Greatest wrestler never to hold a world title

[Guest Banky]

I know this has been asked before, but I'd be curious to see who the new people think.

 

I'd say either Dibiase or Malenko

 

Both because of their awesome workrate, and because both were major over at one time.  Dibiase moreso than Malenko.

 

I love Eddie Guerrero to the craps, but I don't know if he should have ever been? What do you all think?

 

My list

1. Ted Dibiase

2. Dean Malenko

3. Eddie Guerrero

4. Dynamite Kid

5. Jake Roberts

[Guest Daredevil21]

I'm gonna say Ted Dibiase. Where as Jake Roberts had the goods as a great promo guy, he wasn't a very wrestler. Dibiase could cut great promos and wrestle a HECK of a match. Not to mention he was mad over as a heel when he came to the WWF in 1987. Think if they had put the World title on him. People would have paid to see him get his BUTT kicked every single night. But they decided to take the route they did and now Dibiase hates wrestling, so the situation is more than out of anyone's hands. Shame.

[Guest Tony149]

There are 3 guys who I feel should have gotten a run with a World Title. Those guys being Ted Dibiase, Curt Hennig & Rick Rude.

[Guest theWCWRaider]

I gotta go with the Million Dollar Man as well.

He had it all, and was supposed to get the world title on an ocasion, but it never materialized.

 

Now, if your not counting the NWA/WCW title in this, someone else that should have been WWF champion is Ricky Steamboat.

 

But, since he was NWA champ, I gotta go with Dibiase.

[Guest Maurizio C... Version 2]

in 1990 Curt henning was positioned to get a run as the champ or at least a first contender against hogan.

 

you know the story. Hennig sells like the devil for Terry and gets an ic title in return. but hey, at least the ic belt meant something then.

[Guest Kagato Otaku]

DiBiase, Rude, and Hennig (if we're not counting the AWA) were definite world title caliber wrestlers.

 

Guys like Arn Anderson & Jake Roberts, ehh. Fantastic promo guys with a great feeling for psychology and the business, but I can't picture them as world champ. 'Course I would of said the same thing of Foley a while back too.

 

Magnum T.A. if we're going old, old-school.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

the AWA title was a recognized world title.  So Hennig had one.

 

I vote for Rude.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Dibiase was good, but I can understand why he never got the title.

 

Rick Rude on the other hand should have had the WCW World Title, but he got injured right before he was supposed to win it from Ron Simmons.  So I have to say Rude as well.

 

Curt Hennig did win a World Title.

 

PS:  Roberts was a good wrestler until Honky plastered him with the guitar.

[Guest New World Order of Wrestling]

Tito Santana or Owen Hart

[Guest Army Eye]

Greatest wrestler to never hold a world title is Brian Pillman.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Frankly, it's gotta be Dibiase.

 

Did Scott Hall ever hold the AWA title?  I can't remember if he did or not, but I'd think he'd be another solid contender.

[Guest areacode212]

I'll go with DiBiase and Owen Hart. Maybe they should have made DiBiase a transitional champion between Hogan and Savage, instead of doing that tournament. But then again fighting his way through the tourney helped build Macho Man as a credible champion, so who knows.

[Guest Tony149]

Dibiase was supposed to get the WWF Title at WrestleMania IV (4), but Honky Tonk Man threaten to jump to the NWA/WCW with the I-C Title instead of jobbing to Savage, so Vince let Honky keep the I-C Title, changed plans and gave Savage the WWF Title at WM, then had the "Million Dollar Title" made for Ted. There's a story about Randy wanting to knockout Honky on live TV for not jobbing to him and that's why Vince gave Macho the WWF Title at WM, but I can't remember the story.

[Guest ArkhamGlobe]

Several of my favorites can be found on such a list, among them Dean Malenko and Dynamite Kid. DiBiase and Rude would've made great champs as well.

 

Curt Hennig would've made the list had he not already been AWA World Champion.

[Guest Kagato Otaku]

Loose Cannon - Hall held the AWA tag titles with Hennig, but he's never been a world champ.

[Guest LooseCannon]

Thanks.  I didn't think he was, but I never saw any AWA so I wasn't sure.  

 

Anyway, I think Dibiase and Hall are the two most obvious examples of guys that were decent workers, *and* were over enough at one point to hold a title, and yet never did.  I can see Owen too, though.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Freddie Blassie

 

The man should of been the NWA champ but was never given the chance to play in the big leagues.

 

Ted DiBiase

 

The man was awesome back in the day and was screwed over by both the NWA and the WWF when he was supposed to win the heavy titles in each promotion at different times in his career.

