Championships help define greatness. However, many great professional athletes have failed at achieving championship glory at their chosen game; leaving a whole in the heart of their career when all is said and done, as their bodies can no longer hack the hardships of athletic physical abuse.

Young baseball players dream of some day winning the World Series – the ultimate prize in all of baseball and one of the hardest trophies to attain in all of professional sports. The moment that youngest takes a swing in t-ball, the goal is set.

Hard knock kids from all over the globe lace up hockey skates and face the frigid weather of Winter to take to the ice and long for the day they can proudly hoist the Stanley Cup high above their head in a moment of ultimate completion – when dreams become reality.

Every child who lines up to take scrimmage from Pee Wee through high school daydreams on the regular about the final catch/run/hit that wins the team the game and the Super Bowl. The great guardian of the gridiron.

From the moment a youthful optimist dribbles a ball and sinks a basket, the vision of becoming a hardwood hero becomes the only thing in sight as the ball is not longer just an instrument of the game but a new best friend.

The sad truth behind all of this: dreams often die.

Such is the case for any young boy/girl who aspires to become a professional wrestler – a world where raw talent alone is not enough to attain a championship. The champions of the wrestling world are chosen by those who run the show behind the scenes.

In WWE, many fine talents have come and gone through the system without every wearing a championship strap; let alone the major title. The current talent pool within the company is full of exceptional performers who will never carry the top title in WWE.

These are the top 15 current WWE Superstars who will likely never become WWE World Heavyweight Champion:

15 15. R-Truth

Let's kick off this list with our oldest entrant: R-Truth. For those unaware, R-Truth is a seasoned veteran who has been working the wrestling circuit for many years without proper due or adulation from WWE.

R-Truth is funny on the mic and solid in the ring. During the “Little Jimmy” conspiracy theory phase, Truth was given some time in the main event picture but was never expected to defeat John Cena and should not be expected to ever win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

14 14.  Jimmy or Jey Uso

The Usos bring the noise to the WWE tag team division. Whether through battle-cry or in-ring performance, The Usos are fun to watch and the future remains positive for these brothers. However, will they ever stray from tag team competition?

On their own, Jimmy and Jey could become standout individual talents but how/when/why do they split and who receives the bigger push? While The Bella Twins have both held the Divas Championship, do not anticipate either one of The Uso twins ever becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

13 13. Bo Dallas

“The Inspirational” Bo Dallas has been imparting his “positive” attitude onto the WWE Universe for a while now with no real positive results to show for his efforts. The former NXT Champion hasn't quite broken free on the main roster.

Which in many ways will be the curse of NXT Superstars as they attempt to transition from the WWE version of an independent promotion to the main roster and the more casual fans that tune into to Raw and SmackDown. Bo Dallas as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion? Probably not.

12 12. Rusev

Is there anything distinctive about Rusev that stands out now that he has disassociated himself from Lana? Not really. While The Bulgarian Brute is a strong in-ring competitor, such a thing will never be enough in WWE (prime example of this still to come).

Rusev had a run with the United States Championship and could very well capture the title again someday or even the Intercontinental Championship. However, Rusev will probably never get close to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

11 11. Ryback

When it comes to Ryback, getting over with the fans was no easy task. However, The Big Guy stuck it out and the audience has since moved past the “Goldberg” chants (for the most part) and have provided Ryback with some support.

In recent months, Ryback has served as Intercontinental Champion – a title and role that suits him well and a position that will likely be as high as he will even climb within the company. Ryback is mid-card-strong and will probably never become WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

10 10. Damien Sandow

The organic connection between a Superstar and the fans is something that cannot be created by those in power at WWE. It happened in the '90s with Stone Cold Steve Austin and more recently, it happened with Daniel Bryan.

The same can be said for Damien Sandow but for some reason WWE chose to completely ignore their chance to create their next star; opting instead to make Sandow a Macho Man rip-off character. Sadly, Damien Sandow will never be WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

9 9. Kofi Kingston

The clear standout of The New Day is most definitely Kofi Kingston. The exciting Superstar has been around WWE for a number of years and has found a level of success in the mid-card. However, Kingston has been trapped in the middle.

