The WWE Hall of Fame is full of hits and misses. While it's almost exclusively populated with unforgettable names, some are a little more deserving than others in the eyes of many fans. Still, while some names should definitely be in there, their presence highlights how strange WWE's booking decisions can be sometimes. There's a number of deserved talent who never won a single WWE championship, and that's just strange to us here at TheSportster. So, with that in mind, here are our top ten Hall of Famers who never won a WWE World Championship.
10 Junkyard Dog
Junkyard Dog was a huge draw in Louisiana, but when Vince McMahon bought up all the big talent during the 1980s, JYD was relegated to a popular mid-card act. Still, as a college football player with a career background working in a scrapyard, this particular WWE Superstar had the size, talent, and talking ability to make a run with the strap. This is a man who could bodyslam King Kong Bundy without breaking a sweat, so it's a little strange that Vince McMahon didn't see more in the star.
What's even more frustrating is he never held a single championship while employed by WWE, so we guess sometimes it's all about luck. Thankfully, he was immortalized six years after his death with a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2004.
9 X-Pac
Sean Waltman is an extremely talented wrestler, in spite of whatever "X-Pac heat" is. Making a name for himself in WWE as the 1-2-3 Kid, he captured the hearts of audiences in the early 1990s with his unexpected victory over Razor Ramone. Despite his talent, however, he never got a run with the World Championship, but it's pretty understandable. X-Pac's best years under the WWF banner took place during a time when stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker were running the top of the card.
Still, he managed to make a name for himself opening Raws as the European Champion, putting on some fantastic performances to start the show, so clearly, the company saw value in him.
Hopefully, we'll see him get his own solo induction, but for now, he can say he's a WWE Hall of Famer alongside his DX stablemates.
8 Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper is one of the most beloved WWE Superstars of all time, and he did it all without winning a world championship while employed by Vince McMahon. That's not to say he didn't enjoy any championship success, however. In fact, the Rowdy one has a tag team championship — alongside Ric Flair — and one Intercontinental title reign. Perhaps he was too small in his era, but it seems strange that the man who stomped Cindy Lauper never got a run with the big belt.
7 Rick Rude
Rick Rude is one of the best heels wrestling ever produced, yet no amount of painted tights and gyration could get him the WWE Championship. Still, the Ravishing one had a fantastic look, could talk with the best of them, and could back it up in the ring. Still, it took him jumping ship to WCW to get a chance at the main event scene.
It's a shame WWE couldn't do more with him outside of a single Intercontinental Championship run, but it just shows how stacked the roster used to be.
6 Ricky Steamboat
We will never understand how Ricky Steamboat could be employed by WWE for three years and never get a chance to shine with the World Championship. This man is one of the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots, and all he had to show for it was a single run with the Intercontinental Championship.
Sure, many can look at his ability on the microphone as the factor that held him back, but he's one of the few wrestlers ever who's never really had to play a heel. He's that good.
5 Razor Ramon
Razor Ramon never won a WWE championship, but that might be attributed more to timing than anything. In reality, Scott Hall was one of the corner pieces of the WWE in the early to mid-1990s alongside Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Bret Hart, Yokozuna, and The Undertaker. Yet, unlike the aforementioned names, Ramon never got the nod to compete as World Champion. Instead, he was a stalwart with the Intercontinental belt, but considering his size, charisma, and talent, it's strange that's the highest he went.
Maybe if he didn't defect to WCW in 1996, he would have gotten a run eventually, but his move came after five years in WWE.
4 Jimmy Snuka
Taking away the controversy that shrouded Jimmy Snuka's final years, the Superfly was one of the biggest names the WWE employed in the late 70s into the early 1980s. Still, the star has nothing to show for it outside of his Hall of Fame induction in 1996.
Still, without him, we wouldn't have Mic Foley who attributes Snuka's famous splash from the top of the cage as the moment that made him want to be a wrestler. That's got to be a high honor for anyone.
3 Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler is a legend in the wrestling business, but you wouldn't know that based on his WWE resume. The reality is, The King of Wrestling is one of the biggest and longest-running draws in the business, specifically in his region of Memphis, and by the time he was signed by the WWE, he had nothing left to prove. Still, Bret Hart needed a good opponent, and you won't find someone better than the King, so WWE brought him in. It just sucks that he's mostly known for his role as a commentator when it comes to his time employed by Vince McMahon, because the man still wrestles consistently, and he's still pretty darn good in his 60s. It's just a shame he never won any championships with the WWE.
2 Ted Dibiase
We don't get this one. Ted DiBiase was one of the most despicable heels in wrestling throughout the 1980s, and he was one of WWE's more trusted hands in the ring. Yet, despite the heat he generated, he never won the WWE Championship. Sure, he got his own belt, which is iconic in its own right, but it's not the big one. Still, it's pretty cool that periodically the character shows up with the million dollar title to give to a new up and comer as a bit of a push.
1 Sting
Considering he only wrestled a handful of times in the WWE, it's not surprising Sting never won the company's top prize. Still, we're sad he didn't — especially considering the WWE's desire to give old-time big names like Goldberg runs with the Universal Championship.
Still, the company was wise enough to give Sting a shot at the belt against Seth Rollins, so at least he got a chance.