 

Rick Rude

 

The man was on fire when he came into WCW and it is truly ashame that he never won the WCW tile when it was pretty obvious that Rude was "the man" in WCW during 1992.

 

Billy Robinson

 

This man so far ahead of his time in terms of ability and creativity in the ring that it's sad looking back at his career and really having nothing to show for it.  Billy was the man in 1972 and 1973 in the AWA and should've gotten a run with the AWA title.

 

Ray Stevens

 

Stevens was something else in the ring back in his day and it is sad that he never won the "big one".  Stevens should have won the NWA title in the 60's at one point.  He was over folks.  And if that didn't work out, HE should've been that man to beat old Verne for the AWA title first instead of Bockwinkel.  Stevens should havve won the title in 1970 or 1972 and then could have feuded with Billy Robinson who then would have later beat Stevens for the title.  Then Bockwinkel could get his title reign by beating Robinson for the title.

 

Johnny Valentine

 

THIS is a travesty right here.  Valentine was one of the most over wrestlers back in his time and wrestled for almost 3 decades and never lost a step.  Valentine should have won the NWA title in the early 60's when he was feuding with Lou Thesz but was never gievn the win.  And just when it looked like Valentine was going to actually get the approval of the NWA boards, he was crippled in the 1975 plane crash that almost killed Ric Flair.  Valentine was awesome in the ring and would put some wrestlers today to shame.

[Guest Dark Lotus]

Ted DiBiase and Rick Rude.  Although at least they both got "tease" titles, DiBiase "buying" the WWF title, and Rick Rude's WCW International.

 

Beyond those two?  Owen Hart and Arn Anderson maybe, although both were overshadowed by all time greats (Bret and Flair, respectively) during their entire career.  Dynamite Kid was never seen as any more than a tag team specialist in the States, and Malenko never really got over enough in the States to be percieved as World title material.  I've heard rumors that David Von Erich was supposed to beat Flair for the title way back when, but at his death, the shot went to Kerry instead.

 

Honestly, I'm amazed that Kane and Andre never got more than their extremely short reigns.

[Guest Carbon Tiger]

Ted Dibiase is of corse my number 1 pick.

[Guest Tony149]

Did Andre The Giant ever win a World Title anywhere? I know he got like a 3 minute run with the WWF Title, but I would of thought considering how long he wrestled and drew, he would of gotten a run with the gold.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Kane sucks and never should have had the reign he did.

 

The WCW International Title was not a World Title, despite what WCW claimed.  I wouldn't consider it a tease title, the way Dibiase was teased as having had the WWF Title.  Benoit had two teased WWF Title reigns in 2000, in addition to his WCW World Title win.

 

I wouldn't consider anyone who won the WCW World Title after it was bought by the WWF as a World Champion either, but everyone who did (Rock, Austin, Jericho, Booker) had either already won a World Title or won one since.

 

Andre's only World Title win was the one in 1988.  I am pretty sure he never had another World Title.  I can't recall him winning any other major titles aside from the WWF Tag belts with the Collosal Connection.

[Guest Tony149]

Ugh, just seeing the words "WCW International Title" together brings back bad memories. WCW should of just dropped the belt explaining what happened with the NWA.

[Guest Choken One]

Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase

        -We've gone through him many times here, so I would say he is the undisputed non-champion.  This would have to be one of Vince McMahon's biggest Blunders ever, There were so many ways he could have had all Savage, Hogan, DiBiase be the world champion and perhaps made more money.

 

Hogan should have lost the Title to Andre as he did in the same fashion and then Set up the tournament and Have Ted Dibiase win the title and then At SummerSlam, have Savage Vs. Ted Dibiase, With Hogan injured by Andre and thugs and Savage was pegged to replace Hogan. Savage wins the title in a 25 minute ***** match and they do the Mega Powers explode deal and got the money making WM5 main event and Ted Dibiase gets his 5 month world title run.

 

Owen Hart

      -We can never be certain if he would have ever been a world champion but he never did and it's a damn shame. There were three golden opprotunity's for Owen to been the champion, 1994, instead of Backlund, Owen should have won the Survivor Series match and Dropped the title to Hart at MSG and then Diesel could have Won the world title at Rumble. Or He should have gotten the title from Austin in 1998 as Vince should have used Owen as the only guy who could ever take Austin apart,Owen could have had the One day reign, not Kane.

 

Brian Pillman

     -If he was Healthy in Early 97-99, he would have been what Austin was in 1998. Austin/Pillman, Pillman/HBK, Pillman/Rock, Pillman/Beniot and Pillman/Jericho would have so special, if we had ever gotten them.

 

British Bulldog

     -It's a Shame he never got one because he was such a good wrestler and was at one point a very over face and a hated heel. I thought he should have been given a run with the title.

