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Rating The Champ

WWE World Titles – 2005

Welcome to my blog. This is the start of a new series, where I’ll be looking back at the history of WWE World Titles (not counting ECW) and ranking all the World Title reigns since the “Modern Era”. The “Modern Era” goes all the way back to the birth of Hulkamania in 1984, and that’s where we’ll end. Today we look back at the year 2005, and we’ll continue to go back from here.

In front of my star ratings for the matches, you’ll either see “HR”, “R” or “RTA”. “HR” means the match is highly recommended ; “R” means the match is recommended ; “RTA” means recommendation to avoid. In case nothing appears, the match is watchable but nothing spectacular.

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

John Cena (April 3, 2005 – January 8, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 36
  • Record: 27-9

My match ratings:

  • John Cena def. JBL(c) – WrestleMania 21 (**)
  • John Cena(c) def. JBL in an I Quit Match – Judgment Day 2005 (****1/4) *HR*
  • John Cena(c) def. Chris Jericho and Christian – Vengeance 2005 (****) *HR*
  • John Cena(c) def. Chris Jericho – SummerSlam 2005 (***1/2) *R*
  • John Cena(c) def. Chris Jericho in a “You’re Fired” Match – RAW Aug. 22 2005 (***3/4) *R*
  • Kurt Angle def. John Cena(c) by DQ – Unforgiven 2005 (***1/4) *R*
  • John Cena(c) def. Kurt Angle and Shawn Michaels – Taboo Tuesday 2005 (***1/4) *R*
  • John Cena(c) def. Kurt Angle – Survivor Series 2005 (***1/2) *R*
  • John Cena(c) def. Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Kane, Carlito and Chris Masters in an Elimination Chamber Match – New Year’s Revolution 2006 (**3/4)
  • Edge def. John Cena(c) in a MITB cash-in – New Year’s Revolution 2006 (N/R)

If you watched John Cena back in 2003 and 2004, it was quite obvious the then-United States Champion was going to be a huge star in the wrestling business. One year after kicking off the Grandest Stage Of Them All in Madison Square Garden, Cena finally ended JBL’s long reign as WWE Champion. Throughout his first reign, almost all of Cena’s matches were really good – JBL at Judgment Day exceeded everyone’s expectations and then some, and feuds with Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle gave us some really good matches. The way this reign ended, with Edge cashing in Money in the Bank for the first time, was legendary and gave birth to an exciting new ways to create future heel champions.

Rating: 7/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Triple H (January 9, 2005 – April 3, 2005)

  • Televised matches: 8
  • Record: 5-2 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • Triple H def. Randy Orton, Batista, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho and Edge in an Elimination Chamber Match – New Year’s Revolution 2005 (***3/4) *R*
  • Triple H(c) def. Randy Orton – Royal Rumble 2005 (***)
  • Batista def. Triple H(c) – WrestleMania 21 (**1/4)

Back in January 2005, Triple H had pretty much been the World Champion ever since September 2002 and it was more than time for the company to create a new star for good and take a break with ‘The Game’. However, this was without question one of his best reigns with the Big Gold Belt, winning the vacant title in the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution and starting a fantastic storyline with Batista. After ending his (very disappointing) rivalry with Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble, Triple H dropped the gold to Batista at WrestleMania. Good stuff.

Rating: 6/10

Batista (April 3, 2005 – January 13, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 34
  • Record: 23-8 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

  • Batista def. Triple H(c) – WrestleMania 21 (**1/4)
  • Batista(c) def. Triple H – Backlash 2005 (**)
  • Batista(c) def. Triple H in a HIAC Match – Vengeance 2005 (****1/2) *HR*
  • JBL def. Batista(c) by DQ – The Great American Bash 2005 (**)
  • Batista(c) def. JBL in a Street Fight – SummerSlam 2005 (***)
  • Batista(c) def. Eddie Guerrero – No Mercy 2005 (***3/4) *R*
  • Batista def. Jonathan Coachman in a Street Fight – Taboo Tesday 2005 (DUD) *RTA*
  • Team SmackDown def. Team RAW – Survivor Series 2005 (***1/4)
  • Kane & Big Show def. Batista & Rey Mysterio – Armageddon 2005 (**)

After leaving Evolution and dethroning his former mentor at WrestleMania 21, Batista beat Triple H two more times (the second being in that awesome Hell in a Cell Match at Vengeance) before moving to SmackDown. Over on the blue brand, Big Dave was involved in some really weird matches and/or finishes (a street fight with Coach!? On PPV??), but he always played his role quite well. In case you want to compare his first reign with Cena’s, he didn’t have as many great matches as Cena did, but he received much better reactions than Cena and was a more enjoyable character than Cena was on TV at that time. Plus, that feud with Eddie was something else! This was a really good reign that sadly ended due to injury.

