SmarKdown's Blog

WWE World Titles – 2010

Welcome to my blog. This is the start of a new series, where I’ll be looking back at the history of WWE World Titles (not counting ECW) and ranking all the World Title reigns since the “Modern Era”. The “Modern Era” goes all the way back to the birth of Hulkamania in 1984, and that’s where we’ll end. Today we look back at the year 2010, and we’ll continue to go back from here.

In front of my star ratings for the matches, you’ll either see “HR”, “R” or “RTA”. “HR” means the match is highly recommended ; “R” means the match is recommended ; “RTA” means recommendation to avoid. In case nothing appears, the match is watchable but nothing spectacular.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

Sheamus (December 13, 2009 – February 21, 2010)

Televised matches: 10
Record: 8-2

My match ratings:

Sheamus def. John Cena(c) in a Tables Match – TLC 2009 (***)
Sheamus(c) def. Randy Orton – Royal Rumble 2010 (**1/2)
John Cena def. Sheamus(c), Triple H, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2010 (***1/2) *R*

Don’t let that win/loss record fool you. He retained the gold exactly zero times by pin or submission throughout his entire seventy days as WWE Champion, winning the belt in a fluke win against John Cena in a Tables Match at TLC. Out of his eight wins as champion, three were by DQ and three were in undercard matches against Evan Bourne (twice) and MVP. Finally, in the Elimination Chamber Match, he wasn’t even in the final two. He was pinned by Triple H, who then lost to John Cena in the end. Terrible reign.

Rating: 1/10

John Cena (February 21, 2010)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Sheamus(c), Triple H, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston and Ted DiBiase in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2010 (***1/2) *R*
Batista def. John Cena(c) – Elimination Chamber 2010 (N/R)

Cena won Sheamus’ title in the Elimination Chamber Match, only to then lose it to Batista immediately afterwards. That happened because Batista helped Vince McMahon in his feud with Bret Hart, so Vince basically gave Batista a Money in the Bank-like opportunity at any title. This was the start of the build to their match at WrestleMania XXVI.

Rating: -/10

Batista (February 21, 2010 – March 28, 2010)

Televised matches: 5
Record: 3-2

My match ratings:

Batista def. John Cena(c) – Elimination Chamber 2010 (N/R)
John Cena def. Batista(c) – WrestleMania XXVI (***3/4) *R*

I only have one bad thing to say about this reign: it was way too short! After turning heel in late 2009 and winning the WWE Championship from John Cena, Batista completely reinvented himself with some of the best character work in his entire career. His promos were incredible, his heel work was fantastic and he was easily the coolest and most exciting wrestling persona to watch every week. He obviously lost the title back to Cena in a proper match at WrestleMania, in a match made much more interesting thanks to Dave’s awesome character work. It lasted a month, but what a month it was!

Rating: 8/10

John Cena (March 28, 2010 – June 20, 2010)

Televised matches: 14
Record: 7-4 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Batista(c) – WrestleMania XXVI (***3/4) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Batista in a Last Man Standing Match – Extreme Rules 2010 (****1/4) *HR*
John Cena(c) def. Batista in an I Quit Match – Over the Limit 2010 (***1/2) *R*
Sheamus def. John Cena(c), Edge and Randy Orton – Fatal 4 Way 2010 (***)

After winning the title at WrestleMania from Batista, Cena and Dave continued to feud in what would be Batista’s last storyline before leaving WWE. Their Last Man Standing Match at Extreme Rules was great despite the lame finish, while the I Quit Match at Over the Limit was also fun despite being super predictable. Once Batista left, Cena immediately started the feud with Nexus and lost the title to Sheamus at Fatal 4 Way due to Nexus shenanigans. It was an enjoyable reign, especially during the Batista feud.

Rating: 6/10

Sheamus (June 20, 2010 – September 19, 2010)

Televised matches: 12
Record: 8-3 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Sheamus def. John Cena(c), Edge and Randy Orton – Fatal 4 Way 2010 (***)
Sheamus(c) def. John Cena in a Steel Cage Match – Money in the Bank 2010 (***1/4)
Randy Orton def. Sheamus(c) by DQ – SummerSlam 2010 (**) *RTA*
Randy Orton def. Sheamus(c), John Cena, Wade Barrett, Edge and Chris Jericho – Night of Champions 2010 (***1/4)

Four months after losing his first WWE Title, Sheamus was already WWE Champion for the second time. Much like in his first reign, though, Sheamus was never in top feuds despite holding the top title. He spent his entire three month reign without retaining the title by pin or submission once, escaping a Steel Cage Match with Cena at Money in the Bank due to The Nexus, losing to Randy Orton by DQ at SummerSlam before losing the gold to Orton in a Six Pack Challenge at the next PPV. Another awful reign for poor Sheamus, who lost all his heat and went on a long losing streak after winning the King of the Ring. At least he got to successfully defend the gold via pin once during this reign, in that classic match against Zack Ryder!

Rating: 2/10

Randy Orton (September 19, 2010 – November 22, 2010)

Televised matches: 14
Record: 9-4 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Sheamus(c), John Cena, Wade Barrett, Edge and Chris Jericho – Night of Champions 2010 (***1/4)
Randy Orton(c) def. Sheamus in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2010 (**3/4)
Wade Barrett def. Randy Orton(c) by DQ – Bragging Rights 2010 (*) *RTA*
Randy Orton(c) def. Wade Barrett – Survivor Series 2010 (**)
The Miz def. Randy Orton(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW Nov. 22 2010 (N/R)

Much like Sheamus before him, Randy Orton was the WWE Champion but he was not the top guy or in the top storyline in the company, or even in his own brand. In fact, he was the third wheel in the Cena vs. Barrett rivalry throughout most of this reign. After winning the gold from Sheamus and retaining against him in one of the most forgettable Hell in a Cell Matches ever, Orton jumped right into the middle of said storyline. He retained by DQ against Barrett in a pointless match at Bragging Rights, retained at Survivor Series in the same match John Cena got “fired”, retained against Barrett in another rematch the next night on RAW before losing to The Miz minutes later, who cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase. Another forgettable reign here.

Rating: 2/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Chris Jericho (February 21, 2010 – April 2, 2010)

Televised matches: 6
Record: 4-2

My match ratings:

Chris Jericho def. The Undertaker(c), CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, John Morrison and R-Truth in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2010 (***3/4) *R*
Chris Jericho def. Daniel Bryan – NXT Feb. 23 2010 (***1/2) *R*
Chris Jericho(c) def. Edge – WrestleMania XXVI (****) *HR*
Jack Swagger def. Chris Jericho(c) in a MITB cash-in – SmackDown April 2 2010 (N/R)

In mid 2009, Chris Jericho & Edge were tag champions until Edge had to leave due to injury. Jericho would go on to win the belts with Big Show and hold them for the rest of the year, while Edge made his shocking return in the Royal Rumble match and won the match. The next month, Jericho took advantage of The Undertaker’s feud with Shawn Michaels, pinning ‘The Deadman’ to win the gold in the Chamber Match after a Superkick by HBK. During Jericho’s last reign as World Champion in WWE, he had a really good match with Daniel Bryan on the first episode of NXT before retaining over rival Edge in a spectacular match at WrestleMania. His reign would come to an end a few days later, though, courtesy of Jack Swagger and the Money in the Bank briefcase. The reign was short, but good while it lasted with a nice storyline and fun matches.

Rating: 6/10

Jack Swagger (April 2, 2010 – June 20, 2010)

Televised matches: 17
Record: 6-10 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Jack Swagger def. Chris Jericho(c) in a MITB cash-in – SmackDown April 2 2010 (N/R)
Jack Swagger(c) def. Randy Orton in an Extreme Rules Match – Extreme Rules 2010 (***)
Big Show def. Jack Swagger(c) by DQ – Over the Limit 2010 (DUD) *RTA*
Rey Mysterio def. Jack Swagger(c), CM Punk and Big Show – Fatal 4 Way 2010 (**1/2)

Oh lord, this reign. First of all, I think that record speaks for itself. Usually heel champions lose on TV by DQ/count-out to set up future PPV matches, but not in Swagger’s case. We’re talking about pinfall losses in singles matches on TV to opponents such as Randy Orton, The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio, and even undercarders Kofi Kingston and John Morrison. Swagger is a solid wrestler, but this reign was terrible.

Rating: 1/10

Rey Mysterio (June 20, 2010 – July 18, 2010)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

Rey Mysterio def. Jack Swagger(c), CM Punk and Big Show – Fatal 4 Way 2010 (**1/2)
Rey Mysterio(c) def. Jack Swagger – Money in the Bank 2010 (****) *HR*
Kane def. Rey Mysterio(c) in a MITB cash-in – Money in the Bank 2010 (N/R)

After Rey Rey won the title at Fatal 4 Way, he only had it for a month before dropping it. However, there is one interesting match worth checking out from this reign – that is his bout with Jack Swagger at the inaugural Money in the Bank, a fantastic tribute to Eddie Guerrero’s classic encounter with Eddie Guerrero at WrestleMania XX. A few minutes after retaining in said match, Rey would lose the gold to Kane in seconds, who cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase that he had won earlier that night.

Rating: 3/10

Kane (July 18, 2010 – December 19, 2010)

Televised matches: 15
Record: 9-4 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

Kane def. Rey Mysterio(c) in a MITB cash-in – Money in the Bank 2010 (N/R)
Kane(c) def. Rey Mysterio – SummerSlam 2010 (**3/4)
Kane(c) def. The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred Match – Night of Champions 2010 (**)
Kane(c) def. The Undertaker in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2010 (*) *RTA*
Kane(c) def. The Undertaker in a Buried Alive Match – Bragging Rights 2010 (*1/4) *RTA*
Kane(c) draw. Edge – Survivor Series 2010 (3/4*) *RTA*
Edge def. Kane(c), Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio in a TLC Match – TLC 2010 (****1/4) *HR*

I don’t know what to do with this entry. On one hand, there’s probably no one that deserved a proper World Championship reign than Kane back in 2010. On the other hand, though, I absolutely hated his feud and ridiculously overbooked matches with The Undertaker, full of Paul Bearer and Nexus shenanigans. I was also not a fan of his feud with Edge, where the babyface Edge would kidnap the heel Kane’s father for no reason at all, and their Survivor Series match that ended in a draw couldn’t have been more pointless. However, I loved some of the promos he cut during this reign, as well as the last match of his reign at TLC. At the end of the day, I’m glad Kane got to have a proper reign with the gold.

