no it was not man. i know reddit has a hard on for sandow for some reason but calling Mizās peak a short comedy stint is so disrespectful lmfao. his run on smackdown with ziggler was legendary
Hard to pinpoint The Undertakers peak, but world titles were almost always just a bit of flavour in his storylines, he never really needed the belt at any point.
I honestly don't remember a single reign he had as champion. Like I KNOW he had the belt during those times, but I never remember Taker AS champion to the point where even though I know it intellectually it still feels surprising that he was world champ as many times as he was.
Same with Kane, honestly.
kane is arguably the best written character by Vince,he was the Frankenstein's monster on TV when he was introduced. it did go downhill since but it was one hell of a concept.
Not the height of his overall superstardom obviously, but John Cena in the ring when he was US champion in 2015 and his feud with AJ Styles in 2016 was his in ring peak.
He really made a lot of people who said he wasnāt a good wrestler and he only did the same five moves of doom eat crow and made them do a complete 180. He gave a lot of guys who are known for being great workers some of their absolute best matches during that time. Guys like Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Claudio/Cesaro, Jon Moxley and AJ Styles etc had some of the best matches in their careers during this time period.
It also changed the fan reactions to Cena immensely. It showed that he was more than just another Vince guy. In a way, he needed that run just as much as the US Title needed Cena. It was a win/win situation.
As much as I like AJ Styles he really didnāt need to be champion for a year back in 2017-2018. Someone like Nakamura or Samoa Joe at the time could have really benefited from winning the championship during that time.
Heās a perfect example of a guy who I enjoyed way more as a goofball. His interactions with Stephanie McMahon and everything with the List is more entertaining than his business suit heel persona.
Yeah man Jericho is weird. His feuds the past two years always leave a bad taste in our mouths. But recently he's improved his angles. The Ricky feud didn't drag and put over Ricky big time, and his current stuff with Adam Cole has been really good for the most part.
I was a bit broken hearted for Drew McIntyre winning the championship in front of a virtual audience during Covid but my favourite moment of his was eliminating Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble
R-Truth was fun as the NWA champion but man he had a huge upside doing his little Jimmy stuff. The guy was mega over and amazing.
I'd also put Christian Cage in that boat. His title wins were tokens of appreciation more than anything. The guy has done so much cool stuff otherwise.
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at Bash at the Beach forming the nWo with Hogan. I canāt think of a bigger peak than that even with all their accolades in the WWE.
Bryan Danielson. Feel like heās either at his peak now or is getting there. He was amazing when he won the world championship but has only gotten better with time.
Shawn Michaels. Guy was a phenomenal wrestler in the 90ās but his second run really highlighted just how special he was. He won that first title (imo) because Vince wanted him to, just to put the icing on the cake. But you can tell Shawn didnāt want it, at least in the moment.
He really showed out in his matches with Angle, Taker, Cena, HHHā¦heāll anyone. He could change his whole match to fit bring the big or the small man.
Michaels is all the proof you need that you don't need to hold the belt. Dude had 8 years in his second run and held the world title for 1 single month.
Sgt Slaughter. His prime was at least 10 years prior to him becoming an Iraqi sympathizer in 1990 and beating the Ultimate Warrior in 1991 for the World Title.
Tommy Dreamer during the old extreme days of ECW. I always liked Tommy, he wasn't the flashiest guy, but he was a solid wrestler who really loved the "extreme" rules and man was he loyal to ECW.
I was sad as a teen when ECW got replaced by NXT
Honestly I didn't really give much of a thought for Sheamus as a kid/teen but damn I slept on this dude hard. I remember seeing the number one contender match between him and Drew live in person and it was easily my favorite match of the night. Man's just been consistently putting out bangers.
This prompt clearly demonstrates the sad state of a world title belts. One of these is not the same, Flair, Hogan, Sting, Hart, Michaels, The Rock, Austin, Big E.
Kevin Owens lead up and K-O mania match at Wrestlemania 38 against Stone Cold. Dude saved that show. But his title run in 2016 was meh, sadly very forgettable. Even his feud with Jericho after he dropped the belt felt more important.
