22 Greatest WWE Champion vs. Champion Matches Ever
Cena vs. Owens won't be the last, just as it certainly wasn't the first
This Sunday at Elimination Chamber, United States Champion John Cena and NXT Champion Kevin Owens will meet in one-on-one action.
It’s a rivalry that has emerged from out of nowhere, really. Just two weeks ago, the brazen NXT upstart Owens hadn’t even debuted on the main roster yet. And yet all of a sudden he’s now embroiled in a vastly intriguing storyline with the biggest star in the company.
And though neither the US nor NXT title will be up for grabs this Sunday, the match is still technically billed as champion vs. champion. And the WWE has quite the history of champion vs. champion affairs.
Whether in non-title showdowns like Cena vs. Owens, when pride is real prize on offer, or in the somewhat more prestigious unification bouts, which over the years have been a regular feature of WWE programming—whatever the instance, it always adds something special to the occasion when two champions go toe-to-toe.
And this article looks to prove just that as we revisit some of the most memorable champion vs. champion matches in all of WWE history.
22. Triple H (WWE Champion) vs. Shelton Benjamin (US Champion) - SmackDown 2008
Though a vastly talented athlete, Shelton Benjamin was never really a true main eventer during his time in the WWE. So in 2008, when US champ Benjamin faced WWE champ Triple H, it was a huge opportunity for the Gold Standard to show everyone what he was made of.
Though a non-title affair, the two put on a solid match that lasted just shy of 20 minutes. Benjamin more than held his own, with JR even commenting at one point that he couldn’t remember when he’d last seen Triple H sustain such punishment in a match.
Unfortunately though, the finish was more concerned with the Game’s ongoing rivalry with the Great Khali. Khali briefly interrupted proceedings, only for Triple H to hold his focus and hit the Pedigree to for the win. Lacklustre finish aside though, this was a good example of how to effectively book a champion versus a champion.