The Attitude Era gave WWE some of the biggest stars in the history of the industry. Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Mick Foley and a few others dominated the main event scene. These icons would win the WWE Championship multiple times to create their legacies as the top names of the era. However, many talented performers would never get that run at the top of the company.
Only so few spots were available in the main event picture with such a hit list of future legends. We will look at the better names from the Attitude Era that could not win the biggest prize in the company. Most of them had Hall of Fame worthy careers that either already seen them inducted into the Hall of Fame or will have it coming one day. These are the ten best wrestlers from the Attitude Era to never win the WWE Championship.
10 Ron Simmons
The move from WCW to WWE for Ron Simmons in the 90s featured him hoping to find similar success. Simmons made history in WCW as the first black WCW Champion and had a main event run. WWE did not push him in the same manner with many ups and downs along the way.
Simmons’ best run as a singles star came when he led the Nation of Domination faction during the early days of the Attitude Era. There was one WWE Championship title shot against The Undertaker at King of the Ring 1997, but he lost and never received another chance near the top.
9 Matt Hardy
Both Matt and Jeff Hardy became sensations in the tag team division during the Attitude Era. Fans fell in love with the young wrestlers that left it all in the ring. The Hardy Boyz became synonymous with the ladder match after many classic matches in the tag team division.
Jeff would eventually win the WWE Championship almost a decade later as a singles star, but Matt would never find the same success. There was a great singles run in TNA for Matt where he did win the world title. WWE however never would view Matt as worthy of winning the WWE Championship.
8 Billy Gunn
Another tag team wrestler to have a few runs in singles action was Billy Gunn. Tag teams with Bart Gunn, Chuck Palumbo and especially Road Dogg made him a valuable commodity for WWE throughout his entire stint in the company.
WWE did want to make Billy a main event singles face with hopes of a title program with Steve Austin. The King of the Ring win for Gunn in 1999 did not lead to much success as he flopped in a singles feud with The Rock. WWE realized Gunn wasn’t at the main event level and returned to tag action.
7 Jeff Jarrett
One of the reasons Jeff Jarrett left WWE for WCW in 1999 was the realization that he’d never be a world champion in WWE. Vince Russo promised Jarrett a huge push when he gained power of WCW in 1999. It convinced Jarrett to make the jump while burning a bridge with WWE for many years.
Jarrett would win the WCW Championship and have a strong role as a top heel, but the company was losing money and eventually went out of business. WWE did not bring back Jarrett until recently for his Hall of Fame induction. Jarrett never came close to the WWE Championship even when he was at his best in the heel role.
6 Shane McMahon
The McMahon family became a huge part of WWE television during the Attitude Era. Vince McMahon won the WWE Championship and Stephanie McMahon won the Women’s Championship, but Shane McMahon never won the top prize in his career
WWE did have Shane win the European Championship for a shot run. However, he was arguably the most talented of the family members in the ring. The WWE Championship would elude him as Shane never truly contended for it. Shane may still have a chance to win it today, but most fans are rooting against that.
5 Chyna
Chyna was the only women from the Attitude Era that mixed it up with the male wrestlers in singles matches. The Intercontinental Championship win of Chyna was a historic moment that is still celebrated today. Chyna came close to competing for the WWE Championship at one point in 1999.
A #1 contender’s match would see Chyna earn the right to face Steve Austin for the title with rumored plans of possibly winning it. Austin reportedly did not want to face a woman and plans would see him wrestle Triple H and Mankind in a triple threat. Chyna was over enough for fans to buy her winning the title which was an accomplishment within itself.
4 Goldust
Dustin Rhodes gave his all to the Goldust character which made it a hit in the Attitude Era. The gimmick left a lot up in the air regarding his sexuality. Goldust and his wife Marlena aka Terri Runnels worked well together, and it helped him become a top mid-carder.
WWE never committed to pushing Goldust beyond that level. Despite working for the company in a large number of stints, Goldust never won the WWE Championship. There were house shows and dark matches where he contended for the title, but the win would never come his way.
3 X-Pac
Sean Waltman had an outstanding career for WWE in different chapters. The start of his run came as the 123 Kid during the New Generation Era. A stint in WCW would Waltman return with a completely new character. X-Pac was the name selected when joining D-Generation X under Triple H’s leadership.
DX found massive success with the new core and a face turn. X-Pac was among the most over mid-carders on the roster with consistent runs in the Intercontinental and European Championship pictures. WWE never put him on the next level in the world title picture, but he had a legendary career.
2 Rikishi
The success of Rikishi as a fan favorite came when joining Grand Master Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty in the Too Cool faction. Rikishi was clearly the leader with his dancing moves, charisma and the humorous stink face move all making fans support him.
WWE wanted to make him a main eventer and title contender when turning him heel. Rikishi was the big reveal of the wrestler that ran over Steve Austin with a car in the culmination of a nearly year-long storyline. Fans didn’t buy into Rikishi in the role and WWE ended the push within a few months.
1 Ken Shamrock
Ken Shamrock joining WWE marked the first instance of a UFC fighter joining the professional wrestling world. The early run of Shamrock was quite successful, and he did contend for the WWE Championship in his first year. Shamrock defeated Shawn Michaels, but the DQ finish kept the title on Michaels.
WWE would find more appeal in other rising stars like The Rock and Triple H which slowed down the push of Shamrock. A potential WWE Championship reign for Shamrock would have been fun to watch, but the incredible talent roster prevented it from ever happening.