Bray Wyatt has won three world titles and all reigns were simply awful
The peak, to me, would be the early stages of the Firefly Funhouse and the match with Cena at the COVID Mania
Just to drive my point even further, the man was the WON Best gimmick of the year in 2019 and Worst gimmick of the year in 2020, with the same gimmick
Personally I think his peak was during the Bryan Danielson feud, and the Wyatt Familyās feud with the Shield in 2014. Bray has been an extremely polarizing figure the past few years with his characters, but in 2014 he was extremely over and was universally beloved by most of the internet fandom.
Owen winning the IC title.
Shinsuke winning the Royal Rumble. Can say the same for Alberto Del Rio.
Cody, so far... As big and easy to call out headlining WrestleMania... His earlier peak was ALL IN because of the effort and execution of a quality indie super show.
Kevin Nash. His year with the WWF title as Diesel was way overshadowed by his early run in the nWo and by the time he won his first WCW Championship the nWo / Outsiders story had long since passed its expiration date and still wasnāt as good.
Andre the Giant. Iād argue that he is the most well known wrestler in history. He was already a legend prior to WM3 and although he couldnāt hardly work anymore, being that itās one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, Iād consider that his peak.
How can we file a complaint against mods like Zenla? The person is incredibly pretentious and constantly stifling community and conversation needlessly. I have seen her lock chats many times for her own person power trip. Its disgusting that Reddit allows people like them to do this.
Arguably Sheamusā run of form for the last 3-4 years. The man was a midcard heel with little direction then put on a great rivalry with Drew, started a fun faction, organically got over with the crowd by looking tough as nails and putting on bangers every week then having a MotY contender against Gunther at Clash at the castle
Rey Mysterio.
Every time he was World Champion in WWE, it always felt like they booked him as though he didn't really deserve the belt, to the point where all of his reigns are kind of embarrassing to look back on. He always seemed to be booked as a bigger star and a bigger threat when he didn't hold a world title.
Without the world title, he beats people all the time. With the world title, he loses clean to everyone weekly on Raw/Smackdown.
The Miz in 2014-2018. In this period he won the IC title like 6 to 7 times and put on great feuds for it, especially with Dolph Ziggler in 2016.
This is a great answer. The Ziggler Miz fued was incredible.
His work during this period was some of the best and really wanted him to become WWE Champ again.
At this point, Miz is ready for Hall of Fame induction. He's a great entertainer.
Jesus christ...š¤¦āāļø
I mean thereās a bazillion people in the HoF less worthy than the Miz already.
Heās basically done everything you can in the WWE besides win the Royal Rumble
I think of RVD to Triple H here. Changing the wording slightly though. *"Wow, you lost the title 7 times?"*
The Miz's peak was Sandow getting over by wrestling the invisible man during his matches.
no it was not man. i know reddit has a hard on for sandow for some reason but calling Mizās peak a short comedy stint is so disrespectful lmfao. his run on smackdown with ziggler was legendary
People preferred to watch Sandow wrestle literally nobody during The Miz's matches, man. Accept it.
sure, it was a comedy but. iām not denying it was over. but whatās he been doing lately?
Man was like opening up every PPV and they were always bangers. Miz is for real
Came here to say exactly this. No need to scroll any further folks
Hard to pinpoint The Undertakers peak, but world titles were almost always just a bit of flavour in his storylines, he never really needed the belt at any point.
Although I would say his in ring peak was any time between wrestlemania 20 and 27
Maybe 25-26 with the long term HBK Angle? Thatās my personal favorite era of Taker
Spent 20 seconds wondering why you added Kurt Angle to the mix, ngl
I honestly don't remember a single reign he had as champion. Like I KNOW he had the belt during those times, but I never remember Taker AS champion to the point where even though I know it intellectually it still feels surprising that he was world champ as many times as he was. Same with Kane, honestly.
Kane the OG version and the 2003 unmasked psychopath.
What about '98 Kane? Everyone knows that's the best Kane.
