8 WWE Champions Who Revived A Dying Title

The negative reaction to the WWE Universal Title upon its unveiling at SummerSlam 2016 signalled an inauspicious start for WWE's newest championship. Despite its billing as Monday Night Raw's primary title, the belt itself was given little respect from the fans.

The fact that inaugural champion, Finn Bálor, was immediately forced to surrender the title after suffering a serious shoulder injury made matters even worse. Kevin Owens was soon crowned the new Universal Champion; however, KO's own booking was also questionable at times, which did nothing for the title or the champ.

When Goldberg won the title from Owens after decimating Brock Lesnar at both Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, it was clear that a Lesnar title run was on the horizon. Avenging his WrestleMania XX loss at WrestleMania 33, the most legitimate badass WWE has ever had now held the Universal Championship. That fact alone meant the Universal Title was a legitimate accolade.

Lesnar's sporadic appearances make him a big deal every time he appears. With the Universal Championship around his waist, this also meant that the title was a big deal by association. If anyone is bad enough to take it off 'The Beast', they are deserving champion indeed.

Lesnar's physical title defences have boosted the championship's stature tenfold - and the Universal Title has journeyed from eye-sore to legit in the space of a year.