20. "Hardcore" Holly
~When he first debuted in the WWE as Thurman "Sparky" Plugg, I was convinced that he was going nowhere fast. The gimmick was awful and during his time with the WWE, I personally didn't look forward to his matches. As his grew and his gimmick changed to the Hardcore Holly persona, I noticed a change in his in-ring matches. I found that his matches were more exciting and I looked forward to watching him perform. He executed his hardcore gimmick, which wasn't too hard considering the Attitude Era at the time, but he made it believable. When he received his World Title push, I found that I was rooting for him to win and become the WWE Champion, despite my skepticism at first. The New Midnight Express tag team was a failed experiment in my eyes and should have never taken place. Holly is a 7-Time Hardcore Champion, thanks to his persona and the 24/7 title defense rule that the WWE placed on the title. He is also a three time tag team champion. He never held the IC Title, but I feel that during his WWE Title push, he proved that he belonged.
19. Jerry Lawler
~Jerry Lawler owns more championships than anyone else on the current WWE roster. He has won more than 168 total championships in his career but has never, at any time in the WWE, held ANY championship the WWE has to offer. Lawler is one of the most beloved members of the WWE Universe, but that wasn't always the case. In the 90's, Lawler became one of the most hated heels challanging Bret Hart on numerous occasions. Despite his feud with Bret Hart, Lawler never competed for the WWE Title. It wasn't until Raw, many years later, did Lawler finally get his first WWE Title shot against The Miz. Though Lawler hasn't had a successful run in the WWE in the terms of accomplishments, Lawler deserves to be on this list.
18. Lex Luger
~Similar to Tatanka's list of accomplishments during his WWE career, Lex Luger barely accomplished anything. He was the co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble with Bret Hart and he was the "first" man to bodyslam Yokozuna on television. Not exactly a stellar run for him. Luger's WCW accomplishments are much greater. Luger executed his Narcissist gimmick perfectly, as well as his Total Package and Made in the USA gimmicks as well. His in-ring abilities were slightly left to be desired, but his execution of his gimmick and his appeal to the fans won him over amongst many. He proved that he could stay relevant in storylines people cared about. He also proved that whether he was a heel or face, he was going to make you believe that gimmick fully.
17. Shelton Benjamin
~Seems weird to me for putting someone who is still young, and has an opportunity to come back to the WWE, on this list but Shelton Benjamin fits this list perfectly. Benjamin was a guy that was loved and hated and everything in between during his time with the WWE. His match with Shawn Michaels was one of the best live matches I've ever seen and his ability in the ring, the technical wrestling combined with his athletism was always fun to watch. During the Money in the Bank ladder matches, I felt Shelton always stole the show. As The Gold Standard, Shelton proved that he was ready to be a top heel in the company, but he had one problem. Mic Skills. His lack of ability to be able to talk is one of the reason I believe he never received a World Title push, let alone a WWE Title push. He won the IC Title three times, I believe he was a good IC Champion. He won the US Title once. But his biggest accomplishment in the WWE was having been The World's Greatest Tag Team with Charlie Haas, he won the tag titles twice, but as a heel tag team, World's Greatest was hated by fans.
16. Ricky Steamboat
~The definition of technical wrestling in the 80's and early-90's Ricky Steamboat was loved by everyone. His matches were either extremely exciting or so technical it was hard to get into them. The Dragon spent most of his time in the WWE being beloved, but not accomplishing much of anything. During his run with the WWE, Steamboat only managed to win the IC Title once. His time with NWA/WCW generated a lot more decorations for him. Based on what he was able to do in the NWA/WCW and the support he received from the crowd, plus his technical ability is why Steamboat deserved to be a WWE Champion. My personal belief for his lack of a WWE Title run was to his size. During his time with WWE, there was no mistaking that Vince McMahon believed(and still does) that size matters for the WWE Champion. Steamboat is considered by many as being one of the greatest technical wrestlers to ever grace the ring.
15. Vader
~Strength. Quickness. Agility. Those three characteristics describe Vader perfectly. For being 300+ pounds, Vader possessed surprising quickness and agility for a big man. Despite a lack of character development, there really wasn't much any organization could have done other than bill him has the monster heel, Vader had a really good fanbase. His time in the WWE proved to be exactly how a talented big man can be misused; he successfully won a total of ZERO titles during his WWE stint. Vader did have success elsewhere having racked up a US Championship one-time in the WCW and he also won the WCW World Title a total of three times.
