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Pro Wrestling's most unlikely World Champions (Part I)

Submitted by Fred Richani on Wed, 05/25/2011 - 00:54

Professional wrestling works in mysterious ways.

It is not officially a sport, but wrestling does showcase athleticism and physicality, while trying to suspend the audience’s disbelief match-to-match and segment-to-segment.

There are wrestlers out there that just look like they could kick your ass--Triple H, Undertaker, Kane, Batista, just to name a few. 

Then there are those guys we first see that don’t look like they could fight their way out of a paper bag, but through hard work, perseverance, and a special connection with the crowd, they have ended up world champions.

Some guys however, end up becoming World Champions sooner than expected. Others become World Champions for the wrong reasons.

I have compiled a list of wrestling’s most unlikely World Champions. This list is comprised of men who survived the physical and at times, political limitations that were placed in front of them to earn the honor of calling themselves “world champion.”

Oh, there’s those champions fans would like to forget on this list too. 

This is Part I of my list. Check out Part II, Part III, and Part IV.

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CM Punk: World Heavyweight Champion (2008)

Many consider CM Punk a WWE main eventer today, despite rumors of unhappiness with his character’s creative direction.

When Punk won the WWE World Heavyweight Title from Edge in the Summer of 2008 after cashing in his first Money in The Bank contract, I wrote the following:

The biggest story coming out of WWE post-2008 draft and Night of Champions is that CM Punk is now the new World Heavyweight Champion. Not the ECW "sort of World" Champion. Not the Mr. Money in the Bank of 2008 champion that got jobbed out more often than not. 

No--the WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION.

He cashed in his Money in the Bank opportunity this past Monday night on RAW against Edge (with a huge assist from Batista). That win was extremely significant, as was his victory over John Bradshaw Layfield at the end of the show.