Well people I am feeling good about my first column and now you're going to be hit with a barrage of them. This next one is a touchy subject with me because I think it is absolutely ridiculous. I have always been a strong believer that when it comes to wrestling, what is best for the business is what should be done. There have been so many men that have walked through those curtains and worked their ass off for a promotion, yet when the business screamed for them to be made world champion they were denied. Why you might ask" Simple - there were backstage politics that denied them their opportunity at immortality. If it wasn't the politics that did it they were shot down because of a feud between the owner and one of their family members, or they were seen worthy in the eyes of the fans but not the head honchos who run the promotion.

I am going to take you on a ride and we are going to look at a few of these men, their accomplishments and the reasons that they were never world champions.

First one up - and the most deserving in my mind anyway - is the late great Owen Hart. The brother of Bret Hart, one of the most decorated champions in the history of wrestling. Owen was primed and ready for the push back in '94 when he beat Bret at Wrestlemania X. He shocked the world that night by beating Bret. But who got the world title later that night was not Owen. Bret Hart went on later that night to defeat Yokozuna. Owen would not get a title shot until SummerSlam. That night Owen should have walked out with the WWF Championship but he didn't. Then when Shawn Michaels became champ Owen should have been the one to beat him, not Sycho Sid. Once again because of Shawn Michaels' pull in the locker room and in the offices Owen was denied. Owen went on to hold every title but the big one and then his life was cut short by a tragic accident. Now we will all be left with the "what ifs".

Next man we look at is the best technical wrestler next to Bret Hart. The man that made us all hate him because he was what he said was and that is Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig. He was a second generation wrestler growing up in the business. When he debuted in the WWF he took the company by storm. He captured the Intercontinental Title from the Ultimate Warrior on November 19, 1990. Mr. Perfect legitimized that title making it a major championship. He would lose it and then gain it back from Kerry Von Erich. He would then lose it to Bret Hart and never hold it again. When Bret won the title from Ric Flair, why was Curt Hennig not asked to fill in for the Warrior" Curt eventually moved to WCW where he would hold the US Title and have a run with the Tag Titles with Barry Windham. Then the powers-that-be angle was being run and they were out to retire Curt. They started that tournament for the WCW title. The man to take that title should have been Curt Hennig but who did they make champion once again" Bret Hart. Curt Hennig was in my mind the top guy in WCW before it croaked. But WCW just like the WWF ignored Curts potential to have the company rest on his shoulders. Curt went back to the WWE for awhile and was one of the final three in the Royal Rumble prior to Wrestlemania XVIII. He would stick around for a lil' while before getting in trouble for whipping Brock Lesnar's ass on the "Plane Ride From Hell" as it has been dubbed. Curt Hennig died February 10, 2003 from acute cocaine intoxication.

Last one, people, is most definitely The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith. David Smith was the brother-in-law to Bret Hart. Bulldog started his career with the Dynamite Kid in a tag team known as the British Bulldogs. They defeated the team of Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine for their first and only reign as WWE Tag Team Champions. I don't know how or why they split - I think it was something to do with Dynamite Kids injuries he sustained over the years catching up with him. But Bulldog became a singles competitor and tore through the ranks of the WWF, eventually coming up against none other than Bret Hart. They had a classic match with each other at the '92 Summerslam. Bulldog came out on top and would hold the title for a long time before being defeated by Shawn Michaels. Bulldog took some time off and then went to WCW where he started a feud with Vader who was the WCW Champ. He stayed around for a while and was then fired for severely beating a man up and causing him permanent brain damage. Bulldog came back to the WWF when Owen and Bret were feuding and stood behind Bret. He then decided it was time for a change and he made it by turning on his replacement partner Diesel after Lex Luger was a no-show. Bulldog finally got his title shot and beat Diesel by DQ. He should have gotten a rematch but again Bret Hart got the match and the title. He later faced off against Bret but was defeated by him.. Bulldog should have had the title in his match against Diesel but for some reason the company denied him. Wait a minute - Shawn Michaels is one of Diesel's friends so once again politics and backstage bullsh*t screwed someone else. Bulldog would hold the European and Tag Titles before paying the WWF an astounding $150,000 dollars to be released from his contract after the Screwjob in Montreal. He went back to WCW. Bulldog didn't really get anything going for him there and was injured when he landed hard in the ring. He was laid up for six months and received his release from WCW via Fed Ex. Sounds familiar doesn't it" He went back to the WWF to preserve Owen's memory after his death. He then came back and made it known that he wanted the World Title. He would win the Hardcore and European Titles but once again was not given the big one. Vince paid for Bulldog to go through rehab for his drug addiction. He couldn't handle it and left the company again. On May 18, 2002 David Smith died while on vacation with girlfriend Andrea in British Columbia. The coroners report revealed that he had been using anabolic steroids for many years, which were a factor in his death.

Honorable Mentions: Big Boss Man, Ric Rude, Andre The Giant, Paul Orondorf, Jon "Earthquake" Tenta, Roddy Piper, Rob Van Dam, Gorilla Monsoon..

Well, there it is. I have put a lot of thought into this one. So please be fair when judging me. I don't know if politics played a major role in the final decision to not make these men champs but I think it certainly had a small one. These men were all deserving but they were passed up for some reason and I think it is a crying shame that we will never know what they could have done if they were given the chance.

by Big James Field..