Categories
Rating The Champ

WWE World Titles – 2006

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 2006, 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

Edge (January 8, 2006 – January 29, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 4
  • Record: 2-2

My match ratings:

  • Edge def. John Cena(c) in a MITB cash-in – New Year’s Revolution 2006 (N/R)
  • Edge(c) def. Ric Flair in a TLC Match – RAW Jan. 16 2006 (****) *HR*
  • John Cena def. Edge(c) – Royal Rumble 2006 (**1/2)

Despite being very short, Edge’s first reign as WWE Champion is also a very memorable one. After Cena’s win in the Elimination Chamber Match, Edge came in and became the first wrestler to ever use the Money in the Bank contract to become the WWE Champion. And then, during his three weeks as champion, his live sex celebration “segment” with Lita did one of the best RAW ratings in years and he also had a spectacular TLC Match with Ric Flair for Edge’s gold. Finally, Edge lost the title back to Cena at Royal Rumble before moving on to his great feud with Mick Foley. Yes, it was short but I couldn’t care less. This reign was one for the ages.

Rating: 8/10

John Cena (January 29, 2006 – June 11, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 22
  • Record: 15-6 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • John Cena def. Edge(c) – Royal Rumble 2006 (**1/2)
  • John Cena(c) def. Triple H – WrestleMania 22 (***3/4) *R*
  • John Cena(c) def. Triple H and Edge – Backlash 2006 (****1/2) *HR*
  • Rob Van Dam def. John Cena(c) in a MITB cash-in Hardcore Match – ECW One Night Stand 2006 (****) *HR*

Another solid reign for John Cena, at least when it comes to his work in the ring. At this point I was getting less and less into Cena as a character on TV, but he never failed to deliver in the ring. Sure, his match with Edge at the Rumble was just not good for whatever reason (despite the incredible chemistry the two had), but all the other matches are recommended. Not his best reign, but still memorable enough and good enough. Speaking of memorable, his loss to Rob Van Dam was probably Cena’s most memorable title loss of them all.

Rating: 6/10

Rob Van Dam (June 11, 2006 – July 3, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 6
  • Record: 4-1 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • Rob Van Dam def. John Cena(c) in a MITB cash-in Hardcore Match – ECW One Night Stand 2006 (****) *HR*
  • Rob Van Dam(c) def. Edge – Vengeance 2006 (***1/2) *R*
  • Rob Van Dam(c) def. Kurt Angle for the ECW Championship – ECW June 27 2006 (***1/2) *R*
  • Edge def. Rob Van Dam(c) and John Cena – RAW July 3 2006 (***1/2) *R*

Let’s all get up together and describe this title reign by chanting: WHAT. A. SHAME. I really mean that, as RVD deserved a run with the WWE Championship perhaps more than anyone else. As a kid, I remember very well watching RAW circa 2003 just to watch Van Dam. I’ve been a mark for RVD ever since and a part of me will ever be, and his matches were really good while he was champion but then… it all ended, due to stupidity. And he has no one to blame but ROB. VAN. DAM.

Rating: 3/10

Edge (July 3, 2006 – September 17, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 10
  • Record: 5-5

My match ratings:

  • Edge def. Rob Van Dam(c) and John Cena – RAW July 3 2006 (***1/2) *R*
  • Edge(c) def. John Cena – SummerSlam 2006 (***3/4) *R*
  • John Cena def. Edge(c) in a TLC Match – Unforgiven 2006 (****1/2) *HR*

Turns out the nickname “The Ultimate Opportunist” was more than just a wrestling gimmick, as Edge was the perfect character at the perfect time to capture the WWE Championship after Rob Van Dam’s incident. He immediately continued his feud with John Cena, slapping his father and beating Cena at SummerSlam before losing the belt back to Cena in their famous TLC Match at Unforgiven. Edge did a perfect job of putting Cena over during this reign, not to mention his awesome heel work and promos on TV during this time. Jeff Hardy returning to WWE to confront Edge, Cena throwing him into the Long Island Sound, the signature title belt… Good stuff!

