The WWE Championship is the ultimate prize in professional wrestling, existing as the top title in the number one company. Many of the all-time greats have gotten their hands on the championship, though it has often taken years for them to make that climb up the card and finally win the gold.
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For some wrestlers, getting their hands on the championship hasnât always meant that theyâve âwonâ the title. The following wrestlers have held up the title, worn it around their waist, or posed with it, all without ever winning it officially. For a variety of reasons, whether it be through theft, mind games, or other means, these names have been pictured with the WWE Title, but never managed to win it during their career in WWE.
Owen Hart
Hartâs Title Win Was Overturned
- Hart battled his brother for the WWE Title many times
- He âwonâ the title on several house shows
- The result was overturned and Hart was never officially champion
Owen Hart is among those considered as one of the best wrestlers to have never won the WWE Championship, but that didnât stop him from holding it up to the crowd. This came after Hart won the title on multiple house shows under nefarious circumstances, only for the result to be reversed in order to send the crowd home happy.
This meant that Hart was pictured with the title on numerous occasions, even once on TV where they ran this angle. He was never a world champion, though he did win several other pieces of gold in WWE.
Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura Posed Once With The WWE Title
- Nakamura was a world title contender in 2017 and 2018
- He held up the WWE Championship
- WWE never pulled the trigger with Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura won the Royal Rumble in 2018, going on to WrestleMania to challenge AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. This was WWEâs chance to push him to the moon, but he ended up losing the match, turning heel afterwards.
He continued feuding with Styles, leading to an episode of SmackDown where Nakamura laid out AJ Styles, before picking up his WWE Championship and standing tall with the gold. Styles would ultimately survive with the championship upon each of their meetings.
Samoa Joe
WWE Fans Were Desperate For Joe To Win The Title
- Samoa Joe never won the WWE Title
- He came close several times in 2017
- He held the title up more than once
Samoa Joe was a force to be reckoned with between 2017 and 2018 in WWE, but the upper brass never saw him as a world champion. Joe battled the likes of Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles, and others for the gold, but never emerged victorious.
On a couple of occasions, Joe would win a brawl and then hold up the WWE Championship, showing fans what couldâve been for his WWE career.
Orlando Jordan
Jordan Defended The Title For JBL
- Orlando Jordan was allied with WWE Champion JBL
- The younger name defended the title on behalf of JBL
- He managed to successfully defend a title he never won
JBL was âinjuredâ and was forced into wearing a neck brace, meaning that his ally Orlando Jordan needed to step in to defend the WWE Championship on two occasions against both John Cena and The Undertaker.
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Jordan defeated Cena, but only escaped via disqualification against The Undertaker. Either way, Jordan was able to come out holding the title, acting as though he was actually the champion, in a bizarre image.
Dolph Ziggler
He Stole The WWE Title After A Match
- Ziggler was feuding with WWE Champion CM Punk
- Ziggler won a non-title match and celebrated with the title
- He acted as though he won the belt
In 2012, Dolph Ziggler was feuding with WWE Champion CM Punk ahead of a title match at the Royal Rumble PPV. On an episode of Monday Night RAW in the lead up to the PPV, the pair battled in non-title action in which Ziggler picked up a pinfall win over Punk.
After the match, Ziggler grabbed the WWE Championship and celebrated in a manner that reflected an actual title win. Ziggler never ended up winning the WWE Title, though he did manage to score two reigns as World Heavyweight Champion.
R-Truth
He Held The Title Above John Cena
- In 2011, R-Truth received a brief main event push
- He feuded with John Cena and beat him down in a brawl
- Truth played some mind games and held up the title
R-Truth turned heel in 2011, turning his crazed attention to John Cena and the WWE Championship. Truth became unhinged and deluded, bringing out a whole new side of himself.
On an episode of Monday Night RAW in the build up to their title match at Capitol Punishment, Truth got the upper hand and laid out Cena. He took the opportunity to hold up the WWE Championship high, posing with the belt he never won.
Sting
The Icon Holding The WWE Title Was Surreal
- Sting targeted WWE Champion Seth Rollins
- His return post-SummerSlam saw him hold up the gold
- The WCW legend with the WWE Title looked bizarre
Sting arrived in WWE in 2014 after decades avoiding the company, instead working as a top star in both WCW and TNA. After losing to Triple H at WrestleMania, he then turned attention to WWE Champion Seth Rollins, returning in the summer to go after the biggest prize in the business.
After attacking Rollins in his shock return segment, Sting picked up the WWE Championship and held it high above his head. The image of Sting with the WWE Championship will forever be a wild and surreal one, though he ended up losing at Night Of Champions in their title match.
The Great Khali
Khali Literally Stole The WWE Title
- Khali returned at Battleground to held Jinder Mahal
- Mahal celebrated on the ramp with Khali
- Khali stole the WWE Title away from Mahal and held it up
Jinder Mahal defended the WWE Title in a Punjabi Prison match against Randy Orton at Battleground 2017, and he was helped to a victory thanks to a surprise cameo by The Great Khali.
After the match, Khali snatched the WWE Title from Mahal and held it up himself, for seemingly no reason whatsoever. It was a bizarre and random moment, and one which saw Khali finally get his hands on a title that he never ended up winning.
Lex Luger
WWE Filmed Luger With The Gold
- Lex Luger often came close to the WWE Title
- Vince McMahon allowed Luger to make an entrance as champion
- This was to test the fan response
Lex Luger was painfully close to winning the WWE Championship on more than one occasion, but he ultimately never won the big one in WWE. There was one occasion in which Luger took the title from Yokozuna, and made an entrance with the gold around his waist.
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This was for Vince McMahon to take a look at the reaction Luger received from the fans in order to inform his decision over whether or not to crown him with the gold. Something clearly didnât click as Luger didnât end up winning it.
Dusty Rhodes
Rhodes Won The Title In A âDusty Finishâ
- Rhodes claimed the title via countout
- The result was reversed and he was never officially champion
- Cody Rhodes sought to finally bring the title to the Rhodes family
At Madison Square Garden all the way back 1977, Dusty Rhodes defeated Superstar Billy Graham via countout in a WWE Championship match. Rhodes celebrated with the title around his waist, until the decision was reversed as the gold couldnât change hands via countout.
Rhodes would ultimately not win the title, leading to his son Cody Rhodes using this moment to drive himself to âfinish the storyâ for the family, finally winning the title at WrestleMania 40.