Ranking EVERY WWE Champion From Worst To Best
46. Batista
A game-changer as World Heavyweight Champion, Batista's runs with the WWE Championship were too transitional to rank any higher in a list of the greats.
He had to vacate his first run due to injury, and his second - while hilarious - was informed by a heel turn that existed for a John Cena dream match at WrestleMania XXVI. Having lost the gold to 'The Champ' on 'The Grandest Stage', he went on to lose the feud as a way to ease himself into retirement from wrestling full time.
Notably, Big Dave's time with the title came when the belt was, in every respect, tied to Cena more than anybody else able to squeeze in some time with it. The WWE logo might have been attached to the centre of the strap by then, but the gold was still called the "Spinner Belt" among fans the customisation so linked to 'Big Match John's original run. Everything becomes normalised in wrestling, but rarely had that particular choice looked as daft as when one of Cena's biggest professional rivals attempted to hold it aloft so proudly.