Five Former WWE Champions Who Struggled to Maintain Their Momentum
Challenges of Staying on Top in WWE
Achieving greatness in wrestling is a significant feat, but maintaining that success proves to be even more challenging. Here are five former WWE champions who found it difficult to sustain their momentum after losing their titles.
Big E's Short Reign
Big E's breakthrough came in 2021 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, defeating Bobby Lashley to claim the WWE Championship. Despite receiving enthusiastic support from fans, his championship reign did not meet expectations. Following his loss to Brock Lesnar, Big E was moved back to SmackDown, leading to a decline in his singles career.
Kofi Kingston's Dream Turned Sour
Kofi Kingston achieved a lifelong dream by defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 to become WWE Champion. However, his reign ended abruptly during the FOX premiere of SmackDown, where he lost the title to Brock Lesnar in mere seconds. This defeat led Kofi to return to tag team wrestling, stepping away from the pursuit of singles titles.
Finn Balor's Injury Setback
Finn Balor experienced a rapid rise in WWE, defeating Roman Reigns on his debut night on RAW and winning the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016. Unfortunately, an injury sustained during that match forced him to vacate the title just a day later. Although Balor made a comeback and achieved other successes, he never regained the momentum he initially had.
Kevin Owens' Unexpected Title Loss
In 2016, Kevin Owens stunned fans by winning the Universal Championship with an unexpected assist from Triple H. However, his reign was cut short at Fastlane 2017 when he lost the title to Goldberg. While Owens continued to perform consistently, he gradually faded from the main event scene.
Dolph Ziggler's Injury Woes
Dolph Ziggler's victory for the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013 was celebrated with one of the loudest reactions in RAW history. Sadly, an injury soon interrupted his momentum, and he lost the title shortly thereafter. Since then, Ziggler has remained in the mid-card, with no significant resurgence in the world title picture.