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Rating The Champ

WWE World Titles – 2008

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 2008, 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

Triple H (April 27, 2008 – November 23, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 29
  • Record: 20-7 (2 draws)

My match ratings:

  • Triple H def. Randy Orton(c), John Cena and JBL in an Elimination Match – Backlash 2008 (***)
  • Triple H(c) def. Randy Orton in a Steel Cage Match – Judgment Day 2008 (***1/2)
  • Triple H(c) def. Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing Match – One Night Stand 2008 (**)
  • Triple H(c) def. John Cena – Night of Champions 2008 (***1/2) *R*
  • Triple H(c) def. Edge – The Great American Bash 2008 (***1/4)
  • Triple H(c) def. The Great Khali – SummerSlam 2008 (*1/4) *RTA*
  • Triple H(c) def. Jeff Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, MVP and The Brian Kendrick in a Championship Scramble – Unforgiven 2008 (***)
  • Triple H(c) def. Jeff Hardy – No Mercy 2008 (****) *HR*
  • Triple H(c) def. Jeff Hardy – Cyber Sunday 2008 (***1/2) *R*
  • Edge def. Triple H(c) and Vladimir Kozlov – Survivor Series 2008 (1/4*) *RTA*

After unsuccessfully challenging for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship at WrestleMania XXIV, ‘The Game’ went on to win the gold at the following PPV a number of weeks later, in another multi person match. He continued to feud with Orton until ‘The Legend Killer’ left due to injury in June 2008, while Triple H and the title moved to SmackDown. He’d retain the title over John Cena in a WrestleMania 22 rematch and went on to be a fourth wheel in the Edge/Undertaker/Vickie Guerrero/Alicia Fox storyline, retaining over the Canadian at The Bash. His reign really got going once he started feuding with Jeff Hardy, playing heel-in-peril in most of their bouts. Triple H and Hardy had some really good matches in late 2008, particularly at No Mercy, but it would ultimately be Edge winning the belt at Survivor Series during that giant clusterfuck against Vladimir Kozlov at Survivor Series. A low five out of ten for a solid yet not memorable reign that only got going once Jeff Hardy started chasing.

Rating: 5/10

Edge (November 23, 2008 – December 14, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 4
  • Record: 2-2

My match ratings:

  • Edge def. Triple H(c) and Vladimir Kozlov – Survivor Series 2008 (1/4*) *RTA*
  • Jeff Hardy def. Edge(c) and Triple H – Armageddon 2008 (****1/4) *HR*

Edge won the WWE title at Survivor Series 2008 in a nice swerve to make the fans want Jeff’s title win more and more. That was a great decision, and it was a moment well worth of main-eventing WrestleMania XXV. Instead, WWE decided to do it right away at the B (or even C) level PPV Armageddon, which was still a fantastic moment but imagine what if! There was nothing Edge could do here, it was a very short reign. At least the Armageddon match was great.

Rating: 2/10

Jeff Hardy (December 14, 2008 – January 25, 2009)

  • Televised matches: 5
  • Record: 4-1

My match ratings:

  • Jeff Hardy def. Edge(c) and Triple H – Armageddon 2008 (****1/4) *HR*
  • Edge def. Jeff Hardy(c) in a No DQ Match – Royal Rumble 2009 (***1/2) *R*

Jeff Hardy spent the entire year 2008 chasing the WWE Championship, starting at the first PPV of the year (Royal Rumble against Randy Orton) and culminating at the very last one. Once he finally won the belt, though, he lost it immediately at the next PPV to Edge thanks to Matt Hardy. I love Matt, way more than I do Jeff, but what a waste of a title reign and an entire year worth of build just to set up a disappointing WrestleMania program between the two. To make it all even more confusing, Jeff lost at WrestleMania, which makes zero sense at all. A giant waste of a storyline and a title reign that had everything to be much more.

Rating: 3/10

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Edge (December 16, 2007 – March 30, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 13
  • Record: 8-5

My match ratings:

  • Edge def. Batista(c) and The Undertaker – Armageddon 2007 (***)
  • Edge(c) def. Rey Mysterio – Royal Rumble 2008 (***3/4) *R*
  • Edge(c) def. Rey Mysterio – No Way Out 2008 (***)
  • The Undertaker def. Edge(c) – WrestleMania XXIV (****1/2) *HR*

Edge started his feud with Undertaker way back in May 2007, cashing in Money in the Bank to win the World belt and jumping from RAW to SmackDown in the process. Edge suffered an injury, though, and had to vacate the gold. He made his return at Survivor Series, costing ‘Taker the title and restarting their feud. Edge would win it back the next PPV, retain in a series of good matches with Rey Rey and finally drop it to ‘The Deadman’ in the main-event of WrestleMania. All while being the world’s most detestable heel and cutting fantastic promos with his Familia on SmackDown. Spectacular reign.