Rating: 3/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

CM Punk (WWE Championship, 20/11/2011 – 27/01/2013) 9
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 06/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 8
Batista (WWE Championship, 21/02/2010 – 28/03/2010) 8
Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 07/04/2013 – 18/08/2013) 7
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 28/03/2010 – 20/06/2010) 6
John Cena (WWE Championship, 01/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 6
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013 – 15/09/2013) 6
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship, 21/02/2010 – 02/04/2010) 6
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/06/2013 – 27/10/2013) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 19/12/2010 – 18/02/2011) 5
The Rock (WWE Championship, 27/01/2013 – 07/04/2013) 5
CM Punk (WWE Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011 – 15/04/2011) 5
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/04/2012 – 28/10/2012) 4
Mark Henry (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/09/2011 – 18/12/2011) 4
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 02/10/2011 – 20/11/2011) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/01/2013 – 08/04/2013) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/05/2011 – 06/05/2011) 3
Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 3
Kane (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/07/2010 – 19/12/2010) 3
Rey Mysterio (World Heavyweight Championship, 20/06/2010 – 18/07/2010) 3
John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 27/10/2013 – 15/12/2013) 3
Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 28/10/2012 – 11/01/2013) 3
John Cena (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 3
The Miz (WWE Championship, 22/11/2010 – 01/05/2011) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
John Cena (WWE Championship, 18/09/2011 – 02/10/2011) 2
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 08/04/2013 – 16/06/2013) 2
Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011 – 01/04/2012) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 19/09/2010 – 22/11/2010) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 20/06/2010 – 19/09/2010) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 13/12/2009 – 21/02/2010) 1
Jack Swagger (World Heavyweight Championship, 02/04/2010 – 20/06/2010) 1
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013) –
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
John Cena (WWE Championship, 21/02/2010) –
Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/12/2013) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 15/09/2013 – 16/09/2013) –
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011) –
Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011) –

WWE World Titles – 2011

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Miz (November 22, 2010 – May 1, 2011)

Televised matches: 26
Record: 12-13 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

The Miz def. Randy Orton(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW Nov. 22 2010 (N/R)
The Miz(c) def. Jerry Lawler in a TLC Match – RAW Nov. 29 2010 (***)
The Miz(c) def. Randy Orton in a Tables Match – TLC 2010 (***)
The Miz(c) def. Randy Orton – Royal Rumble 2011 (**3/4)
The Miz(c) def. Jerry Lawler – Elimination Chamber 2011 (***1/2) *R*
The Miz(c) def. John Cena – WrestleMania XXVII (*1/4) *RTA*
John Cena def. The Miz(c) and John Morrison in a Steel Cage Match – Extreme Rules 2011 (****) *HR*

When The Miz won the WWE Championship in November 2010, he absolutely deserved it. He went from literally being called the “Marty Jannetty” of his tag team with John Morrison on TV to having a long and pretty good US Title reign, where he even got to work with the legendary Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart. After dropping the US belt to Daniel Bryan, Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank on the RAW post-Survivor Series 2010 against Randy Orton, and it seemed like we had a new top heel for years to come. That is until the following week arrived, where he was only able to beat a COMMENTATOR with the help of Michael Cole in a TLC Match. He’d beat Lalwer in one of the best matches of his reign at Elimination Chamber 2011, but otherwise his reign saw other people literally win Miz’s matches for him. Alex Riley did it at TLC 2010, CM Punk at Royal Rumble 2011 and The Rock at WrestleMania XXVII. Miz went on to lose the gold to Cena immediately afterwards, in a great Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules that also involved John Morrison. Miz’s promos were always good and his work was solid, but he was booked as a joke champion.

Rating: 3/10

John Cena (May 1, 2011 – July 17, 2011)

Televised matches: 15
Record: 10-5

My match ratings:

John Cena def. The Miz(c) and John Morrison in a Steel Cage Match – Extreme Rules 2011 (****) *HR*
John Cena(c) def. The Miz in an I Quit Match – Over the Limit 2011 (***)
John Cena(c) def. R-Truth – Capitol Punishment 2011 (***)
CM Punk def. John Cena(c) – Money in the Bank 2011 (*****) *HR*

Once the angle with The Rock had happened at WrestleMania XXVII and the match was already on for the next year’s event, Cena immediately won the title at the following PPV in the triple threat cage match. A repetitive, average and super predictable “I Quit” match with Miz followed before retaining over R-Truth in a really weird storyline. Those first two months of this reign were strange, but then the last one was incredible. Once the feud with CM Punk started, the WWE Championship felt like a big deal once again. The match at Money in the Bank was great in-ring and told a perfect story, and is by far the most memorable thing in all of this reign and what elevates my rating.

Rating: 6/10

CM Punk (July 17, 2011 – August 14, 2011)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

CM Punk def. John Cena(c) – Money in the Bank 2011 (*****) *HR*
CM Punk(c) def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2011 (***3/4) *R*
Alberto Del Rio def. CM Punk(c) in a MITB cash-in – SummerSlam 2011 (N/R)

Everyone remember the way this reign started, but what a mess it was afterwards. After Punk won the title and “left” with the WWE Championship, the company just created a tournament for the title and moved on. So what was the big drama about Punk winning and taking the title with him about then?? Once John Cena won back the “other” WWE Title, Punk came back eight days after leaving. A unification match was booked for SummerSlam, which was won by Punk despite Cena’s feet being on the ropes. Only to then lose the gold to Alberto Del Rio, who cashed in Money in the Bank after an attack by Kevin Nash, of all people. My reaction to this is a good ol’ “what the fuck”.

Rating: 5/10

Rey Mysterio (July 25, 2011)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Rey Mysterio def. The Miz – RAW July 25 2011 (***)
John Cena def. Rey Mysterio(c) – RAW July 25 2011 (***1/2) *R*

Rey Mysterio was the man that won the WWE Championship after CM Punk left it vacated (or so we thought). The night following Money in the Bank, Rey defeated Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth while The Miz bested Alex Riley and Kofi Kingston to make it to the next week’s final match. Rey won the match and the title, only to then lose it to Cena that very same night because LOL. Poor Rey. At least he can say he was the WWE Champion, I guess.

Rating: -/10

John Cena (July 25, 2011 – August 14, 2011)

Televised matches: 3
Record: 2-1

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Rey Mysterio(c) – RAW July 25 2011 (***1/2) *R*
CM Punk(c) def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2011 (***3/4) *R*

Cena won Rey’s title to be the “other” champion and to set up the unification match with CM Punk at SummerSlam. That’s it. At least both of his matches in this reign are recommended, so there’s that.

Rating: 3/10

Alberto Del Rio (August 14, 2011 – September 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 6
Record: 4-2

My match ratings:

Alberto Del Rio def. CM Punk(c) in a MITB cash-in – SummerSlam 2011 (N/R)
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Rey Mysterio – RAW Aug. 15 2011 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Night f Champions 2011 (***1/2) *R*

I almost feel bad for Del Rio. He was such a solid worker and always had good matches, but this was such a short and pointless reign and it was just not his time. “Mexico’s greatest export” won the title after SummerSlam’s main-event thanks to Kevin Nash, retained in a fantastic RAW match against Rey Mysterio and lost it to John Cena at Night of Champions. The matches were pretty good, but this was a waste of the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Rating: 3/10

John Cena (September 18, 2011 – October 2, 2011)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Night of Champions 2011 (***1/2) *R*
Alberto Del Rio def. John Cena(c) and CM Punk in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2011 (***)

Another month, another pointless reign for John Cena. He won it from Del Rio at Night of Champions, only to lose it back to him fourteen days later in a Hell in a Cell Match that also featured CM Punk. That’s literally all there is to say…

Rating: 2/10

Alberto Del Rio (October 2, 2011 – November 20, 2011)

Televised matches: 13
Record: 8-5

My match ratings:

Alberto Del Rio def. John Cena(c) and CM Punk in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2011 (***)
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. John Cena in a Last Man Standing Match – Vengeance 2011 (****) *HR*
CM Punk def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Survivor Series 2011 (***1/2) *R*

Just fourteen days after losing his first WWE Championship, Del Rio won his second already. Once again, it wasn’t his time but Del Rio had better matches this time. The Last Man Standing Match at Vengeance against Cena with the broken ring was really fun, and the way he lost the belt to Punk at Survivor Series was memorable. Again, nothing special, but a solid reign.

Rating: 4/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Edge (December 19, 2010 – February 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 12
Record: 11-1

My match ratings:

Edge def. Kane(c), Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio in a TLC Match – TLC 2010 (****1/4) *HR*
Edge(c) def. Kane in a Last Man Standing Match – SmackDown Jan. 7 2011 (***1/2) *R*
Edge(c) def. Dolph Ziggler – Royal Rumble 2011 (***3/4) *R*

Edge’s tenth World Championship couldn’t have had a better start, winning Kane’s belt in a fantastic four way TLC Match. A quality Last Man Standing rematch against Kane to end their feud was also really good, and his bout against Dolph Ziggler at the Rumble was even better in my opinion. The ending was really weird, though, as Vickie Guerrero just gave it to Ziggler because Edge used the banned Spear. Teasing it to get heat can create a fun storyline, but actually changing the title that way is super lame. That drags this good reign down a bit.

Rating: 5/10

Dolph Ziggler (February 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 1
Record: 0-1

My match ratings:

Edge def. Dolph Ziggler(c) – SmackDown Feb. 18 2011 (**1/2)

Like I said, Ziggler was given the World Title due to Edge using the Spear and Vickie even fired Edge. But then GM Teddy Long came back and brought back Edge for a rematch right there, which Edge won after a basic TV match between the two. Ten minutes after winning the title, Ziggler lost it. Because LOOOOOOOOOOOL it’s such good shit.

