7 WCW Champions Who Never Became WWE Champions (And Why)

1. Lex Luger

WCW Champion: Twice (1991-1997)

Signed: 1992-1995

Reason: Lex Luger seemed like a shoe-in to become WWF Heavyweight Champion during his run as an 'American Hero'. Although the character was an attempted reboot of Hulk Hogan's run in the '80s, it happened at a time when wrestling fans yearned for something different.

Luger's prior WCW World Title reign had also been affected by things outwith his control; in 1991, Ric Flair left the company on bad terms to join the WWF, and WCW's decision to have Lex turn heel and win the belt at The Great American Bash hampered his reign from the start. By the time he dropped the title to Sting at SuperBrawl II the next year, Luger had already decided to leave WCW and join Vince McMahon's WBF.

That bodybuilding role was supposed to be a non-wrestling one, but it wasn't long before McMahon convinced Luger he should make an in-ring return to play the heel "Narcissist" character. When Hogan left in the summer of 1993, Luger morphed into a patriot babyface.

Whatever role he was playing, any hopes Lex had of becoming WWF Champion were ruined by the ascent of better workers like Bret Hart who had captured the collective imaginations of fans better than his Hogan-lite idea could. Come 1995, Luger had been demoted down the card and shockingly made the jump back to WCW on the first episode of Nitro.

He'd never win the WWF title or wrestle for McMahon again.

-

Do you think these WCW heroes should have been WWE Champions during their respective careers? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments section below!