5 Biggest Contenders To Ric Flair's World Title Record
1. Kurt Angle
Perhaps the most worthy successor to Flair’s crown is the most legitimate candidate in the championship race – Olympic Gold medallist, Kurt Angle.
Throughout his 17 years in the ring as a pro, Angle has lived the wrestling life to the letter; through the height of the Attitude boom, WrestleMania main events and the halcyon days of TNA to neck surgeries, drug addiction and divorce.
In that time, Angle’s outstanding work ethic and unrivalled intensity has made him a champion everywhere he’s ever been. Winning the WWF Championship from The Rock in his rookie year, Angle would go on to capture the WCW Championship the following summer. Kurt would hold the WWE Title three more times throughout his WWE tenure while also adding a sole World Heavyweight Championship reign to his already stellar list of accomplishments; making him a six time World Champion by the time he left in 2006.
In a career renaissance for “The Wrestling Machine”, Angle would have some of his greatest matches over the years that followed, with multiple classics against the likes of Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Jay Lethal, Sting and Desmond Wolfe during his stay in TNA.
Soon enough, Kurt would defeat Christian Cage and Sting in a Three Way for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at Sacrifice ’07; however, this reign is not officially recognised as Cage had been stripped of the NWA Title that very day. Nevertheless, Kurt would be crowned the first ever TNA World Heavyweight Champion at the very next set of Impact tapings following TNA’s official split from the NWA; going on to hold the title a further five times over the course of the next eight years.
During this time, Angle would also travel to Japan to reignite his most heated feud with old rival, Brock Lesnar; squaring off for the IWGP 3rd Belt at Antonio Inoki’s inaugural IGF event in 2007. On that night, Angle would vanquish his larger adversary, walking away as the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion. Angle would defend the belt just twice over the course of his 233 day run as champ before finally relinquishing the title to Shinsuke Nakamura in what would be considered a dream match in 2016.
With Angle currently clocked at 13 official World Heavyweight Titles (4 x WWE, 1 x WCW, 1 x World Heavyweight Title, 6 x TNA, 1 x IWGP), on the surface, he still has some work to do to catch up to his championship rivals. However, when taking into account his amateur accolades – as TNA did at varying points during his tenure – the 1996 Olympic Gold and a FILA World Championship from ‘95 bring Angle’s World Championship accomplishments up to 15; tying him with both Cena and Sting, and edging him ever closer to Naitch’s record.
With a return to WWE a possibility at some time, another WWE World Championship victory for Angle would see him tie Flair’s record, adding further validation to an already unrivalled career and definitively cement him as one of the greatest of all time.