WWE All-Decade Roster: Looking back at the top champions

Sheamus to Brock Lesnar, and a whole lot in between.

In short, that’s how you can describe this past decade of WWE. The wrestling behemoth began the decade with Sheamus representing the company as WWE Champion, and we conclude a 10-year span of wrestling with a fifth title reign from Lesnar. However, there were 39 other champions in between those two wrestlers, making up a monolithic all-star team on paper.

WWE has had some amazing talent win championships, enter the company, and leave the company over the past 10 years. To gain a handle on how great the decade was, Sportsnet has decided to put together WWE’s All-Decade Roster.

Rules: We will be selecting a roster comprising the five main championship titles in the WWE; the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the U.S. Championship, the Tag Team Championships, and the Women’s Championship.

Whoever is chosen must have actually won that title sometime between the years of 2010 and 2019. Length of reign, number of reigns, and impact within the WWE will be taken into account.

WWE Champion: John Cena

There were 41 WWE Championship holders over the course of this decade, down from 44 from 2000 to 2009. The Universal Championship came into existence in 2016 following the brand split, and has had ten championship holders. One constant from decade to decade, though, has been John Cena’s place on the list. Cena most recently won his 16th world championship in 2017, tying him with the legendary Ric Flair for most reigns of all-time. Eight of Cena’s championship wins have come in this decade, spanning a grand total of 387 days.

Second on the list for the number of reigns is Brock Lesnar with five. The Beast has won two WWE Championships, and three Universal Championships, capturing his first Universal title at WrestleMania 33, holding it for a staggering 503 days. If we decided to keep the Universal Championship out of this process, Lesnar’s championship record would not look nearly as impressive.

Next up is a tie between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton with four WWE Championships each. CM Punk had two reigns, with his most memorable lasting an astounding 434 days.

A.J. Styles, a two-time champ, nearly matched Punk for the longest reign as WWE Champ but fell just shy at 371 days. However, the fact remains that Cena is a no-brainer for the WWE Championship spot.

Number One Contender: Daniel Bryan

Intercontinental Champion: The Miz

There were 47 Intercontinental title holders over the course of this decade, a massive drop from 67 the previous decade. The Intercontinental Championship title usually lends to memories of Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, Chris Jericho, and other ring generals, and while The Miz doesn’t necessarily fit that mold, he is still the best fit as the IC Champion of the decade.

The Miz frequently, and loudly, championed his cause to make the IC belt mean something, while also regularly elevating his opponent in the lead up to a match with exceptional promo work. The Miz held the IC title eight times, most of any wrestler in the decade, for a grand total of 593 days.

Next on the list for most reigns was Dolph Ziggler. Cody Rhodes holds the distinction of the longest reign, at 233 days, and also the honour of re-introducing us to the classic white belt, which has been scientifically proven as the best-looking belt in WWE history.

Number One Contender: Dolph Ziggler

U.S. Championship: A.J. Styles

During its time in WCW, the U.S. championship belt saw time around the waist of Jeff Jarrett before being passed around to the likes of Lance Storm, Scott Steiner, Terry Funk, and of course, General E. Rection. But eventually, and thankfully, it was Booker T holding the championship when WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001.

The Miz was the first U.S. champion this decade, one of his two reigns over the past ten years. Rusev, A.J. Styles, and Kevin Owens each held the title three times, tied for most in the decade, with Rusev holding it for 303 days combined.

Dean Ambrose won the U.S. title once and has the distinction of being the longest-serving champion of the decade at 350 days. However, we’re giving the nod to Styles here for his excellent work with Ricochet, Kevin Owens, and Chris Jericho (a two-time U.S. champ this decade), and for giving the title more attention when it’s been around his waist.

Special shout out to John Cena’s U.S. Championship open challenges, which was some of the best TV on Raw for the better part of a year.

Number One Contender: Rusev

Tag Team Champions: The New Day

The WWE Tag Team Championships have a long and awkward lineage, and because both Raw and SmackDown each have tag team champions, we kept this simple and named the best tag of the decade to reign at least once as champions. Now, don’t you dare be sour, and clap for your world-famous seven-time champs, and feel the power!

The New Day have indeed reigned seven times over the course of the past ten years, which includes a record 483-day championship reign. In total, The trio of Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods held a tag team title belt for over 730 days, which means they had gold around their waists for approximately two years.

The next closest team in terms of number of reigns were The Usos, which should be no surprise. Jimmy and Jay held the tag straps six times, for a grand total of 635 days, meaning The New Day and The Usos combined to hold at least one of the tag team championships for almost four years total. This decade of tag team wrestling was headlined by these two teams, with both exhibiting incredible matches and top-notch promos.

Number One Contenders: The Usos

Women’s Champion: Charlotte Flair

This decade of women’s wrestling can be split into two eras; Divas and Women’s. With much due respect to the holders of the Divas Championship, wrestlers such as AJ Lee, Beth Phoenix, Paige, and many more, we focussed on the latter portion of the decade when the top prize for women has properly rechristened the Women’s Championship in April of 2016.

Since we’re starting in April of 2016, the perfect choice for Women’s Champion of the decade is Charlotte Flair. Charlotte was the first to take home the newly minted women’s title, and has reigned over the women’s division nine times overall, a combined 432 days. Charlotte has consistently been the best wrestler in the women’s division over the past decade, showcasing herself as a true superstar.

The daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair just edged out our number one contender, Becky Lynch. Out of all the titles in Sportsnet’s All-Decade Team, this was the toughest battle. While Charlotte has reigned longer, almost no wrestler, male or female, has made more of an impact outside of the ring than “The Man.” Becky was the first SmackDown Women’s Champion, one of her four title reigns this decade, including a current Raw reign of over 250 days. Becky’s impact has been meteoric, but the length of her impact doesn’t equal that of Charlotte’s, and that’s why we’re giving her the edge.

Number One Contender: Becky Lynch

Final Roster

WWE Champion: John Cena
Intercontinental Champion: The Miz
U.S. Champion: A.J Styles
Tag Team Champions: The New Day
Women’s Champion: Charlotte Flair

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