10 Wrestlers Who Should Have Been WWE Heavyweight Champion
These superstars didn't need the top belt to cement their legacies - but it couldn't have hurt.
Despite the WWE using their titles as nothing more than props these days, there is still some prestige attached to the WWE Heavyweight Championship. It's been a long time since the IC or US Title meant anything but somehow, despite the WWE's best efforts, there is still respect put on the world titles. (Goldberg not included.)
Although WWE have doubled down on the Universal strap meaning more, through Roman Reigns' dominance, the world title belts in WWE have always been seen as the pinnacle of Sports Entertainment.
Whether that is still the case these days, with more critically acclaimed promotions boasting prestigious belts, the idea of being the top guy in WWE is undeniable.
Now, this list is not to just point at fan favourites that WWE underused, like Aleister Black and Rusev, because let's be honest with ourselves, these guys were never in a position where they could have feasibly been the champion. It's also not going to include NXT Title reigns nor the god-awful WWECW, as their lineage and prestige don't carry the same weight.
No, this is a look at some of the greatest superstars or wrestlers to work for WWE, who never held the top strap for some inexplicable reason. Look, not everyone is destined to be a world champion, but considering people like JBL, Jinder Mahal, Bob Backland (1994), Jack Swagger and The Great Khali all held the gold whilst none of these men did is a travesty...
10. Lex Luger
Lex Luger wasn't a great in-ring wrestler. He wasn't even the best promo. But boy, in the early '90s, did he have the look. The man was chiselled beyond belief and for a while, he had the backing of both the fans and the WWE machine.
It seems weird when we look back at iconic moments such as the double Rumble finish, Luger appearing on the first Nitro and him being carried holding the US flag, that Luger never won a title belt in the WWE and he seems like he should have been the WWE Champion at some point.
But it was never the case. Sure, he was pretty pedestrian in the ring, but in the early 90s, the likes of Hulk Hogan, Sid Vicious and The Undertaker were ruling the main event. The style wasn't as pulse racing as what HBK and Bret Hart would usher in and Luger, whether under the guise as the Narcissist or the 'Lex Express', should have held the belt at least once.
Why didn't he? WHO KNOWS! (Maybe his t-shirts were too tight?)