14. Lance Storm
~Lack of charisma was probably the biggest knock on Lance Storm for most of his career. In WCW, he held every major title, except the WCW World Title, at once. That's quite an accomplishment for any wrestler to achieve, regardless of wrestling organization. His feud with Booker T. is a feud I remember quite fondly, mainly because I'm a huge fan of both guys. During his run with the WWE, he managed to the IC Title once, but his biggest accomplishment was winning the Tag Team Titles four times. Lance Storm is one of the best technical wrestlers I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Despite his lack of charisma at times, his run as the top heel in WCW when he held all four titles proved that he was indeed ready for a World Title run. Today, at Storm's age, he was still capable of putting on entertaining matches with a mediocre wrestler(Mike Bennett) in Ring of Honor.
13. Christian
~I'm sure some of you are wondering why a 38-year old, two time World Champion, who is still currently employed by the WWE is on this list. You're asking yourself, aren't you? I'm not going to run down Christian's accomplishments, because all know he is a Triple Crown winner and one of the most decorated tag team wrestlers to ever come through the WWE. Instead, Christian was put on this list because until last year, he had never held a World Title in the WWE. I firmly believe that the only reason he received those two title runs was because of Edge's forced early retirement. If Edge was still wrestling today, Christian would have never received those title runs. There's no secret that Vince McMahon is not a fan of Christian and for whatever reason, Vince is happy holding back one of his best wrestlers in the company to date.
12. Jeff Jarrett
~This is probably going to be one of my more unpopular picks for this list, but I firmly stand behind this decision for him being on this list. Jarrett was never anything special in the ring, and I'm sure some would argue that his charisma was mediocre as well. I disagree. Though, Jarrett was never truly a standout in the ring, his character always stood out. And the other Jarrett has is the fact that he is believable. Whether he was the IC Champion, a record six times between 1999-2004, and he also held the IC Title and European Title at the same time. Jarrett's feuds were amongst some of the most heated feuds in the WWE, his title runs, though not extremely memorable, were believeable at the time. His charisma, execution of being a heel persona and his accomplishments is why Jarrett makes this list.
11. Billy Gunn
~Sitting just outside my Top Ten, Billy Gunn was a guy whose wrestling spoke louder volumes than his mic skills. Despite the lack of mic skills, Billy Gunn still was loaded with charisma. His gimmick changed to the Mr. Ass gimmick in 1999, the same year that he won the King of the Ring. Gunn's biggest accomplishment was becoming a ten-time tag team champion. But during his singles run, is what made me believe in Billy's ability to become a WWE Champion. He only held the IC Title once, but while he was the IC Champion, I remember watching him perform and believing that I was watching a future WWE Champion. The WWE has even wrote that Billy Gunn's technical wrestling was amongst the best in the company and that he was an excellent athlete with strength. For whatever reason, Mr. Ass never received his WWE Title push. Gunn is also a two-time WWE Hardcore Champion.
10. Roddy Piper
~Looking at my list, I'm sure the placement of Roddy Piper will generate some heat against me. Though I firmly believe Piper deserves a Top 10 spot, I don't believe he deserves higher than 10. Piper is the WWE's all-time number one villian, there is no denying that. And Piper's mic skills showed that he is charismatic as well and he received a lot of heat during his days as a heel and a lot of love during his days as a face. Despite being a huge Piper fan, I have to look at this objectively, the man simply wasn't a good wrestler. He was a great brawler. Wrestler, not so much. Piper's ability to get under his opponent's skin and his surprisingly awesome talent of making the fans love him one minute and hate him the next is the reason he is on my list. His lack of titles in the WWE is a huge surprise to me, because he did deserve more than he receive. During his time with the WWE, Piper was only a one-time IC Champion and one-time Tag Team Champion. In my opinion, a shame.
9. Goldust
~Dustin Runnels' career has had it's highs....and it's lows. With the introduction of the Goldust gimmick, the WWE really pushed the envelope on television during the time period. Goldust's feud with Razor Ramon was one of the most memorable feuds during the 1990's and it really set Goldust apart from the rest of the roster. He was fresh, edgey and a little disturbing. Goldust's in-ring ability was always something that never truly stood out, but remained entertaining to watch. He really could execute wrestling moves and with some precision when he had good chemistry with his opponent. He left WWE briefly for WCW, where they introduced him as Seven. That was a joke. And major failure. His Artist Formerly Known as Goldust was properly the worst gimmick to ever hit the WWE, not exactly a high point for Dustin during his time with the WWE. He won the Hardcore Title seven-times, he is also a three-time IC Champion and he has held the tag team championship once.
8. Ron Simmons ~Faarooq, as he is better known as in the
WWE, was the first black World Champion, ever. He became the WCW World
Champion. Despite Simmons rough and tough style, his matches were always
entetaining to watch even if the technical ability was something left
to be desired. His most memorable time with the WWE was during his APA
days with Bradshaw. APA is still one of the best and most beloved tag
teams to ever come through the WWE. He was leader of the Nation of
Domination, as well. Another faction that played a major role in
storylines. Despite staying relevant with storylines, Ron Simmons only
garnered being a three-time tag team champion. He never quite duplicated
the singles success he received in the WCW.
