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The Greatest Never To Hold
July 11, 2006 by Ryan Kennedy

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When people think of professional wrestling's greatest world champions, people naturally think of guys like Sting, Ric Flair, Harley Race, or Dusty Rhodes. When people think of the greatest WWE Champions, of course you're thinking of guys like Kurt Angle, Triple H, The Rock, and Chris Jericho. But what about the guys with ring ability, mic skills, and are veterans to the company; but have held neither title. What about the guys who have never really caused any trouble or controversy, and have been with the company for years and years without a WWE or World Title shot" Do those superstars still have a run left in them"

All of you right now, re-read that brief statement above. Who fits that category better then anyone else still in the WWE" That's right, Val Venis.

Val Venis is a former European and two time Intercontinental Champion. Some of you may not remember, but he also has a Word Tag team title run with retired wrestler Lance Storm. I have seen Val wrestle over the past couple of years numerous times. He has been with WWE threw and threw, but he's one of those guys that has never even had a shot at either major title. Him being on RAW, he would get a shot at the WWE Championship. Most of you are thinking right now whether Val Venis can be the Champion of the company.

Some of you are saying of course, and some are saying no way. For those saying no way, I ask why not! Val is a much respected man backstage and a great in ring worker. I don't know if he can win the WWE Championship with the whole porno gimmick, but damnit WWE should at least give him a run before he retires. Hey, Val should get two shots in my opinion. One that he just deserves, and one for having to be in Right to Censor. But hey, that's just me.

Those thinking that Val Venis is the only WWE veteran (I say that, compared to new guys like Nitro and Carlito) who has never had a major title shot are obviously incorrect. How can anyone forget the good will ambassador of England, Mr. William Regal. William Regal is a previous four time WCW Television Champion, defeating the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Lex Luger for the strap. Yes, William Regal has wins over Lex Luger and Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. Regal is also a former Intercontinental Champion and a four time European Champion. Knowledge unknown to some is that Regal has actually one the Hardcore Championship on five separate occasions during various house shows in Spring of 2002. To round off his impressive title history, William Regal is a four time World Tag Team Champion, with two reigns alongside Lance Storm, one alongside Eugene and another alongside retired Japanese phenomenon Tajiri. But everyone knows Mr. Regal has the title history to back it up. I have not seen William Regal on TV in a very long time (primarily due to the fact that I have not watched Smackdown in a very long time), but from my memory I remember him having great mic skills. When I say mic skills I just don't mean ring promos, I mean backstage skits and things like that. Regal is one of the best wrestlers in WWE that adds the Entertainment aspect and blends the two perfectly. Is it a crime that Mr. Regal has not even been given a shot at the World Title on Smackdown" You're damn right it is.

There are a few others that have either never held or never even been given a shot at a World Championship. One would have to be Tatanka. The recently returned Tatanka is in fantastic shape for his age, and he still has great in ring ability. Interestingly enough, Tatanka has never held WWE/F gold. He has however been a professional body builder, and nearly played professional football, receiving tryouts from teams a couple of NFL teams. I actually got to see Tatanka in live action a couple months back at a house show, and I have to tell you the man is amazing for just recently turning 41. Guys like Triple H and Shawn Michaels believe it or not are just as old as Tatanka. So why is Tatanka not in the World Title hunt" I don't see him as one of those guys that is here for one or two years just for some money and then he leaves. I see Tatanka at least winning the US Championship in his possibly last WWE run (however long it lasts). The only thing holding Tatanka back is the mic. Since Tatanka has returned, I believe I may have heard him speak one time (again forgive me if I'm incorrect. I have not seen Smackdown in a month or two). If Tatanka can get on the mic even a little bit, in my book he deserves a run at the World title.