Rating: -/10

Edge (February 18, 2011 – April 15, 2011)

Televised matches: 9
Record: 9-0

My match ratings:

Edge def. Dolph Ziggler(c) – SmackDown Feb. 18 2011 (**1/2)
Edge(c) def. Rey Mysterio, Kane, Big Show, Wade Barrett and Drew McIntyre in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2011 (****1/4) *HR*
Edge(c) def. Alberto Del Rio – WrestleMania XXVII (***1/2) *R*

After that whole weird thing with Ziggler, Edge was once again the champ for what would be the last time. Well, at least as of this writing! A fantastic Chamber match would follow a few days later, with an amazing final mini-match between Edge and Rey Rey. Edge’s final title match against Del Rio at WrestleMania was pretty good too, and Edge would soon retire as World Champion. This reign is special for that reason, but it was solid too while it lasted. Edge was just a fun pro wrestler.

Rating: 5/10

Christian (May 1, 2011 – May 6, 2011)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Christian def. Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match – Extreme Rules 2011 (****1/2) *HR*
Randy Orton def. Christian(c) – SmackDown May 6 2011 (****) *HR*

After Edge’s retirement, Christian won the World Title in a Ladder Match against Del Rio at Extreme Rules thanks to an Edge distraction. Christian’s title win was one of the most memorable in recent memory, only to lose it less than a week later to RandyOrton on SmacKDown. I know it was short, but damn it, with two highly recommended matches in five days (actually two, as SmackDown was taped on Tuesdays) this has to be the best short title reign ever!

Rating: 3/10

Randy Orton (May 6, 2011 – July 17, 2011)

Televised matches: 13
Record: 9-3 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Christian(c) – SmackDown May 6 2011 (****) *HR*
Randy Orton(c) def. Christian – Over the Limit 2011 (****1/2) *HR*
Randy Orton(c) def. Christian – Capitol Punishment 2011 (***3/4) *R*
Christian def. Randy Orton(c) – Money in the Bank 2011 (***3/4) *R*

This was quite easily the best reign of Randy Orton’s career, with that amazing feud with Christian that gave us so many classic encounters. It was by far Orton’s best proper storyline in his entire career (along with the Foley feud) and it was the time I was into Orton the most. Everything about this reign was fantastic, watch all the matches here.

Rating: 8/10

Christian (July 17, 2011 – August 14, 2011)

Televised matches: 6
Record: 4-2

My match ratings:

Christian def. Randy Orton(c) – Money in the Bank 2011 (***3/4) *R*
Randy Orton def. Christian(c) in a No Holds Barred Match – SummerSlam 2011 (****1/2) *HR*

Christian won the gold from Randy Orton by DQ at Money in the Bank and carried it into SummerSlam, where Christian and Orton would close the chapter on their great rivalry. Christian would go on to lose that match, but the two had another spectacular bout that night. For the month Christian was champion, he cut some pretty good heel promos and put on some fun matches on TV with the likes of Sheamus and John Morrison. This reign was actually enjoyable, but short.

Rating: 5/10

Randy Orton (August 14, 2011 – September 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 8
Record: 6-2

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Christian(c) in a No Holds Barred Match – SummerSlam 2011 (****1/2) *HR*
Mark Henry def. Randy Orton(c) – Night of Champions 2011 (***1/4)

After ending the feud with Christian, Orton would go on to lose the gold to his next challenger, Mark Henry, at the next PPV. The match with Henry exceeded expectations and the match with Christian was a classic, but this was way too short.

Rating: 5/10

Mark Henry (September 18, 2011 – December 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 22
Record: 12-7 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

Mark Henry def. Randy Orton(c) – Night of Champions 2011 (***1/4)
Mark Henry(c) def. Randy Orton in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2011 (**3/4)
Mark Henry(c) draw. Big Show – Vengeance 2011 (***1/2) *R*
Big Show def. Mark Henry(c) by DQ – Survivor Series 2011 (3/4*) *RTA*
Big Show def. Mark Henry(c) in a Chairs Match – TLC 2011 (1/2*) *RTA*

I honestly don’t know what to do with this one. WWE had such a great heel champion with Mark Henry in late 2011 to be dethroned at a stage like a WrestleMania and create a new star, but instead they had him lose to The Big Show in a Chairs Match, without question the worst gimmick match there has ever been. Up until the Vengeance match against Big Show, Henry’s reign was solid. However, after that, they just feuded and feuded forever and Henry lost all his heat after endless DQ/no contest finishes where the unstoppable monster was booked to look like a coward getting himself DQ’d. Makes zero sense. By December, Henry was losing matches to Zack Ryder in order to set up his own US Title Match on PPV. The monster World Champion was being used as a bridge for people to get shots at the midcard title. The first half was good, the second half was horrible.

Rating: 4/10

Big Show (December 18, 2011)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Big Show def. Mark Henry(c) in a Chairs Match – TLC 2011 (1/2*) *RTA*
Daniel Bryan def. Big Show(c) in a MITB cash-in – TLC 2011 (N/R)

Big Show defeated Mark Henry to win the title at TLC in that rubbish Chairs Match, and then Daniel Bryan cashed in Money in the Bank and won. That’s literally it. Because apparently Sheamus beating the goofy heel champion in eighteen seconds at WrestleMania is a much better idea than having him be the one to finally stop the unstoppable “Hall of Pain” run of Mark Henry, isn’t it? It’s not.

Rating: -/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

CM Punk (WWE Championship, 20/11/2011 – 27/01/2013) 9
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 06/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 8
Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 07/04/2013 – 18/08/2013) 7
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 01/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 6
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013 – 15/09/2013) 6
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/06/2013 – 27/10/2013) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 19/12/2010 – 18/02/2011) 5
The Rock (WWE Championship, 27/01/2013 – 07/04/2013) 5
CM Punk (WWE Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011 – 15/04/2011) 5
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/04/2012 – 28/10/2012) 4
Mark Henry (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/09/2011 – 18/12/2011) 4
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 02/10/2011 – 20/11/2011) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/01/2013 – 08/04/2013) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/05/2011 – 06/05/2011) 3
Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 3
John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 27/10/2013 – 15/12/2013) 3
Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 28/10/2012 – 11/01/2013) 3
John Cena (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 3
The Miz (WWE Championship, 22/11/2010 – 01/05/2011) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
John Cena (WWE Championship, 18/09/2011 – 02/10/2011) 2
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 08/04/2013 – 16/06/2013) 2
Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011 – 01/04/2012) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013) –
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/12/2013) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 15/09/2013 – 16/09/2013) –
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011) –
Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011) –

WWE World Titles – 2012

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

CM Punk (November 20, 2011 – January 27, 2013)

Televised matches: 70
Record: 40-24 (6 draws)

My match ratings:

CM Punk def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Survivor Series 2011 (***1/2) *R*
CM Punk(c) def. Alberto Del Rio and The Miz in a TLC Match – TLC 2011 (****1/4) *HR*
CM Punk def. Dolph Ziggler – Royal Rumble 2012 (***1/4)
CM Punk(c) def. Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth and The Miz in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2012 (***1/2)
CM Punk(c) def. Chris Jericho – WrestleMania XXVIII (***1/2) *R*
CM Punk(c) def. Chris Jericho in a Street Fight – Extreme Rules 2012 (****) *R*
CM Punk(c) def. Daniel Bryan – Over the Limit 2012 (****3/4) *HR*
CM Punk(c) def. Daniel Bryan and Kane – No Way Out 2012 (***1/4)
CM Punk(c) def. Daniel Bryan in a No DQ Match – Money in the Bank 2012 (****1/4) *HR*
John Cena def. CM Punk(c) by DQ – RAW 1000 July 23 2012 (***)
CM Punk(c) def. John Cena and Big Show – SummerSlam 2012 (***1/2) *R*
CM Punk(c) draw. John Cena – Night of Champions 2012 (****1/2) *HR*
CM Punk(c) def. Ryback in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2012 (**3/4)
CM Punk(c) def. John Cena and Ryback – Survivor Series 2012 (***)
CM Punk(c) def. Ryback in a TLC Match – RAW Jan. 7, 2013 (***1/2) *R*
The Rock def. CM Punk(c) – Royal Rumble 2013 (****1/2) *HR*

I feel like people are going to talk about this one for a long time, isn’t that right!? After defeating Alberto Del Rio to win the title at Survivor Series 2011 and retaining in a fantastic TLC match against both ADR and Miz, Punk spent the whole year of 2012 as WWE Champion. Notable feuds against Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Ryback, The Rock and others would follow during the next year, before dropping the gold to The Rock at Royal Rumble 2013. Out of the sixteen matches rated above, ten are recommended which is incredible. Out of those ten, half of them are highly recommended – the TLC match with Del Rio and Miz (TLC 2011), against Daniel Bryan (Over the Limit & Money in the Bank 2012), against John Cena (Night of Champions 2012) and against The Rock (Royal Rumble 2013). However, during his reign he only got to main-event when he was working with guys like Cena or Rock, because god knows what happens if John Laurinaitis doesn’t main-event the PPV!! Not everything was perfect, particularly the booking, but it was as close to a perfect reign as you can get in these last number of years.

Rating: 9/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Daniel Bryan (December 18, 2011 – April 1, 2012)

Televised matches: 26
Record: 16-5 (5 draws)

My match ratings:

Daniel Bryan def. Big Show(c) in a MITB cash-in – TLC 2011 (N/R)
Daniel Bryan(c) def. Big Show and Mark Henry in a Steel Cage Match – Royal Rumble 2012 (*1/2) *RTA*
Daniel Bryan(c) def. Big Show, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Santino Marella and Great Khali in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2012 (***)
Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan(c) – WrestleMania XXVIII (DUD)

When Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at TLC 2011, nobody could believe it. Apparently, not even WWE wanted to believe it either. Ater winning the title, Bryan immediately was given a goofy gimmick where he’d win matches by DQ or count-out and celebrate as if he’d just won the World Cup. That’s all fun and stuff for the undercard, but this was the World Heavyweight Champion. At the Royal Rumble, he was booked like an absolute joke and only won because Big Show made a mistake and Bryan literally slipped to retain. After winning an Elimination Chamber match that almost saw Santino Marella (of all people) win the title, Bryan went on to lose the belt to Sheamus in eighteen f*cking seconds at WrestleMania. This was the World Champion, people. For what we know Daniel Bryan can do, this was absolutely horrible.

