10 Strongest Champions In Wrestling Today

4. Kevin Owens (WWE United States Champion)

Kevin Owens
WWE

Kevin Owens started the year as a horrendous Universal Champion, though this came to a merciful end in March. Goldberg definitely wasn’t the best option to hand the belt over to, but KO’s run as a snivelling world champion was destroying his character, and losing the belt allowed him to dive right into a feud with Chris Jericho.

Owens first took the United States Title from Y2J at WrestleMania 33, though he lost it back to his fellow Canadian after 28 days. Fortunately, KO was able to regain the strap by brutalising his former best friend two days later, and he has held it ever since, mounting successful defences against AJ Styles and Chad Gable.

While Owens has been booked to lose a number of non-title matches during this spell as champion, his reign has elevated the belt to the point where it now feels more important than Jinder Mahal’s WWE Championship. His reinvention as ‘The New Face Of America’ has been endlessly entertaining, and with a Styles rematch seemingly on the horizon, the belt’s value should continue to improve throughout 2017, which, given how lowly it felt this time last year, is a huge accomplishment.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.