7. William Regal
~One of the best, if not the best, technicians to ever grace the WWE ring, William Regal has never received WWE Champion recognition. Even though, he has never received that acclaim, Regal has a good list of accomplishments under his belt in the WWE. He is only a World Title run away from being a triple crown winner. Regal's charisma is vastly underrated being an excellent speaker on the mic and his execution of gimmicks is amongst the best in the WWE. He is loved by fans as a face and hated by more as a heel. He is a four-time tag team champion, three-time hardcore champion, four-time European Champion and a two-time IC Champion. Regal has played a part in a lot of major roles during his time with the WWE, playing commissioner and Raw general manager. He is currently an announcer on NXT.
6. Razor Ramon
~He fit the size, he had the wrestling ability and he had the charisma, but for some reason the WWE never allowed Razor Ramon to hold the WWE Title. Razor was one of my favorites, as a heel and as a face, during his time in the 1990's with the WWE. He had the entire package that Vince looks for in being a WWE Champion. His two ladder matches with Shawn Michaels are amongst the best of any ladder matches I have ever seen. His aforementioned feud with Goldust remains one of my personal favorites. Razor proved that he was worthy champion while he held the IC Title, he held that title on four different occasions. Outside of this IC Title run, Razor never held another championships inside the WWE.
5. Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase
~During the 1980's DiBiase was considered one of the best wrestling technicians in the world, during the early-90's with his run in the WWE, he was at the back half of his career. During that time with the WWE, DiBiase was able to remain the top heel in the company with his Million Dollar Man gimmick. "Buying" his way into any possible advantage he was able too. And he made it work and made fans believe across the world. DiBiase was one of the most hated wrestlers during his time with the WWE because of his ability to use his charisma and execute his character. He challenged numerous times for the WWE title, but he never won it. He was the first ever WWE North American champion, as well as winning the 1988 King of the Ring. DiBiase's best known for holding the WWE Tag Team titles three times and more importantly, having created his own belt, the Million Dollar Belt.
4. British Bulldog
~Bulldog's size and power were something to marvel over, but it was his athleticism that was even more impressive. He flew around the ring with precision and speed that not many could rival. He was the runner-up of the 1995 Royal Rumble being eliminated by Shawn Michaels. His match for the IC Title at SummerSlam with Bret Hart is considered one of the greatest IC Title matches in history. Bulldog also made his any gimmick through his way, heel or face, believable. As a heel against Bret Hart, I remember the amount of heat he received for turning on him. Bulldog held every major title inside the WWE except the WWE Championship.
3. Booker T.
~Following in Ron Simmons footsteps, Booker T. became the second Black World Champion ever. Booker T. started off as a well decorated and established tag team wrestler in the WCW with Stevie Ray. As for his time with the WWE, what hasn't Booker T. accomplished? A WWE Title reign. He has accomplished everything else having held every other major singles title in the WWE. He is the only black wrestler to ever be a World Champion in both WCW and WWE. He is also one of only four man to be a WCW and WWE triple crown champion. Despite the fans disdain for the King Booker gimmick, the gimmick he had after winning the King of the Ring tournament, I was quite fond of it. The accent was completely unbelievable but I felt the gimmick showcased his heel capabilities.
2. Owen Hart
~Owen Hart was probably the most talented and athletic member of the Hart family. He possessed a rare combination of athleticism and technical ability and both skills were of the highest caliber. His feuds with Bret Hart were some of the best storylines and feuds of the 90's. Owen could make you love him or hate him at the drop of a hat, but he was never more hated than during his character of the King of Harts. After winning the King of the Ring, Owen Hart catapulted himself into becoming the WWE's number one heel, feuding with Bret. And the WWE dropped the ball by not rewarding him with a WWE Title run. Owen Hart held the European Title(One-Time), IC Title(Two-Times) and the tag team championship(Four-Times). The tag team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna was one of the best tag teams of the 90's.
1. Curt Hennig
~Mr. Perfect was one of the best heels to ever make their way through the WWE. Hennig was a talent that couldn't gain any momentum due to being injury-prone. Hennig was a technician in the ring, a masterful at that. His legacy today is still talked about by many wrestling fans. Mr. Perfect, I can honestly say, was one heel that I absolutely LOVED to boo and root against, while secretly, deep inside of me, wanting him to win the WWE Title on many occasions. During his time with the WWE, Hennig only managed to win the IC Title a total of two-times. Despite that, Mr. Perfect found a way to always stay relevant and hovered around the WWE Title scene. If it wasn't for the injuries, I fully suspect that Curt Hennig wouldn't be number one on this list today.