10 Times WWE Moves Have Been Used In MMA
Ronda Rousey might have known more about professional wrestling than she initially thought...
Mar 1, 2018
With Ronda Rousey signing her WWE contract on Sunday at Elimination Chamber, 'WWE' and 'UFC' have been said many times in the same sentence by a lot of different people over the past few days.
It's no real surprise that Ronda has made the move to work for Vince McMahon because professional wrestling and mixed martial arts are one in the same - current WWE Universal and former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview close to the last time his WWE contract was coming to an end in 2015, The Beast claimed that Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting the same thing while also using the same business model. If Brock thinks that's enough to categorise them in the same bracket, I'm sure as hell not going to argue with him - he
might
hurt me.
Let me indulge you in a few examples of when the action that takes place inside of an Octagon and squared circle have got themselves lost down the years - who knows, Ronda might be able to add a thing or two to her arsenal after reading this... she's a HUGE fan of Cultaholic, didn't you know?
(If I've missed any high profile examples here, please direct your complaints to @AdamPacitti on Twitter. He'd be more than happy to deal with your grievances.)
10. Powerbomb
https://youtu.be/TOLpJ63cusA?t=21s
Move over Kevins Nash and Owens, Rampage Jackson can show you a thing or two about hitting a variation of the Powerbomb. There's little wonder the man who goes by Quinton ended up in the squared circle for TNA after seeing undeniable professional wrestling prowess like this.
Jackon's picture perfect Powerbomb - try and say that five times quickly, I dare you - took place at PRIDE Critical in 2004, with Ricardo Arona the unlucky recipient.
Some - and by that I mean those who have the insatiable need to see our favourite professional wrestlers
really
hurt themselves - argue that most of the Powerbombs we see in wrestling these days look too comfortable a move to take. They see the person hitting the move protecting the person they're hitting the move on - as well they should be - and don't like it. Hopefully, those people see the devastation on display during Rampage's rendition and then SHUT THE HELL UP.
Don't think this move was Rampage extracting the Michael from his opponents here either. Arona was one of PRIDE's better fighters at the time which makes this professional wrestling move being used in what, on paper at least, looked like being a competitive legitimate fight all the more awesome.
9. Sweet Chin Music
Of course this move has been used in MMA - it's downright savage when executed correctly. Being kicked in the face really hurts, so there's no surprise to see a couple of high profile examples of Shawn Michaels' patented finisher being used inside the Octagon in recent times.
Firstly, Kevin Wirth blasted Isaiah Gutierrez with the sole of his foot at LFA 33 (above) which resulted in the fight being stopped. Then, at UFC Fight Night 126, James Vick hit Francisco Trinaldo outta nowhere with a SCM - a move that even Michaels himself complimented on Twitter.
Why are these people hitting HBK's finisher in an Octagon? Well, they're clearly massive professional wrestling
marks
and shame on them for being so! (
I don't mean that - kicking somebody in the head when they're not expecting it is always going to bring success, so why not use it?
)
8. Walls Of Jericho
https://youtu.be/GMMigjW3q78
Or the Boston Crab, whatever floats your boat.
Jonno Mears, an English middleweight, used a Walls Of Jericho to earn a victory at FCC 19 in Bolton not too long ago. Not only did he steal Y2J's most famous move, he also stole some of that cockiness we'd associate with 2002/03 Jericho, pulling a face and sticking his thumbs up before his opponent had tapped. The balls on that guy...
Once more in a rather shocking turn of events, a professional wrestler seeing
his
finisher - sorry Pedro Morales and Rick Martel - being used effectively in a legitimate fight garnered a positive response from said professional wrestler. It's almost as if they want you to believe
the graps
is real or something...
https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/914232757093576704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2736304-mma-fighter-uses-walls-of-jericho-7-times-wwe-moves-have-invaded-the-octagon
7. Dropkick
https://youtu.be/zKwoQZR-CnI?t=22s
The attempted Dropkick above wasn't effective in the slightest but at least Ikuhisa Minowa gave it a try in his match against WrestleMania XV guest star Butterbean.
There are definitely shades of Daniel Bryan from the Japanese star here, who throws everything he has into the strike without much in the way of care or attention for his own wellbeing.
It's clear that professional wrestling was part of Minowa's makeup as he would later go on to become a pro wrestler, making his debut in Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion by defeating Necro Butcher in what has to be one of the most severe cases of '
baptism of fire'
in the history of the business.
6. Piledriver
https://youtu.be/4rtaHyy3joU?t=31s
What you're seeing above might not be as graceful as an Undertaker Tombstone or Suzuki's Gotch-Styled number, but Alan Belcher lifted up Patrick Cote at UFC 113 in 2010 and dropped him on his head. That's a Piledriver in my book - even if it is arguably the ugliest one we're ever likely to see.
Capitalising on the opportunity he created for himself, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Belcher followed this up with a rear naked choke for the win - the fact he did use that hold to finish suggests Cote had a neck to apply it on. The video above, however, suggests his neck was relocated somewhere in his chest.
5. Elbow Drop
Big Cass never knew he had such strong competition. While the seven-footer is famed for hitting his Empire Elbow, James Moontasri hit his own version during UFC Fight Night 44 in a bout against Joe Ellenberger.
Even though you could argue that hitting such a move leaves the person hitting it open for an Armbar or Triangle Choke, such was the force created by Moontasri's leap and placement of the elbow on the way down, there was never really a threat of that happening.
Ellenberger did come back to win the fight, however, so maybe James should look to take elbow dropping tips from The Rock or 'Macho Man' Randy Savage if he ever decides to step back into the Octagon.
4. DDT
https://youtu.be/uqhmNJiaCiE?t=2m9s
For a long old time the DDT was the most feared move in professional wrestling. These days it's nothing more than a second-rate transitional move, but that didn't stop Cat Zingano hitting the move made famous by Jake 'The Snake' Roberts during her three-round win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178.
Rather than the variations we see on WWE television each week, this move was hit with all of the fluidity we used to see on the old SmackDown games for the PS1. Go back and play them, hit a DDT, and you'll see a slightly sped up version of what Zingano hit above.
3. The Rock Bottom
https://youtu.be/i8tVTuNZ3Zw?t=2m46s
Again, because this is a legitimate fight and not the choreographed beauty we see each week on WWE television, this isn't anywhere near as nice on the eye as The Rock's version - but it's still a Rock Bottom nonetheless.
Look at the way Travis Fulton hits the move - he hooks the arm under the chin and arms of his opponent just like Rocky, he lifts the opponent up just like Rocky, and then slams the opponent down
nothing
like Rocky... Rocky was a safe worker and never had his opponents land on the back of their necks.
Jeremy Bullock (the guy taking the move) hasn't stepped back into a cage since, apparently. You can't blame him after this horrific bump.
2. Chokeslam
https://youtu.be/5jDT_R0wq4A?t=1m24s
It's clear to me that Thiago Silva isn't a huge fan of Luke Gallows - I bet he wishes he was after suffering a Chokeslam Kane would be proud (ish) of. As we all know, when sorting out his travel and accommodation ahead of his first house show loop and with a series of matches against The Big Red Machine on the horizon, Gallows was unironically told to "watch out for that... Chokeslam" by The Fink - advice I'm sure Silva wishes he had on board before his bout with knockout artist Houston 'The Assassin' Alexander.
Fortunately for Silva, however, Alexander's Chokeslams clearly aren't as devastating as Kane's as he would go onto lose this match via KO in the first round. At least we got to see one ugly-arse Chokeslam in an Octagon though... every cloud.
1. German Suplex
https://youtu.be/cWhgY7txnlQ?t=5s
Suplex City *clap clap, clap clap clap*
I know that some of you might consider a German Suplex to be an amateur wrestling throw, but since the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling still uses the move to this very day, I'm throwing it in the same class as an Irish Whip or Hurricanrana. When Brock eventually returns to UFC, which is seemingly more inevitable by the week, we'll have to open up this discussion once more. Remind me.
Let's forget about Brock for the moment, however, as this is Jon Jones we're talking about. He's a very talented bloke. He's also a very flamboyant performer - of course he would do something like this. Of course he would.
With Ronda Rousey signing her WWE contract on Sunday at Elimination Chamber, 'WWE' and 'UFC' have been said many times in the same sentence by a lot of different people over the past few days.
It's no real surprise that Ronda has made the move to work for Vince McMahon because professional wrestling and mixed martial arts are one in the same - current WWE Universal and former UFC World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar told me so.
During a televised interview close to the last time his WWE contract was coming to an end in 2015, The Beast claimed that Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White are promoting the same thing while also using the same business model. If Brock thinks that's enough to categorise them in the same bracket, I'm sure as hell not going to argue with him - he
might
hurt me.
Let me indulge you in a few examples of when the action that takes place inside of an Octagon and squared circle have got themselves lost down the years - who knows, Ronda might be able to add a thing or two to her arsenal after reading this... she's a HUGE fan of Cultaholic, didn't you know?
(If I've missed any high profile examples here, please direct your complaints to @AdamPacitti on Twitter. He'd be more than happy to deal with your grievances.)
10. Powerbomb
https://youtu.be/TOLpJ63cusA?t=21s
Move over Kevins Nash and Owens, Rampage Jackson can show you a thing or two about hitting a variation of the Powerbomb. There's little wonder the man who goes by Quinton ended up in the squared circle for TNA after seeing undeniable professional wrestling prowess like this.
Jackon's picture perfect Powerbomb - try and say that five times quickly, I dare you - took place at PRIDE Critical in 2004, with Ricardo Arona the unlucky recipient.
Some - and by that I mean those who have the insatiable need to see our favourite professional wrestlers
really
hurt themselves - argue that most of the Powerbombs we see in wrestling these days look too comfortable a move to take. They see the person hitting the move protecting the person they're hitting the move on - as well they should be - and don't like it. Hopefully, those people see the devastation on display during Rampage's rendition and then SHUT THE HELL UP.
Don't think this move was Rampage extracting the Michael from his opponents here either. Arona was one of PRIDE's better fighters at the time which makes this professional wrestling move being used in what, on paper at least, looked like being a competitive legitimate fight all the more awesome.
9. Sweet Chin Music
Of course this move has been used in MMA - it's downright savage when executed correctly. Being kicked in the face really hurts, so there's no surprise to see a couple of high profile examples of Shawn Michaels' patented finisher being used inside the Octagon in recent times.
Firstly, Kevin Wirth blasted Isaiah Gutierrez with the sole of his foot at LFA 33 (above) which resulted in the fight being stopped. Then, at UFC Fight Night 126, James Vick hit Francisco Trinaldo outta nowhere with a SCM - a move that even Michaels himself complimented on Twitter.
Why are these people hitting HBK's finisher in an Octagon? Well, they're clearly massive professional wrestling
marks
and shame on them for being so! (
I don't mean that - kicking somebody in the head when they're not expecting it is always going to bring success, so why not use it?
)
8. Walls Of Jericho
https://youtu.be/GMMigjW3q78
Or the Boston Crab, whatever floats your boat.
Jonno Mears, an English middleweight, used a Walls Of Jericho to earn a victory at FCC 19 in Bolton not too long ago. Not only did he steal Y2J's most famous move, he also stole some of that cockiness we'd associate with 2002/03 Jericho, pulling a face and sticking his thumbs up before his opponent had tapped. The balls on that guy...
Once more in a rather shocking turn of events, a professional wrestler seeing
his
finisher - sorry Pedro Morales and Rick Martel - being used effectively in a legitimate fight garnered a positive response from said professional wrestler. It's almost as if they want you to believe
the graps
is real or something...
https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/914232757093576704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2736304-mma-fighter-uses-walls-of-jericho-7-times-wwe-moves-have-invaded-the-octagon
7. Dropkick
https://youtu.be/zKwoQZR-CnI?t=22s
The attempted Dropkick above wasn't effective in the slightest but at least Ikuhisa Minowa gave it a try in his match against WrestleMania XV guest star Butterbean.
There are definitely shades of Daniel Bryan from the Japanese star here, who throws everything he has into the strike without much in the way of care or attention for his own wellbeing.
It's clear that professional wrestling was part of Minowa's makeup as he would later go on to become a pro wrestler, making his debut in Antonio Inoki's IGF promotion by defeating Necro Butcher in what has to be one of the most severe cases of '
baptism of fire'
in the history of the business.
6. Piledriver
https://youtu.be/4rtaHyy3joU?t=31s
What you're seeing above might not be as graceful as an Undertaker Tombstone or Suzuki's Gotch-Styled number, but Alan Belcher lifted up Patrick Cote at UFC 113 in 2010 and dropped him on his head. That's a Piledriver in my book - even if it is arguably the ugliest one we're ever likely to see.
Capitalising on the opportunity he created for himself, Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Belcher followed this up with a rear naked choke for the win - the fact he did use that hold to finish suggests Cote had a neck to apply it on. The video above, however, suggests his neck was relocated somewhere in his chest.
5. Elbow Drop
Big Cass never knew he had such strong competition. While the seven-footer is famed for hitting his Empire Elbow, James Moontasri hit his own version during UFC Fight Night 44 in a bout against Joe Ellenberger.
Even though you could argue that hitting such a move leaves the person hitting it open for an Armbar or Triangle Choke, such was the force created by Moontasri's leap and placement of the elbow on the way down, there was never really a threat of that happening.
Ellenberger did come back to win the fight, however, so maybe James should look to take elbow dropping tips from The Rock or 'Macho Man' Randy Savage if he ever decides to step back into the Octagon.
4. DDT
https://youtu.be/uqhmNJiaCiE?t=2m9s
For a long old time the DDT was the most feared move in professional wrestling. These days it's nothing more than a second-rate transitional move, but that didn't stop Cat Zingano hitting the move made famous by Jake 'The Snake' Roberts during her three-round win over Amanda Nunes at UFC 178.
Rather than the variations we see on WWE television each week, this move was hit with all of the fluidity we used to see on the old SmackDown games for the PS1. Go back and play them, hit a DDT, and you'll see a slightly sped up version of what Zingano hit above.
3. The Rock Bottom
https://youtu.be/i8tVTuNZ3Zw?t=2m46s
Again, because this is a legitimate fight and not the choreographed beauty we see each week on WWE television, this isn't anywhere near as nice on the eye as The Rock's version - but it's still a Rock Bottom nonetheless.
Look at the way Travis Fulton hits the move - he hooks the arm under the chin and arms of his opponent just like Rocky, he lifts the opponent up just like Rocky, and then slams the opponent down
nothing
like Rocky... Rocky was a safe worker and never had his opponents land on the back of their necks.
Jeremy Bullock (the guy taking the move) hasn't stepped back into a cage since, apparently. You can't blame him after this horrific bump.
2. Chokeslam
https://youtu.be/5jDT_R0wq4A?t=1m24s
It's clear to me that Thiago Silva isn't a huge fan of Luke Gallows - I bet he wishes he was after suffering a Chokeslam Kane would be proud (ish) of. As we all know, when sorting out his travel and accommodation ahead of his first house show loop and with a series of matches against The Big Red Machine on the horizon, Gallows was unironically told to "watch out for that... Chokeslam" by The Fink - advice I'm sure Silva wishes he had on board before his bout with knockout artist Houston 'The Assassin' Alexander.
Fortunately for Silva, however, Alexander's Chokeslams clearly aren't as devastating as Kane's as he would go onto lose this match via KO in the first round. At least we got to see one ugly-arse Chokeslam in an Octagon though... every cloud.
1. German Suplex
https://youtu.be/cWhgY7txnlQ?t=5s
Suplex City *clap clap, clap clap clap*
I know that some of you might consider a German Suplex to be an amateur wrestling throw, but since the biggest name in the world of professional wrestling still uses the move to this very day, I'm throwing it in the same class as an Irish Whip or Hurricanrana. When Brock eventually returns to UFC, which is seemingly more inevitable by the week, we'll have to open up this discussion once more. Remind me.
Let's forget about Brock for the moment, however, as this is Jon Jones we're talking about. He's a very talented bloke. He's also a very flamboyant performer - of course he would do something like this. Of course he would.
10. Bret Hart (1997)
WWE.com
Bret Hart was a WWE Champion you could be proud of.
He was credible, he always put in the effort and, nine times out of ten, he'd give you a great match.
He won the title in 1992, '94 and '95, having three commendable runs. He won it again at In Your House: Final Four in '97, only to lose it the next day to Sycho Sid.
He captured the strap again one final time later in the year, beating The Undertaker at SummerSlam and holding it until Survivor Series where, well, you know.
This last reign only lasted 98 days and was thus The Hitman's second shortest reign (after his 24 hour one), but Bret was good value for it during that time.
People tend to remember the sour note his reign ended on, but Hart packed a lot in to his three or so months on top. He got a really strong match out of the Patriot at In Your House: Ground Zero, had an unheralded classic with 'Taker at One Night Only and had a few decent scraps on Raw with the likes of Vader and Ken Shamrock.
He also continued doing some of the best promo work of his career in the ongoing Canada versus USA rivalry.
9. Rey Mysterio (2006)
WWE.com
When people discuss Rey Mysterio's (unlikely) 2006 World Heavyweight Title reign, they tend to focus on the negatives.
It's true that Rey's road to WrestleMania 22, where he triumphed over Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a triple-threat match, was bungled. It's also true that, after becoming champ, Mysterio was not the beneficiary of favourable booking, as he was routinely battered by everyone from Finlay to the Great Khali.
But there was a lot of good to enjoy, too, specifically when it came to Rey's title defenses.
He had bangers with Orton and Angle on television and ripped it up with JBL on pay-per-view (at Judgment Day) and SmackDown. While reigning as champ, he also had a hell of a dream match against Sabu at the second ECW One Night Stand.
Mysterio was a popular champion and held the title with pride. It took a minute to get used to someone so small in stature holding the World HEAVYWEIGHT Title, but Rey was good and believable that he was able to continue to suspend disbelief in high-pressure situations.
The match in which he lost the gold - to King Booker at The Great American Bash - was also also excellent and ended his reign on a high note.
8. The Ultimate Warrior
WWE.com
Roundly considered a major flop as WWE Champion, it's important to remember the act The Ultimate Warrior had to follow.
Jim Hellwig was expected to fill the shoes of Hulk Hogan, who was going on a break for a while after holding the title for a year and, really, carrying much of the load for the previous six years.
Warrior beat Hogan in what was considered a 'torch passing' match and moment at WrestleMania VI and set about grafting hard to live up to the expectations.
He was never going to be the Hulkster, but he was still enormously popular and, despite his reputation as being a subpar worker, had many thrilling title defenses against Rick Rude, Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage.
He didn't measure up as a draw, but Warrior's lone run with the WWE Title did yield some highlights.
7. The Miz (2010 - 2011)
WWE.com
I know that some felt as though WWE (if not the world) was about to end when The Miz, of all people, became WWE Champion in November 2010.
But, all things considered, his run wasn't half bad. It wasn't an all-timer or anything, but the man who came to WWE via reality television worked tirelessly to improve and was actually - GASP! - a respectable champion.
