10 Worst WWE Championship Reigns Of The 2000s
The worst world champs of the early days of the 21st century.
While the world was preparing for the advent of Y2K, the WWE were establishing themselves as the industry leaders in the professional wrestling space.
By the time 2009 came to an end, they were pretty much alone at the top of the totem pole, with fans begging for some sort of competition to force them to up their game.
Basically, a lot happened in the 2000s, but there was one thing that remained consistent throughout the decade - bad WWE title reigns. As the Attitude Era became the Ruthless Aggression Era and then the PG Era, who was on top of the company became more and more important. The promotion's image was evolving faster than ever, so whoever was holding its biggest prize needed to be ready to change with the times.
Unfortunately, these ten reigns would have been stinkers in any age. Bad matches, uninspired rivalries, and open political manoeuvring all made them hard to get through. Some of these reigns are so infamous, they changed the very fabric of the entire business.
Some were just really bad, though. It's not that deep...
10. Edge (November-December 2008)
Survivor Series 2008 was supposed to be Jeff Hardy's night.
He was supposed to be in a triple threat main event for the WWE Championship against defending champion Triple H and... Vladimir Kozlov?
2008 was a weird time.
Instead, he was taken out ahead of the match and replaced by his old rival Edge. The Rated-R Superstar then won the match and the title after an accidental assist from... Jeff Hardy?
2008 really was a weird time.
Edge's third WWE title reign lasted just 21 days. At Armageddon, he lost the belt in a triple threat featuring Triple H and eventual winner... Jeff Hardy!
You get the idea by now.
The thought process behind this confusing chain of events was to have Hardy win the title from a heel with whom he had significant history. Even if Edge was only supposed to be a transitional champion, he should have dropped the gold in a singles match instead of an unnecessary multi-man. This whole debacle marred what should have been a glorious coronation for the Charismatic Enigma and it didn't do the blonde Canadian any favours either.