5 mid-carders that no one thought would become WWE Champion

The WWE Championship might not be the top World Title in the company right now, but the WWE Universe feels different. With the rich history the title boasts from 1963, many fans feel that the WWE Title will always be the most crucial title in the company.

Everyone knows the wrestlers who get to hold the title will always be the over with the audience and especially WWE management. Nevertheless, there have been exceptions to that notion, as we have seen stars from the mid-card rise to the occasion to capture the WWE Title.

These are wrestlers the WWE Universe thought would never be headlining acts, let alone win the WWE Championship. However, WWE proved us all wrong by giving us something we would never have expected.

Therefore, let's take a look at these mid-carders turned World Champions, and how their rise to the top of the card was so stunning.

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#1 Jinder Mahal

An unlikely main event heel that dominated SmackDown Live in 201

Jinder Mahal debuted in the WWE as the brother-in-law of The Great Khali. Now, everyone knew that Mahal didn't have a very high ceiling to breakthrough when he arrived, as Khali was mainly used as a comedic act at that point.

Nevertheless, Mahal would still go on to have moderate success in the company under Khali's wing, and then with Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater in 3MB. However, no one could have predicted that Mahal's return to the company in 2017 would see him go on to capture the WWE Title from Randy Orton.

This move by the WWE sent shockwaves around the industry, as the fans thought WWE viewed Mahal as a mid-carder. Despite that fact, Vince McMahon pulled the carpet from underneath our feet and sent Mahal to the main event scene as the new top heel on the Blue brand in 2017.

#2 The Miz

The Miz will go down as one of the greatest heels of WWE's modern era. However, The A-Lister's path to the WWE Title was not an easy road to follow. Many critics have documented the trials and tribulations The Miz endured to finally get his hands on the most prestigious title in the industry back in 2010.

Before holding the gold, The Miz was mainly used as a mid-card act alongside John Morrison, Big Show and Chris Jericho. Numerous fans thought WWE saw The Miz as a capable mid-card worker that would bring some heat to the US and Intercontinental Title picture. Therefore, when Miz finally cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Randy Orton, the world was shocked.

#3 Mick Foley

Mick Foley had dreamt of being a wrestler ever since he discovered his passion for the industry. And after giving his best years to the business, Foley can safely say that he achieved his dream. Foley is a bonafide wrestling legend now, but things were not always this cosy for the hardcore legend.

Foley's rise to the top of the card in 1999 was a path that saw him drag his battered body through some tough years in the industry. From WCW to Japan, Foley had to grind hard to get his opportunity at the big time.

Moreover, when Foley did get his chance, no one thought this underdog would achieve anything significant, as he just wasn't the prototypical WWE star. However, Foley's former employers at WCW made his WWE Title win the best moment in RAW history when they ironically spoiled the result on Monday Nitro.

It was a moment no one thought they would witness, as true underdogs prevailing in those days were rarer than spotting a unicorn.

#4 Rob Van Dam

The rise of RVD was a tale no one thought they would witness.

Rob Van Dam beating John Cena for the WWE Title at ECW One Night Stand was an iconic moment. Cena was the poster boy that everyone knew Vince McMahon was going to keep at the top of the company for years to come, while RVD was an indie darling that no one thought would break the glass ceiling.

Nevertheless, WWE saw something special in RVD, and that gave the ECW Original the chance to win the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania. This saw RVD cash in his Money in the Bank contract at One Night Stand in a fair one-on-one match with Cena for the WWE Title.

However, this was anything but a regular bout, as Edge come out of nowhere and speared Cena to give RVD the win. Van Dam's reign didn't last long as he was suspended by WWE a few weeks later, however, it was a special moment for the people that supported the high-flying superstar from the beginning.

#5 Kofi Kingston

If you told someone in 2010 that Kofi Kingston would become the WWE Champion, they probably wouldn't even take you seriously. The fact of the matter is that no one ever thought that Kofi would get the chance to ascend the ranks of WWE's main event scene.

Kofi has always been a reliable mid-carder for most his time in the WWE. Nonetheless, when WWE unexpectedly sent the New Day veteran into the limelight at Elimination Chamber 2019, people started to question whether Kofi's time at the top will be short-lived.

Well, WWE kept on putting Kingston in the title picture to the delight of the WWE Universe, and at WrestleMania 35, Kofi did the impossible by winning the title in the best match on the show.

Edited by Amar Anand