The WWE Championship has been held by some of the top professional wrestlers of all time, and the same goes for the Universal and World Heavyweight Championships. Winning the most prestigious championship in the largest wrestling company is no easy feat, and is only reserved for the top echelon of talent. Sometimes wrestlers can hold numerous other championships, but that does not always get them a World Championship in their career.
With many secondary and tertiary championships in WWE over the years, there have been even more wrestlers who have won those multiple times in their career. Combine that with championships which are defending around the clock, and there have been many wrestlers who have held them many times but have not reached World Championship status. The real question is - should any of them have won it?
10 Xavier Woods - 10
Before the formation of The New Day, many wrestling fans were concerned about if Xavier Woods would flounder on the WWE roster. Thankfully, The New Day has been a long-standing force on the WWE tag team division and has been able to procure numerous Tag Team Championships over their time together.
Despite being broken up in the WWE draft in 2020, Woods was still able to obtain another Tag Team title and add a tenth to his resume. The New Day can surely be credited for giving Woods his career trajectory, and a stage to showcase his skills. Woods has proven that he belongs on the WWE roster but has not been able to emerge out of the tag team division.
9 Spike Dudley - 11
As one of the smallest wrestlers on the WWE roster, Spike Dudley was an underdog any time he was in the ring. However, he never let his size determine how far he would go in his career and was a highly accomplished wrestler who was able to take home championships when they were in front of him.
With multiple Hardcore Championship wins along with Tag Team, European, and Cruiserweight Titles, Spike proved that it does not matter about the size of the dog in the fight, but more about the size of the fight in the dog. Unfortunately, that did not translate to a World Championship win in his trophy case, as he was never able to overcome those insurmountable odds.
8 Billy Gunn - 14
At one point, Billy Gunn was considered one of the best pound-for-pound wrestlers on the WWE roster, and he certainly has the championship pedigree to back it up. With numerous Tag Team Championships with three different teams and reigns as Intercontinental and Hardcore champion, Gunn looked poised for a WWE Championship run during his career. Combine that with his 1999 King of the Ring win, and he surely looked in line.
Unfortunately for Gunn, any time he was able to challenge for the top title, he looked out of his league and never made it to the top of the ladder. Despite his athleticism and experience, Gunn was better suited as a tag team specialist, and often floundered in high-caliber singles action.
7 Dustin Rhodes - 15
Following six different runs in WWE over the years, Dustin Rhodes has accomplished some great things in his long wrestling career. While he currently experiencing a career renaissance in AEW, he experienced his greatest success in WWE. As Goldust, he was one of WWE's most polarizing characters and had a long career because of it.
As a multi-time Intercontinental, Tag Team, and Hardcore Champion, Rhodes has worked his way through many divisions throughout his career. Despite at one point being a main eventer challenging for the WWE Championship, he was never able to take it home. In the twilight of his career, the likelihood of him winning it now is low, but Dustin is no stranger to overcoming the odds.
6 Shawn Stasiak - 15
New WWE fans will struggle to remember who Shawn Stasiak is, as he not only had a short career in WWE but has few accomplishments that people would remember. However, when cracking open the history books, Stasiak actually has more total championship reigns than some members of WWE's elite class.
With his fifteen championship reigns coming entirely out of the Hardcore division, Stasiak is more of a footnote in WWE than anything. Yet, there is no erasing him from WWE records, as his numerous reigns under the 24/7 rule made him highly decorated through his short tenure following The Invasion.
5 Bubba Ray Dudley - 20
As a tag team specialist, it can be difficult to break out of that division for singles success. While in TNA, Bubba Ray transformed into Bully Ray and showed that he is fully capable of holding the TNA World Heavyweight Championship, but WWE did not give him that opportunity.
As part of one of the most decorated tag teams in professional wrestling history, Bubba has nothing to be upset about with his WWE career. With ten reigns with various Tag Team Championships and ten as Hardcore Champion, Bubba earned his spot in the WWE Hall of Fame. However, he surely would have preferred a run as WWE Champion during his tenure.
4 Steven Richards - 21
Much of Steven Richards's success in terms of championships occurred outside of WWE, as he has done well for himself on the independent circuit. However, WWE did provide him many opportunities at the Hardcore Championship over his long tenure, but that is as far as he would go up the ladder.
The former ECW star and Right to Censor leader was never successful when he tried to move outside of the Hardcore division. Richards never even got close to a World Championship opportunity in WWE, despite having considerable skills as a wrestler which were on display in ECW.
3 Crash Holly - 25
As the originator of the 24/7 rule for the Hardcore Championship, it is only natural that Crash Holly would excel in the division. Crash was notorious for defending his championship in the strangest places, including at airports and theme parks. As someone who was synonymous with the Hardcore Championship for many years, Crash held the title 22 times.
Aside from the Hardcore division, Crash also procured the Light Heavyweight, European, and Tag Team championships. Unfortunately, his height and size surely limited him from moving towards the Heavyweight division, and he ended his career without moving to the main event level (despite considering himself a super-heavyweight).
2 Raven - 27
Before the 24/7 Championship, there was the Hardcore Championship. Defended 24 hours a day, the title wound up having multiple champions with many reigns who only held it for very short periods. However, the division did see a few dominant champions who were able to hold the title for a long time, and who were able to quickly win their title back when they lost it.
As a former ECW Champion, Raven knows his way around hardcore matches. It certainly shows with how many times he was able to win the Hardcore Championship during his short WWE tenure. Despite his pedigree, Raven was notoriously underutilized in his WWE career and was not able to rise out of the Hardcore division at any time through his three years.
1 R-Truth - 50
Since the 24/7 Championship was created in 2019, there have been close to forty champions who have held the title for various periods. However, one champion has bubbled up above the rest with - as of this writing - over forty reigns himself. The 24/7 Championship is slippery to hold on to, but it has given R-Truth a purpose on WWE programming.
R-Truth has been a former United States, Hardcore, and Tag Team Champion previously, but the 24/7 Championship has provided him an outlet for comedy on RAW. Unfortunately, that comedy has never parlayed into a World Championship, which has been as invisible as Little Jimmy has over the years.