Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment has been home to some of the most recognizable stars in the history of the sport, their championship reigns the stuff of legend. As great as those stars were/are, though, many would not have achieved the legendary runs at the top of the company that they did without the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship lending credibility to them. As much as Triple H has been quoted as saying "the man makes the championship, not the other way around," he has been contradicted over the course of WWE history by several instances in which that was most certainly not the case. He, himself, has the top prize in sports-entertainment to thank for validating his main event push. Over the last five or six years, fans have witnessed more and more of WWE trying to get talent over by strapping a major championship around their waist, hoping fans accept them now that they have a reign on their resumes. There was Sheamus, then Jack Swagger and, finally, The Miz. Even Daniel Bryan in 2011. Rarely has it worked. With hopes high that doing the same will lead to Roman Reigns becoming the top dog in the industry, relive these 10 moments when it was effective, helping to ignite main event runs and create enduring legacies for the most respected Superstars in WWE history.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
