00:00Okay, I know you're already in the comments going crazy, Simon, how dare you say these things, but here's the deal, here is the criteria we are using.
00:08Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently sat down with a bunch of WWE champions and he worked out how successful they've been, being on record-setting numbers and buy rates and pay-per-views, and actually broke it down to say, hi, these guys are some of the best.
00:23So yes, hello, my name is Simon from WhatCulture, please do subscribe, and here's the 10 most successful, in terms of statistics, WWE champions in history.
00:37Number 10, Randy Orton.
00:39When you go and look at Randy Orton's complete WWE title reigns, it is crazy, because his first one happened in 2007 and goes all the way to 2020.
00:48And this really sums up Orton's career, because for the past 20 years, he has basically been on top, and naysayers always go, yeah, but he never really changed the business, he didn't blow it up, but who cares, not everybody can be a super-duper game-changing star, but he has been consistent, and when it comes to wrestling, he is so damn good, and I'm gonna say it, underrated.
01:10And of course, we did struggle a little bit when we turned in babyface after his first World Heavyweight title reign, but still, he has so many bangers in the history books, so I say well done to Mr. Randy.
01:22Number 9, Bob Backlund.
01:23Bob Backlund may have only had two WWF championship reigns, but as you're about to learn, he was kind of a big deal, especially because of his second one, he only held it for three days.
01:32And of course, that last one came when WWF was doing a little bit of a transitional championship change, because Bret Hart dropped it to Bob, who subsequently went and dropped it to Diesel, less than a week later, but we ain't talking about that, we going way back in time when Backlund was the man.
01:46Way back in 1978, he beat superstar Billy Graham for the WWF title, and if you can believe it, he held onto it for over five years.
01:57Kind of ironically, he then lost it to the Iron Sheik, who would eventually lose it to Hulk Hogan to start a new wave in World Wrestling Federation, but yeah, when you hold onto something for that amount of time, you're gonna have a successful run.
02:09Number 8, The Rock.
02:10The Rock first won the WWF title back in 1998, and his last one was in 2013, which is terrifying, because that was almost 10 years ago.
02:20The thing is, though, given that he was a champion during the Attitude Era, of course his metrics are sky high, whether you look at merchandise, whether you look at attendance, whether you look at TV ratings or pay-per-view buys, if Dwayne The Rock Johnson was heading up a show, people just took money and they threw it at him.
02:35This is even more impressive, because of course he entered wrestling and was gone before you could say, hey, wait a minute, why is he a movie star now?
02:42And honestly, we can probably move forward 50 years, and The Rock is still gonna be in a list like this.
02:48Number 7, Triple H.
02:49And kind of for the same reasons too, especially because he had crazy longevity, Triple H gets into this list.
02:55I mean, while some people like to get on his case now, in the year 2000, when the World Wrestling Federation was crazy profitable, Hunter Hearst Helmsley was one of the best they had.
03:05If you want to tell me that during this 12-month period he was untouchable as a heel, well, I'm gonna agree with you.
03:10And sure, as the years went by and Triple H was still around, the numbers started to go down, but this wasn't his fault.
03:16It was just during, like, 1998 to 2001, we got to such a crazy level that eventually we were gonna have to head the other way.
03:24But if you do go and watch The King of Kings from basically 1999 until he does suffer his injury in 2001, he is worth every penny.
03:32Number 6, Andre the Giant.
03:33I know what you're saying, Simon, the 8th Wonder of the World didn't even really ever hold the WWF title,
03:39because of course it was all that shenanigans with Ted DiBiossi the Million Dollar Man before the whole thing got cancelled.
03:45The thing is, he still was champion, kind of and kind of not, but when you get into the statistics and how much of a star he was around the world,
03:53well, there's a reason today we still talk about Andre.
03:55And don't forget, he absolutely smashed it for most of his career as a good guy,
03:59but his biggest, most highest point is when he became a bad guy and fought Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3.
04:04I mean, their rematch, which aired on NBC, was the most-watched wrestling match in United States history.
04:10Of course, Hulk Hogan was a massive reason for that,
04:12but to be a great babyface, you need the best heel, and that's where the Giants came into it.
04:18Number 5, Roman Reigns.
04:19I mean, Roman these days is more associated with the Universal Championship,
04:22but he still has been the WWE Champion, and every time he has held it, he's done pretty damn well.
04:28And all this comes down to the fact that, as I say these words, as of right now, WWE is more profitable than ever,
04:34which means they're making a bunch of cash, and who is most definitely their top star?
