10 Best WWE Champions in History

#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin: Former six-time WWE Champion

Stone Cold Steve Austin is the most successful WWE Champion of all time.

Stone Cold's title coronation took place at Wrestlemania XIV when he wrestled the belt away from WWE Champion, Shawn Michaels.

The title win launched Stone Cold into mainstream consciousness and with it led WWE to it's most prosperous period creatively and financially ever, between 1998-2001.

The rebellious Stone Cold character flipped the bird, defied his boss, Vince McMahon, repeatedly used colourful language and raised continual hell.

The excitement Stone Cold's title matches brought were unlike anything ever witnessed before in wrestling.

Stone Cold was a four-time champion, when he was benched by a severe neck injury, the result of the botched Owen Hart piledriver two years earlier at Summerslam 1997.

When he returned, Stone Cold turned to the dark side and aligned with longtime nemesis, McMahon in order to secure his fifth Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania X-7 opposite The Rock.

The heel turn led to a downturn in business although Stone Cold himself delivered the best matches and backstage performances of his entire career.

Stone Cold's sixth and final reign ended at the hands of Chris Jericho at Vengeance 2001 and with it the championship run of the greatest champion WWE ever produced.