6 WWE Superstars who lost popularity after becoming World Champion
Rising to the top in WWE is no easy feat. The World Championship, whether it's the WWE title, the World Heavyweight title, or the Universal title, have all been the pinnacle of the professional wrestling industry and they wouldn't be if every Superstar could reach it.
Only a select group of Superstars have reached that level, but as they say, staying on top is a lot harder than reaching it. This has applied none more so than to many babyface World Champions, who were at the height of their popularity when they reached the top, only for their popularity to fumble along the way.
This has resulted in title changes, heel turns, and more. There have been few babyfaces in WWE history who managed to maintain their popularity, particularly in the modern era where fans have access to backstage information, storyline direction, and more. Here are six top Superstars whose popularity dipped after becoming World Champion.
#6. Shawn Michaels - 1996
Shawn Michaels' boyhood dream came true when he defeated Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12 to capture the WWE Championship. It was his crowning career moment, one that truly proved that the cream will always rise to the top.
Michaels would reign as WWF Champion for over half a year, facing a few top Superstars in his run. Many believed that he should have lost to Big Van Vader at SummerSlam 1996, but the story behind that allegedly saw Shawn Michaels politicking his way into beating the legend.
By November 1996, it was clear that his popularity as Champion had dropped. This was clear at Survivor Series that month when the babyface Champion Michaels took on a top heel in Sycho Sid.
MSG booed Michaels out of the building and treated Sid as the biggest babyface of the night. The Heartbreak Kid would drop his title that night in a perfectly-timed change, but he would win it back a couple of months later in the Alamodome in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, at Royal Rumble 1997. Soon after, he would vacate the title after 'losing his smile'.