4 former world champions who never held a mid-card title in WWE
WWE Superstars who make it to the main event scene usually follow a pattern. They gradually connected with the crowd and climbed the ladder. In the process, they win a mid-card belt first, be it the United States Championship or the Intercontinental Championship.
Over the years, several championships have come and gone in WWE, notably the Hardcore Championship, European Championship, and Cruiserweight Championship, among others.
Top wrestlers like Shawn Michaels, Edge, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and John Cena, for example, have all held at least a single undercard title prior to winning the big one.
Some, like The Undertaker and AJ Styles, have done it in reverse, winning the World Championship first before an undercard title. Regardless of the order, everyone has jumped in and out of the mid-card scene and the main event.
Listed below are four wrestlers who went straight away to win the World Championship and never looked back. These wrestlers have never won a mid-card singles title in WWE.
#4. Bill Goldberg, three-time World Champion
Bill Goldberg made his debut to the main roster on RAW the night after WrestleMania in 2003 by interrupting The Rock's promo segment. The latter ended up being his first opponent.
After a dominating run throughout the year, he captured the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven, defeating Triple H. He held the championship for 84 days before leaving the company in early 2004.
Cut to 2016, Goldberg returned and, in a few months' time, captured the Universal Championship for the first time.
In 2020, he won the belt for a second time. Both reigns were short-lived, with him only being used as a placeholder champion. Nevertheless, these were the only times he held a singles title while signed with the company.
#3. Bray Wyatt, another three-time World Champion
Bray Wyatt has not held a singles mid-card title in his career, but this could change in the future. For now, though, we can only say that he is a three-time world champion, and has held the Tag Team Championships on both brands.
At Elimination Chamber in 2017, Wyatt won his first WWE Championship in a highly underrated chamber bout that featured John Cena and AJ Styles, among others. Then in 2019, as The Fiend, he captured the Universal Championship on two separate occasions, the first from Seth Rollins at the 2019 Crown Jewel event and the next from Braun Strowman at SummerSlam 2020.
#2. Hulk Hogan, six-time WWE Champion
Hulk Hogan was so dominantly booked throughout his entire run with the company that there was no room for a mid-card run or its championship.
He held the WWE Championship five times in his initial run with the company through the 80s and 90s. Hogan's first reign ranks to this day as the second longest in the company's history, at 1474 days.
During his brief stint upon return in 2002, Hogan defeated Triple H at Backlash to win the WWE Championship for a sixth time, a record at the time.
#1. Brock Lesnar, 10-time World Champion
#TBT to 2002 ... Advocating for the Reigning Defending Undisputed @WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World @BrockLesnar. 18 years later, we're still on top. Still hold the gold. And still headed to the main event of @WrestleMania! https://t.co/QGDX7uJXpT
Brock Lesnar is the most decorated WWE Superstar today, with ten World Championship reigns to his credit, among others. The Beast, however, is yet to win a mid-card title.
He is a rare case whom the company pushed straight away into the main event five months after his debut. Lesnar defeated The Rock in the main event of SummerSlam 2002 to capture his first WWE Championship and, in the process, set the record as the youngest wrestler to hold the belt, at 25.
The dominant Beast Incarnate has never had to look back ever since, oftentimes even shoehorning into the title picture in 2010s. With a rumored match against GUNTHER on the horizon, the company has a golden opportunity to give its resident Cowboy a mid-card title in the form of the Intercontinental Championship.
We have seen John Cena revitalize in character and breathe life into the United States Championship in 2015, so it's not completely out of the realm of possibility to see Lesnar win GUNTHER's title. It's intriguing, different, and probably the best thing yet to happen for all parties involved.