Rating: 2/10

Sheamus (April 1, 2012 – October 28, 2012)

Televised matches: 57
Record: 46-9 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan(c) – WrestleMania XXVIII (DUD)
Sheamus(c) def. Daniel Bryan in a 2/3 Falls Match – Extreme Rules 2012 (****1/4) *HR*
Sheamus(c) def. Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio – Over the Limit (***1/2) *R*
Sheamus(c) def. Dolph Ziggler – No Way Out 2012 (***)
Sheamus(c) def. Alberto Del Rio – Money in the Bank 2012 (***1/2) *R*
Sheamus(c) def. Alberto Del Rio – SummerSlam 2012 (***1/4)
Sheamus(c) def. Alberto Del Rio – Night of Champions 2012 (***1/4)
Big Show def. Sheamus(c) – Hell in a Cell 2012 (***3/4) *R*

After botching his run as a heel in 2010, WWE finally had something going with Sheamus once he turned babyface in 2011. It wrote itself, all Sheamus had to do was be the one to finally end Mark Henry’s Hall of Pain run at WrestleMania to win the title and he’d be the hottest babyface in the world. Instead, he beat Daniel Bryan in eighteen seconds, who had been made to look like a joke and was one of the crowd’s favourites. Well, can’t blame anyone but themselves on that one. A fantastic match with Bryan at Extreme Rules followed, and then he just feuded with Alberto Del Rio… forever. He showed a few heel dick moves during this time that almost made the viewer feel sorry for the heel Del Rio, such as stealing his car and destroying it for no particular reason. After beating Del Rio seven thousand times, he lost the gold to Big Show in a pretty good match actually. This reign had its moments, but overall it was a big failure. After Sheamus lost it, he was just sort of there.

Rating: 4/10

Big Show (October 28, 2012 – January 11, 2013)

Televised matches: 21
Record: 12-9

My match ratings:

Big Show def. Sheamus(c) – Hell in a Cell 2012 (***3/4) *R*
Sheamus def. Big Show(c) by DQ – Survivor Series 2012 (**3/4)
Big Show(c) def. Sheamus in a Chairs Match – TLC 2012 (***)
Alberto Del Rio def. Big Show(c) in a Last Man Standing Match – SmacKDown January 11 2013 (***1/2) *R*

Big Show was actually having the run of his career at this time, putting on some of the best matches around this time. The match at Hell in a Cell with Sheamus where Show wins the belt exceeded all expectations, but their feud didn’t get better from there. The matches weren’t bad, but they were never going to top their first bout and they could and should’ve moved on to different things. Show was DQ’d against ‘The Great White’ at Survivor Series to set up a Chairs Match the next month. Show would win that to end the feud, and then lost the gold to Alberto Del Rio immediately on SmackDown in another really good match. The matches were much better than I thought and the reign wasn’t bad, but it was weird and it deserved a better ending than just losing to Alberto Del Rio one week after he turned babyface!

Rating: 3/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

CM Punk (WWE Championship, 20/11/2011 – 27/01/2013) 9
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 07/04/2013 – 18/08/2013) 7
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013 – 15/09/2013) 6
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/06/2013 – 27/10/2013) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
The Rock (WWE Championship, 27/01/2013 – 07/04/2013) 5
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/04/2012 – 28/10/2012) 4
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/01/2013 – 08/04/2013) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 27/10/2013 – 15/12/2013) 3
Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 28/10/2012 – 11/01/2013) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 08/04/2013 – 16/06/2013) 2
Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011 – 01/04/2012) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013) –
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/12/2013) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 15/09/2013 – 16/09/2013) –

WWE World Titles – 2013

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

The Rock (January 27, 2013 – April 7, 2013)

Televised matches: 3
Record: 2-1

My match ratings:

The Rock def. CM Punk(c) – Royal Rumble 2013 (****1/4) *HR*
The Rock(c) def. CM Punk – Elimination Chamber 2013 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena def. The Rock(c) – WrestleMania 29 (***)

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. CM Punk’s reign was fantastic, and it could and probably should’ve been a younger guy beating him to create a new star. However, I can’t say it didn’t make business sense to do Rock vs. Cena at WrestleMania again, just look at those PPV numbers. Apart from that, I have to say Rock’s matches exceeded all expectations, considering Rock hadn’t wrestled on three consecutive PPVs since 2003! That’s when The Great One went one-on-one with Hulk Hogan (No Way Out), Steve Austin (WrestleMania XIX) and Goldberg (Backlash). Apart from that, The Rock appearing on TV almost every week for over three months is always a great thing.

Rating: 5/10

John Cena (April 7, 2013 – August 18, 2013)

Televised matches: 13
Record: 8-4 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

John Cena def. The Rock(c) – WrestleMania 29 (***)
John Cena(c) draw. Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match – Extreme Rules 2013 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Ryback in a 3 Stages of Hell Match – Payback 2013 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Mark Henry – Money in the Bank 2013 (***1/4)
Daniel Bryan def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2013 (****3/4) *HR*

When many people talk about changing their opinion about John Cena, they usually say it was during his great 2015 run as US Champion. However, to me personally, it was during this reign as WWE Champion. When people talk about big-time wrestling performers or the best wrestling matches ever, I can guarantee you that you will not hear the names Mark Henry or Ryback a lot. During this reign, Cena managed to have three solid matches out of three against them. Not to mention the fantastic build up and feud with Mark Henry heading into Money in the Bank, particularly that brilliant “retirement” promo by Henry. Finally, the last match of this reign turned out to be by far the best, putting Daniel Bryan over after a beautiful pro wrestling bout at SummerSlam. I enjoyed this reign.

Rating: 7/10

Daniel Bryan (August 18, 2013)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Daniel Bryan def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2013 (****3/4) *HR*
Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan(c) in a MITB cash-in – SummerSlam 2013 (N/R)

After the aforementioned fantastic match against John Cena where Bryan won his first WWE Championship (second WWE World title overall, more on the first reign in the next article – 2012), the guest referee Triple H shocked the entire arena with a Pedigree on Bryan after Money in the Bank holder Randy Orton teased cashing in. They would both turn heel as Orton would simply pin Bryan, and then we got the Authority for what felt like thirty years! This first angle was great, though.

Rating: -/10

Randy Orton (August 18, 2013 – September 15, 2013)

Televised matches: 7
Record: 6-1

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan(c) in a MITB cash-in – SummerSlam 2013 (N/R)
Randy Orton def. Cody Rhodes – RAW Sept. 2, 2013 (***3/4) *R*
Randy Orton def. Goldust – RAW Sept. 9, 2013 (***3/4) *R*
Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton(c) – Night of Champions 2013 (***1/4)

I absolutely loved Randy Orton during this very brief reign, and it had the potential to be Orton’s best reign in his career. In less than a month, Orton was winning competitive non-title matches by himself on TV against the likes of The Miz, Rob Van Dam, Christian, Cody Rhodes and Goldust. He murdered Miz in front of his family just because he can, and mini-feud with Cody and Goldust during those couple of weeks is what stands out from this reign. Orton helped put Cody and Goldust more over, after putting both guys out of a job just because he won. Why didn’t Randy just keep the belt until WrestleMania? At Night of Champions, he lost it back to Daniel Bryan because of a weird angle where ref Scott Armstrong turned heel… by helping Bryan WIN (??) and then The Authority vacated the title. Since the ref was paid, why wouldn’t he help Orton win?? Makes zero sense, and only helped in killing all of Orton’s heat. After Orton won the title back, and after those horrible and/or repetitve feuds with Big Show and John Cena, Orton had lost all his heat by WrestleMania. This reign, though, was brilliant while it lasted.

Rating: 6/10

Daniel Bryan (September 15, 2013 – September 16, 2013)

Televised matches: 1
Record: 1-0

My match ratings:

Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton(c) – Night of Champions 2013 (***1/4)

Just why? Like I mentioned previously, the title was vacated due to the angle at Night of Champions, and then we had two months without a champion and a no-contest in a PPV match for the vacant title. Back when people had to PAY to watch them. Because that’s what’s best for business, apparently.

Rating: -/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS

Alberto Del Rio (January 11, 2013 – April 8, 2013)

Televised matches: 24
Record: 20-3 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Alberto Del Rio def. Big Show(c) in a Last Man Standing Match – SmackDown Jan. 11, 2013 (***1/2) *R*
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match – Royal Rumble 2013 (***1/2) *R*
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Big Show – Elimination Chamber 2013 (***1/4)
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Jack Swagger – WrestleMania 29 (**1/2)
Dolph Ziggler def. Alberto Del Rio(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW April 8, 2013 (N/R)

After an endless feud with Sheamus over the World Championship in 2012, Del Rio turned babyface and found himself with the gold after beating Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match on SmackDown. Babyface ADR wasn’t as good as heel ADR and never quite connected with the audience, but his matches were pretty solid. The matches with Big Show exceeded all expectations and then some, and a World title match with Jack Swagger at WrestleMania is a World title match with Jack Swagger at WrestleMania, if you know what I mean. Del Rio was a solid worker inside the ring, but no one could give a crap about his babyface gimmick at this point.

Rating: 4/10

Dolph Ziggler (April 8, 2013 – June 16, 2013)

Televised matches: 9
Record: 4-5

My match ratings:

Dolph Ziggler def. Alberto Del Rio(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW April 8, 2013 (N/R)
Alberto Del Rio def. Dolph Ziggler(c) – Payback 2013 (***3/4) *R*

Ziggler’s title win was one of the memorable in recent years, as well as Money in the Bank cash-ins. He soon started losing matches on TV before suffering an injury, and once he acme back he lost the title back to Alberto Del Rio in his first singles match back. This was nothing, sadly. At least the first night was great, I’ll take what I can get here.

