10 Best Wrestlers Who Never Held The WWE Title (And When They Should Have Won)
9. Ricky Steamboat (Royal Rumble 1992)
Ricky Steamboat never really got a fair shake in WWE. He won the Intercontinental Championship in a classic match at WrestleMania III, sure, but shortly afterwards his son was born and he requested time off.
Vince McMahon took it personally, and Steamboat's career never recovered. He was eliminated in the first round of the WWE Championship tournament at WrestleMania IV, then left the company.
In WCW, he became a World Champion and revitalised his career, but in 1991, he came back to WWE. McMahon's grudge hadn't abated, and Steamboat's "Dragon" nickname was the basis for his new gimmick - he spat fire and wore an outlandish, cartoonish costume.
According to lore, though, Steamboat actually wanted to work as a heel that go-round, but was denied by Pat Patterson because he was such a well-liked babyface and Pat doubted he could ever generate heel heat.
While Steamboat was one of history's greatest faces, I would argue that he certainly had the talent to work as a heel. Had Ric Flair not fortuitously come to WWE in late 1991, Steamboat could have taken his role as top heel... and of course, carried the WWE Championship into a role-reversed WrestleMania rematch with Randy Savage.