Top 50 Wrestlers That Have Never Been WWE World Champion

Tito Santana

Tito Santana as WWE World Champion? It's not as crazy an idea as you think. After all, he's a two-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time Tag Team Champion, veteran of eight WrestleManias and WWE Hall of Famer. In his day, he had the "underdog" vibe later used to market Rey Mysterio and Daniel Bryan.

This list isn't really the opposite of last week's Top 50 WWE World Champions. If anything, it's more of a companion piece.

You see, there have been tons of wrestlers that have competed for but never won the top prize in WWE (for the purposes of this and last week's list, we're considering the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship, the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, the WWE Championship, the World Championship and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship "the top prize").

In counting down the Top 50 Wrestlers That Have Never Been WWE World Champion, we looked at the following criteria. To qualify, wrestlers have had to:

Compete in WWWF/WWF/WWE for some time (probably a no-brainer, but just mentioning that).
Have a prominent role within the company during their time there.
Hold a prominent secondary championship, such as Intercontinental, United States, European or Hardcore.... OR win a prominent event such as the Royal Rumble or King of the Ring... OR main event a major card, PPV or television show.... OR challenge for the "top prize" at least once in their careers. Ideally more than one of those accomplishments to score higher on the list

Would all 50 picks be ideal World Championship material? Probably not, but the idea is to determine whether they could have made it to the top, given the right push and using their past experiences.

Whether you agree or disagree in any of the picks, make sure to have a say! Leave a comment below or on Twitter using the hashtag #Top50

Ready? Here we go!

While Test never reached main event level, there's ample reason to believe he was at least given several opportunities. He held the Intercontinental, European, Hardcore and Tag Team Championships during his WWF run and was even paired up with Stephanie McMahon in storyline before Triple H stole her away.

Test

A mainstay of the WWF for much of the 80's and 90's, Big Boss Man was a challenger to World Champions such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Stone Cold Steve Austin. While he held the Hardcore and Tag Team Championships, he never had had the top gold, although it wouldn't have been out of place.

Any picks missing or misplaced? Leave your feedback in the Comments section below...

Considering his Kliq teammates Shawn Michaels, Diesel and Triple H have had successful runs at the top, it's not inconceivable to believe X-Pac would have never been considered for a run. Yes, he's much smaller than those men, but he also had runs with the Cruiserweight, European and Tag Team Championships.

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Cody Rhodes could still capture the WWE World Championship and it wouldn't be shocking. Over the past eight years, he's been Tag Team Champion six times and Intercontinental Champion twice. And whether portraying "Dashing" Cody or Stardust, he's proven that he has charisma and talent to spare.

Cody Rhodes

William Regal's WWE resumé is covered in championships, including the Intercontinental, Hardcore, European and Tag Team Champions, all multiple times, plus he was King Of The Ring. Regal's unique charisma, wrestling ability and heel mannerisms could have easily been transferred to World Champion.

Truthfully, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan never moved past the WWF's upper midcard. But given his accomplishments (feuds with Andre The Giant and Iron Sheik, a Royal Rumble win and a stint as WWF "King"), his patriotism and unique fan appeal, there's no reason why he couldn't have had a run on top.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan

Carlito won the United States Championship in his first match on SmackDown (over John Cena, no less) and the Intercontinental Championship in his first match on Raw. That tells us right there that WWE had high hopes for Carlito, and they certainly had the potential to go all the way with him. Now dass cool.

Carlito

Think a plus-sized wrestler wearing a sumo-style thong would be incapable of holding the WWF World Championship? Okay, then please explain Yokozuna's two title reigns! Plus, Rikishi was incredibly over with fans during the Attitude Era, and had runs with both he Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships.

Rikishi

From the moment Montel Vontavious Porter arrived in WWE in mid-2006, he was touted as wrestling's hottest free agent and being groomed for a top spot within the company. While he held the United States Championship twice and had a run with the Tag Team Championships, he never quite reached the top.

Montel Vontavious Porter

With his long sideburns and his hair slicked back, The Honky Tonk Man enjoyed the longest Intercontinental Championship run in history. The reason he kept it so long is because fans would pay to see him get beat up - which is the very same reason promotions select a heel to win their World Championship.

The Honky Tonk Man

Would Shelton Benjamin be a long-shot as WWE World Champion? Sure, but it's still not out of the question. Consider his three Intercontinental Championship runs, plus one time with the U.S. title and two Tag Team title runs. That's not to mention his huge showings against Triple H and Shawn Michaels on Raw.

Shelton Benjamin

X-Pac

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This one should have been a given: Ron Simmons should have just replicated the determined ex-football star character that led him to great heights in WCW. Instead, the WWF slapped a blue helmet on his head, and he still managed to win three Tag Team Championships and a WWE Hall of Fame ring? DAMN!

Ron Simmons

Ken Patera was, at one point, one of the strongest athletes on the planet and had the Olympic weightlifting credentials to back it up. While he only captured the Intercontinental Championship once, his return to the WWF in the late-1980's was a great comeback story that could have possibly led to a World Title.

Ken Patera

When Greg "The Hammer" Valentine returned to the WWF in 1984, he already a lot of the qualities the company would look for in a World Champion. He was a second-generation star with great heel mannerisms and a lethal moveset. Plus he ended up winning both the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships.

Greg "The Hammer" Valentine

Things were looking great for Mr. Kennedy when he first entered WWE in 2005. Over a short period of time, he captured the United States Championship and also was declared Money In The Bank winner at WrestleMania 23 in 2007. While his face run never reached its full potential, he was always a top contender.

Mr. Kennedy

If his brother Jeff could win the WWE Championship, why not Matt Hardy? As it was he captured the Tag Team, United States, Hardcore, European and ECW Championships over his career and his recent "unstable" persona could have been used as a serious asset to the folks within WWE.

Matt Hardy

Big Boss Man

John Morrison was a former ECW, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion during his WWE run. In addition, he had a great look and was one of the most innovative wrestlers in recent memory. If his tag team partner The Miz could have handed WWE's top prize, it's hard to believe Morrizon never got there.

John Morrison

Wade Barrett has only been in WWE since 2006 and has held the Intercontinental Championship five times, led two factions, won the very first season of NXT, and had a main-event level feud with John Cena. If you think this man would already be World Championship material... I'm afraid I've got some good news.

Wade Barrett

Magnificent Muraco

Magnificent Muraco was a two-time Intercontinental Champion back when holding that belt meant a great deal. He's also a WWE Hall of Famer, having legendary matches at feud with the likes of "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat and even Hulk Hogan, but never captured the world title.

Goldust winning the WWE World Championship may as well be considered a lifetime achievement award, given he's been in the WWF/E on and off for 1995 and captured multiple Intercontinental, Hardcore and Tag Team Championships. During his initial heel run, this wouldn't have been a shocker.

Goldust

While it's true that King Kong Bundy never won any sort of championship belt during his WWF run, the fact remains that he main-evented the second WrestleMania against none other than Hulk Hogan. That alone should prove that he's of championship caliber - and we at this website are huge Bundy marks.

King Kong Bundy

Seen as more of a joke than anything else these days, Ahmed Johnson's WWF push in the mid-1990's was very real and the company was very serious about positioning him for a top spot. While his lone Intercontinental Championship reign only lasted about two months, this was because of a legitimate injury.

Ahmed Johnson

We featured Bad News Barrett earlier, so why not Bad News Brown? The former Olympic bronze medalist never held any WWF gold during his run in the late-1980's to early 1990's, but he did feud with some of the company's biggest names, including Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Bad News Brown

When Harley Race came to the WWF in 1986, his days as an eight-time World Champion in the NWA were largely ignored in favor of making him the company's first King. Still, there's no reason why the company couldn't have promoted him like the Harley Race of old and given him a run at the top.

Harley Race

Although Jeff Jarrett had muliple World Championship runs in WCW, AAA and TNA, he was never quite King of the Mountain in the WWF. Still, it's hard to overlook that Jarrett was a six-time Intercontinental Champion during two separate stints in the WWF between the mid-1990's and early 2000's.

Jeff Jarrett

At certain points during his decade-long run in the WWF, Brutus Beefcake was arguably one of the most popular wrestlers in the company. Rivalries with everyone from Randy Savage to The Honky Tonk Man certainly didn't hurt his reputation, even though his only gold was earned as part of a tag team.

Brutus Beefcake

While Big John Studd was never quite the attraction that his nemesis Andre The Giant was, he was definitely a competitor who literally towered over most of his opponents, creating for a memorable visual. Plus, Studd challenged WWWF/WWF World Champions Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan for their gold.

Big John Studd

In the midst of The Attitude Era, Billy Gunn was definitely being groomed as a future star, earnings him six Tag Team Championships, plus runs with Intercontinental Title and Hardcore Championship, in addition to being King of the Ring and competing in several high-profile tag matches back in the day.

Billy Gunn

Once the single-most popular wrestler in the entire mid-south, Junkyard Dog was able to parlay his unique heart and charisma into a better-than-average WWF career. And even though he never held any type of championship during this run, he did win King of the Ring precursor The Wrestling Classsic in 1985.

Junkyard Dog

Any discussion of greats who never held the WWF World Championship should include Pat Patterson, the company's first Intercontinental Champion and a WWE Hall of Famer. Not only did Patterson have the ability of a top star, but was also politically-connected enough to have a post-wrestling job for life.

Pat Patterson

Some conspiracy theorists suggest that if Hulk Hogan didn't win the WWF World Championship in 1984 that "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka would have be the next option. While legal issues diminished his chances of winning any WWF gold, he was a first-ballot WWE Hall of Famer still popular to this day.

"Superfly" Jimmy Snuka

Although Bray Wyatt has only been in WWE (as his current character) since 2012, he's aleady feuded with the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan and is possibly headed to a marquee WrestleMania match with The Undertaker. He may yet end up as World Champion one day, too.

Bray Wyatt

Few wrestlers had the "monster heel" appeal of Earthquake in the early 1990's, evidenced by his intense rivalries with Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior only months into his WWF run. Although he only held the Tag Team Championship, there's no reason to believe he couldn't have a run on top.