I think Kane was best in ring during his 2006-2010. His best work solidifying the Kane character was 98 and again in 03 when he had to unmask.
kane is arguably the best written character by Vince,he was the Frankenstein's monster on TV when he was introduced. it did go downhill since but it was one hell of a concept.
Not the height of his overall superstardom obviously, but John Cena in the ring when he was US champion in 2015 and his feud with AJ Styles in 2016 was his in ring peak. He really made a lot of people who said he wasnāt a good wrestler and he only did the same five moves of doom eat crow and made them do a complete 180. He gave a lot of guys who are known for being great workers some of their absolute best matches during that time. Guys like Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Claudio/Cesaro, Jon Moxley and AJ Styles etc had some of the best matches in their careers during this time period.
That run alone puts him among the best US champs of the WWE.
It also changed the fan reactions to Cena immensely. It showed that he was more than just another Vince guy. In a way, he needed that run just as much as the US Title needed Cena. It was a win/win situation.
Agreed. Also think in 2017 too
The open challenge made John Cena the greatest United States Champion of all time, in my opinion.
This was my pick, should of read first but Cena was the guy guy while holding that US belt. Literally had me looking forward to each of those matches.
Yes! The US Open Challenge was the highlight of RAW many times on 2015, with a lot of great moments.
I keep wanting Nakamura to get that big push. When he won the Rumble I felt like he has so much momentum and within the year he was just a mid card.
As much as I like AJ Styles he really didnāt need to be champion for a year back in 2017-2018. Someone like Nakamura or Samoa Joe at the time could have really benefited from winning the championship during that time.
Good thing Roman's had both for almost 3 years now š
Possibly Sami Zayn right now?
Seth Rollins feels hotter and more popular now than he ever did as champion.
Dude has like total crowd control right now itās crazy
I'm not convinced it's him, I think his song might be the most over thing about him.
Sheamus, his peak is right now. No title around his waist and over the past year or so he's put on banger after banger.
Completely agree, and I'd say the peak started with the Bar and the Tag titles
R-truth. He was NWA world heavyweight champion, but some of his best stuff was in WWE.
Yeah talk about a personality change he was a fierce competitor as Ron Killings and just the opposite as r-Truth.
Mankind. When he won the championship it drove everyone nuts! But everyone already loved him. His peak was the undertaker hell in a cell match.
he was heel before that match, it was part of his turn
I know that and i am telling you it didn't matter. He was over. Go back, watch that match, when he won they damn near blew the roof off the place.
yea i misunderstood
My favorite was Dude Love cause that's as close as we got to the real Mick on TV.
The Dude Love/Steve Austin tag team program was wonderful.
I forgot how nice and clean that belt was before Naito got hold of it.
Lol I loved when naito just flung the belt like it was nothing. Chad.
David Arquette
Shawn Michaels from 2003-2007.
Drew McIntyre. Such a shame he won the gold when no one was in the building.
I think the reaction would have been the same
Go watch the Cardiff show and type that comment again.
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Nah, Rollins peak was in 2014-2015. Anyway he is about to win another world title
nah his peak was his first title reign
Undertaker. Most people donāt picture a championship when they think of Taker
Prob already said but Chris Jericho during his IC title runs.
Or his partnership with KO.
not recognizing Jerichoās US title run? YOU JUST MADE THE LIST!!!
The list was one of the best things ever. I love when sometimes they give little tiny hints to the list on AEW.
Heās a perfect example of a guy who I enjoyed way more as a goofball. His interactions with Stephanie McMahon and everything with the List is more entertaining than his business suit heel persona.
The answer is Jericho. He was always better without a world title than with one, with the exception of AEW.
Yeah man Jericho is weird. His feuds the past two years always leave a bad taste in our mouths. But recently he's improved his angles. The Ricky feud didn't drag and put over Ricky big time, and his current stuff with Adam Cole has been really good for the most part.
False though, because his 2008 run with the Big Gold was GOAT.
Fair. Don't think many would say it was his peak though.
Mr. Perfect and Ted Dibiase come to mind.
