10 Best Simultaneous WWE Heavyweight Champions
1. John Cena (WWE) & Batista (World) - 2005
This piece started with an introduction centred around subjectivity, but the hard facts on WrestleMania 21 send 'The Champ' and 'The Animal' straight to number one with a solid gold bullet.
2005's 'Show Of Shows' was one of the highest-drawing pay-per-views in the history of the organisation, sold mostly on the promise of both John Cena and Dave Batista overthrowing the evil overlords of their respective brands in a double main event. JBL and Triple H had both maintained a stranglehold on the top straps for several months before the shows, with Hunter's reigns for several years on Raw feeling so utterly exhausting that fans departed in droves.
The hope for a brighter tomorrow brought many of them back, and though neither match delivered, both babyfaces thankfully did. Huge receptions greeted the grand changing of the guard as WWE at long last embraced something resembling a new ethos in an effort to break away from the Attitude Era.
Cena and Batista were genuinely trusted headliners in their spots, lasting through to January and February respectively as the company got behind both and subsequently made them both stars. Working up to expectations, the match, promo and storyline quality trended upwards in line with their consistent overall improvement.