10 Most Hated WWE Champions

7. Triple H

John Cena
WWE

Triple H was every version of a hated Champion in a pro wrestling context. And so he f*cking should have been, he was on top long enough.

As a pretender to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock's shared throne in 1999, he was entitled and loathsome. It became a welcome distaste a year later as he finally became as "That Damn Good" as he'd long professed to be. Hunter was hated alright, but lovingly so for the first time in his career. In the 18 month spell between his Royal Rumble 2000 scrap with Cactus Jack and brutal May 2001 quad tear, he out-performed (rather than out-politicked) his peers.

The injury completely changed the rules for 'The Game'. The floating blimp of biceps and oily bulk that returned in 2002 literally reflected his insecurity. His title reigns as Raw's lead heel until finally putting Batista over strong in 2005 placed a cynical stranglehold on numerous careers and the fanbase at large. 'CENAWINSLOL' was a younger generation's meme; 'Triple H Wins' was for several years little more than a pre-pay-per-view spoiler.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett