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WWE Night of Champions: The 25 Greatest Champions in North American History

Posted: Sep 12th 2011 By: mikeiles

Championships are the pillars of any wrestling promotion, and their credibility is closely tied to the success or failure of any wrestling company.

Throughout history, there have been a handful of wrestlers and superstars who helped carry a promotion on the strength of either one or a series of championship reigns.

Once upon a time, it was commonplace for a promotion to feature one world champion for years, but in the present day of TV ratings and a saturated pay-per-view market, it is more typical for wrestlers to have multiple championship reigns to their name.

A wrestling championship is the true symbol that one has made it, but it takes continuous re-validation as champion for one to earn the distinction as a great champion.

25. Goldberg

Bill Goldberg may have only enjoyed one WCW Championship reign for 174 days, but it was the hottest WCW Championship run in history as Goldberg's undefeated win streak also added immense value to the championship.

Goldberg was so hot as champion that an inevitable loss was almost guaranteed to launch a career had he suffered the loss to an up and coming talent. Instead, WCW veteran Kevin Nash enjoyed the honor at Starrcade in 1998 prior to the subsequent downfall of WCW.

24. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero has been a strong champion in a number of weight classes and amassed a plethora of championships in multiple promotions.

Guerrero was known early in his career as a cruiserweight, but after joining WWF in 2000, he evolved into a heavyweight championship-caliber talent. Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out in 2004 to capture his first WWE Championship.

This victory added to Guerrero's already stacked championship pedigree as a former tag team, United States, and Intercontinental Champion to name a few.

23. Randy Orton

Randy Orton is one of the great champions of the present as a multiple-time WWE and World Champion (nine to be exact).

Orton is also the youngest WWE Champion in history. Prior to becoming WWE Champion, Orton reigned as Intercontinental Champion for 210 days.

22. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho's championship resume could double as a pro wrestling championship almanac. Jericho will forever be known as the first ever WWE Undisputed Champion, and has captured multiple World Heavyweight championships.

However it was Jericho's entertaining 113 day reign as Cruiserweight Champion that put him on the map as a breakout star in waiting.

Jericho's wrestling career has always been an upward battle, especially early. But he has always been so talented both in the ring and on the mic that he never really needed a world championship to elevate himself over any of his fellow talents.

Regardless, Chris Jericho remains a very decorated champion as he has captured gold in every major promotion he has been a part of.

21. The Midnight Express

The Midnight Express mixed and matched tag team components throughout their storied history, but what never changed was their tag team championship success. The Midnight Express won tag team championships in multiple promotions from Mid South Wrestling to NWA wrestling.

Behind Jim Cornette and his pinpoint heat seeking abilities, all the Midnight Express did was win.

20. The Honky Tonk Man

The Honky Tonk Man enters this list purely on the strength of one of the single greatest championship reigns in WWF history.

From 1987 to 1988, the Honky Tonk man held the Intercontinental Championship for a record 454 days--a record that will likely never be broken.

Honky Tonk Man is the only singles competitors on this list who never won a world championship, but he will be forever be defined by his incredible feat of length as the longest reigning Intercontinental Championship of all time.

19. The Rock

The Rock's decorated heavyweight championship success throughout his career saw him capture the WWF Championship, the Undisputed Championship, and the WCW Championship.

Along with being a decorated world champion, the Rock also held the Intercontinental championship for 265 days from 1997 to 1998 before losing the title to Triple H at SummerSlam '98 in a ladder match.

18. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Steve Austin never had an incredibly long reigns as WWF champion, but he captured the title on 6 different occasions and was the face of the WWF during its most successful period ever.

Austin was always in the WWF title picture throughout his career with the company in the late 90's, and his multiple world championship runs help add to his legacy as arguably the greatest WWF Superstar of all time.

17. Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam won almost every title there is to win during his stints with WWE, ECW, and TNA. Despite being a former WWE and TNA Heavyweight champion, it was Van Damn's near two year reign as ECW Television Champion (one year, eleven months, eighteen days, two hours, and 42 seconds to be exact) that established him as one of the elite champions in history.

Van Dam was by far and away the most talented overall performer in ECW, and his epic championship reign put the otherwise secondary title on the same level (if not higher) than that of the ECW Heavyweight Championship itself.

16. Shawn Michaels

Along with being arguably the greatest WWE Superstar of all time, Michaels was also a great champion in his own right.

HBK was a three time WWF Champion, and after his triumphant return to WWE he captured a World Heavyweight Championship.

Michaels has also held the Intercontinental Championship for 406 combined days--the 8th highest total in history.

15. Edge

Due to an odd mixture of injuries and opportunity, Edge quickly captured 11 World championships and had it not been for a career ending injury, he may have flirted with Ric Flair's untouchable World championship record.

Along with Kurt Angle, Edge is the only WWE Superstar to hold every active male WWE Championship. Edge also lays claim to pseudo championships of the Money in the Bank briefcase and the King of the Ring.

Befittingly enough, Edge's last match was a successful defense of the World Championship at WrestleMania XXVII.

14. Randy Savage

Despite his legacy being mildly tainted as Hulk Hogan's "sidekick," Randy Savage was a world champion in both WWF and WCW. After winning the previously vacated WWF Championship at WrestleMania IV, Savage did not lose the championship until the following year at WrestleMania V.