04:38It's the head of the table, it's the tribal chief, and those two things just go together.
04:42And of course, you can start questioning it, but that's not the point here.
04:45Roman Reigns is the chosen one.
04:47When you get into all the metrics, WWE is swimming through Scrooge McDuck's cash,
04:51so if you do want to write a list like this, you've got to put Roman right up there.
04:55And also, I don't care what anybody else says, I think the man is smashing it.
04:59Number 4, John Cena.
05:00I mean, if I was going to stand here right now and go through every single one of John Cena's WWE title reigns,
05:05I would probably be dead before we got to the end of it, because good grief, that man was on top forever.
05:12Because do not forget, not only was he a consistent main event player,
05:15but he was also the last guy to grow even bigger than WWE and go out into the mainstream world,
05:21and yes, become an absolute success.
05:23So really, he has set the bar too high.
05:25Like, even when he came back last year, people flocked to house shows to see him,
05:30because you look at John Cena's name and think,
05:32hey, honey, should we go to the wrestling show?
05:34And then you go, yes.
05:34And really, he may be the last of a dying breed,
05:37because as we know, WWE wants those three initials to be the biggest star.
05:41So even if somebody does come along and knock on the door,
05:44Vince McMahon will probably go, no, you've got to stay down.
05:47So never underestimate or undervalue the importance of John Cena.
05:50I mean, imagine that 20-year period without him.
05:53I mean, some things would have been better, but overall, it would have been a bit of a struggle.
05:57Number 3, Buddy Rogers.
05:58Though Buddy Rogers wasn't able to work too long for the WWWF back in 1963,
06:04he was their champion when Vince McMahon Sr. decided,
06:07I don't want to work with anybody else anymore, and I'm going to go out on my own.
06:11So if you want to say, without Mr. Rogers, we never get the success that WWE would go on to get,
06:16you certainly have a point.
06:17And even though Buddy was put in there so he could eventually lose this championship to Bruno Sammartino,
06:22everything starts with him.
06:24So he is the catalyst.
06:25And come on now, it basically means he helped change the world.
06:29Number 2, Hulk Hogan.
06:31I mean, do we really need to get into this?
06:32No matter what your thoughts are on the Hulkster these days, and trust me, I totally get it.
06:36I am with you.
06:37Back in the 80s and the early 90s, no one was bigger than him.
06:41And he took the World Wrestling Federation on his back.
06:44And he took it into past as new.
06:47I mean, he basically changed the face of North American wrestling.
06:49And even my nan, bless her soul, knew who Hulk Hogan was.
06:53Like, she didn't really understand what she did.
06:55But if you talked about professional wrestling, she went,
06:57oh, that there WWF stuff with that there Hulk Hogan.
07:00I mean, even in 2022, people on the outskirts still use Hulk's name
07:06when they want to talk about sports entertainment.
07:09So, of course, when you get into the back end and look at the numbers,
07:12well, frankly, it is absolutely ridiculous.
07:15Number one, Bruno Sammartino.
07:17But it is not as nuts as Bruno Sammartino,
07:19who basically got the WWF title and decided,
07:23you know what?
07:24I never want to lose it.
07:25And you cannot fathom how popular he was
07:27until you do sit down and read as much as you possibly can.
07:31Because in the 60s and 70s, people were so into Bruno
07:34that even the thought of him losing would get an audience to riot.
07:38I mean, he only had two title reigns, but they lasted for ages.
07:41But much like a Hulk Hogan or a Buddy Rogers,
07:42we do not get the WWE today, none of it,
07:46without Bruno Sammartino.
07:47The guy is a hero and the guy is a legend.
07:49Thankfully, in the mid-2010s as well,
07:51Triple H was able to mend their relationship.
07:53So we saw a little bit of Bruno back in a new version
07:55of World Wrestling Entertainment.
07:58But if you have nothing else to do today,
07:59just type in his name, even go to his Wikipedia entry,
08:03and you'll be looking around going,
08:04ha, ha, ha, how did he do so much?
08:07And of course, before we do end this video,
08:08don't forget, I'm sure you have your own vision
08:11of what a successful WWE champion is,
08:13and that's great.
08:14But when it comes to those digits,
08:17these are the 10 guys.
08:18But if you do want to put anybody else in the comments,
08:20make sure you do, and like the video,
08:22share the video, and subscribe.
08:23Head over to whatculture.com,
08:24where you can read articles like this.
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