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

#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.

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#5 Kofi Kingston

A dream come true for Kofi.

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.