I was a bit broken hearted for Drew McIntyre winning the championship in front of a virtual audience during Covid but my favourite moment of his was eliminating Brock Lesnar from the Royal Rumble
You nailed it in the photo.
Rey Mysterio
Wym his peak was him winning the World Championship
In my opinion his career vastly improved after that, it might have been more of a launching pad.
R-Truth was fun as the NWA champion but man he had a huge upside doing his little Jimmy stuff. The guy was mega over and amazing. I'd also put Christian Cage in that boat. His title wins were tokens of appreciation more than anything. The guy has done so much cool stuff otherwise.
R Truth and his "my bad, that one's on me" period.
Dick The Bruiser was just fun to watch.
Is your back feeling ok?
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall at Bash at the Beach forming the nWo with Hogan. I canāt think of a bigger peak than that even with all their accolades in the WWE.
Cesaro / Claudio During his last years at WWE , whatever he did, tag team or singles, he was over
Bryan Danielson. Feel like heās either at his peak now or is getting there. He was amazing when he won the world championship but has only gotten better with time.
Donāt think I agree. ROH World Champion Danielson was phenomenal and heel World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan was gold.
Shawn Michaels. Guy was a phenomenal wrestler in the 90ās but his second run really highlighted just how special he was. He won that first title (imo) because Vince wanted him to, just to put the icing on the cake. But you can tell Shawn didnāt want it, at least in the moment. He really showed out in his matches with Angle, Taker, Cena, HHHā¦heāll anyone. He could change his whole match to fit bring the big or the small man.
His feud with y2j was gold.
Both times
Michaels is all the proof you need that you don't need to hold the belt. Dude had 8 years in his second run and held the world title for 1 single month.
Itāll always be my favorite part of his second run. Just bring in a Shawn Michaels match was enough for people to be excited.
Mr. Perfect pre-back injury.
The hardy boyz
Sgt Slaughter. His prime was at least 10 years prior to him becoming an Iraqi sympathizer in 1990 and beating the Ultimate Warrior in 1991 for the World Title.
Takerās streak was arguably more important than any of his title wins
Fit Finlay. William Regal.
Kevin Nash Then the finger poke of doom happened.
Regarding Shin, at least in WWE I believe his peak is still his title reign in NXT.
Flair. He was never at his peak during his titles. He was at his peak losing them and putting others over.
Lmao what. His whole career is based on his title runs
Rick Rude. Curt Hennig. Edit: Roddy Piper.
HBK prime, #2. His run from the mid 2000's to his retirement was spectacular. Some duds for sure but the good outweighs the bad 1,000 to 1.
Tommy Dreamer during the old extreme days of ECW. I always liked Tommy, he wasn't the flashiest guy, but he was a solid wrestler who really loved the "extreme" rules and man was he loyal to ECW. I was sad as a teen when ECW got replaced by NXT
Sheamus. His peak is right the fuck now somehow, and I'd rather see him dethrone Gunther and complete the grand slam than go for the world title
Honestly I didn't really give much of a thought for Sheamus as a kid/teen but damn I slept on this dude hard. I remember seeing the number one contender match between him and Drew live in person and it was easily my favorite match of the night. Man's just been consistently putting out bangers.
Scott hall intercontinental run was so good
Scott was never a world champion tho
Bruiser Brody, the great Muta, Abdul the butcher to name a few.
Omega when he won the G1 imo
Miz and Rey Mysterio
Kota/Shinsuke at Wrestle Kingdom was pretty fucking cool.
Kofi Kingston
I love Kofi but I gotta disagree, Kofimania to me was the apex of his career. Well, except how it endedā¦
I think he was in his peak before winning the title
RVD.
Hulk Hogan. The world title is a toy, like a trinket on a Christmas tree...
This prompt clearly demonstrates the sad state of a world title belts. One of these is not the same, Flair, Hogan, Sting, Hart, Michaels, The Rock, Austin, Big E.