Rating: 7/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Kurt Angle (January 13, 2006 – April 2, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 15
  • Record: 8-6 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • Kurt Angle wins Battle Royal for the vacant title – SmackDown Jan. 13 2006 (N/R)
  • Kurt Angle(c) def. Mark Henry – Royal Rumble 2006 (1/2*) *RTA*
  • Kurt Angle(c) def. The Undertaker – No Way Out 2006 (****3/4) *HR*
  • The Undertaker def. Kurt Angle(c) by DQ – SmackDown March 2 2006 (****1/4) *HR*
  • Rey Mysterio def. Kurt Angle(c) and Randy Orton – WrestleMania 22 (***1/2) *R*

When RAW’s Kurt Angle suddenly appeared on SmackDown and won the World Heavyweight Championship recently vacated by Batista, everyone was shocked. The match with Mark Henry absolutely sucked (in all honesty, name one good Mark Henry match before his “Hall of Pain” run!) but the rest was pure gold. The match with Undertaker at No Way Out was a thing of beauty, and so was their rematch on SmackDown. Finally, at WrestleMania, Angle dropped the title to Rey Mysterio in a short yet fun three way that also included Randy Orton. Angle was intense during this reign, and he was just fun to watch.

Rating: 7/10

Rey Mysterio (April 2, 2006 – July 23, 2006)

  • Televised matches: 18
  • Record: 9-7 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

  • Rey Mysterio def. Kurt Angle(c) and Randy Orton – WrestleMania 22 (***1/2) *R*
  • Rey Mysterio(c) def. JBL – Judgment Day 2006 (***1/4)
  • Rey Mysterio(c) def. JBL – Title vs. Career Match – SmackDown May 26 2006 (***1/2) *R*
  • Kurt Angle def. Rey Mysterio by count-out – SmackDown June 2 2006 (****1/4) *HR*
  • Rey Mysterio(c) draw. Sabu – ECW One Night Stand 2006 (**3/4)
  • King Booker def. Rey Mysterio(c) – The Great American Bash 2006 (***)

During Rey’s run as World Heavyweight Champion in 2006, it was quite clear the company wanted Rey nowhere near the title. He suffered four clean pinfall losses (and one clean count-out loss to Kurt Angle), he was absolutely destroyed by everyone on a weekly basis, and his wins were never convincing. The highlight of his reign was probably his feud with JBL, but apart from that this was really bad. When Rey finally lost the title to King Booker, it was long overdue. It was literally sad to see a World Champion being booked this way.

Rating: 2/10

King Booker (July 23, 2006 – November 26, 2006)

  • Televsied matches: 20
  • Record: 8-12

My match ratings:

  • King Booker def. Rey Mysterio(c) – The Great American Bash 2006 (***)
  • Batista def. King Booker(c) by DQ – SummerSlam 2006 (1/4*) *RTA*
  • King Booker(c) def. Batista, Bobby Lashley and Finlay – No Mercy 2006 (****) *HR*
  • King Booker(c) def. John Cena and Big Show – Cyber Sunday 2006 (***)
  • Batista def. King Booker(c) – Survivor Series 2006 (**)

Don’t let that win/loss record fool you – Booker was a heel, and literally half of those losses were by DQ. Another four were in tag team match, which probably saw a member of Booker’s Court get pinned. After years of teaming with Goldust, “people like you” promos and being an undercarder on RAW, moving to SmackDown was the best thing that could’ve happened to Booker T. Somehow, he was still motivated, and he managed to have a great feud with Chris Benoit over the US Title before winning the King of the Ring in 2006. As champion, he was a spectacular heel and, above all else, he was original. His reign was very enjoyable. ALL HAIL KING BOOKAH!

Rating: 6/10

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