10 Best WWE Champions ever

#5. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels gooses the nose of Triple H.

Number of title reigns: 5

Longest Title Reign: 241 days.

Shawn Michaels got his start in Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association, where he teamed with Marty Jannety as one half of the Midnight Rockers. A clear cut clone of the Rock and Roll Express, they never the less managed to capture the AWA tag team championships.

He and Jannety would 'sort of' become WWE World tag team champions, though the decision was later thrown out due to the top ring rope breaking during the match. But don't feel sorry for Michaels: He would go on to become the first Grand Slam champion in WWE history, and a no questions asked main event talent.

Why he is number five on our list: HBK doesn't have as many title reigns as Rock or Austin, but the caliber of competition he faced, the long term of his title reigns, and the fact that he was known as "Mr. Wrestlemania" all contribute to his being higher on this list. HBK proved that a lighter, faster wrestler could be just as big a draw as a massive three hundred pound man, and was perhaps the best overall performer of any wrestler on this list.