Championship runs eventually end, but these WWE title holders dropped their belts in some truly abysmal ways.
As is the case with Roman Reigns in modernWWE, sometimes a champions reign lasts way too long.
But the opposite can also be true.
Still, the Undisputed Championship in general was fairly cursed up until Brock Lesnar claimed it.
Too bad it was a bust of a title run, ending in a horrendous Undertaker match.
Undertaker dropped it to The Rock, who was all but rejected by the audience until Brock usurped him.
Maybe Triple H deserved a long run as the Undisputed Champion after all.
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14.
You tell your school friends about it.
Youre so excited to see it talked about on TV.
But then…nothing.
The match is never on the show.
They never even reference it.
Officially, it never happened, despite the fact that you yourself saw it with your own eyes.
Thats the story ofSaturday Nights Main Eventin the fall of 1990.
Regardless, the only title run for the Rockers is a phantom one that doesnt count.
But Punks opponents during this run did not do him any favors.
JBL was over-the-hill and they decided to do a face vs. face match against Batista.
When it came time for Punk to lose, it was handled in the worst way.
AtUnforgiven 2008, Punk was supposed to defend his title in a Championship Scramble (wow, remember those?
Neville as Cruiserweight Champion (2017)
Yes, Neville had a long run as Cruiserweight Champion.
All things considered, they probably should have kept the spotlight on Neville.
Endearing then, depressing now.
At the time, Eddie becomingWWE Championfelt like a long time coming.
The problem was that afterWrestleMania, the title picture onSmackDownwas hurting.
JBL proceeded to have a lengthy reign, and Eddie never reached those heights again.
A new flavor in the title picture was discarded in favor of a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar rematch.
Big E deserved better.
In this case, that asshole was John Cena.
Due to time restraints, the finals got moved to the next week.
In the final segment, Cena ended up not getting fired.
The next Monday hadRey Mysteriodefeat the Miz in the opening match to win the vacated WWE Championship.
Backstage, he was told that he would be defending it against Cena that very night.
Cena obviously won so the WWE could fast-track Cena vs. a returning Punk atSummerSlam.
The mean girl duo started calling Mickie James Piggy James.
The feud had them humiliate Mickie over and over again, with Mickie breaking down in tears several times.
The more you know about Vinces personal habits, the more disgusting the whole thing is in retrospect.
Thats not to say a storyline based on bullying cant be saved.
AtRoyal Rumble 2010, Mickie gave LayCool their comeuppance by winning the title match in 10 seconds.
Mickie got her revenge, the bad guys were punished, and we could all move on!
Mickie left shortly after but returned years later so the WWE could make fun of her age.
We were also likely to see Jericho win the star-studded 2017Royal Rumbleas part of this storyline.
Instead, the title picture took a detour.
Bill Goldberg returned to WWE to squash Brock Lesnar atSurvivor Series 2016.
Fans really took to Ryder and let the company know it by demanding him at shows.
Finally, the company seemed to relent.
But WWE really didnt practice restraint when it came to Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatts Fiend persona.
On the same show, the Fiend debuted and annihilated Finn Balor.
Within two months, WWE was already booking Rollins vs. Fiend forHell in a Cell.
It took Rollins a while to recover from this storyline.
Ricky Steamboat as WWF Intercontinental Champion (1987)
WrestleMania IIIwas the firstWrestleManiathat felt like a gigantic deal.
The latter was the highest profile match in early WWF remembered for its in-ring workrate.
The WWF really should have just held back on the outrage.
RVD was not only WWE Champion, but he was also made the new ECW Champion.
He defended both titles as a way to give the new show some shine.
Unfortunately, RVD and Sabu were pulled over in real life while under the influence.
Vince being Vince decided to patch up the issue in the most controversial way possible.
The Spider Lady revealed to be Moolah under the mask was deemed the new champion.
Before Shawn Michaels was made to beat Bret Hart in Montreal, this was the original screwjob.
Shawn Michaels as WWF Champion (1997)
Many of these entries have been in defense of the champions.
How they were great and they were screwed over by the writers.
Shawn Michaels was infamous for losing titles without actually losing.
Instead of being pinned in a meaningful match, he would vacate due to a variety of reasons.
The most disastrous of all was in 1997.