Rating: 2/10

Alberto Del Rio (June 16, 2013 – October 27, 2013)

Televised matches: 34
Record: 21-11 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

Alberto Del Rio def. Dolph Ziggler(c) – Payback 2013 (***3/4) *R*
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Dolph Ziggler – Money in the Bank 2013 (***1/2)
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Christian – SummerSlam 2013 (****) *HR*
Rob Van Dam def. Alberto Del Rio(c) by DQ – Night of Champions 2013 (**1/2)
Alberto Del Rio(c) def. Rob Van Dam in a Hardcore Match – Battleground 2013 (***1/4)
John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Hell in a Cell 2013 (***)

Much like in his first reign, Del Rio always put on solid matches as champion. However, this time working as a heel just felt more natural and made this second reign much better than the first one. He won the gold back from Dolph Ziggler in a really good match at Payback, turning heel in that match while Ziggler turned babyface. They went on to have another good match at Money in the Bank, this time with a pointless DQ finish after AJ hit Del Rio with her own Divas title. He then retained in a spectacular match with Christian at SummerSlam as well as a feud with Rob Van Dam, before dropping the gold to John Cena. This was probably Del Rio’s best reign, it was pretty solid.

Rating: 6/10

John Cena (October 27, 2013 – December 15, 2013)

Televised matches: 10
Record: 9-1

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio(c) – Hell in a Cell 2013 (***)
John Cena(c) def. Damien Sandow in a MITB cash-in – RAW Oct. 28, 2013 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Alberto Del Rio – Survivor Series 2013 (**3/4)
Randy Orton def. John Cena(c) in a TLC Match – TLC 2013 (***)

Make no mistake about it, John Cena won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013 for one reason and one reason only: to set up the title unification match with Randy Orton. The feud with Del Rio saw Cena beat him twice to remove him from the title picture for good, and then came his 1,589th encounter with Orton that everybody was dying to see *cough cough*. He was a transitional champion and nothing more, but he always brings energy as champion and he does have a recommended match against Damien Sandow.

My rating: 3/10

Randy Orton (December 15, 2013)

Televised matches: 1
Record: 1-0

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. John Cena(c) in a TLC Match – TLC 2013 (***)

After the unification match with Cena at TLC, Orton became the champion under the WWE Championship lineage as “WWE World Heavyweight Champion”, while the World title was retired. I had to mention this reign, though, as Orton was the final World Heavyweight Champion in history.

Rating: -/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
John Cena (WWE Championship, 07/04/2013 – 18/08/2013) 7
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013 – 15/09/2013) 6
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/06/2013 – 27/10/2013) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
The Rock (WWE Championship, 27/01/2013 – 07/04/2013) 5
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/01/2013 – 08/04/2013) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 27/10/2013 – 15/12/2013) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 08/04/2013 – 16/06/2013) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013) –
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/12/2013) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 15/09/2013 – 16/09/2013) –

WWE World Titles – 2014

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

Randy Orton (October 27, 2013 – April 6, 2014)

Televised matches: 25
Record: 12-12 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Daniel Bryan in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2013 (***1/4)
Randy Orton(c) def. Big Show – Survivor Series 2013 (*) *RTA*
Randy Orton(c) def. John Cena in a TLC Match – TLC 2013 (***)
Randy Orton(c) def. John Cena – Royal Rumble 2014 (**1/2)
Cesaro def. Randy Orton – SmacKDown Feb. 14, 2014 (***3/4) *R*
Randy Orton(c) def. John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Christian, Sheamus and Cesaro in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2014 (***1/2)
Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton(c) and Batista – WrestleMania XXX (****1/4) *HR*

After cashing in his Money in the Bank on Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013 to win his first title in two years, Orton dropped the gold in his first title defense at Night of Champions back to Bryan. The title would be vacated due to a fast count, though, and soon the feud between the two lost all its magic, especially after that super dumb no-contest finish at Battleground. Orton would win the vacant title against Bryan in a HIAC Match thanks to special ref Shawn Michaels. A pointless feud with Big Show followed and the two went on to have a horrible match at Survivor Series, followed by another feud with John Cena. The matches were okay, but no one wanted to see these two wrestle each other ever again. Orton went on to lose to all of his challengers at Elimination Chamber on TV, before retaining in that match thanks to The Wyatt’s AND Kane. Because that’s how you book a World Champion just before the biggest show of the year. Orton had lost all his heat heading into WrestleMania, as everyone wanted Bryan to win, nobody wanted to see Batista win and Orton… well, Orton would be there too. I don’t get why heels have to be booked like this in modern wrestling, it helps absolutely nobody. Orton would unify both titles and be called “WWE World Heavyweight Champion” after TLC 2013, by the way.

Rating: 5/10

Daniel Bryan (April 6, 2014 – June 9, 2014)

Televised matches: 5
Record: 3-0 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

BONUS Daniel Bryan def. Triple H – WrestleMania XXX (****3/4) *HR*
Daniel Bryan def. Randy Orton(c) and Batista – WrestleMania XXX (****1/4) *HR*
Daniel Bryan(c) def. Kane in an Extreme Rules Match – Extreme Rules 2014 (***1/2) *R*

This reign is a hard one to rate. Bryan was forced to vacate the title after only his first successful title defense on PPV against Kane, and after only three matches on TV. However, the reign was pretty good while it lasted. Out of the three matches rated above, all of them are (highly) recommended. And one of them being against Kane, who was unquestionably in the worst stage of his career as the “Director of Operations”. It’s really a shame the reign had to end so soon and in the way it did, because it was really solid up until that point.

Rating: 5/10

John Cena (June 29, 2014 – August 17, 2014)

Televised matches: 7
Record: 6-1

My match ratings:

John Cena def. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Kane, Sheamus, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder Match – Money in the Bank 2014 (***3/4) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Kane – Battleground 2014 (***1/4)
Brock Lesnar def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2014 (****1/4) *HR*

Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship would be vacated after his injury, and it’d be put on the line in a Ladder Match at Money in the Bank. Cena would win the match to capture his fifteenth WWE Heavyweight Championship, and after that he’d retain against Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Kane at Battleground. Cena’s next feud would ultimately be his last as a WWE Champion for almost three years, against non other than Brock Lesnar. The match at SummerSlam was unique and truly one of the memorable wrestling matches of all-time, and it just felt different to everything we see these days. I’m a huge fan of that, and also props to Cena for being a true pro at SummerSlam. As far as this reign goes, though, he was just there to play Daniel Bryan after his injury. He did a good job, but it was never meant to be anything special.

Rating: 4/10

Brock Lesnar (August 17, 2014 – March 29, 2015)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 2-2

My match ratings:

Brock Lesnar def. John Cena(c) – SummerSlam 2014 (****1/4) *HR*
John Cena def. Brock Lesnar(c) by DQ – Night of Champions 2014 (***3/4) *R*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. John Cena and Seth Rollins – Royal Rumble 2015 (****3/4) *HR*
Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) and Roman Reigns in a MITB cash-in – WrestleMania 31 (****1/2) *HR*

I will start by saying one thing: the fact Brock wasn’t there every week isn’t good and the lack of a World Champion makes the product lack something in the main-events. However, if we look at things in a different way, you can’t tell me that the matches he was in weren’t special. Also, you probably should be able to name each and every Lesnar match during this reign. Not to mention that all of his matches in that list above are recommended – all of them! That is incredible. Also, this reign features one of the best triple threat matches in wrestling history and arguably the most memorable title win and title loss. Apart from that weird DQ finish against Cena at Night of Champions and the fact that Lesnar wasn’t on TV most of the time, this reign was amazing.

Rating: 7/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –

WWE World Titles – 2015

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

Seth Rollins (March 29, 2015 – November 4, 2015)

Televised matches: 53
Record: 22-30 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) and Roman Reigns in a MITB cash-in – WrestleMania 31 (****1/2) *HR*
Seth Rollins def. Neville – RAW April 6 2015 (***1/4)
Seth Rollins(c) def. Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match – Extreme Rules 2015 (***1/2) *R*
Seth Rollins(c) def. Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose – Payback 2015 (***3/4) *R*
Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins(c) by DQ – Elimination Chamber 2015 (***1/2)
Seth Rollins(c) def. Dean Ambrose in a Ladder Match – Money in the Bank 2015 (****1/4) *HR*
Brock Lesnar def. Seth Rollins(c) by DQ – Battleground 2015 (**1/2)
Seth Rollins(c) def. Neville – RAW Aug. 3 2015 (***3/4) *R*
Seth Rollins(c) def. John Cena – WWE & US Titles – SummerSlam 2015 (****1/2) *HR*
John Cena def. Seth Rollins(c) – WWE US Championship – Night of Champions 2015 (****) *R*
Seth Rollins(c) def. Sting – Night of Champions 2015 (***1/2) *R*
John Cena(c) def. Seth Rollins – Steel Cage Match – WWE US Championship – WWE Live From MSG 2015 (***3/4) *R*
Seth Rollins(c) def. Kane – Hell in a Cell 2015 (***)

This reign is a pretty hard one to rate. Usually I don’t let win/loss records influence my rating, especially with heels who lose most of their TV matches by DQ or count-out to set up PPV matches. With Rollins, however, that was not the case. Not only was he pinned on PPV by John Cena to lose the US Championship, he lost a number of TV singles matches by pin/submission to many people. Everyone from Dean Ambrose, to Roman Reigns, to John Cena, to Ryback got to pin Seth Rollins, not to mention the f*cking J&J SECURITY got to pin the Heavyweight Champion of the World. That is exactly how a World Champion should not be booked, as Rollins was booked as a joke for most of his reign. However, if you take a look at that list above, almost all of his matches are (highly) recommended and his worst matches during his first reign were decent. That is impressive, and is what elevates my rating for Seth Rollins’ first reign as the then-WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Rating: 6/10

Roman Reigns (November 22, 2015)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Roman Reigns def. Dean Ambrose – Survivor Series 2015 (**3/4)
Sheamus def. Roman Reigns(c) in a MITB cash-in – Survivor Series (N/R)

After Seth Rollins got injured and vacated his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the title was put on the line in the Deadly Games V2 at Survivor Series 2015. The four semi-finalists heading into Survivor Series 2015 were Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio. In the first two rounds on TV, Reigns had defeated The Big Show and Cesaro (in a fantastic match) ; Ambrose had bested Tyler Breeze and Dolph Ziggler ; US Champion Del Rio had defeated Stardust and Kalisto ; finally, the Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens had defeated Titus O’Neil and Neville. Earlier that night, Dean defeated Owens while Reigns bested Del Rio to advance to the final match. The match between Reigns and Ambrose was average and quite disappointing, and saw Reigns win the World Title for the first time in his career. Then, Triple H allowed Sheamus to cash-in Money in the Bank and win the gold with a Brogue Kick, ending Reigns’ first reign at a little over five minutes. Hated the Lex Luger-booking for Roman here, but the reign itself was too short anyway.

