8 Greatest Transitional WWE Champions Of All Time

JBL held the WWE Championship for almost a full year between 2004 and 2005, and yet, his title reign easily qualifies as a transitional one. Sure, he held the strap longer than everyone else on this list by a long shot, but the fact of the matter is that Bradshaw was simply biding time until John Cena was ready to make the leap and secure his first of many WWE Championships.

And while he waited for the Doctor of Thuganomics to get his s**t together, Bradshaw had some of the most memorable encounters of his career.

His feud with Eddie Guerrero alone was worth letting the Stetson-wearing snob hoist the gold over his head, whilst his rivalry with The Undertaker remains one of the most overlooked of the Ruthless Aggression era.

A month into his reign, not only could the guy draw monster heat simply by stepping out onto the entrance ramp, but his mic skills were reminiscent of the great heels of the '80s, whose sole purpose was to rile up the crowds while reminding them of their intense hatred every chance he got.

Despite all this, he was one of the worst drawing champions of all time. But that's largely due to the fact that his reign was being stretched out without any clear direction. Such is the unfortunate side effect of being a transitional champion for far too long.