Top 50 WWE World Champions

Andre The Giant

While Andre The Giant managed to do the seemingly impossible in 1988 - defeating Hulk Hogan to end his four-year WWF World Title run - the finish was bogus and involved an evil twin referee to count the pinfall. Plus, The Eighth Wonder of the World held the belt for about three minutes before surrendering it.

This is going to be a really controversial list.

For beginners, you may notice that the title is Top 50 WWE World Champions. Technically speaking, that championship was only established in December 2013, so there's no way that we could have seen 50 different champions in that time.

So for this week's Top 50 list, we are including any championship belt that signifies you are the company's top champion at any point in the 50 year-history of the WWWF, WWF or WWE. To be clear, we are including anyone who has captured one or more of the following titles:

WWWF World Heavyweight Championship
WWF World Heavyweight Championship
WWE Championship
World Heavyweight Championship
WWE World Heavyweight Championship

So now that we have a list of champions, how are they ranked? Canadian Bulldog's World looked at how they performed WHILE wearing the championship; how long (or how many times) they captured the belt; the quality of competition that they faced and how they are remembered historically as champion. So even though, say, Ric Flair is considered the be-all and end-all in wrestling lore, his two WWF Championship reigns weren't exactly groundbreaking.

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!

Most people barely remember this, but The Great Khali was World Heavyweight Champion in the summer of 2007, winning a battle royale to win the vacant championship and defending it only a handful of times before dropping the championship to Batista in a Triple Threat Match that also included Rey Mysterio.

The Great Khali

Goldberg's World Heavyweight Title win in 2003 was one where it apparently signified change in WWE, particularly because he toppled the hated Triple H for the gold. His reign didn't last very long - only two months before dropping it back to Triple H in a triple threat match - but it was certainly memorable.

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

Kane's first (and only) WWF World Championship reign in June 1998 lasted roughly 24 hours as he traded the strap back and forth with Stone Cold Steve Austin. However, Kane would win the World Championship in July 2010 and held it until December, holding back the challenges of Edge and The Undertaker.

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Another "blink and you miss it" World Champion was Jack Swagger, who captured the belt in 2010. Much like Great Khali, The All-American American held the championship for only a few months (cashing his Money In The Bank briefcase), quickly dropping it to Rey Mysterio in a Fatal Four Way match.

Jack Swagger

For a two-time World Champion, Christian didn't exactly hold on to the belt very long in 2011 -- 30 days for both reigns combined! And while he never expected to be a long-range champion for WWE's SmackDown brand, he ended up being the very definition of a transitional champion.

In 1991, during the apex of The Gulf War, no one was a bigger heel in wrestling than Sgt. Slaughter, so it made perfect sense he would win the WWF World Championship in January. However, he dropped it Hulk Hogan two months later and mostly defended the belt against enhancement talent on television.

Sgt. Slaughter

Taking nothing away from Booker's legendary status as the five-time WCW Champion, Booker's only run that qualifies on this list was when he (as King Booker) captured the World Championship in July 2006 from Rey Mysterio, and then dropped it about four months later at Survivor Series to Batista.

Booker T

Dolph Ziggler's first run with the World Championship didn't even last an entire show (SmackDown) before it was returned to Edge. His second run lasted a little longer, about two months, when he cashed in his Money In The Bank briefcase in 2013 and traded the belt with Alberto Del Rio.

Dolph Ziggler

When Rob Van Dam captured the WWE Championship in 2006, it was seen as a huge deal, particularly because he unseated John Cena to win it. Although RVD successfully defended the title against Edge the following month, The Whole Dam Show had to drop it shortly thereafter because of a suspension.

Rob Van Dam

While Buddy Rogers only held the WWWF Championship for about a month in 1963, and he didn't have any title defenses until he lost the belt in 48 seconds to Bruno Sammartino... the fact remains that he was the very first champion in WWWF/WWF/WWE history and in the era he held the belt, it meant something.

Buddy Rogers

Another short-lived but meaningful champion was The Iron Sheik, who captured the WWF World Championship from Bob Backlund in December 1983 and lost it a month later to Hulk Hogan. But given Sheik was literally the bridge between two eras in wrestling and managed to hold the title, it's an accomplishment.

The Iron Sheik

Kane

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Was The Miz's lone WWE Title reign "awwwwe-some!"? No, but it was still kind of impressive. Miz won the championship in November 2010 by cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase and managed to keep the championship for six months, even successfully defending the belt against John Cena at WrestleMania.

The Miz

The Big Show has held the WWF, WWE and World Heavyweight Championships at various points in between 1999 and 2013. While none of his title reigns have been overly lengthy, he's defeated the likes of Triple H, The Rock and Brock Lesnar to win his belts - no small task, even for a giant.

The Big Show

Sheamus had two runs with the WWE Championship between 2009 and 2010, toppling John Cena for the championship belt both times and holding it for about 160 days total. He then beat Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Title in 2012 and held on to it for most of the year before dropping it in October.

Sheamus

While none of Mankind's three WWF Championship reigns were particularly lengthy (combined, they're less than two months total), each of them were meaningful. Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy defeated The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1998 and 1999, considered the absolute peak of The Attitude Era.

Mankind

Jeff Hardy captured the WWE Championship in 2008, defeating Edge and Triple H. While he would only that belt for about a month, Hardy also captured the World Heavyweight Championship twice in 2009, trading the belt back and forth with CM Punk over a brief period of time.

Jeff Hardy

Goldberg

Despite a career resurgence over the last five years and the fact that he's been in WWE for almost 19 years(!), Mark Henry has only held the World Heavyweight Title once via a victory over Randy Orton in 2011. Still, the win was well received and Henry was booked as a dominant champion during that time.

Mark Henry

Sycho Sid held the WWF Heavyweight Title twice between 1996 and 1997. True, his combined title reigns were less than 100 days total, but let's not forget that The Master And Ruler Of The World defeated Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart - two of the best wrestlers in the 90's - to win his championships.

Sycho Sid

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan's World Heavyweight Title reign began in December 2011 due to a Money In The Bank cash-in and lasted almost fourth months until he dropped it to WrestleMania. He's also captured the WWE / WWE World Heavyweight Championship three times since 2013, including his WrestleMania win last year.

Despite being known as a 16-time World Champion, Ric Flair has only held two of those within the confines of the WWE Universe. He captured the WWF World Championship twice in 1992 - once in a Royal Rumble, and once from Randy "Macho Man" Savage. The two reigns equal just under four months combined.

Ric Flair

Remember when we said this list would be controversial?? Ivan Koloff only held the WWWF Championship once, and for 21 days at that, so one would think he shouldn't rank so highly. Yet he did the seemingly impossible by defeating Bruno Sammartino for the belt in 1971, ending an unprecedented eight-year run.

Ivan Koloff

A bit painful to talk about now, sure, but the fact remains that Chris Benoit won the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XX, in Madison Square Garden, and not only was it in a triple threat match, but he got Triple H to tap out in the middle of the ring! The fact Benoit held the belt for 150-plus days is gravy.

Chris Benoit

Alberto Del Rio was only in WWE for five years but made a major impact, holding the World Heavyweight Title twice for a combined 223 days (the fourth-longest reign for that belt). On top of that, he captured the WWE Title twice and held it for a combined 84 days, going over the likes of John Cena and CM Punk.

Alberto Del Rio

Rey Mysterio's World Championship win at WrestleMania 22 in 2006 was the stuff of legend, even if his 112-day title reign was poorly booked. About four years later, Mysterio recaptured the belt in June 2010 and held on to it until the following month's pay-per-view when he dropped the title to Kane.

Rey Mysterio

Eddie Guerrero's lone run with the WWE Championship began in February 2004 when he pulled off the upset and defeated Brock Lesnar. The title reign included a successful title defense against Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XX before he dropped the belt to John Bradshaw Layfield in June of that year.