Savage also held the Intercontinental Championship for 414 days before dropping it to Ricky Steamboat in one of the greatest matches in WWF/E history.

13. Bret Hart

Bret Hart helped hold together the WWF during lean times as their champion, but was also a noted tag team and Intercontinental champion.

Hart's multi-faceted career saw him compete in great championship matches no matter what title was on the line with Roddy Piper, Mr. Perfect, the British Bulldog (Intercontinental), Shawn Michaels (WWF Championship), and Demolition (tag team championship) all laying claim to great championship matches with Hart.

12. Dudley Boyz/Team 3D

In terms of tag team championships, there are no greater champions than the Dudley Boyz/Team 3D. They are the only tag team in history to capture WCW, WWF/E, NWA, and TNA tag team championships.

11. Triple H

Triple H took a while to get going as a credible main eventer, but the office stuck with him and didn't regret it as he went on to become one of the all time great champions in history.

Triple H has held a world championship on 13 different occasions, for a combined total of 1,155. Nobody has held the World Heavyweight championship longer than the Game, and with Triple H recently announcing his return to the ring, it is not out of the question for Triple H to add to his already impressive championship legacy

10. John Cena

John Cena has been a world champion for much of his main event career. Since defeating John Bradshaw Layfield at WrestleMania 21, Cena has enjoyed several world championship reigns and is now threatening Ric Flair's legendary record as a 16-time world champion.

After a WWE Championship victory over Edge in 2006 in Canada, Cena would not drop the WWE Championship until the following year when he was forced to vacate the title due to injury--he had held it for 380 days.

Still in his prime, John Cena has already amassed the 4th highest combined days as WWE Champion in history, behind WWE legends Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and Bruno Sammartino.

9. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle had the hottest start to a career since Bill Goldberg, racking up an Intercontinental Championship, a European Championship and a King of the Ring.

Angle went on to become both a WWF and WCW Champion and was the fifth grand slam champion in the promotion's history.

Angle picked up right where he left off in TNA, becoming the first TNA Heavyweight Champion and now currently reigning as the company's champion.

8. Buddy Rogers

The original Nature Boy was Buddy Rogers, he was also a 13-time World Heavyweight champion and a pillar of the pro wrestling scene from teh late 30's into the 70's.

Rogers is recognized as the first ever WWWF Champion, but he did much of his championship damage in the NWA as he captured multiple heavyweight championships in various NWA territories.

7. Lou Thesz

1941 is not the year that Lou Thesz won his first NWA Championships, but rather it was the number of days Lou Thesz held onto the NWA Championship before finally losing it for the first time in controversial fashion.

Thesz was to NWA what Sammartino was to WWWF, as one of the first great champions in the promotion's history.

Thesz' legacy lives on in today's wrestling scene through the Thesz press, used by WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin, Randy Orton, and a handful of WWE Divas.

6. Pedro Morales

Pedro Morales was one of the all time great WWE Champions, and is one of the few former WWWF Champions to hold the title for over 1,000 days.

Morales was very effective as a Puerto Rican Champion in the New York-based WWWF as his championship reigned peaked the interest of the Puerto Rican community.

Along with his long reign as WWWF champion, Morales also captured championships in NWA and the World Wrestling Council.

5. Bob Backlund

Bob Backlund was a super athlete, and was as well conditioned as they come. Before he adopted that psychotic gimmick that many of the younger wrestling fans know him for, he was one of the major players in the WWF during the 70's.

Backlund was the first official "WWF" champion, and he captured the WWF Championship on four different occasions.

Backlund's respective reigns were for 648 days, 672 days, 763 days, and 3 days, with his final championship reign ironically ending after an 8 second match against Diesel.

4. Ric Flair

Ric Flair defines many aspects of wrestling, including the art of being a champion. Flair is known for his 16 world championships in NWA, WCW, and WWF.

Overall, Flair held world championships in his career for a combined 3,720 days of his illustrious career.

3. Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino was the original poster boy of the WWE (then known as the WWWF). He only captured the WWWF Championship on two occasions, but during those reigns he held the championship for over 4,000 days.

Sammartino was WWWF's workhorse and his superior athleticism and series of great matches helped define McMahon Sr.'s wrestling company during its early days.

2. Hulk Hogan

When talking great champions, one cannot go very long without mentioning the great Hulk Hogan. Often vilified and mired in controversy for his backstage shenanigans, Hulk Hogan's legacy as one of the greatest champions in wrestling history is indisputable.

Hogan had multiple lengthy reigns in WWE and carried similar heavyweight championship success in WCW. Overall, Hogan held world championships in WWE and WCW for a combined 3,362 days.

1. The Fabulous Moolah

The Fabulous Moolah is the only woman on this list, but no man or woman was in her class in terms of being a world class champion.

Moolah won the NWA World Women's Championship in 1956. She would reign as champion for the better part of 24 years, with her first reign lasting an unheard of ten consecutive years.

Of her five NWA World Women's Championship reigns, Moolah's shortest reign lasted 527 days.

Moolah is undoubtedly the greatest champion of all time, no matter what genre or era of professional wrestling is being held for consideration.