Kofi Kingston is not what WWE looks for as it pertains to their top champion despite what they will have you believe. Kofi Kingston would be a welcomed change but unfortunately Kingston will never hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

8 8. Stardust

Does anybody else just want to see Cody Rhodes be Cody Rhodes? The Stardust gimmick is weird but a forced weird. The wickedly weird needs to come across as a natural part of one's psyche and this is not the case with Stardust.

Cody Rhodes is a good wrestler and could have been much more as himself had WWE positioned him properly. Either way, it is highly unlikely that Cody Rhodes or Stardust will grab hold of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

7 7. Wade Barrett

The King of the Ring has been rendered useless. No longer does the crown represent a symbolic push towards the top of the crowd. It is now simply a way to make a man look more ridiculous as he makes his way down to the ring.

Wade Barrett has all the fundamentals required to be a top talent in WWE but will never break through that concrete ceiling which only a select few are allowed atop. Wade Barrett will never reach the level of WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

6 6. Dolph Ziggler 

Yes, we are well aware that Dolph Ziggler is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion. However, both reigns are forgettable and there is a difference between being the World Heavyweight Champion and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

The World Heavyweight Championship can be traced back to the NWA and WCW – having no affiliation with the WWE until its introduction in 2002. The WWE World Heavyweight Championship dates back to Buddy Rogers in 1963 – a title which Dolph Ziggler will likely never attain.

5 5. Neville

If you happened to catch Neville challenge Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on Monday Night Raw, then you were not disappointed as Neville and Rollins put on an outstanding contest.

However, everybody watching knew that Neville was not going to win the gold. Neville is extraordinary in the ring but it ends there. In all likelihood, Neville will someday win a title just not the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

4 4. Dean Ambrose

The harsh reality about the three men who once made up The Shield is that Dean Ambrose will be the one overlooked and left to drown in the underbelly of the WWE wave that only allows certain Superstars the chance to swim.

Seth Rollins has already achieved glory and Roman Reigns will most likely find his way to the top at some point and receive a run with the title. Unfortunately for Dean Ambrose, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship does not appear to be in his future.

3 3. Bray Wyatt

Aside from Paul Heyman, there is nobody in WWE right now who can cut a better promo than Bray Wyatt. Inside of the ring, Wyatt is rough and agile while possessing the ability to tell a story along the way – great stuff all around.

Bray Wyatt is everything that John Cena is not. Wyatt looks different, sounds different, acts different, and performs in a different manner. However, Wyatt will never be on the same level of John Cena – too scary for PG television which means: no World Heavyweight Championship.

2 2. Cesaro

Cesaro is a wrestling … enough said or is an elaboration necessary? We all know that wrestlers are not supposed to win the top title in a sports entertainment company. How the hell did CM Punk and Daniel Bryan accomplish such a thing?

In-ring ability is not enough for those backstage. Cesaro can out wrestle most, if not all, of the locker room but he speaks broken English and his character lacks dimension. Too much wrestling talent and too bland to be WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

1 1. Kevin Owens

When Kevin Owens defeated John Cena in his WWE debut , there was a feeling in the air that had not been felt in quite some time. This strange feeling of hope – an optimistic thought that perhaps WWE were finally ready to move past John Cena and give Kevin Owens the ball.

Then came the rematch, which Kevin Owens lost and which was completely expected. John Cena losing two straight to Owens seemed unlikely and a rubber match was inevitable. Which again provided this strange sensation of hope.

When the third match of this series culminated it was John Cena declared the victor as Kevin Owens would tap out to the STF. That sudden feeling of optimism was quickly replaced with the all too familiar feeling of deep-seeded pessimism.

WWE had a chance to create an instant main event Superstar and once again they passed in order to protect their cash cows. Kevin Owens fans should not be surprised if they never see their favorite wrestler as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.