Rating: -/10

Sheamus (November 22, 2015 – December 14, 2015)

Televised matches: 9
Record: 3-6

My match ratings:

Sheamus def. Roman Reigns(c) in a MITB cash-in – Survivor Series (N/R)
Sheamus(c) def. Roman Reigns in a TLC Match – TLC 2015 (***1/2) *R*
Roman Reigns def. Sheamus(c) – RAW Dec. 14 2015 (***)

Did anyone want to see Sheamus as WWE Champion in 2015? The guy who was teaming with undercarder King Barrett and was wrestling on the pre-show of Hell in a Cell (the PPV before the one he won the title, by the way) after and endless feud with Randy Orton. That’s the guy who was now the champion, after going through a whole tournament to crown a new champion! Unsurprisingly, RAW reached some all-time low ratings up until that point and what we had were three weeks of multi-person tag team matches with The League of Nations. Sheamus’ match with Reigns at TLC did exceed expectations, though, so there’s that. He’d go on to lose the belt to Roman the next night on RAW anyway, unsuccessfully challenge him in a title match with Vince McMahon as the referee and then… went back to where he was, getting destroyed by legends at WrestleMania and losing to Apollo Crews on PPV. Just a few months after being the World Champion.

Rating: 2/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015)
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –

WWE World Titles – 2016

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

Roman Reigns (December 14, 2015 – January 24, 2016)

Televised matches: 7
Record: 5-1 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Roman Reigns def. Sheamus(c) – RAW Dec. 14 2015 (***)
Triple H wins Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble 2016 (****) *HR*

This reign was just a way to set up Reigns’ eventual “real” win in the main-event of WrestleMania 32. He captured the then-WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Sheamus on the episode of RAW following TLC 2015, holding the belt for little over a month before being forced to defend it in that year’s Royal Rumble Match. There, he’d lose the title to Triple H, setting up their WrestleMania encounter and Reigns’ moment. The feud with The League of Nations and the whole “Reigns vs. everyone” storyline were really bad, but at least his big title win did get a big reaction. In Philadelphia, no less! That wouldn’t last, though, and the reign itself was only used as a bridge.

Rating: 2/10

Triple H (January 24, 2016 – April 3, 2016)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

Triple H wins Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble 2016 (****) *HR*
Triple H(c) def. Dean Ambrose – Roadblock 2016 (****1/2) *HR*
Roman Reigns def. Triple H(c) – WrestleMania 32 (**) *RTA*

It’s still weird to think that Triple H was the WWE Champion in 2016! He won it in said Royal Rumble Match from the number thirty spot, and then went on to have three matches as champion. The first was a hidden gem against Dean Ambrose at Roadblock in March, with the gold on the line. If you’ve never seen the match, it’s well worth giving it a look. The second was on the following episode of RAW, defeating Dolph Ziggler before dropping the title to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32. That match is not horrible, but for a WrestleMania, it’s pretty damn boring and the crowd is dead for most of it. Pretty much until Stephanie gets speared. Still, two recommended matches out of three rated above it not bad at all. Weird reign but not particularly bad.

Rating: 3/10

Roman Reigns (April 3, 2016 – June 19, 2016)

Televised matches: 11
Record: 8-2 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Roman Reigns def. Triple H(c) – WrestleMania 32 (**) *RTA*
Roman Reigns(c) def. AJ Styles – Payback 2016 (****) *R*
Roman Reigns(c) def. AJ Styles – Extreme Rules 2016 (****1/2) *HR*
Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns(c) – Money in the Bank 2016 (***3/4) *R*

I’m gonna start by saying I don’t like the way this reign began. The match with Triple H was bad in my opinion, and the “not a good guy, not a bad guy, the guy” promo the following night on RAW was one of the lamest promos I’ve ever seen. However, with that out of the way, the rest of his reign was pretty good. Sure, he was never good at promos or engaging on TV, but the feuds with AJ and Seth resulted in some really good matches. In fact, if you take a look back at the list above, all three of his PPV matches as champion are (highly) recommended. The suspension in the end was a bad way for the reign to end too, but he delivered as champion during this reign.

Rating: 6/10

Seth Rollins (June 19, 2016)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Seth Rollins def. Roman Reigns(c) – Money in the Bank 2016 (***3/4) *R*
Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins(c) in a MITB cash-in – Money in the Bank 2016 (N/R)

In his first match back from injury, Seth Rollins won back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship with a win over Roman Reigns. A few minutes later, Dean Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and won the title. That was Rollins’ second reign. Good match against Reigns, but still… it lasted less than five minutes!

Rating: -/10

Dean Ambrose (June 19, 2016 – September 11, 2016)

Televised matches: 14
Record: 9-3 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

Dean Ambrose def. Seth Rollins(c) in a MITB cash-in – Money in the Bank 2016 (N/R)
Dean Ambrose(c) def. Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns – Battleground 2016 (***3/4) *R*
Dean Ambrose(c) def. Dolph Ziggler – SummerSlam 2016 (**1/2)
AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose(c) – Backlash 2016 (****1/4) *R*

Who can ever forget the night Dean Ambrose captured the WWE Championship? After winning the Money in the Bank contract earlier that night, Ambrose cashed it in after the main-event and made sure that every member of the former Shield held the title on that very same show. After this, Ambrose defended the gold in a triple threat match against both of his former brothers. The match itself was obviously good, but it was more about SmackDown vs. RAW nonsense than their own story, which is a shame. A disappointing match with Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam followed, before dropping the gold to AJ Styles in what was the best match of his entire reign. Looking at things long-term: in July, he’s SmackDown’s first draft pick and he’s the freakin’ WWE Champion ; at the first WrestleMania following said draft, he’s on the pre-show. With that said… was it a success? I don’t think so.

Rating: 4/10

AJ Styles (September 11, 2016 – January 29, 2017)

Televised matches: 15
Record: 6-6 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose(c) – Backlash 2016 (****1/4) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. John Cena and Dean Ambrose – No Mercy (***3/4) *R*
Team SmackDown def. Team RAW – Survivor Series 2016 (****1/2) *HR*
AJ Styles(c) def. Dean Ambrose – TLC Match – TLC 2016 (****1/2) *HR*
John Cena def. AJ Styles(c) – Royal Rumble 2017 (*****) *HR*

Don’t let that win/loss record fool you – AJ was a heel at this point, and he lost most of his TV matches. James Ellsworth himself gave Styles three of his six losses as champion! However, look at that list of matches above. Five PPV matches, four of them for the gold, all of them are (highly) recommended and one is a five-star classic. AJ’s heel work at this time was also fantastic, especially after his win over John Cena at SummerSlam. He was one of the reasons that made SmackDown LIVE so enjoyable each and every week in late 2016, along with Miz, Ziggler, The Wyatt’s, Slater & Rhyno, etc. However, his booking was too weak to give him ten, but apart from that it was perfect. Or should I say phenomenal.

Rating: 9/10

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Finn Bálor (August 21, 2016 – August 22, 2016)

Televised matches: 1
Record: 1-0

My match ratings:

Finn Bálor def. Seth Rollins – SummerSlam 2016 (****) *R*

Finn Bálor was one of RAW’s first draft picks in the 2016 Draft, having recently lost his NXT Championship to Samoa Joe after a long and really good reign. In his first night on RAW, Bálor won a four way and defeated Roman Reigns cleanly. That gave him the right to face Seth Rollins at SummerSlam to determine the inaugural Universal Champion. The match was great, but the crowd spent the majority of it chanting about how shitty the belt is (which it is, to be fair) and also saw Finn get injured as Seth’s Sting-killer-powerbomb ended up killing him as well. And that was it for Bálor, as he had to vacate the belt the following night on RAW.

Rating: -/10

Kevin Owens (August 29, 2016 – March 5, 2017)

Televised matches: 27
Record: 15-12

My match ratings:

Kevin Owens def. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Big Cass – RAW Aug. 29 2016 (***)
Kevin Owens(c) def. Seth Rollins – Clash of Champions 2016 (***1/4)
Kevin Owens(c) def. Seth Rollins in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2016 (***1/2)
Team SmackDown def. Team RAW – Survivor Series 2016 (****1/2) *HR*
Kevin Owens(c) def. Roman Reigns – Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 (***)
Kevin Owens(c) def. Roman Reigns in a No DQ Match – Royal Rumble 2017 (****1/2) *HR*
Goldberg def. Kevin Owens(c) – Fastlane 2017 (DUD)

When Kevin Owens won the Universal Title, nobody could’ve seen it coming. As soon as he appeared with Chris Jericho the next week and Jericho referred to Owens as “longest reigning Universal Champion in history”, I was instantly into their act. I wasn’t watching RAW at this time, but I would at least make sure to check their segments on WWE’s YouTube channel every week. They were easily the only reason to watch RAW on a weekly basis, and the belt was a very important part of their act. Owens’ matches as champion were all good, despite being repetitive, and his reign was enjoyable. The Lesnar/Goldberg feud didn’t need the title at all, and Owens’ reign deserved a much better ending than just randomly losing it to Goldberg in three seconds at Fastlane, of all places. The ending really hurts this reign looking back, but it does receive a very high six for being very enjoyable while it lasted.

