10 WWE Champions You Didn't Care To Hate

In many ways, this selection exists solely to talk about Jinder Mahal. How can it not? Former world champions like The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger and Sheamus inspired plenty of apathy during their reigns, but Jinder Mahal stands alone on top of this particular mountain. Fans were shocked when Jinder's name was attached to a multi-person number one contender's match, let alone as a potential winner. Somehow, Jinder won that match, and those same fans assumed he was going to be a challenger in the vein of Hardcore Holly and R-Truth all those years ago. You know, a 'thanks for your service' shot, before a return to the lower echelons of the pecking order.

Nope. Somehow, Jinder Mahal defeated Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2017, becoming the 50th WWE Champion in the process. Maybe Orton was still hungover from the misery of what his feud with Bray Wyatt became? That is the only acceptable conclusion one can make. Still, the history books don't lie. Jinder Mahal was WWE Champion.

What's more, he was champion for a lifetime, putting on boring matches and losing his voice in long promo segments along the way. Sure, he had a good entrance, but you can't build a champion on an entrance, unfortunately. Jinder's reign became defined by predictions as to who would beat him. Shinsuke Nakamura wasn't able to do so (a decision that hindered Shinsuke's WWE career immensely) but AJ Styles eventually got it done, mercifully bringing the boredom of the WWE Universe to a close.