Ranking Every Transitional WWE World Champion From Worst To Best
The Miz, The Iron Sheik, The Rock?! Who were WWE's best guys for making The Guy?
It was Edge's maiden WWE Championship reign in 2006 that introduced the term "transitional champion" into the vernacular of many a fan, but it was frustratingly warped on arrival.
'The Rated-R Superstar' applied it as a pejorative in an act of defensiveness and tacitly to put over former and future holder John Cena. Edge was desperate to not be what he referred to as a transitional champion, but he was really just referring to the length of the reign - having defeated Cena at January's New Year's Revolution, he didn't want to lose it at...January's Royal Rumble.
He did, and that was quite sad, but he was so effective over his weeks-long stint that he was a made man and a memorable Champion in his own right after the fact.
A transitional champion only truly shows themselves after they've lost the title, and the clue's in the name - they exist to transition a belt from Wrestler A to Wrestler B without A & B doing battle for it. There are reasons both old and new for such a process (and, as explored below, a couple of wrinkles along the way), but each titleholder is worthy of a auspiciously unique respect.
The company could have chosen anybody for such an important role, but they chose them. Here, the wrestlers will be ranked by their success in the specific spot, and what might have been achieved along the way...
(WWE, World & Universal all class as top titles and will feature accordingly...)
17. Alberto Del Rio
A mess of a summer thankfully concluded at the Survivor Series 2010 when CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio to kick off a lengthy WWE Championship run that should have never have been terminated in August.
Del Rio was dull and the match was bang average, but it at least saved another money clash with John Cena for another day.