBL often was to watch.

Shockingly given the WWE Title in 2004 long before he was ready for it, Layfield admittedly grew into the role well on the microphone even if his matches were only marginally better than the snoozers his 2017 equivalent Jinder Mahal assembled during his own blue brand reign of terror.

Long-tenured in the organisation as a former Hardcore and Tag Team Champion from his tough-talking Texan days, Layfield slotted into life as a reliable midcard heel following his lone stint at the top. Subsequently snatching United States and Intercontinental Titles ahead of his 2009 retirement, the former Fox News analyst assembled a trophy cabinet bigger than anybody would have ever assumed him capable of during what appeared to be the dying days of his career in 2003.

As with Mahal this year, his shocking success gave hope to most that one of Vince McMahon's brass rings may only be an unthinkable and inexplicable megapush away.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett