Every 1-Time WWE Champion Ranked From Worst To Best
6. John "Bradshaw" Layfield
Anyone who said they could see Bradshaw - one half of the APA - as a future WWE Champion before the year 2004 was likely laughed at relentlessly. As it turns out, they were on the money (no pun intended).
After a total reinvention, John "Bradshaw" Layfield defeated Eddie Guerrero to begin a 280-day reign with the WWE Championship. In that time, JBL defended the title against men like Booker T, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker before finally dropping the championship at WrestleMania 21.
Oh, and the man he lost the championship to? A young upstart who had never won the WWE Championship before by the name of John Cena.
JBL's rise to the top may have come out of left field for many people, but it's actually quite inspiring to see someone written off a midcarder for life make it in the main event picture.
Combine this with the fact that he got to defend the title at WrestleMania, which in turn gave one of the biggest stars in wrestling history his first ever world title, and you've got a reign that's absolutely priceless.