Earthquake

During his relatively-brief WWE run, Bobby Lashley got as close as you can get to a World Title run without actually winning the big one. He held the United States Title and ECW Championship and was booked to back Donald Trump in a feud with Vince McMahon at WrestleMania - quite the endorsement.

Bobby Lashley

Davey Boy Smith held most of the WWF/E Championships available to him during his stints with the company, including the Intercontinental, Tag Team, European and Hardcore belts. While he never successfully unseated the World Champion, he did challenge champs Diesel, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

Davey Boy Smith

WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat came quite close to the top of the WWF in 1987, when he unseated Randy "Macho Man" Savage for the Intercontinental Championship in an all-time classic. Had he remained in the company when a heel World Champion was on top, it's possible he could have done the same.

Ricky Steamboat

Years before his cousin was being primed for the WWE World Championship, Umaga was a top heel within the company. He held the Intercontinental Championship twice, was endorsed by Vince McMahon in the aforementioned Donald Trump feud and was menacing enough to be considered a top star.

Umaga

Before Brock Lesnar, there was Ken Shamrock, a crossover star from the UFC who was quite successful in his WWF run. Not only did The World's Most Dangerous Man capture the Intercontinental and Tag Team Championships, he also was named King of the Ring in 1998, toppling none other than The Rock.

Ken Shamrock

In a very short period of time, Seth Rollins has gone from a top prospect to a future World Champion. For his first year, Rollins bided his time as one-third of The Shield, and then came into his own during a well-orchestrated heel turn. Since winning Money In The Bank last year, he's been absolutely unstoppable.

Seth Rollins

Owen Hart could have easily defeated his brother Bret Hart for the WWF World Championship during their rivalry in 1994, and it may have even led to a spike in business during the company's down time. As it stood, Hart was a European Champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a four-time Tag Team Champion, not to mention King of the Ring in 1994 and a two-time Slammy award winner. Wooooooo!

Paul Orndorff

During the peak of his WWF run in 1993, Lex Luger was very much portrayed as the second coming of Hulk Hogan. He came extremely close to defeating WWF World Champion Yokozuna twice -- at SummerSlam and at the following year's WrestleMania. Had Luger only been in the WWF earlier... who knows?

Lex Luger

Paul Orndorff quite literally came within a foot of ending Hulk Hogan's WWF World Title run during a steel cage match in 1986. In addition to that, Mr. Wonderful's feud with Hulk Hogan was one of the top box-office draws at the time and kept Orndorff in the top mix for most of his WWF career.

Owen Hart

The highest-ranking on this list to never capture any sort of WWF/E championship, Jake "The Snake" Roberts was nonetheless one of the most successful wrestlers in his era, feuding with everyone from Ricky Steamboat to The Honky Tonk Man to Randy Savage. He never feuded with then-WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan (who, according to Roberts, would have been booed out of the building), but realistically could have done so.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Would Mr. Perfect have made the Perfect World Champion? Quite possibly. There's a natural comparison to Ric Flair, as Perfect had outstanding heel charisma and was extremely athletic, arguably moreso than Flair. Plus he held on to the Intercontinental Championship twice and competed against the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Flair and The Ultimate Warrior. Putting the World Title on Perfect would not have seemed at all out of place.

Mr. Perfect

Razor Ramon was a four-time Intercontinental Champion who took on many World Champions during his WWF runs, including Bret Hart, Diesel, Randy Savage, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Unlike most of his other Kliq teammates, Ramon was never able to quite make it to the top, although he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year.

Razor Ramon

"Ravishing" Rick Rude was one of the most hated heels in the WWF during the late 1980's and early 1990's, yet he was never rewarded with a World Title run. What he did get was a very rare win over The Ultimate Warrior when the two feuded over the Intercontinental Championship in 1989, which went a long way to establishing Rude as a serious title contender.... but he stopped short of winning the company's biggest prize.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

This one is kind of a given, especially because it's pretty much a lock that Roman Reigns will win the WWE World Heavyweight Title some time soon - either at WrestleMania 31 or if not, shortly thereafter. Where he hasn't captured a singles championship in his career, Reigns has a Tag Team Championship to his credit as well as a big win at the 2015 Royal Rumble. Will he become World Champion? Believe that.

Roman Reigns

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase should have been WWF World Champion in the late-1980's, particularly as the stock market bottomed and Hulk Hogan could have won the belt back in the name of crushing corporate greed. Instead, DiBiase managed to briefly steal away the belt from Hogan via a referee double-cross, and the only WWF belts he held (but didn't buy) were the Tag Team and often-ignored North American Championships.

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

William Regal

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper shouldn't even be on this list, because he should have been World Champion at one point in his legendary WWF career. He was Hulk Hogan's top rival throughout his career and in any era, would have succeeded at taking the championship away from The Hulkster. As it was, Piper fought Hogan, Andre The Giant, Bret Hart, Randy Savage, Ric Flair and a variety of WWF/E Champions - and even held the Intercontinental and Tag Team Titles for brief periods - but he never ended up with the big one.

June 12