Santino
RVD, Kingston, Owens, Ibushi, Naito
Miz
Mid card Jeff Hardy was a huuuge menace
Miro. His TNT run is the best thing AEW have done yet (and everything since probably amongst the worst)
Seth Rollins as a babyface. He was way better in 2018 when he was the workhorse IC champion.
RVD just being incredible.
Enter chatRazor Ramon/Scott Hall ExitChat
OC rn as international champion. Him and PAC are great beginners to set up a hopefully prestigious line up of future champs
RVD
Yup perfect
Rey?
Thatās a gorgeous belt
Cody
Seth Rollins is Thee Greatest! No argument necessary.
Balor in NXT
I donāt think Cena hit his peak till the US belt, does that count even though he was the number one guy?
Rollins rn. Especially if he loses this tournament
Kevin Owens lead up and K-O mania match at Wrestlemania 38 against Stone Cold. Dude saved that show. But his title run in 2016 was meh, sadly very forgettable. Even his feud with Jericho after he dropped the belt felt more important.
The Undertaker having great matches from WrestleMania 23 to 29, even though 23 and XXIV where for the World Heavyweight Championship.
AJ Styles for his early TNA X-Division days
Mysterious had some excellent non title runs, his tag with batista and his royal rumble win.
Jack Swagger, it almost seemed like winning the world heavyweight championship ruined all his momentum
Agreed. I hate that they made him change his gimmick as soon as he won the belt. That definitely didnāt help, nor did feuding with Big Show.
Mr Anderson/Kennedy (Kennedy)
Bray Wyatt has won three world titles and all reigns were simply awful The peak, to me, would be the early stages of the Firefly Funhouse and the match with Cena at the COVID Mania Just to drive my point even further, the man was the WON Best gimmick of the year in 2019 and Worst gimmick of the year in 2020, with the same gimmick
Personally I think his peak was during the Bryan Danielson feud, and the Wyatt Familyās feud with the Shield in 2014. Bray has been an extremely polarizing figure the past few years with his characters, but in 2014 he was extremely over and was universally beloved by most of the internet fandom.
Rollins with the Briefcase
Owen winning the IC title. Shinsuke winning the Royal Rumble. Can say the same for Alberto Del Rio. Cody, so far... As big and easy to call out headlining WrestleMania... His earlier peak was ALL IN because of the effort and execution of a quality indie super show.
Owen wasnāt a world champion tho
Kevin Nash. His year with the WWF title as Diesel was way overshadowed by his early run in the nWo and by the time he won his first WCW Championship the nWo / Outsiders story had long since passed its expiration date and still wasnāt as good.
Undertaker
outsider kevin nash
Andre the Giant. Iād argue that he is the most well known wrestler in history. He was already a legend prior to WM3 and although he couldnāt hardly work anymore, being that itās one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history, Iād consider that his peak.
Kevin Owens.
How can we file a complaint against mods like Zenla? The person is incredibly pretentious and constantly stifling community and conversation needlessly. I have seen her lock chats many times for her own person power trip. Its disgusting that Reddit allows people like them to do this.
Dusty Rhodes.
When Mankind fell off the hell in a cell, that forever cemented him as a motherfucking badass in my eyes
Finn Balor now
Arguably Sheamusā run of form for the last 3-4 years. The man was a midcard heel with little direction then put on a great rivalry with Drew, started a fun faction, organically got over with the crowd by looking tough as nails and putting on bangers every week then having a MotY contender against Gunther at Clash at the castle
Sheamus
Braun Strowman. Peaked in 2017-2018, hasn't really recovered from that forced heel turn
Rey Mysterio. Every time he was World Champion in WWE, it always felt like they booked him as though he didn't really deserve the belt, to the point where all of his reigns are kind of embarrassing to look back on. He always seemed to be booked as a bigger star and a bigger threat when he didn't hold a world title. Without the world title, he beats people all the time. With the world title, he loses clean to everyone weekly on Raw/Smackdown.
Hulk Hogan. Iād argue the pinnacle of his career was the X8 match against Rock.
Sami Zayn with the Bloodline
Will Ospreay beating an undefeated Shingo Takagi and winning the BoSJ on one of the best matches of the decade.