Some of you may yell at me for even saying this, but another guy that has taken the beatings over the years and has jobbed to plenty of people has to be Steven Richards. Richards has won the ECW tag team titles with Raven and various titles in the NWA. But most impressively Steven Richards has won the WWE Hardcore title on 21 separate occasions. That has to earn a little bit of respect. I can't imagine it either, but Steven Richards as the WWE or World Heavyweight Champion" Maybe with the right gimmick and a push, it could definitely happen. I'm not saying Steven Richards is the most deserving of the strap, but the mans never even held a tag team title. I think he deserves at least some sort of belt. But for now, we'll have to watch Stevie put over (which he also does fairly well) guys like Test and CM Punk in Extreme Championship Entertainment. Errr excuse me, Extreme Championship Wrestling.

One of the only men that has ever had a shot at a title out of all these men at a pay per view would have to be Hardcore Holly. Hardcore Holly is a former multiple time Hardcore, Tag Team, and Intercontinental Champion. His only shot at the World Title came at the 2004 Royal Rumble. I was in attendance that night, and I basically watched Holly get a beating from Brock Lesnar. I think he got three or four moves in the whole match. Holly isn't known for being the nicest guy or the easiest to get along with, but he has respect from nearly everyone. He is currently out of action due to an infection in his arm after having surgery on it. But reports I have read show that he will be returning soon. One can only wonder if guys like Hardcore Holly who have been with the company for over ten years will ever even see a World Title shot let alone a title reign before he hangs up his boots.

All of these men are very talented ring workers. But since Rob Van Dam officially won the WWE title there is one man that's considered "The Best to never hold". That man is none other then Booker T. Booker T I believe has gotten a couple shots over the years but he has never actually held a WWE or World Heavyweight Championship. Booker is a former 11 time WCW Tag Team Champion with his brother Stevie Ray, a former WCW Television and United States Champion, a two time former WCW Heavyweight Champion, a two time former World Tag Team Champion with the likes of RVD and Goldust, a former WWE Intercontinental Champion, and more recently then the other a former 3 time WWE United States Champion. That's pretty damn impressive, but that's just me talking. Although Booker carried the WCW strap into the WWE, he's never held a WWE or World Heavyweight title. He did hold the WCW Heavyweight title, which eventually turned into the World Heavyweight title. Booker T will be getting his shot at the World Heavyweight title at the Great American Bash after winning a #1 contendership Battle Royal on Smackdown. Booker is expected to win the match, but as we have seen over the past year or so, WWE can change the outcome of a match 5 minutes before it actually happens.

I could go through each of these men's history and accomplishments for hours and hours on end, but you guys basically know what I'm getting at. There are other guys that can be getting shots at the World Heavyweight title instead of giving it back to John Cena. If Cena didn't beat Edge, could you imagine if Val Venis would have beat Edge a month or so later" Or if at the up and coming Great American Bash PPV, is was a four way pitting Rey Mysterio against Booker T, William Regal, and Tatanka" I personally don't know if any of these men will ever get there time in the sun; there chance at wrestling history. But I know if at least one of them doesn't get a run, it would be a damn shame.

by Ryan Kennedy..

Mike wrote:
Ok,Ok Column, I mean you have some good points, and I agree there are some superstars who should get a world title shot, just not Regal, Venis, Tatanka, Holly, or Steven Richards. I have all the respect for Regal, Holly, and Richards, but They will never hold the WWE strap. and it's not because of there talent, or there mic skills, it's because of the WWE, Making these guys job over and over to the next big things, trashes them in the eyes of WWE fans, Like If Suddenly Steven Richards won the World Title, Some fans are gonna think "Hey isn't that the idiot who managed Victoria" And walked around in his underwear"" Holly is respectable, but Spark Plug (His old gimmick) Will never hold the strap because he knows as much as any other veteran (Except for Flair, Undertaker, Jerrett, Or HHH) That it's time for the new guys to shine. Regal is hopefully going to hold the US title before he hangs his boots up, with a great feud with Fit Finley that I can't wait for! And Tatanka, Well He is going no where on Smackdown! He isn't going to hold the US title, because he generates almost no fan reaction, he's not that interesting in the ring, and his promos are decent. All these guys on your list have done the best they are going to do on there careers (Minus the last paragraph) It's sad to say, but true, can you see Vince, Putting Tatanka or Richards in a World Title match" Nope and booker T. is a 5 TIME 5 TIME 5 TIME 5 TIME 5 TIME WCW champion! Soon to be a 6 time champion! Long Live The Rated R WWE Champion

