WWE: 5 Worst World Champions During The Brand Extension

5. John Bradshaw Layfield

jbl It was rather perplexing that Bradshaw came from losing in a bid to win the WWE Tag Team championship at WrestleMania XX in 2004, in a member of a washed up tag team The APA, to two months later - having transformed into the 21st century's answer to Ted DiBiase - winning the WWE championship at Judgment Day. I assumed at the time Eddie Guerrero would win the title back at the next pay-per-view, or when it transpired that Guerrero had asked to drop the title due to struggling to deal with the pressure of being champion, JBL would be a brief transitional champion. I was, unfortunately, wrong and he'd hold the title all the way until WrestleMania 21 the next year. I've always felt the honour of walking into WrestleMania as the WWE champion should go to the top guys in the company, even if JBL vs. John Cena at WrestleMania wasn't the main event. I felt the same way in 2001, so I was glad when Kurt Angle dropped the title before WrestleMania X-Seven, as he wasn't - in my opinion - a bonafide main eventer at that point. I'm not focusing on ratings and pay-per-view buys when compiling this list, so I'd let off JBL for his poor numbers if he'd had a run of decent matches in the numerous pay-per-views that he main evented as champion. In terms of being over, he was never booked that weak, even when he was in The APA; Although he did cheat to win many times, of course as heels do, but his overweight physique didn't exactly give him the look of a champion either. As I alluded to above, he often cheated to win, with the help of his stable members Orlando Jordan and the Basham Brothers. 'The Cabinet' won't make any potential potential list of "WWE's Top 10 Greatest Stables" either.
 
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Martin Perry is a writer for WhatCulture, who has a passion for the blood, sweat and tears world of Boxing, and an enthusiasm for the world of WWE. Other interests include Football and Darts. You can follow and contact him on Twitter @MartinPez