Ranking EVERY WWE Champion From Worst To Best

51. Ivan Koloff

WWE Champions Ranked
WWE.com

Probably the best ever example of what a transitional champion was used for when the phrase had meaning, Ivan Koloff silenced the wrestling world when he ended Bruno Sammartino's near-eight year run as Champion in 1971.

Any heel to accomplish that would have been the hottest in the world, and that's exactly what 'The Russian Bear' was until Pedro Morales righted the wrong just 21 days later. Three weeks after riots nearly broke out around Madison Square Garden, all was well again in the world as Vince McMahon Sr had found his next great babyface hope. 

Koloff hung around at the top of the card for a little while longer after that, but by then his purpose had been duly served. 

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett