10 Worst Simultaneous WWE/WCW Heavyweight Champions

Hulk Hogan, Chris Jericho & Vince McMahon redefine what it takes to be "Champion"

Diesel Hogan 95
WWE

"You wear a belt, you win a Championship", so sayeth Vince McMahon, according to most of those that have worked for him at various (and, in this case, particularly fractious) times.

It's one of the reasons it went on the vaunted banned words list, before Becky Lynch was able to merchandise it anyway. As 'Becky 2 Belts', Lynch briefly tackled his irrational hatred of a term with his irrational love of alliteration - but lost her nickname when she lost one of her "championship titles" back to Charlotte Flair within a month of winning it.

'The Man' was of interest to McMahon going in to WrestleMania, but less so on the back side. Comparisons to Stone Cold Steve Austin fizzled as she was booked to try and elevate newcomer Lacey Evans rather than take on the f*cking world like 'The Rattlesnake'. Austin, naturally, is nowhere near this list.

WCW's carelessness with their top title at the tail-end of the company's existence proffered some intriguing options as company figureheads, but it was rare WWE made such boneheaded moves back then. Money talked loudest, and it spoke primarily for the fans' collective voice.

For all the fleeting and rapid-fire glory of the heady 1990s though, it was also the decade when a bad decision meant actual box office decline. These mistakes weren't just creative misfires, they were costly...

10. Diesel/The Giant (1995)

Diesel Hogan 95
WWE

It gives your writer no pleasure to start this particular list criticising an all-time favourite, but October 1995's Kevin Nash/Paul Wight double-header reflected a business well and truly the bin despite the enormous difference both men would be making on it just one year later.

Emblematic of an industry in decline rather than being the sole causes of it, the two seven-footers being chosen to hold gold was borne out of the bigger-is-always-better belief still hanging around from the long-departed 1980s.

In WWE, Vince McMahon was only a year removed from the steroid trial that nearly sent him to jail and in no mood to face similar consequences again. Size was the substitute for big, and Diesel had plenty of height to match his charm and charisma. Meanwhile, Hulk Hogan's maiden stranglehold over the WCW World Championship only came to an end because of the 'Hulkster's filming commitments elsewhere - and his dated mindset only allowed for defeat if it came at the debuting (and completely unprepared) hands of a brand new Giant.

Times were changing, but wrestling wasn't. 12 months later, and WCW were beginning to reap the benefits of their big gamble, even if it came with a rather frustrating familiarity...

 
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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