10 unexpected WWE World Champions
Over the course of time, there have not been many superstars fortunate enough to have battled their way all the way to the very top of the industry and become a WWE Champion. That title is reserved for the absolute best, the pinnacle of the wrestling elite. Some have been fortunate enough to hold the title on multiple occasions, whilst many others only ever held belt once.
Regardless, what is absolutely clear is that whilst every single man to have held the WWE title at some stage has earned it, there have been some names that surprised us more than others. People such as Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold and John Cena were always expected to be holding the belt, and it came as a great shock to a large proportion of the audience when other, lesser names came through to win it.
Whether it's the WWE title, Universal title or the now defunct World Heavyweight Championship, each of those titles has been held by somebody who nobody expected to do so.
#10 The Miz
The Miz was, once upon a time, seen as a joke by a large portion of the WWE Universe. Making his name on reality TV, back in the early 00’s, a large number of wrestlers in the locker room refused to accept The Miz, perceiving him as somebody who didn’t care about the business and was just along for the ride.
Eventually, he slowly began to win more and more people over, displaying glimpses of the talent we now routinely see on display. But in 2010, although he had already progressed a long way, nobody would have ever expected Miz to become the WWE Champion.
After walking around for a period of time holding both the United States Championship and the Money In The Bank briefcase, The Miz lost his US title to Daniel Bryan a couple of months before he finally became WWE Champion during a November 2010 episode of RAW, cashing in on a vulnerable Randy Orton.
At the time, The Miz was not seen as being on the level he’s at presently, and his title reign sadly suffered because of this. He defended his title successfully against the likes of Orton and Jerry Lawler on the road to WrestleMania 27, which he main evented against John Cena.
Not only that, he actually retained his title and defeated Cena, albeit due to interference from The Rock. His title reign fizzled out shortly afterwards, however, and he's never sniffed the top prize again.