Being on top as WWE Champion means that you will have plenty of haters that want to see you fail. Fans get tired of seeing the same old champions and would like to see new champions crowned. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon's company was dominated by Hulk Hogan for the majority of the 1980s as WWE Champion. Traditionally, a face would have a long reign as champion with the heel chasing. However, the late 1990s would see that change with heel champions starting to have longer runs with the title.
Many fans will boo a great heel WWE Champion as sometimes it is not the person who they want as champion. Also, the ability to draw heat in the modern era is a lost art. We will now take an in-depth look at those 10 WWE Champions who were universally hated.
10 Chris Jericho
At Vengeance 2001, Chris Jericho made history as the first-ever Undisputed WWE Champion. He defeated Steve Austin and The Rock to unify the two world titles in one of the most shocking moments in history. Jericho mastered the role of a heel and would get booed by fans due to his alliance with Vince McMahon.
Jericho always claimed that he was a "Living Legend" and "Larger than Life" which got under the fans' skins, and constantly reminded them that he was the first-ever Undisputed champion. Unfortunately, Jericho was a transitional champion as he dropped the title to Triple H three months later at WrestleMania X8.
9 The Miz
The Miz is one of the cockiest and obnoxious superstars in WWE history. The Awesome One won the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match at the inaugural Money in the Bank event. Four months later he would cash-in on Randy Orton to win his sole WWE Championship in 2010.
Miz had his critics but proved them wrong by defeating John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27, which is a no mean feat. Alex Riley was Miz's biggest cheerleader, and he was very resourceful as he would aid Miz in his WWE Championship title defenses, which is a sign of a true heel.
8 Edge
The Rated-R Superstar was one of the most hated superstars in 2005. Edge's rise to superstardom can be credited with his affair with Lita, who was dating Matt Hardy at the time. That was the catalyst for greatness which Edge would go on to achieve in his career. He went on to claim his first WWE Championship from John Cena at the start of 2006.
The Ultimate Opportunist is a four-time WWE Champion. However, fans disliked him as champion as he would get the better of Jeff Hardy, who fans wanted as their WWE champion, In fairness to Vince McMahon, it was hard not to award Edge the title as many times as he did. Edge is reliable, and one of the best in-ring workers, who brought credibility to the title, especially with his feud with Cena.
7 Sgt Slaughter
Sometimes in professional wrestling, the envelope gets pushed on real-life matters. Sgt Slaughter returned in 1990 as an Iraqi-sympathizer. This storyline occurred around the time of the Gulf War. However, Slaughter made the most of this as he became a legitimate threat to the WWE Championship. He would become the first man to win the title at the Royal Rumble in 1991 from The Ultimate Warrior.
In reality, Slaughter had to have security and wear a bulletproof vest as he received death threats. Before Slaughter reverted to his all-American character, he dropped the title to Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VII.
6 John Cena
Despite being the face of the company for over a decade, John Cena was one of the most hated WWE Champions in history. Fans began to grow sick and tired of Cena winning the title so many times and holding the title for a long reign. Understandably, fans wanted to see different champions but Cena undoubtedly loves WWE.
The WWE Universe has craved for Cena to turn heel for years but it will never happen as he brought in plenty of revenue for the WWE. Edge, CM Punk and Randy Orton were heels that feuded with Cena, and fans hated him so much that they backed the heels in their rivalry with him.
5 Triple H
Nobody capitalized on a situation like Triple H did in 1999. He was groomed to be the top heel in the WWE. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker, two figureheads of the Attitude Era were on the shelf. It left The Game and The Rock to hold the fort during this period.
However, Triple H ensured that he had plenty of back-up by reuniting DX. He also merged with the McMahon-Helmsley Faction alongside his wife Stephanie. The Game rightfully was the man in 2000 as he patiently waited for his opportunity. Of course, the fans loved The Rock, which is why they hated The Game throughout his four reigns as WWF Champion in 1999 and 2000.
4 John Bradshaw Layfield
John Bradshaw Layfield became the top heel on Smackdown in 2004. JBL was in an established tag team with Faarooq as the APA but that came to an end. Layfield stepped up to the plate in a big way, and he dethroned Eddie Guerrero to clinch the WWE Championship.
JBL knew how to get heat from the fans, as he would cheat all the time to keep the title. Layfield also could talk on the mic exceptionally well. JBL's 280-day reign was refreshing although the matches were not great. He defeated The Undertaker, Booker T, Kurt Angle, Guerrero and Big Show, the best which Smackdown had to offer. Inevitably, John Cena would end his time on top at WrestleMania 21.
3 Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio's "destiny" was to win the World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately in 2011, the Mexican Aristocrat was unable to beat both Edge and Christian for the gold. However, success was not hard to find over on Monday Night Raw.
He won both the Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank Ladder matches, the first man to accomplish those feats in a calendar year. Del Rio was hated by many as he thwarted CM Punk's run as WWE Champion by defeating him at SummerSlam, cashing in Money in the Bank in the process. He would win the title once more in 2011 before dropping it to Punk at Survivor Series, which fans universally rejoiced in.
2 Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal has the unfortunate honor of being one of the worst and most hated WWE Champions in history. Mahal returned to the company with a new demeanor that caught the eye of Vince McMahon. The modern-day Maharaja's in-ring work marginally improved but not at the level of a WWE Champion.
Mahal upset the veteran Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship in 2017. Fans preferred for someone like Shinsuke Nakamura or AJ Styles to hold the WWE Championship. Mahal's sixth-month reign as WWE Champion was ended by Styles which immediately restored some normalcy to the championship.
1 Roman Reigns
John Cena was slowly transitioning into a part-time performer which left a void for a new face of the company. Roman Reigns was universally loved when he was a member of The Shield. He was the powerhouse of the group but once they split, it was evident that WWE had plans for him to be the main man. Fans hated that the Big Dog was shoved down their throats and despite being a face, he had a chorus of boos to contend with.
Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble match, and even The Rock's appearance couldn't get rid of those overwhelming boos. At Survivor Series, Reigns would win his first of three WWE Championship. To top off the hatred even more for Reigns, he defeated Triple H in one of the worst main event matches at WrestleMania 32 to regain the title in 2016. His third title reign came to an end at the hands of Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank, which the fans loved.