10 WWE Midcarders Who Broke The Glass Ceiling

I was almost hesitant to add this one, since it seemed obvious for a while that WWE had big plans/high hopes for Edge. They split the future Rated-R Superstar from tag partner Christian, gave him a big King of the Ring win and Intercontinental Title run.

Edge was then pushed as one of the hottest young stars in WWE and seemed destine to get a proper crack at the WWE Title when he went down with a serious neck injury in February 2003. When he came back in April 2004, he was transferred to Raw and feuds with Kane and Batista, as well as yet more injuries, stalled his momentum.

He got a big boost at WrestleMania 21 when he won the first Money in the Bank ladder match, but his summer feud with Matt Hardy was a distraction. Once he got over another injury, he was placed into a feud with Ric Flair and it seemed as though he would continue to drift around from programme to programme in lieu of actually challenging for the title.

Then, at New Year's Revolution 2006, Edge shocked the world by cashing in on John Cena following Big Match John's successful title defense inside the Elimination Chamber. His first run as WWE Champion would, sadly, be a transitional one (despite drawing great ratings) as he dropped the title back to Cene after just a few weeks.

Following that initial, disappointingly short reign, however, would come many more. When his in-ring WWE career was brought to an end in April 2011, Edge was a 4-time WWE Champion and a 7-time World Heavyweight Champion. He'd shattered the glass ceiling, well and truly.