 

Rick Rude

      -Rude was clearly beening booked to take the WCW World Title but his back ended those runs and Vader became the big dog. A crying shame.

 

Mr. Perfect

    -Maybe he was'nt the biggest guy or most intimidating wrestler ever but the people hated him and he should have gotten the title from Flair, not Bret. Sorry to say.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Again, Curt Hennig is a former World Champion.

[Guest Dark Lotus]

At the time, Kane was hella over and giving him a title worked in the context of the storyline.  Of course he jobbed it right back, but it counts.  Problem is, he's pretty much stagnated since about 99 or so and fallen off the main event picture.

 

I'm amazed that they didn't put the belt on Rude in 92-93, since he and the Dangerous Alliance were running WCW.  Hell, I'd consider WCW International more of a "World" title than the WCW World title at the time for the simple fact it was defended against Japanese competitors on a regular basis.

 

Mr. Perfect won the AWA World title in 88 I think.  Some others who held this title were Jerry Lawler, Larry Zbyszko, and Rick Martel.  (Rick Martel?  WTF?)

 

Pillman and Bulldog I really can't ever see as World champs.  Pillman didn't refine the mic side of his game until late in his career and he couldn't do the flippy floppy stuff.  Bulldog?  I dunno... My little mark self never saw him as World title material.  IC I could buy, but never World.

 

But then, I thought Warlord was a lock to get the title at some point way back when.

 

Owen should've gotten a World title program with Michaels after Montreal, but instead they shunted him over to the Euro circuit and a feud with HHH.  Oh well.  By the time he died, his best days were behind him, and I doubt he could've been taken seriously as at least a WWF World title holder.  Maybe if he'd jumped to WCW though... Oh well.

 

How about Scott Hall?  Or is he, like Anderson considered too much of a second banana to ever make that big step?

[Guest Choken One]

I'd have to agree with Scott Hall, he was well on his way to getting there, WCW or WWF. However, when he went to Turner land, he let himself fall apart. He almost won the title in 2000 did he not?

[Guest Tony149]

Wasn't Owen supposed to work with Shawn at the Royal Rumble '98 for the WWF Title? I read that he was but HBK didn't want to work with Owen because of what happened with Bret at Survivor Series. So they went with HBK vs. Undertaker at Rumble. They set it up at the D-X In Your House PPV is Dec. '97, as Owen returned and attacked Shawn after he beat Shamrock. Also read that Austin didn't want to work with Owen since he was still pissed about being dropped on his head.

 

Rick Rude should of gotten the World Title sooner. The Great American Bash '92 would of been a good place for him to get the WCW Title by beating Sting. Vader could of still becomed the monstor heel.

 

I never really saw Scott Hall as a World Champ. Arn Anderson is a great wrestler and as JR used to say a "Tag team specialist", but Arn will forever be remember as Ric Flair's best friend.

 

Brian Pillman - I could of seen as a World Champ. He had the mic skills and looked crazy. Surehe couldn't fly around anymore, but now most Champs suck in the ring, but have great mic skills.

 

Kane was a great shape in 1999, but has really put on some pounds. He'll probably never seen a run as WWF Champion again.

[Guest Sassquatch]

Andre was an attraction.

 

He was never meant to be more than that.  Andre was never looked at or supposed to be a SERIOUS title contender.  He had plenty of title matches against the NWA champs and the WWWF/WWF champs but he was going to win the match.

 

Andre never stuck around in one promotion because after awhile, his act would get old and he would be lost in the promotion.  It's kind've like the Big Show for the last 2 years.

 

Andre was an attention draw and was never supposed to win a major title.  The only "major" title Andre won besides his WWF reigns, was the Florida tag team titles with Dusty Rhodes.  And take a guess as to how they lost the titles.

 

Yep, they were vacated.

 

And YES, Owen WAS supposed to face Shawn for the belt and would have gotten a sympathy reign, but Shawn nixed that out of fear that Owen might shoot on Shawn for what happened to Bret.

 

And Owen was also supposed to be Austin's first opponent after 'Mania, but austin nied that because of Owen's piledriver accident.  Austin was fearful to work with Owen, but he also was VERY resentful towrds him and refused to work with Owen.

 

But yeah, Owen should have won the WWF title at least once in his career, but was never given the chance to run with it.

[Guest areacode212]

Didn't Shawn say in his RF shoot interview that there were never any serious plans for a Shawn/Owen feud? Of course, this is to be taken with, um, a LOT of salt.

[Guest Tony149]

Shawn probably was talking out of his ass then. I think he even denies not wanting to job titles.