10 World Champions WWE Never Believed In

9. Chris Benoit

WWE may not want to admit it, but there was a Royal Rumble match in 2004 and it was won by Chris Benoit. Up to that point, he had an amazing run as a tag team and singles competitor, but he hadn't reached the same heights he did toward the end of his WCW tenure. But at long last, he was given his just due as a main event level performer in 2004 when he challenged for (and won) the World Heavyweight Championship in a headlining match at WrestleMania 20. It was never known exactly why Shawn Michaels was added to Benoit's match with Triple H, but one can only assume officials thought Benoit vs. Triple H wouldn't sell on its own. He was booked pretty strong in the time he held the strap, knocking off The Game more than once and toppling Kane at Bad Blood, but it was evident he was never meant to be a main event caliber competitor long-term. He lost the title to Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2004, but instead of invoking his rematch at Unforgiven, he had his title shot on the next night's Raw and fell short of regaining the gold. That was done to get Benoit out of the title picture as quickly as possible so they could move forward with their Orton vs. HHH plans. Before his tragic death in 2007, he never again went after the prestigious prize.