5 Greatest World Heavyweight Championship Reigns In WWE history

#4 Chris Benoit (2004)

Benoit's run started and ended with a bang.

While not the best-handled reign in the world, Chris Benoit's time as world champion was actually pretty good. He won the 2004 Royal Rumble match from the number one position and jumped over to Raw to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 20. It would turn out to be a triple-threat match also involving Shawn Michaels, but the night was Benoit's. He won the match and the title in incredible fashion, making the Game tap out.

The following month at Backlash, Benoit won a second triple-threat match in Canada. With such a strong start to his reign, the next few months saw an obvious drop in importance. The Rabid Wolverine would pull off double duty at Bad Blood, teaming with Edge and defending the title against Kane. Benoit's reign ended in a stunning way when a 24-year-old Randy Orton pinned him in the main event of SummerSlam.

While the overall reign was not the best, the way in which Benoit captured the title made it more memorable.