Rating: 7/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

  1. John Cena (WWE Championship, 17/09/2006 – 02/10/2007) 9
  2. CM Punk (WWE Championship, 20/11/2011 – 27/01/2013) 9
  3. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 13/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 9
  4. AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 11/09/2016 – 29/01/2017) 9
  5. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/12/2007 – 30/03/2008) 8
  6. Edge (WWE Championship, 08/01/2006 – 29/01/2006) 8
  7. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 06/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 8
  8. Batista (WWE Championship, 21/02/2010 – 28/03/2010) 8
  9. Brock Lesnar (WWE Championship, 17/08/2014 – 29/03/2015) 7
  10. Edge (WWE Championship, 03/07/2006- 17/09/2006) 7
  11. Batista (World Heavyweight Championship, 26/11/2006 – 01/04/2007) 7
  12. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 07/10/2007 – 27/04/2008) 7
  13. John Cena (WWE Championship, 07/04/2013 – 18/08/2013) 7
  14. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship, 07/09/2008 – 26/10/2008) 7
  15. Kurt Angle (World Heavyweight Championship, 13/01/2006 – 02/04/2006) 7
  16. Batista (World Heavyweight Championship, 03/04/2005 – 13/01/2006) 7
  17. John Cena (WWE Championship, 03/04/2005 – 08/01/2006) 7
  18. The Undertaker (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/04/2007 – 11/05/2007) 7
  19. AJ Styles (WWE Championship, 07/11/2017 – 13/11/2018) 7
  20. CM Punk (World Heavyweight Championship, 07/06/2009 – 26/07/2009) 6
  21. Batista (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/09/2007 – 16/12/2007) 6
  22. John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2006 – 11/06/2006) 6
  23. Triple H (World Heavyweight Championship, 09/01/2005 – 03/04/2005) 6
  24. John Cena (WWE Championship, 28/03/2010 – 20/06/2010) 6
  25. John Cena (WWE Championship, 01/05/2011 – 17/07/2011) 6
  26. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013 – 15/09/2013) 6
  27. Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Championship, 29/08/2016- 05/03/2017) 6
  28. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship, 21/02/2010 – 02/04/2010) 6
  29. Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 16/06/2013 – 27/10/2013) 6
  30. Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 29/03/2015 – 04/11/2015) 6
  31. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 03/04/2016 – 19/06/2016) 6
  32. King Booker (World Heavyweight Championshp, 23/07/2006 – 26/11/2006) 6
  33. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 26/04/2009 – 07/06/2009) 5
  34. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 19/12/2010 – 18/02/2011) 5
  35. Jeff Hardy (World Heavyweight Championship, 26/0/2009 – 23/08/2009) 5
  36. The Rock (WWE Championship, 27/01/2013 – 07/04/2013) 5
  37. CM Punk (WWE Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
  38. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011 – 15/04/2011) 5
  39. Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/11/2018 – 07/04/2019) 5
  40. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 27/10/2013 – 06/04/2014) 5
  41. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 06/04/2014 – 09/06/2014) 5
  42. Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 17/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 5
  43. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 5
  44. CM Punk (World Heavyweight Championship, 23/08/2009 – 04/10/2009) 5
  45. The Undertaker (World Heavyweight Championship, 04/10/2009 – 21/02/2010) 5
  46. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/05/2007 – 20/07/2007) 5
  47. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 11/08/2019 – 31/10/2019) 5
  48. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 15/06/2009 – 13/09/2009) 5
  49. Triple H (WWE Championship, 27/04/2008 – 23/11/2008) 5
  50. John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/01/2017 – 12/02/2017) 5
  51. Sheamus (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/04/2012 – 28/10/2012) 4
  52. Mark Henry (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/09/2011 – 18/12/2011) 4
  53. John Cena (WWE Championship, 29/06/2014 – 17/08/2014) 4
  54. Dean Ambrose (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016 – 11/09/2016) 4
  55. Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 02/10/2011 – 20/11/2011) 4
