5 Great Inaugural WWE Champions (And 5 That Sucked)

3. Rob Van Dam - ECW Champion

When WWE announced the return of the ECW brand, fans were skeptical, but optimistic - this was WWE, but the company had done a great job with the first One Night Stand pay-per-view. At the second event in 2006, the new ECW got off to a great start, as brand draftee Rob Van Dam defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship.

The first episode of ECW on SciFi had its ups and downs, but it was capped off by the revelation that RVD wasn't just the WWE Champion, he was the newly-reestablished ECW Champion. Paul Heyman gifted him with the new version of the belt he had never won during his original ECW tenure, and while he didn't beat anyone to win it, his WWE Title gave him legitimacy.

Unfortunately, real life interfered and changed the path of the ECW brand. While reigning as double champion, Rob Van Dam and traveling partner Sabu were pulled over and arrested for possession of drugs. As RVD was suspended for 30 days, he was forced to drop his titles.

The Big Show defeated Van Dam to win the ECW Championship only three weeks after the belt was revived, and to say the new ECW went downhill from there is an understatement.