10 Best World Champions Of The WWE Ruthless Aggression Era

9. Kurt Angle

Batista Rey Mysterio
WWE.com

Kurt Angle's first few runs with the top straps in the company may have come during WWE's Attitude Era, but there's no doubting that his more memorable periods on top went down during the Ruthless Aggression portion of the WWE timeline.

After feeling like a bit of a supporting character during the time of The Great One and Austin 3:16, Angle fully evolved into a Wrestling Machine main event sensation from 2002 onwards.

Take your pick between his time as SmackDown's workhorse unexpected World Heavyweight Champion (after Batista suddenly went down injured in 2006), his returning run as WWE Champion in the wake of falling to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX, and his impressive spell holding that same strap leading into the next Show of Shows; all three of the captivating reigns helped cement Angle as an all-time great top champ in the company.

And perhaps the most impressive part of Angle's Ruthless Aggression era of World Championship supremacy was the way he managed to elevate the likes of Brock Lesnar, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio, and Randy Orton during his top of the card spell.

 
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Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...