When Was Their Best Chance?
Every wrestling star hopes to win a major world title since world championships usually signify the highest level of success. Previous eras saw quite a few all-time greats missing out on that accomplishment since titles only changed hands a handful of times per year. Even recent years have seen larger rosters forcing some talents to get snubbed.
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Legends like Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart and now Roman Reigns have shown how impactful a world title reign can be. However, not everyone will find that opportunity coming their way. The best names to never hold a major world championship will be viewed in detail to see when their biggest chance at winning one was.
10 Owen Hart: Feud With Bret Hart Instead Of Bob Backlund
WWE booking Bob Backlund to win the WWE Championship from Bret Hart at Survivor Series 1994 only happened due to Owen Hart getting involved. WWE felt that the veteran Backlund winning the gold again would be a better move than Owen being a transitional champion.
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The entire feud between Bret and Owen carried WWE through a lackluster 1994. WWE never made Owen a world champion, but his best chance would have been during this feud. A short heel reign for Owen before he dropped the gold to Diesel would have been a better idea.
9 Mr. Perfect: Right After Legendary Intercontinental Championship Ended
WWE started to book the Intercontinental Championship as a belt that talents would win before moving into the world title picture. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and The Rock were just a handful of names to accomplish this in the 1990s.
Mr. Perfect was arguably the best Intercontinental Champion to not be afforded this same luxury. WWE witnessed Perfect ending an all-time great IC Championship reign by putting over Bret Hart. This would have been the best time for a Perfect world title reign, even if short, due to his momentum.
8 Luna Vachon: New Generation Era Women's Division
WWE wanted to have a credible women’s division in the New Generation Era, but they didn’t put in enough effort. Alundra Blayze was the only woman to get portrayed as a star with her Women’s Championship reigns being the peak of the division.
Luna Vachon was the most over heel, but WWE never pushed her into the title picture. Not even the returning belt in the Attitude Era saw Luna winning the gold. Vachon spent her entire WWE career without winning any major women’s world title.
7 Dustin Rhodes: Goldust's Start As Controversial Character
The legendary career of Dustin Rhodes has been thriving due to longevity and the ability to adapt in different eras. There is no doubt that Goldust is the character that most fans will associate most with Dustin since he completely committed to it in WWE.
Goldust had a few different incarnations, but the early start was his best chance at main event success. WWE was starting to experiment with new characters and could have gone all the way with Goldust as WWE Champion. The face turn and lessening of his androgynous side ruined his momentum rather quickly.
6 Arn Anderson: Feud With Ric Flair
WCW pushed Arn Anderson as one of the most respected stars in the company. Anderson mostly thrived as a tag team or mid-card wrestler as part of the Four Horsemen. WCW even trusted Arn to have big matches against top babyfaces like Hulk Hogan and Sting.
The rare feud between Anderson and Ric Flair when it appeared the Four Horsemen was done in the mid-1990s. Arn would have had his best chance at a main eventer and potential WCW Champion. Unfortunately, this was all to reboot the Horsemen as Anderson moved back into his normal role.
5 Ted DiBiase: Using His Money To Stack Odds Vs Hulk Hogan
WWE pushed Ted DiBiase hard in the Golden Era as arguably the best heel character. Vince McMahon based the Million Dollar Man rich heel persona off how people perceived him upon achieving his wealth. DiBiase was always portrayed as a top villain trying to stop Hulk Hogan or Randy Savage.
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McMahon never viewed DiBiase as an ideal world champion. There was a time when Ted tried to buy the WWE Championship from Andre the Giant, but WWE just vacated the belt. DiBiase hiring others to help him could have created the path for a great title reign instead of Ultimate Warrior or Sgt. Slaughter.
4 Jake Roberts: Short WCW Run
WWE reportedly canceled a Jake Roberts feud with Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship due to fans cheering him over Hogan during their test matches on house shows. Roberts remained an all-time great upper mid-card heel for WWE, but they never pushed him at the top of the card.
WCW signing Roberts was actually the best chance he had at becoming a world champ. Roberts was introduced in a top program against the most beloved babyface Sting. The opportunity was there, but the run didn’t last long enough when Roberts left after a few months.
3 Shelton Benjamin: First MITB Match
Shelton Benjamin was among the best and most consistent WWE mid-card talents to never become a main eventer. WWE did have hope in Shelton thriving as Intercontinental Champion and eventually breaking out in the world title scene during the first few years of his singles push.
The first Money in the Bank match may have been Benjamin’s best chance to become a world champion since the audience was behind him. Edge was clearly a great option as the actual winner, but a Shelton win and cash in could have made his career even greater.
2 Scott Hall: Peak Of Razor Ramon Popularity As Face
The passing of Scott Hall had fans reflecting on his legendary career and wondering how someone that over never won a world title. Hall could be argued as deserving of a reign during his stints in both WWE and WCW, but one time stands out most.
WWE fans loved the Razor Ramon character as a babyface when he switched gears and became arguably the coolest wrestler. Razor was more than over enough to get a world title push, but WWE liked him as a consistent mid-carder in the Intercontinental Championship picture.
1 Roddy Piper: WCW Rivalry With Hulk Hogan
Many fans would understandably list Roddy Piper as the greatest wrestler to never win a world championship. Piper’s peak run in both WWE and WCW came when he was feuding with Hulk Hogan at the top of the card.
WCW was actually the better bet for Piper to win the gold since he was now the babyface trying to stop a heel Hogan leading the New World Order. Piper even won their first big WCW match at Starrcade 1996, but WCW made it a non-title match to extend Hogan’s reign in defeat.