  56. Kofi Kingston (WWE Championship, 07/04/2019 – 04/10/2019) 4
  57. Alberto Del Rio (World Heavyweight Championship, 11/01/2013 – 08/04/2013) 4
  58. Seth Rollins (Universal Championship, 07/04/2019 – 14/07/2019) 4
  59. John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 05/04/2009 – 26/04/2009) 3
  60. Jeff Hardy (WWE Championship, 14/12/2008 – 25/01/2009) 3
  61. John Cena (WWE Championship, 25/10/2009 – 13/12/2009) 3
  62. Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 14/07/2019 – 11/08/2019) 3
  63. Brock Lesnar (Universal Championship, 02/04/2017 – 19/08/2018) 3
  64. Triple H (WWE Championship, 24/01/2016 – 03/04/2016) 3
  65. Christian (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/05/2011 – 06/05/2011) 3
  66. Alberto Del Rio (WWE Championship, 14/08/2011 – 18/09/2011) 3
  67. Kane (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/07/2010 – 19/12/2010) 3
  68. Chris Jericho (World Heavyweight Championship, 03/11/2008 – 23/11/2008) 3
  69. Rob Van Dam (WWE Championship, 11/06/2006 – 03/07/2006) 3
  70. Rey Mysterio (World Heavyweight Championship, 20/06/2010 – 18/07/2010) 3
  71. John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 27/10/2013 – 15/12/2013) 3
  72. Triple H (WWE Championship, 15/02/2009 – 26/04/2009) 3
  73. Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 28/10/2012 – 11/01/2013) 3
  74. Edge (WWE Championship, 25/01/2009 – 15/02/2009) 3
  75. John Cena (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011 – 14/08/2011) 3
  76. John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship, 23/11/2008 – 15/02/2009) 3
  77. The Miz (WWE Championship, 22/11/2010 – 01/05/2011) 3
  78. Roman Reigns (Universal Championship, 19/08/2018 – 22/10/2018) 3
  79. Jinder Mahal (WWE Championship, 21/05/2017 – 07/11/2017) 3
  80. Bray Wyatt (WWE Championship, 12/02/2017 – 02/04/2017) 3
  81. Edge (WWE Championship, 23/11/2008 – 14/12/2008) 2
  82. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/02/2009 – 05/04/2009) 2
  83. John Cena (WWE Championship, 18/09/2011 – 02/10/2011) 2
  84. Edge (World Heavyweight Championship, 01/06/2008 – 30/06/2008) 2
  85. John Cena (WWE Championship, 13/09/2009 – 04/10/2009) 2
  86. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 14/12/2015 – 24/01/2016) 2
  87. Goldberg (Universal Championship, 05/03/2017 – 02/04/2017) 2
  88. The Undertaker (World Heavyweight Championship, 30/03/2008 – 02/05/2008) 2
  89. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 04/10/2009 – 25/10/2009) 2
  90. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 08/04/2013 – 16/06/2013) 2
  91. Rey Mysterio (World Heavyweight Championship, 02/04/2006 – 23/07/2006) 2
  92. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 26/04/2009 – 07/06/2009) 2
  93. Daniel Bryan (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011 – 01/04/2012) 2
  94. CM Punk (World Heavyweight Championship, 30/06/2008 – 07/09/2008) 2
  95. Sheamus (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015 – 14/12/2015) 2
  96. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 19/09/2010 – 22/11/2010) 2
  97. Sheamus (WWE Championship, 20/06/2010 – 19/09/2010) 2
  98. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 02/04/2017 – 21/05/2017) 1
  99. Batista (World Heavyweight Championship, 26/10/2008 – 03/11/2008) 1
  100. Sheamus (WWE Championship, 13/12/2009 – 21/02/2010) 1
  101. Jack Swagger (World Heavyweight Championship, 02/04/2010 – 20/06/2010) 1
  102. The Great Khali (World Heavyweight Championship, 20/07/2007 – 16/09/2007) 1
  103. Jeff Hardy (World Heavyweight Championship, 07/06/2009) –
  104. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 18/08/2013) –
  105. Seth Rollins (WWE Championship, 19/06/2016) –
  106. John Cena (WWE Championship, 21/02/2010) –
  107. Rey Mysterio (WWE Championship, 25/07/2011) –
  108. Roman Reigns (WWE Championship, 22/11/2015) –
  109. Randy Orton (World Heavyweight Championship, 15/12/2013) –
  110. Finn Bálor (WWE Universal Championship, 21/08/2016 – 22/08/2016) –
  111. Daniel Bryan (WWE Championship, 15/09/2013 – 16/09/2013) –
  112. Triple H (WWE Championship, 07/10/2007) –
  113. Dolph Ziggler (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/02/2011) –
  114. Big Show (World Heavyweight Championship, 18/12/2011) –
  115. Batista (WWE Championship, 07/06/2009 – 09/06/2009) –
  116. Randy Orton (WWE Championship, 07/10/2007) –