Ranking Every WWE Grand Slam Champion Based On Their Legacy

Titles: WWE Champion, Tag Team Champion, Intercontinental Champion, Hardcore Champion, European Champion

Rob Van Dam had a rather perplexing role in the WWE following his arrival on the heels of The Invasion. He was by far one of the most popular invaders, with fans frequently chanting his name during matches with resident WWE fan favorite Jeff Hardy, much to the chagrin of Vince McMahon, who assumed anyone branded with a rival's label would play second fiddle to his own guys.

In a rare moment of awareness, however, Vince decided to let RVD take the ball and run with it, winning the Hardcore Championship just two weeks after first appearing on WWE television.

He also notched a string of high-profile victories over some of WWE's main event guys in his first couple of months under WWE's employ. And despite moving swiftly from one meaningless feud to another over the next few years, he never really lost his momentum with the fans.

That backing is likely what kept one belt or another around his waist for the majority of his time with the company. Seriously, the guy was a 16-time overall champion, so there was rarely a time that he wasn't loaded up with gold.

And by finally becoming the WWE Champion in 2006, he cemented the fact that the title was no longer the purview of giants, and stomped down the path for guys like Jeff Hardy.