He had a couple of decent matches with Randy Orton on pay-per-view, a really good Falls Count Anywhere bout with former partner John Morrison on the January 3, 2011 Raw and had a shockingly great mini-programme with Jerry Lawler, which produced decent matches at Elimination Chamber 2011 and on Raw.
Miz grew in confidence during his reign and showed that he had the tools to carry the ball. He played it just right, ramping up his more unlikable qualities and being the furthest thing from a 'cool' champion. Fans couldn't wait to see him finally get beaten.
Hell, he even got a WrestleMania main event match with John Cena out of it (which he won), something nobody would have called as early as a year beforehand.
He held onto the strap for 160 days before, inevitably, dropping it to Cena. Not bad at all for a performer who, just a few years earlier, was banished from the locker room for eating chicken over a veteran's bag.
6. King Booker
WWE.com
In a just world, Booker T would have been given a run with one of WWE's major titles long before he won it in the summer of 2006 *cough* WrestleMania XIX *cough*.
When it did finally come, it was worth the wait for the former five-time WCW World Champion.
The truth is, Booker had been floundering for a while before winning the King of the Ring and adopting the royal guise. He dethroned Rey Mysterio at the 2006 Great American Bash, before engaging in a long series with backstage adversary Batista.
He bested The Animal at SummerSlam and (in a four-way also featuring Bobby Lashley and Finlay) No Mercy, before dropping it to him at Survivor Series.
Booker also managed to squeeze in a defense against WWE Champion John Cena and ECW Champion Big Show at Cyber Sunday, after fans voted for his title to be put on the line in their triple threat match.
King Booker was a great character and a very respectable champion, aided well by his King's Court stable (Finlay, William Regal and wife Sharmell). Entertaining on the microphone and rock-solid between-the-ropes, he wore the gold well.
5. Eddie Guerrero
WWE.com
Eddie Guerrero's improbable WWE Title victory over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004 was cause for celebration for Eddie, his colleagues and fans alike.
Long considered undersized and not fitting the typical mould Vince McMahon looks for, the call to switch the title was made after Latino Heat's popularity exploded, his presence on SmackDown noticeably growing the blue brand's Hispanic demographic.
But winning the title was just the start. The hard work would be holding it, as Guerrero soon found out.
He had a great match with Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX but, after the dust had settled on the Showcase of the Immortals, it became clear that SmackDown had a dearth of top-level talent for Eddie to work with.
After another cracking televised defense over Rey Mysterio, Guerrero began a programme with JBL.
And, as Bradshaw himself as stated many times over the years, Eddie really made the JBL character. Their bloodbath at Judgment Day was spectacular and their Bullrope rematch at The Great American Bash was a worthy sequel.
Eddie had a hard time being champion, feeling the pressure of being the face of a brand that had a depleted roster and often poor creative direction.
He did a much better time than he probably realised, holding the title for 133 days and having a couple of really great feuds and matches in that period of time.
4. The Undertaker (2009 - 2010)
WWE.com
There was a widely-held belief in WWE that Undertaker didn't really 'need' to hold the WWE/World (or any) title, because the gimmick itself was so over.
His didn't have many reigns over his near three-decade long career, and when he did hold the big one it was usually for a short length of time.
The last of his three World Heavyweight Title reigns was one of his best. It began at - and inside of - Hell in a Cell, when the Deadman beat CM Punk. The match itself wasn't one of their better efforts together, but 'Taker had his share of crackers over the ensuing months.
His four-way victory over Punk, Batista and Rey Mysterio at Bragging Rights was good, as too was his triple threat triumph over Chris Jericho and Big Show at Survivor Series.
His Chairs Match (ugh) win over Batista at TLC was expectedly sturdy, while his defense against Rey Mysterio at the 2010 Royal Rumble is one of the better David versus Goliath matches you're likely to find this side of Sing versus Vader.