Rating: 8/10

The Undertaker (March 30, 2008 – May 2, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 9
  • Record: 5-1 (3 draws)

My match ratings:

  • The Undertaker def. Edge(c) – WrestleMania XXIV (****1/2) *HR*
  • The Undertaker(c) def. Edge – Backlash 2008 (***1/2) *R*

After beating Edge at ‘Mania, Undertaker defeated the Canadian in a rematch at Backlash. ‘Taker won both matches with his Hell’s Gate submission move, which Vickie Guerrero banned on the following episode of SmackDown before vacating the title. And that was it for Undertaker’s reign, only a month after winning the belt.

Rating: 2/10

Edge (June 1, 2008 – June 30, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 7
  • Record: 4-3

My match ratings:

  • Edge def. The Undertaker in a TLC Match – One Night Stand 2008 (****) *HR*
  • Edge(c) def. Batista – Night of Champions 2008 (***)
  • CM Punk def. Edge(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW June 30 2008 (N/R)

The ‘Rated-R Superstar’ won back the vacant World title against Undertaker in his match type, TLC, at One Night Stand. He’d retain the belt against Batista at Night of Champions, before losing it to RAW’s CM Punk the following night via Money in the Bank cash-in. Another very short reign.

Rating: 2/10

CM Punk (June 30, 2008 – September 7, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 12
  • Record: 7-4 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • CM Punk def. Edge(c) in a MITB cash-in – RAW June 30 2008 (N/R)
  • CM Punk(c) draw. Batista – The Great American Bash 2008 (**1/2)
  • CM Punk(c) def. JBL – SummerSlam 2008 (***)

In his first night as a RAW wrestler, the former ECW Champion won the World title by cashing in Money in the Bank on Edge. To say that it was way too soon and that WWE didn’t see anything in Charles Manson Punk as champion would be a huge understatement, as Punk went on to retain the gold against Batista via draw. The only times Punk was able to retain his belt via pinfall were against JBL, who was not a main-eventer at this point in his career. Punk didn’t even get to lose the title in a proper match, being attacked by The Legacy instead and replaced in the Championship Scramble by Chris Jericho.

Rating: 2/10

Chris Jericho (September 7, 2008 – October 26, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 13
  • Record: 6-6 (1 draw)

My match ratings:

  • Chris Jericho def. Batista, Rey Mysterio, Kane and JBL in a Championship Scramble – Unforgiven 2008 (**3/4)
  • Chris Jericho(c) def. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match – No Mercy 2008 (*****) *HR*
  • Batista def. Chris Jericho(c) – Cyber Sunday 2008 (***1/4)

At this point, there was no other heel in the entire wrestling business that could touch Chris Jericho. He won the title during his great feud with Shawn Michaels, and the two would go at it in a Ladder Match (personally my favorite ever) at No Mercy. The next PPV was Cyber Sunday, which saw Steve Austin be chosen as special referee and pretty much forcing the company to book a babyface ending and giving the belt to Batista for a few days. This had legs to go all the way to WrestleMania XXV, but it was still spectacular while it lasted.

Rating: 7/10

Batista (October 26, 2008 – November 3, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 3
  • Record: 2-1

My match ratings:

  • Batista def. Chris Jericho(c) – Cyber Sunday 2008 (***1/4)
  • Chris Jericho def. Batista(c) in a Steel Cage Match – RAW Nov. 3 2008 (***)

Batista only won the title at Cyber Sunday because Steve Austin was the referee and the babyface had to win. Eight days later, the gold was back with Chris Jericho. A waste of a title reign.

Rating: 1/10

Chris Jericho (November 3, 2008 – November 23, 2008)

  • Televised matches: 3
  • Record: 2-1

My match ratings:

  • Chris Jericho def. Batista(c) in a Steel Cage Match – RAW Nov. 3 2008 (***)
  • John Cena def. Chris Jericho(c) – Survivor Series 2008 (***)

Jericho won the title only to drop it to the returning John Cena less than three weeks later at Survivor Series. It was really enjoyable, but it lasted a cup of coffee.

Rating: 3/10

ALL-TIME CHAMPIONS RANKING

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