Walking through the doors in WWE, the main objective for many top wrestlers is to become a WWE world champion. Some get to achieve their goal but others are just not world championship material. The likes of John Cena, Triple H, and Hulk Hogan have had countless WWE world championship reigns and were world championship material.RELATED: 10 Wrestlers You Forgot Challenged For The WWE ChampionshipSome wrestlers have been very fortunate to have found themselves competing for a WWE world championship in the first place. Moreover, a champion needs fresh challengers, and sometimes a wrestler happens to be in the right place at the right time. Nevertheless, some of these WWE world championship challengers are talented wrestlers but mid-card or below is their level.

10 Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder Cropped

On the 900th episode of Raw, Zack Ryder had a golden opportunity as he challenged Sheamus for the WWE Championship. The Celtic Warrior was extremely confident in his second reign as WWE Champion. Ryder was extremely popular with the fans, who wanted to see him thrive and consistently feature on Raw.

As soon as the bell sounded, Sheamus heaped more misery on the Long Island Ice-Z as he nailed him with a ferocious Brogue Kick. Sheamus prevailed in just 10 seconds to retain the WWE Championship, but no disrespect to Ryder but he wouldn't have been a great WWE Champion.

9 Gillberg

Gillberg Light Heavyweight Champion Cropped

Gillberg was a comedic character, and he was a parody of WCW's Goldberg. Despite being the reigning Light Heavyweight Champion, Gillberg rarely defended the title but he managed to challenge for the WWE Championship. Gillberg was looking to unseat Triple H for the championship on the September 2, 1999, edition of SmackDown.

There was a little bit of a surprise at the start of the match with Gillberg getting some offense with a couple of Spears. However, the result was inevitable with the Game keeping a hold of his WWE Title with his patented Pedigree.

8 Mike Knox

Mike Knox Cropped

At No Way Out 2009, Mike Knox had the opportunity of a lifetime when he competed in the Elimination Chamber match for John Cena's World Heavyweight Championship. Knox was amongst the field that featured Cena, Edge, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, and Kane.

Knox had a great look but he wasn't the best wrestler inside the squared circle. He entered the Chamber fourth, and he lasted just under 15 minutes but he was removed from the equation by Jericho after taking the Codebreaker.

7 King Mabel

Diesel v Mabel SummerSlam 1995 Cropped

King Mabel was immediately pushed in the WWE Championship title picture after he won the 1995 King of the Ring tournament. Mabel was a surprising choice to win the King of the Ring tournament. Nonetheless, he collided with Diesel in the main event of SummerSlam 1995 in one of the worst WWE Championship matches in WWE history.

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Mabel had a reputation for being extremely dangerous to work with as he damaged Undertaker's orbital bone. WWE did the right thing to not pull the trigger by allowing Diesel to retain the WWE Championship. King Mabel's relevancy as a main eventer soon waned after this bout.

6 Shannon Moore

Shannon Moore v Brock Lesnar SmackDown December 18, 2003 Cropped

Reigning WWE Champion Brock Lesnar handpicked Shannon Moore to be his challenger on the December 18, 2003 edition of SmackDown. Lesnar had a smile like a Cheshire cat as he knew that Moore would be no match for him.

Moore's ribs were already taped, and he did manage to counter some of Lesnar's moves in the early exchanges. Moore is a solid cruiserweight but not WWE Championship material, so it wasn't a shock that Lesnar kept the WWE Championship in his possession.

5 R-Truth

Cena v R-Truth Capitol Punishment 2011 Cropped

R-Truth is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in WWE, and he has carved out a very good career for himself. He certainly has overachieved in some aspects but in 2011, he turned heel and began feuding with John Cena over the WWE Championship.

Their feud was short-lived but Truth had a shot at Big Match John's WWE Title at Capitol Punishment. Of course, Truth was never going to beat Cena for the WWE Title and it would have been detrimental to the championship's lineage if Truth prevailed.

4 Vladimir Kozlov

Vladimir Kozlov v Triple H v Edge Survivor Series 2008 Cropped

When Vladimir Kozlov made his debut, he looked ferocious and was primed to become a multiple WWE world champion. The Moscow Mauler set his sights on Triple H's WWE Championship, and they battled in a sluggish championship bout at Survivor Series 2008.

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The match was extremely boring with fans hardly interested in what they were watching. Thankfully, Edge saved the day by returning to WWE after a three-month absence. The Rated-R Superstar captured the WWE Title, and Kozlov's time at the top was almost often. Kozlov got demoted from the WWE title picture, and a couple of years later, he became a laughing stock when he formed a tag team with Santino Marella.

3 Eugene

Eugene Cropped

On the July 12, 2004, edition of Raw, General Manager Eric Bischoff gave his nephew Eugene a chance at becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. Eugene collided with Chris Benoit, and the two had a decent match together to close out the show.

Ultimately, Eugene failed to wrestle the championship away from the Rabid Wolverine. After the match, Eugene was on a receiving end of a beatdown by Evolution. Eugene is a good wrestler but he wasn't WWE world championship material.

2 Spike Dudley

Feud with Stone Cold Cropped

Many fans forget that Spike Dudley had a shot at becoming WWE Champion. Spike had a brief feud with Steve Austin, who was still one of the biggest names in the professional wrestling business in 2001. Spike stood up to Austin, who bullied him and his girlfriend, Molly Holly.

On the June 14, 2001, edition of SmackDown, Spike challenged Austin for the WWE Title. Whilst, it was good to see Spike putting up a fight, there was no surprise with the outcome as the Texas Rattlesnake retained his coveted WWE Championship.

1 James Ellsworth

James Ellsworth v AJ Styles SmackDown December 20, 2016 Cropped

James Ellsworth was a thorn in AJ Styles' side, and he heavily featured in the Phenomenal One's feud with Dean Ambrose over the WWE Championship. Nevertheless, Ellsworth did manage to pick up some upset victories over Styles, they collided on the December 20, 2016, episode of SmackDown with Styles' WWE Title up for grabs.

They opened up the show but Styles was in no mood to be sentimental. He put on a ruthless performance by knocking Ellsworth down with a few brutal punches, and he retained the WWE Championship in under one minute. Ellsworth wouldn't have been a good WWE Champion as he was more of a comedic act.