10 Worst Endings To Awesome Wrestling Title Reigns

4. Batista Relinquishes The World Heavyweight Title

Sheamus Daniel Bryan 18 Seconds WrestleMania
WWE.com

Given how horrendous Batista's last WWE run was, it's easy to forget just how good he was at his peak. He was no technical wizard between the ropes, but he was an awesome power wrestler, and had really come into his own by 2005. He became World Heavyweight Champion by defeating former ally Triple H at WrestleMania 21, and the stage was set for an epic title reign, with Batista quickly establishing himself as a fighting champ.

Edge, Muhammad Hassan, and Kurt Angle were all fought off. At Vengeance, Batista bested 'The Game' inside Hell In A Cell, and pay-per-view victories over JBL and Eddie Guerrero followed. He was flying, but an early 2006 feud with Mark Henry proved to be his undoing.

Batista tore his triceps muscle while wrestling 'The World's Strongest Man' on a house show. He was forced to end his lengthy reign just two days after breaking Triple H's record 280 days as champion, and spent the next six months on the sidelines while the likes of Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle passed it around.

It remained the longest World Heavyweight Title run until the belt was eventually unified with the WWE Championship in December 2013.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.