On television, 'Taker had more good defenses against Mysterio and Punk.
Eventually, he lost the gold to Chris Jericho at - and inside of the - Elimination Chamber, when Shawn Michaels attacked him in order to get his WrestleMania rematch.
The Phenom was on rare form for the 140 days he held the title, the last of his career before he transitioned into a special occasions only performer.
3. Sheamus (2012)
WWE.com
When Sheamus won his first WWE Title (beating John Cena at TLC 2009), it was clear that he was really far from ready for the spot.
When he won his next major world title - the World Heavyweight Championship - in 2012, he was far more ready to have a proper run with it.
After winning the Royal Rumble, the Celtic Warrior famously beat Daniel Bryan with one move in eighteen seconds at WrestleMania XXVIII.
Though fans were initially shocked that D-Bry's reign had ended in such fashion and disappointed that they never got a long match between two standouts, they'd get plenty of opportunities to see the two go at it, including in a great 2 out of 3 Falls match at Extreme Rules.
Sheamus continued to plug away and add to his good match resume as the months passed. He beat Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton in a four-way at Over the Limit, before besting Dolph Ziggler at No Way Out and Del Rio on three consecutive occasions (at Money in the Bank, SummerSlam and Night of Champions).
He finally dropped it to a resurgent Big Show in a brutal slugfest at Hell in a Cell, ending his reign at an impressive 210 days. It was one of the longest reigns in the title's history and the Great White really grew as a worker, talker and overall character during it.
2. Randy Savage (1988 - 1989)
WWE.com
Like The Ultimate Warrior a couple of years later, Randy Savage had an uphill task being WWE Champion after Hulk Hogan.
Especially with The Hulkster hanging around as his sometimes tag partner while trying to seduce Miss Elizabeth, but anyway...
The Macho Man had all the tools to be the top guy and was a great choice to win the tournament for the vacant belt at WrestleMania IV.
After beating One Man Gang, Greg Valentine, Butch Reed and Ted DiBiase on the Grandest Stage of Them All, Savage hit the road and defended the title pretty much every night for the next year.
This included televised defenses against Gang and DiBiase, as well as Andre the Giant, Haku and Bad News Brown. He never had a big pay-per-view defense, since those were fewer and further between back in those days, but Savage had good matches elsewhere and, overall, fit the bill as champion.
His ostentatious style and over-the-top character were tailor-made for things like talk shows and Savage truly felt like a superstar while holding the belt.
All told, he reigned as WWE Champion for just over a year before dropping it to his former Mega Powers partner at WrestleMania V. Savage's 1992 run as WWE Champion was also decent.
1. JBL
WWE.com
Back in 2004, I hated JBL as WWE Champion.
That, of course, was the point.
Reinvented after an age as a babyface tag teamer, John Bradshaw Layfield turned heel and was positioned in the headline spot after SmackDown suffered a number of setbacks like Brock Lesnar quitting, as well as Kurt Angle and Big Show suffering injuries.
Unafraid to be a proper antagonist and get real heat, JBL really went for the jugular in promos and angles, especially during his first feud with Eddie Guerrero.
After he beat Latino Heat at the Great American Bash, the tall Texan had high-profile defences against Guerrero (in a cage on SmackDown), The Undertaker (SummerSlam and No Mercy), Booker T (Survivor Series) and then, to end the year, against all three (at Armageddon).
Most expected JBL to be a transitional champ, predicting that he would flop hard in the role.
What was great about JBL is that he always only just escaped with the gold by the skin of his teeth and he did everything to be a true heel, even going so far as to reject having his own merchandise for sale.
In early 2005 he had more strong matches with the likes of Kurt Angle and Big Show (at Royal Rumble and No Way Out), before passing the baton to John Cena at WrestleMania 21.
When Cena did finally win the WWE Title for the first time, fans were as happy to see him win it as they were relieved that someone had finally managed to get it away from JBL after he'd been in possession of it for 280 days.
Job done.
