10 Great WWE Wrestlers Who Had Terrible First World Title Reigns

To become world champion is without a doubt the boyhood dream of every WWE superstar to lace up a pair of wrestling boots. However, not all championship runs are created equal in the eyes of Vince McMahon. Some superstars work their whole careers to grasp the gold for a few fleeting moments and others seem to hold the top strap every couple of months or so. Some competitors even spend their entire run with the world title jobbing to other wrestlers, making their time with the belts look like a complete farce.

It should go without saying that the title doesn’t make the man, the man makes the title. Looking back at the first world championship runs of many of WWE’s top competitors though, you’d find it hard to believe the titles or the champion gained any prestige from these reigns.

It’s strange to think so many of these superstars went on to carry the company on their backs, becoming huge successes and household names in the process. And yet that’s what happened. A bad first run as world champion doesn’t necessarily have to define how the rest of a wrestler’s career turns out.

As one of the scariest men to ever step between the ropes, you'd think Kane would've had a more meaningful run as world champion . He was a skilled, terrifying monster, but rarely ever got a look in with regards to the WWE Championship. Instead, he found himself as a tag team specialist for most of his career. Despite this, he did become a world champion with the company one year after donning the mask. However, the ‘Big Red Machine’ hardly set the world on fire with his first run as WWF Champion in 1998.

Kane’s reign lasted 19 hours and was won under dubious circumstances, thanks to Mankind and The Undertaker’s interference. Not only that, Mick Foley's deranged alter ego and ‘Taker overshadowed Kane’s achievement with their infamous Hell in a Cell match. After he lost the WWF Championship back to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin on Raw, it took 12 years for the ‘Devil’s Favourite Demon’ to win a major WWE title again.

No one can say Kane had a bad career. Having competed in the 'E for nearly 25 years as a massive, demonic powerhouse, he managed to carve out a very successful run with the company, asserting himself as a Grand Slam champion with an impressive 12 reigns as a tag team champion.