Eddie Guerrero

The Undertaker enjoyed four runs as WWF/E Champion between 1991 and 2002, defeating the likes of Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He also had three runs as World Champion, with title victories over CM Punk, Edge and Batista. All told, his seven reigns amount to 445 days as champion combined!

The Undertaker

In 2001, Chris Jericho became the first Undisputed WWF Champion, defeating The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night (you may have heard him mention it). In addition, he had three runs with the World Championship between 2008-2010 when he was The Best In The World At What He Does.

Chris Jericho

It's true; it's damn true! Kurt Angle captured the WWF/E Championship four times between 2000 and 2003, defeating the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar and The Big Show. He also captured the World Title in January 2006, capturing the vacant championship in a battle royale.

Kurt Angle

Batista dominated the World Heavyweight Championship between 2005 and 2008, defeating Triple H at WrestleMania 21 and overcoming King Booker and Chris Jericho during four reigns on top. His combined 507 days make him the second-longest reigning World Champion. He's also held the WWE Title twice.

Batista

John Bradshaw Layfield only had one run as WWE Champion, but he made it count. A 280-day run made him the longest-reigning champion in SmackDown history (when it was a SmackDown-exclusive title) and he defended it against the likes of Eddie Guerrero, Booker T, The Big Show and The Undertaker.

John Bradshaw Layfield

Diesel's lone run as WWF World Champion in 1994 was an impressive one. Not only did he defeat Bob Backlund in eight seconds (a record for the fastest championship win that stands to this day), but he held on to that title for almost an entire year, withstanding challenges from Shawn Michaels and others.

Diesel

CM Punk had three runs as World Heavyweight Champion between 2008 and 2009, about four months in total. But what stood out were his two reigns as WWE Champion beginning in 2011, which of course included Punk's historic 434-day title reign, the longest single reign of the past 21 years!

CM Punk

In a much different era, Superstar Billy Graham managed to defeat Bruno Sammartino in April 1977, ending Bruno's final run with the WWWF Championship. Graham defended the belt against a wide variety of challengers for nearly a year before dropping it to Bob Backlund in 1978.

Superstar Billy Graham

Brock Lesnar captured three WWE Championships between 2002 and 2003, holding the belts for a combined 355 days and defending against the likes of Kurt Angle, The Undertaker and The Big Show. Then there was his reign as WWE World Heavyweight Champion that began in August 2014.

Brock Lesnar

Edge had four reigns as WWE Champion between 2006 and 2009, holding the championship for 139 days combined and defending against the likes of Jeff Hardy and John Cena. But he's also captured the World Heavyweight Championship a record nine days, with combined reigns spanning 400+ days.

Edge

The Ultimate Warrior's lone WWF Heavyweight Championship run began in April 1990 when he cleanly pinned Hulk Hogan and became the first person in that era to do so. He defended the belt against the likes of Rick Rude, Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage before dropping it to Sgt. Slaughter in January 1991.

The Ultimate Warrior

Pedro Morales isn't a name many fans associate with WWE's main championship, which is why it's surprising that after he defeated Ivan Koloff in February 1971, he held the belt for over 1,000 days! Morales eventually lost the championship to Stan Stasiak in December 1973 - Stasiak himself only held the belt for 9 days.

Pedro Morales

The Rock is an eight-time WWF/E Champion, beginning back with his first reign in November 1998 right near the peak of the business. Along the way, Rock defeated the likes of Mankind, Triple H, Kurt Angle and CM Punk to capture his belts, which he held for roughly one year when combined.

The Rock

Yokozuna's first run with the WWF World Championship began at WrestleMania IX, when he defeated Bret Hart for the belt. Unfortunately, Yoko lost it three or four minutes later when he accepted the impromptu challenge of Hulk Hogan. Yokozuna's next run was much more impressive - he defeated Hogan in June 1993 and withstood challengers such as Lex Luger, Randy Savage and The Undertaker before dropping it back to Hart in the main event of the following year's WrestleMania.