Rating: 6/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –

WWE World Titles – 2017

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

John Cena (January 29, 2017 – February 12, 2017)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 2-2

My match ratings:

John Cena def. AJ Styles(c) – Royal Rumble 2017 (*****) *HR*
Bray Wyatt def. John Cena(c), AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Baron Corbin in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2017 (****1/2) *HR*

John Cena’s sixteenth WWE Heavyweight Championship win was a moment that will be talked about for ages, but at the end of the day it lasted fourteen short days. Cena wrestled in four matches, two of those on PPV and two of those on SmackDown LIVE. Out of his two matches rated above, both are highly recommended and one of them is a five-star classic. After winning the belt in that fantastic match with AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble, Cena went on to lose it to Bray Wyatt two weeks later in a fantastic Elimination Chamber Match. That is impressive, but this Cena reign did start a game of hot potato over the top belt, which is always annoying and makes the title feel less special. It’s tough to rate this reign due to its length, but during those two short weeks we had ‘Big Match John’ at his best.

Rating: 5/10

Bray Wyatt (February 12, 2017 – April 2, 2017)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

Bray Wyatt def. John Cena(c), AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Baron Corbin in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2017 (****1/2) *HR*
Bray Wyatt(c) def. John Cena and AJ Styles – SmackDown LIVE Feb. 14 2017 (***1/2) *R*
Randy Orton def. Bray Wyatt(c) – WrestleMania 33 (DUD) *RTA*

Bray Wyatt’s first World Championship reign lasted 49 days, during which he wrestled four televised matches. I already talked about the Elimination Chamber Match in Cena’s entry, and two days later Wyatt went on to defend his title in a pretty good triple threat match against former champions John Cena and AJ Styles. Meanwhile, his rivalry with former partner/rival Randy Orton continued heading into WrestleMania 33, Orton who had won the Royal Rumble Match even before Wyatt became champion. The match, however, was absolutely horrible and is a strong recommendation to avoid. This reign could and should have been way better than it was. Still, points for having two recommended matches out of the three I rated.

Rating: 3/10

Randy Orton (April 2, 2017 – May 21, 2017)

Televised matches: 8
Record: 5-3

My match ratings:

Randy Orton def. Bray Wyatt(c) – WrestleMania 33 (DUD) *RTA*
Bray Wyatt def. Randy Orton in a House of Horrors – Payback 2017 (DUD) *RTA*
Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton(c) – Backlash 2017 (**1/2)

This reign was bad and quite pointless. After the horrible match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33, the two managed to have an even worse one at Payback. A non-title “House of Horrors”, which was won by Wyatt thanks to Jinder Mahal’s interference. Then, at Backlash, Orton dropped the title to Jinder and that’s it. Awful, awful, awful title reign.

Rating: 1/10

Jinder Mahal (May 21, 2017 – November 7, 2017)

Televised matches: 13
Record: 9-4

My match ratings:

Jinder Mahal def. Randy Orton(c) – Backlash 2017 (**1/2)
Jinder Mahal(c) def. Randy Orton – Money in the Bank 2017 (***1/4)
Jinder Mahal(c) def. Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison – Battleground 2017 (DUD) *RTA*
Jinder Mahal(c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura – SummerSlam 2017 (**1/2)
Jinder Mahal(c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura – Hell in a Cell 2017 (**)
AJ Styles def. Jinder Mahal(c) – SmackDown LIVE Nov. 13 2017 (**1/2)

People have said everything about Jinder Mahal’s reign as WWE Champion. It was clearly done to explore the Indian market, almost the matches were average at best and almost all the matches had the same damn finish. Many people compare Jinder’s reign to JBL’s, but at least JBL’s reign was used to put John Cena over in the end at WrestleMania. With Jinder, it ended randomly on an episode of SmackDown because Jinder wasn’t credible enough to wrestle Brock Lesnar. This was a thing that happened.

Rating: 3/10

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Goldberg (March 5, 2017 – April 2, 2017)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match rating:

Goldberg def. Kevin Owens(c) – Fastlane 2017 (DUD)
Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg(c) – WrestleMania 33 (***1/2) *R*

I’ll start by saying one thing: as good as the Lesnar/Goldberg feud was in 2016/17, it didn’t need the title at all. The Universal Championship was such an important part of the Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens act, and it hould’ve stayed there heading into WrestleMania 33. Anyway, the match with Owens at Fastlane lasted about a minute while the WrestleMania match with Lesnar exceeded all expectations. The title didn’t need to be in this feud at all, but it could’ve been worse.

Rating: 2/10

Brock Lesnar (April 2, 2017 – August 19, 2018)

Televised matches: 9
Record: 8-1

My match ratings:

Brock Lesnar def. Goldberg(c) – WrestleMania 33 (***1/2) *R*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Samoa Joe – Great Balls of Fire 2017 (***1/2) *R*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman and Samoa Joe – SummerSlam 2017 (****3/4) *HR*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Braun Strowman – No Mercy 2017 (**)
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Braun Strowman and Kane – Royal Rumble 2018 (*)
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Roman Reigns – WrestleMania 34 (*) *RTA*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Roman Reigns in a Steel Cage Match – Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 (1/2*) *RTA*
Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar(c) – SummerSlam 2018 (**1/2)

Make no mistake about it, this reign was bad. The plan had always been for Lesnar to hold the belt for a year before losing it to Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34, which was known by pretty much everyone at the time. However, we just had a swerve in the WrestleMania match just because, and instead Reigns’ inevitable win had to wait a few more months. He went on to lose another match to Lesnar, in that awful Steel Cage Match in Saudi Arabia, which would then lead to months and months of Reigns cutting horrible promos on RAW complaining how he was the rightful champion. The feud with Reigns was really bad, but he did have three (highly) recommended matches out of nine. Bad, but it still had its moments.

Rating: 3/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1

WWE World Titles – 2018

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

AJ Styles (November 7, 2017 – November 13, 2018)

Televised matches: 48
Record: 31-14 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

AJ Styles def. Jinder Mahal(c) – SmackDown LIVE Nov. 7 2017 (**1/2)
Brock Lesnar def. AJ Styles – Survivor Series 2017 (****1/2) *HR*
AJ Styles(c) def. Jinder Mahal – Clash of Champions 2017 (**3/4)
AJ Styles(c) def. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn in a Handicap Match – Royal Rumble 2018 (***)
AJ Styles(c) def. John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin – Fastlane 2018 (****1/4) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura – WrestleMania 34 (***1/2)
AJ Styles(c) draw. Shinsuke Nakamura – Greatest Royal Rumble 2018 (***)
AJ Styles(c) draw. Shinsuke Nakamura – Backlash 2018 (***)
Shinsuke Nakamura def. AJ Styles – SmackDown LIVE May 15 2018 (***3/4) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing Match – Money in the Bank (****1/4) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Rusev – Extreme Rules 2018 (****) *R*
AJ Styles def. Andrade Cien Almas – SmackDown LIVE July 17 2018 (***1/2) *R*
Samoa Joe def. AJ Styles(c) by DQ – SummerSlam 2018 (****1/4) *HR*
AJ Styles(c) def. Samoa Joe – Hell in a Cell 2018 (****) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Samoa Joe – Super ShowDown 2018 (***3/4) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Daniel Bryan – SmackDown LIVE Oct. 30 2018 (***1/2) *R*
AJ Styles(c) def. Samoa Joe – Crown Jewel 2018 (***)
Daniel Bryan def. AJ Styles(c) – SmackDown LIVE Nov. 13 2018 (***1/2) *R*

After defeating Jinder Mahal on an episode of SmackDown in November 2017, AJ Styles spent more than a year as WWE Champion. To be quite honest, creative didn’t help him at all, with two never-ending storylines against Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe throughout 2018. However, despite the booking not being the best, AJ always had good matches no matter who he was facing. Out of the seventeen matches I rated above, eleven are recommended and the other six are way above average. That is impressive, and it is what elevates my overall rating for AJ’s second reign as WWE Champion.

Rating: 7/10

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Roman Reigns (August 19, 2018 – October 22, 2018)

Televised matches: 11
Record: 9-1 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

Roman Reigns def. Brock Lesnar(c) – SummerSlam 2018 (**1/2)
Roman Reigns(c) vs. Braun Strowman in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2018 (**3/4)
The Shield def. The Dogs Of War – Super ShowDown 2018 (***1/4)

No, I didn’t include Brock Lesnar in this year. Instead I’ll leave his first reign as Universal Champion for the 2017 edition. After months and months of feuding with Lesnar and challenging him in bad matches at WrestleMania and Greatest Royal Rumble, Reigns FINALLY won the title to end the feud once and for all. Once he won the title, he went on to have that weird Hell in a Cell Match against Braun Strowman with Mick Foley as referee that ended in a draw thanks to Brock Lesnar’s interference, and spent the rest of his reign working with The Shield before being diagnosed with leukemia. He had to vacate the belt, but his reign up until that point wasn’t setting the world on fire.

Rating: 3/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3

WWE World Titles – 2019/20

Welcome to my blog. This is the start of a new series, where I’ll be looking back at the history of WWE World Titles (not counting ECW) and ranking all the World Title reigns since the “Modern Era”. The “Modern Era” goes all the way back to the birth of Hulkamania in 1984, and that’s where we’ll end. Today we start with 2019 and the first two months of 2020, and we’ll go back from here.

As of this writing, February 15 2020: the WWE Champion is Brock Lesnar and the Universal Champion is Bray Wyatt. After the matches ratings, I’ll let you know if the match is highly recommended (“HR”), recommended (“R”) or a recommendation to avoid (“RTA”). In case nothing appears, the match is watchable but nothing special.

