10 Amazing WWE World Title Wins (That Led To Lame Championship Runs)

10. Chris Benoit

There are many reasons it’s tough to talk about Chris Benoit’s sole run as Heavyweight Champion, and while the disappointing nature of his time with the belt is meaningless by comparison, it remains a let down.

Benoit’s win over TripleH and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XX was a moment for the ages, an unfancied technical worker going over two megastars in one of the best main events ever. If you’ve ever watched Benoit wrestle, you couldn’t argue that he didn’t deserve it.

As champ, he had some great matches, most notably the similarly brilliant rematch at Backlash, but it was clear enough that the bookers weren’t behind the intense but not overly charismatic Benoit as the face of the company. With Eddie Guerrero floundering somewhat with the other title, the powers that be decided to mix things up sooner rather than later.

Benoit lost the belt to Randy Orton after a relatively short run, and as far as his world title credentials went, that was about it. Benoit could and probably should have been a far more decorated wrestler in WWE, but this run fell flat after an all time great, if heavily tainted, win.