Yokozuna

Bob Backlund's first WWWF Title run began in February 1978 and lasted all the way until December 1983; the second-longest title reign in history (or, if you prefer, 2,135 days). Backlund would leave the company after dropping that belt and only returned in 1994, when he defeated Bret Hart for the championship in a tainted submission match. Unfortunately for Backlund, his second run only lasted three days before he ran into Diesel.

Randy Orton

Shawn Michaels is not only Mr. WrestleMania, but he's also a three-time WWF/E Champion, capturing the belt in 1996 and 1997 and defending it against the likes of Triple H, Davey Boy Smith, Sycho Sid, Goldust and Bret Hart and holding the belt for a combined 396 days. The Heartbreak Kid also won the World Championship in 2002, winning it in the first Elimination Chamber match and holding it for about a month.

Shawn Michaels

Randy Orton has held the WWE/WWE World Heavyweight Championship eight times between 2007 and 2015, defeating the likes of Triple H, John Cena, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan to win the gold. Combined, those reigns have lasted roughly 600 days. In addition, Orton has held the World Championship four times between 2004 and 2013, showing that The Legend Killer has been in the championship mix for over a decade.

Bob Backlund

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's run with the WWF World Title began in 1998 and continued off and on until 2001 (months before he left the company, in fact). Austin would go on to have five addition runs, which equals 529 days. Along the way, Austin opened up a can of whoop ass on the likes of The Undertaker, The Rock, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Kane and Mick Foley, often while having to contend with evil owner Vince McMahon.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Bret "Hit Man" Hart held the WWF World Championship five times between 1992 and 1997, but what was interesting is that all but one of his reigns were longer than three months. That gave the Hit Man a reputation as a fighting champion as he defended his belt against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Bob Backlund, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Sycho Sid, Yokozuna, Owen Hart and many others.

Bret "Hit Man" Hart

Randy "Macho Man" Savage held the WWF World Championship twice. His first reign, which began in April 1988, was particularly significant because he was essentially groomed to take Hulk Hogan's spot and ironically, lost the belt one later to Hogan. Savage's second reign began in April 1992 when he upset Ric Flair for the belt, but ending up losing it back to the Nature Boy later that year.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage

Triple H held the WWF/E World Championship eight times between 1999 and 2009 for a combined 539 days on top, as he defended it against the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, John Cena, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, The Big Show and numerous others. Of course he was also a five-time World Champion, becoming the first titleholder in 2002 and holding that belt for 616 days combined -- a record for that particular championship.

Triple H

Bruno Sammartino dominated the WWWF Championship between 1963 and 1973, holding the title only twice but for 4,040 days - a record that won't likely ever be broken. So why is Bruno # 3 and not # 1 on this list? The WWWF was a regional promotion for most of his reign and he wouldn't have the same kind of television and pay-per-view demands where there would be constant pressure to drop the championship over that decade.

Bruno Sammartino

Hulk Hogan is a six-time WWF World Champion, dominating the company from 1984 to 1993 and returning for a month-long title reign in 2002. In total, Hogan had 2,185 days on top - the second-longest in company history, and he defended his belt against the likes of Andre The Giant, Big John Studd, Randy Savage, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Magnificent Muraco, The Iron Sheik, Rowdy Roddy Piper and numerous other legends.

Hulk Hogan

John Cena

Christian

Once again, we warned you this would be a controversial list. John Cena held the WWE/WWE World Heavyweight Championship an unprecedented 12 times between 2005 and 2014 for 1,240 days combined, or roughly three and a half years as champion, defending it against the likes of Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Triple H and many others. On top of that, he's had three runs as World Champion for 154 days combined, making Cena the most frequent WWE World Champion ever when you add in the various belts. The Champ Is Here!

June 12