In the wrestling industry, it's always been important to draw the fans into the arena. In facts, performers were labelled stars based on their ability to attract an audience to live events, and later on to tune into live broadcast. While WWE aims to always create new stars when they crown a Champion, such isn't the case for every Superstar who holds the title.
Ratings, pay-per-view orders, merchandise sales and arena attendance are all factors that determine which Superstars are able to generate more interest. With today's list, we look at the 5 highest and 5 lowest drawing WWE Champions of all-time.
10 10. Highest: Andre The Giant
Andre The Giant was an attraction in every sense of the world as millions of people tuned in to watch him compete in the ring. He became a star outside of the industry as well, which only helped him reach new heights as a draw. For several years, Andre was capable of selling out an arena on any given night. Even at an older age, he was still able to get booked by promotions around the world for brief appearances. Not many wrestlers have captured the attention of an audience quite like Andre The Giant did during his WWE stint.
9 9. Lowest: Bret Hart
Unfortunately for Bret Hart, he was crowned as WWE Champion just as the WWE was entering its stage of popularity decline in the mid-90s. While he would go on to have more successful reigns later on, many weren't convinced that Hart had what it takes to be the face of the WWE, especially since he lacked the charisma of previous stars. Hart was always beloved and respected by fans, although that didn't lead to plenty of ticket sales and pay-per-view orders. WWE was entering a new era when Hart became Champion, and it took the company some time to gain back viewers.
8 8. Highest: John Cena
Having been the face of the company for a decade, John Cena was among the many reasons behind the change in the WWE product. While some fans of the Attitude Era may not have loved Cena, he was still able to bring an entirely new audience - making the company more kid-friendly than ever. Cena headlined plenty of pay per views along the way, while constantly pushing the most merchandise out of the entire roster. The peak of John Cena's popularity is not necessarily comparable to other faces of the WWE, who were able to generate more ratings in past eras.
7 7. Lowest: Sycho Sid
The tides were already changing when Sycho Sid won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1996, as WCW had begun overtaking them in ratings. He received a loud pop upon winning the belt despite being a heel at the time, but it was clear that fans had enough of Michaels as Champion by that point.
Sid's title did signify the beginning of a new era for the company as the direction soon changed, and this happened to one of the early signs. Unfortunately for Sycho Sid, the ratings weren't a reflection of his popularity among fans as they were down for this period.
6 6. Highest: The Rock
There was a time when The Rock couldn't even get a reaction out of the crowd before that turned into loud boos and harsh chants towards him. Not many could have predicted his rise to the top as The Rock became a sensation at a fast pace to become the WWE's face of the company along with longtime rival Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock could have potentially become the biggest draw in the history of wrestling if he had stuck around for a longer run with the WWE. But given his incredible success in Hollywood, nobody can blame The Rock for shifting his focus elsewhere.
5 5. Lowest: The Miz
When The Miz was pushed into the main event scene, fans still hadn't fully bought into the hype. The Miz showed major strides since his 2006 debut and had some great moments along the way - none of which topped his victory over Randy Orton to capture the WWE Championship in 2010. Despite being given a lengthy reign of 160 days, The Miz failed to draw audiences in which is why the storyline for the title played background to the feud of The Rock and John Cena. To be fair to The Miz, he has significantly improved since his last title reign and would likely draw better today.
4 4. Highest: Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan can be credited for taking professional wrestling to worldwide audiences - plenty of countries which previously had no interest in the industry prior to the rise of Hulkamania. For over a decade, Hogan was the biggest draw in the industry and constantly shattered one record after another.
He played a major reason in turning the WWE into a top mainstream attraction throughout the '80s, and headlined WrestleMania in some of the most iconic battles of all-time. Hogan remained a huge draw late into his career, as evident by his 2000s run with the company when he faced the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Orton.
3 3. Lowest: Shawn Michaels
Despite his greatness as a performer, as well as popularity among fans, Shawn Michaels has never been a major draw. In fact, WWE had one of its worst eras when Michaels reigned as the Champion, and transitioned into the Attitude Era as The Heartbreak Kid watched from the sidelines. All numbers were down across the board whenever Michaels was crowned WWE Champion, and it became clear that he wouldn't be the face of the company in its war against WCW. It's probably for the best that he stayed mostly away from the title picture in his second run with the WWE, allowing Michaels to shine as a performer without the pressure of being Champion.
2 2. Highest: Steve Austin
The man often credited with saving the WWE during the Monday Night Wars was a major reason behind the rise of the Attitude Era. All eyes were on Stone Cold Steve Austin, from wrestling audiences to mainstream outlets as his merchandise sold out every arena. From pay-per-views to live events, and even house shows, Austin recorded astonishing numbers over the years that made him the face of the industry at its peak. It doesn't take much to see the massive impact Steve Austin had at the time, as the weekly loud pops and ovations by the crowd spoke for themselves.
1 1. Lowest: Diesel
On paper, Diesel had all it takes to be the face of the WWE. The company also booked him good enough for the ratings to be solid, although the company saw a sharp decline in viewers when Diesel became the WWE Champion. While he did go on to become a much bigger draw in WCW as a member of nWo, his main event run in the WWE left plenty to be desired. With that being said, the blame cannot be solely placed on his shoulder as the company was undergoing a rough patch, but Diesel fell short of management's expectations.