WWE Championship

Daniel Bryan (November 13, 2018 – April 7, 2019)

Televised matches: 17
Record: 9-8

My match ratings:

Daniel Bryan def. AJ Styles(c) – SmackDown LIVE Nov. 13 2018 (***1/2) *R*
Brock Lesnar def. Daniel Bryan – Survivor Series 2018 (****1/2) *HR*
Daniel Bryan(c) def. AJ Styles – TLC 2018 (****3/4) *HR*
AJ Styles & Mustafa Ali def. Daniel Bryan & Andrade Cien Almas – SmackDown LIVE Dec. 18 2018 (***1/2) *R*
Daniel Bryan(c) def. AJ Styles – Royal Rumble 2019 (***)
Daniel Bryan(c) def. AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe and Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber Match – Elimination Chamber 2019 (****1/2) *HR*
Daniel Bryan(c) def. Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali – Fastlane 2019 (****1/4) *R*
Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan(c) – WrestleMania 35 (****1/2) *HR*

During his most recent reign as WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan shockingly turned heel to defeat AJ Styles on an episode of SmackDown in November 2018 before embarking on one of the best runs of his entire career. He even made people boo the planet! That takes talent, you better believe it. I won’t let win/loss record affect my ratings, especially for heels as they lose most of their TV matches by DQ/count-out to set up PPV matches. Out of his seventeen televised matches as champion, I reviewed eight. And out of those eight, seven were (strongly) recommended. That is impressive, not to mention his incredible promos and character work throughout his reign that ultimately made Kofi’s win that much bigger.

Rating: 9/10

Kofi Kingston (April 7, 2019 – October 4, 2019)

Televised matches: 32
Record: 26-4 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

Kofi Kingston def. Daniel Bryan(c) – WrestleMania 35 (****1/2) *HR*
Kofi Kingston(c) def. Kevin Owens – Money in the Bank 2019 (***1/4)
Kofi Kingston(c) def. Dolph Ziggler – Super ShowDown 2019 (**3/4)
Kofi Kingston(c) def. Dolph Ziggler in a Steel Cage Match – Stomping Grounds 2019 (**1/4)
Kofi Kingston(c) def. Samoa Joe – Extreme Rules 2019 (***1/2) *R*
Kofi Kingston(c) draw Randy Orton – SummerSlam 2019 (**3/4)
Kofi Kingston(c) def. Randy Orton – Clash of Champions 2019 (***)
Brock Lesnar def. Kofi Kingston(c) – SmackDown Oct. 4 2019 (DUD)

After the great start against Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston never felt like the top guy throughout the rest of his reign. Because he wasn’t. Wrestlers such as Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens (aka whoever was feuding with Shane McMahon) were always featured more than Kofi was, despite his impressive win/loss record. However, Kofi never got the chance to shine and/or beat main-eventers after the Daniel Bryan match. You could say against Randy Orton at Clash, but that was quite clearly done to set up Kofi so he could lose to Lesnar a few weeks later and make people care enough to watch. Daniel Bryan had eight matches reviewed, seven were recommended. Kofi had eight as well, only two recommended. Great start, meh reign. The loss to Brock in the end was inevitable, and the right business decision.

Rating: 4/10

Brock Lesnar (October 4, 2019 – today) as of February 15, 2020

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

Brock Lesnar def. Kofi Kingston(c) – SmackDown Oct. 4 2019 (DUD)
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Cain Velasquez – Crown Jewel 2019 (DUD) *RTA*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Rey Mysterio – Survivor Series 2019 (***3/4) *R*
Royal Rumble Match – Royal Rumble 2020 (****1/2) *HR*

As of now, Brock Lesnar is the current WWE Champion in his fifth reign. Out of his four matches thus far, half of them are recommended matches and the other two lasted less than five minutes combined. The match with Kofi couldn’t have been better or worse, there’s nothing you can do other than go home in eight seconds. The Velasquez match was weird and quite pointless, but Lesnar’s performances in the matches at Survivor Series and Royal Rumble were great. He even allowed Dominick to run wild on him, something WWE can use in his highlight video packages for the rest of his wrestling career. At the Royal Rumble, he did a fantastic job while he was there. Lesnar eliminated thirteen wrestlers until people just couldn’t see him anymore, which then made Drew McIntyre’s elimination and eventual win that much bigger. He is scheduled to defend the gold against Ricochet next week, which I doubt it’ll last more than two minutes. Expect a match for the ages against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania, though, because Brock Lesnar is one hell of a pro wrestler if he’s given time. Love him or hate him.

Rating: – (still the champion)

WWE Universal Championship

Brock Lesnar (November 2, 2018 – April 7, 2019)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 3-1

My match ratings:

Brock Lesnar def. Braun Strowman – Crown Jewel 2018 (1/2*)
Brock Lesnar def. Daniel Bryan – Survivor Series 2018 (****1/2) *HR*
Brock Lesnar(c) def. Finn Bálor – Royal Rumble 2019 (***3/4) *R*
Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) – WrestleMania 35 (**)

After Roman Reigns was diagnosed with leukemia, WWE were pretty much forced to put the belt back on Brock Lesnar and transition it to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 35. Lesnar won it in a very short match with Braun Strowman in Saudi Arabia, won by Lesnar after a weird interference by then-RAW GM Baron Corbin. Before dropping the gold at ‘Mania, you can find two recommended matches from this title reign. The match against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series is absolutely spectacular, while the Royal Rumble title match against Finn Bálor is pretty good and features some brilliant selling by Lesnar, despite not being on the level of the Bryan bout. The reign came to an end at WrestleMania, in a quite disappointing match with Seth Rollins. Not that it was bad, but it was just way too short. Once again, much like his current WWE title reign, two recommended matches out of four. And those who aren’t recommended lasted less than five minutes combined too.

Rating: 5/10

Seth Rollins (April 7, 2019 – July 14, 2019)

Televised matches: 19
Record: 15-4

My match ratings:

Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) – WrestleMania 35 (**)
The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley & Baron Corbin – The Shield’s Final Chapter 2019 (***1/4)
Seth Rollins(c) def. AJ Styles – Money in the Bank 2019 (****1/4) *HR*
Seth Rollins(c) def. Baron Corbin – Super ShowDown 2019 (**3/4)
Seth Rollins(c) def. Baron Corbin – special ref: Lacey Evans – Stomping Grounds 2019 (**)
Seth Rollins(c) & Becky Lynch def. Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans in an Extreme Rules Winners Take All Mixed Tag Team Match – Extreme Rules 2019 (*) *RTA*
Brock Lesnar def. Seth Rollins(c) in a MITB cash-in – Extreme Rules 2019 (N/R)

After capturing the gold in a short and disappointing way at last year’s WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins went on to have a fantastic match against AJ Styles at Money in the Bank. And then, after that great bout, Baron Corbin… and more Baron Corbin. And more Baron Corbin. And more Baron Corbin. And the less said about that whole “man’s man” deal, the better. After retaining the belt against Corbin in a winners take all mixed tag match with Becky’s RAW Women’s Title also on the line at Extreme Rules, Seth lost the belt back to Brock Lesnar who cashed in Money in the Bank. And we were back exactly to where we were before WrestleMania. Out of his nineteen matches on TV/PVV, eight were reviewed – with only one being recommended and one being recommended to avoid. Not a good reign.

Rating: 4/10

Brock Lesnar (July 14, 2019 – August 11, 2019)

Televised matches: 2
Record: 1-1

My match ratings:

Brock Lesnar def. Seth Rollins(c) in a MITB cash-in – Extreme Rules 2019 (N/R)
Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) – SummerSlam 2019 (****1/2) *HR*

Just like I mentioned in Seth Rollins’ first reign, this was totally unnecessary. It just feels like WWE had to put the gold back on Brock just so he could put Rollins over again, this time in a proper match, because he was getting less and less over. My question: why not do the proper match at WrestleMania and move on? However, with that out of the way, the build to SummerSlam featured some awesome angles between Lesnar and Seth. The SummerSlam match saw Lesnar literally torture an injured Rollins, who had been F5’d through a chair in a segment on RAW, and listen to the crowd reaction Rollins gets at SummerSlam. Not to mention he had one match (the other being a quick MITB cash-in), and one highly recommended match. Once again, Brock Lesnar is one hell of a pro wrestler, like him or not. However, this reign was pretty unnecessary to begin with.

Rating: 3/10

Seth Rollins (August 11, 2019 – October 31, 2019)

Televised matches: 16
Record: 10-2 (4 draws)

My match ratings:

Seth Rollins def. Brock Lesnar(c) – SummerSlam 2019 (****1/2) *HR*
Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode def. Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman(c) – WWE RAW Tag Team Championship – Clash of Champions 2019 (**1/2)
Seth Rollins(c) def. Braun Strowman – Clash of Champions 2019 (***1/2) *R*
Seth Rollins(c) draw. The Fiend in a HIAC Match – Hell in a Cell 2019 (1/2*) *RTA*
The Fiend def. Seth Rollins(c) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match – Crown Jewel 2019 (**1/2)

After the great match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam where he won back the gold, as well as a pretty good storyline with Strowman in September… came the feud with The Fiend. Everything about it was horrible, from the terrible “selling” by Seth in their segments on TV (by selling I mean screaming) to that Hell in a Cell Match. This feud drags his rating way down, and the best thing about it was the fact that it ended after an OK match at Crown Jewel. Great start, good first feud, absolutely horrible last couple of months. Better than his first reign, but it looked like it was going to be better.

Rating: 5/10

‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt (October 31, 2019 – today)

Televised matches: 4
Record: 4-0

My match ratings:

The Fiend def. Seth Rollins(c) in a Falls Count Anywhere Match – Crown Jewel 2019 (**1/2)
The Fiend(c) def. Daniel Bryan – Survivor Series 2019 (****) *R*
Bray Wyatt def. The Miz – TLC 2019 (*)
The Fiend(c) def. Daniel Bryan in a Strap Match – Royal Rumble 2020 (****1/4) *HR*

So far, The Fiend is the current Blueniversal Champion. He’s set to defend against Goldberg at Saudi ShowDown next week, which means we can very well have a new champion before the month ends. It’s still way too soon to beat The Fiend, though, and the match itself will be a weird clash of styles. Still, so far Bray/Fiend has been in four matches, two of them being (highly) recommended. His feud with Daniel Bryan was spectacular, and the feud with Miz was short but inoffensive. His character work is unique and absolutely different from everyone else, which is always a good thing. Plus, the fact he’s a special attraction and only wrestles on PPVs is great too and makes him feel special. He’s still the champion, but at this point I’d say he has everything to be the Universal Champion in the title’s short history so far.

Rating: – (current champion)

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING:

Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3