5 superstars that could be World Heavyweight Champion if the WWE were 'real'

If one errant knee could cause this, what would happen if the WWE were to promote real violence?While the social media outburst following Dana White’s ill-adviced and disrespectful comments about pro-wrestling being fake was largely embodiment of the intensity with which pro-wrestling marks defend the integrity of the industry that they love, it cannot be denied that one of the WWE’s prime objectives is to veritably produce a product that is as physically engaging as possible without actually compromising on the safety of the performers.This facet of the WWE is further heightened and highlighted with the amount of stick and ill-will that “stiff” performers receive from their colleagues as well as the smart fans that follow the inner rumblings of the industry studiously. Either way, we can concur that the WWE’s complexion would hardly be what it is now had the company sanctioned their performers to not hold back and to go full throttle in the ring. For one, this invisible ceiling that so unfairly truncates the “push” of certain performers may be laid to waste, with charisma and mic skills taking a back-seat as opposed to the ability of the wrestler to actually hold his own in a real fight.It would hardly matter if babyfaces thrived or if heels were beaten down as all the unique rules that currently govern and streamline the product would likely go out of the window, presenting a scenario where only the truly tough would be left standing.Would it turn out to be a mouth-watering prospect, or simply serve to prop up the bucket load of failed ideas that the WWE has experimented with over the years?As in the case of any fantastical supposition, you are free to make your mind up, as we put forth a list of the most possible and likely World Heavyweight Champions were the WWE to substitute their safe-ish working environment with a situation where all bets, and indeed gloves, were off.

#1 Rusev

Armed with surprising athleticism for a heavyweight, Rusev could be a force to reckon with if he loaded up on those kicks

The Bulgarian Brute, now a potent member of the newly formed heel faction the League of Nations, remained undefeated for a year into his WWE career before duly being fed as Wrestlemania fodder to John Cena (any surprises there?) under the banner of nationalistic sentiment.

Thereafter, also taking into consideration that some of his thunder was stolen by Lana, Rusev has found both momentum and authentic heel heat comparatively harder to come by.

In what seems like a career destined for the ambiguity of the mid card, Rusev could direly do with a face-lift and what better way to provide it than by evening out the playing field for the burly Bulgarian.

Having a powerlifting and rowing background, added to a stint in Thailand to gain exposure in Muay Thai, Rusev is arguably one of the more athletic and talented big men in the company and could well thrive, perhaps on a wholly different level than now, were the WWE to sanction real action within the squared-circle.

Armed with lethal kicks and athleticism that belies his frame, the combination of speed and power that Rusev is blessed with could well earmark him as one to watch out for in actual fight scenarios.

#2 Jack Swagger

An All American at Oklahoma State, the success that Jack Swagger encountered as a collegiate wrestler has not entirely translated into his WWE career

Jack Swagger’s modus operandi off late in the WWE may have generally been reduced to being thrust from one unconvincing storyline into another, but there is no denying the fact that the company had pinned considerable hope on him when they signed him in 2006.

Evidentially, with the World Heavyweight Championship, ECW Championship and the US Championship all adorning his trophy cabinet, there is a case to be made that Jack Swagger was once pretty high on the WWE creative team’s ‘push’ list.

Fast forwarding to present day though, Swagger has been diminished to a babyface devoid of any real direction while still clinging on to his Real American gimmick on some level. The situation was not always this mired in obscurity for him as he was once an NCAA All American Heavyweight wrestler for Oklahoma State, who incidentally also held the record number of pins in one season with 30.

As this was probably the reason why the WWE signed Swagger in the first place, allowing their wrestlers to actually fight it out in the ring may yet present a scenario where he could provide them with a timely reminder of his grappling prowess, and revive his career that has been dangerously meandering towards irrelevance lately.

#3 Mark Henry

Despite nearing the latter stages of his WWE career, few would dispute Mark Henry’s standing as one of the company’s strongest men

With the iconic “Hall of Pain” gimmick well beyond him now, Mark Henry has been used rather infrequently and sparingly on WWE programming owing to his age, injury issues and perhaps also the fact that the type of product being put out now has well and truly moved on from the days where feats of brutish strength alone used to captivate the fancy of the audience.

With the younger guard now executing fast-paced, dynamic and more entertaining action sequences in the ring, wrestlers belonging to the mould of the ‘immovable object’ like Mark Henry have understandably been limited to the odd cameo appearance now and then.

However, if the WWE were to encourage their wrestlers to cast-aside the showmanship aspects and scrap it out in the ring, it would be nothing short of folly to label Mark Henry as an outdated prototype given that he still is one of the legitimately strongest men in the industry today.

A winner of the multiple powerlifting competitions in his heydey, including the first annual Arnold Strongman Classic( created by Arnold Schwarzenegger) in 2002, Mark Henry still holds the world record for all-time raw squat and powerlifting total by an athlete in all weight-classes.

His style of wrestling may be considered archaic today, but when push comes to shove, Mark Henry is undeniably one of the strongest men in the employ of the WWE and well capable of posing a serious threat to the safety of anyone who squares up to him.

#4 Wade Barrett

If Wade Barrett got that scar after surviving an attempted mugging, one shudders to think how the assailant would have fared

Despite winning the 2015 King of the Ring tournament, there is a justifiable and prevalent feeling surrounding Wade Barrett that he could be used in a much more engaging capacity than the WWE creative team has currently deemed fit.

Recalling how functional he was as the leader of the Nexus while feuding with John Cena, perhaps an elevation for Barrett to feud with one of the top level talents like Dean Ambrose may be exactly what the Englishman may require to reset his career, if you will.

Despite the dearth of opportunities on the mic as well as in singles competition off late, Wade Barrett has proven in his career that he can hold his own in both those salient spheres of pro-wrestling.

However, in an industry where there is a very distinct demarcation between good and great, an area where he could glaringly outshine his counterparts ironically reverts back to his life before he signed on with the company in 2007.

An underground bare-knuckle boxing champion before turning WWE employee, Wade Barrett’s natural proclivity towards violence and his adeptness at surviving some of the scariest conditions against some of the most unscrupulous fighters makes him a prime candidate to outlast his fellow wrestlers should the company ever transform into an arena of actual violence.

#5 Brock Lesnar

Few can dispute Brock Lesnar’s claim to the throne, regardless of whether the WWE were real action or not

Perhaps the most obvious name to cap off this list, Brock Lesnar’s other-worldly achievements in the spectrum of combat sports speak rather definitively and emphatically for themselves.

The only man alive to hold the NCAA, UFC and the WWE World Heavyweight Championships, as Paul Heyman was kind enough to remind us all during the recently concluded Slammy Awards, Lesnar’s legacy will likely stand the test of time as perhaps the greatest competitor ever in combat sports and entertainment.

Regardless of whether the WWE dynamic remains the same or morphs into actual fighting within the ring, there is a very strong case to be made for Brock Lesnar to sit menacingly atop the food chain either way.

As demonstrated repeatedly by the ease with which he has always manhandled and destroyed his opposition, it has now been universally accepted that Lesnar is indeed an once in a lifetime freak athlete the likes of which we have never witnessed before, and perhaps never again.

Whether it be nonchalantly tossing other wrestlers into suplex city or dismantling a Cadillac and sending parts of it soaring into the audience section, Brock Lesnar’s sheer brutality and power never fails to inspire awe from the WWE Universe, lending much credence to the school of thought that his dominance would continue undisputed even if the company were to advocate real violence in the ring.

Pausing to catch a breath however, and on second thought, it may after all be in the best interests of the other Superstars that the WWE remained the way it is.