Jon Rosaler wrote:
Val Venis...And Edge...For the WWE Championship" The Day that Valbowski would beat his x-brother-in-law for zat title currently around his and around zat waist until Summerslam, would be the same day I would start a cult to worship Pee Wee Herman. Val was never meant to hold the World title, never has, never will. Hardcore Holly's match against Brock Lesnar at the 2004 Royal Rumble proved that Bob had enough heart to show he didn't need a world title if he didn't want it. I always remember Samoa Joe's great words: It's not a matter of who's Next,but who's left. Joe's metaphor means to me, no matter who holds the title next, the people who are left will get zat title when it's up for grabs. That will be Val's day IMO.

Stephen Y. wrote:
This was a great article, but you made some mistakes. Booker T is a "5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, WCW champion, sucka!". You may have forgot a few people, too. Matt Hardy, who is way over with the fans, is great as a face or heel, and when given the opportunity can be great on the mic. What about; Scotty 2 Hottie (maybe not) Chavo Guerrero Chris Benoit (even though he has had the title) Kane (see Benoit)

Adil Khan wrote:
William Regal is one of my favourites and i am watching him wrestle since his early WCW days.He won the TV championship on multiple occassions.In WWE he deserves a lot more than being in King Booker's court or joining the KISS MY A** club.I can't understand that if crusierweights like Spike and Shannon Moore can have a shot at the WWE championship (in 2004/05 VS JBL) why can't Regal atleast have a shot too and im sure if he gets one he will win.The WWE should learn a lesson from Cena's 2 title reigns.How the people became tired of seeing him the champ for such a long time and started booing him.If any of the wrestlers Ryan mentioned become the WWE or World Heavyweight champion it would be great for the business.How about starting a storyline in which Regal demands a World Title match and wins a No.1 contender's match and moves on to win the title at, let's say, "No Mercy".But im sure the WWE wont do that.They would rather let King Booker win the tiltle (No doubt he deserves it too) or Batista before next year

Shaggy Dog wrote:
It was a good column but i have to disaggree on 1 thing Booker T is not the greatest to never hold a wwe world title.....In my oppinion British Bulldog[RIP] is the best at that......but other than that good article.

Steve McGrath wrote:
Dude, I agree with what you said here pretty much. But I read not just expecting a run down of never-ever WWE champs. To write this column without even giving a passing mention to guys like Owen Hart, Bulldog, Ted Dibiase or my favourite of all time Arn Anderson who put in work in countless promotions worldwide without ever getting real recognition seems a little much. And the 4 names mentioned here wipe the floor with all your selections in my opinion. And before you claim these guys in your column are all still working, allow me to point out that 10 years long service wins you medals in the army, but is not a viable reason for a strap.

Kevin wrote:
I completely agree with what you had to say. It's funny because I was watching Raw and Val Venis came out and I said to myself, "Man what would it be like if they actually gave him a chance". Then Orton squashed him and I said, "Well I guess we'll never know". It almost sad to see wrestlers with such good talent like Regal and Val and see them not get a title run or even a title shot that is'nt a squash match. The WWE probably won't give any of these guys a good chance to become somthing better than what have have already done. Val has a great list of titles (like you said) from back when he first came in, but why can't he get anything better. Why does he have to be only on HEAT and squash matches" Why can't Regal get a good run with anything" It is always unfortunate to see good talent not be used to their fullest.

Gus D. wrote:
Val Venis may be a respected guy in WWE, mostly how many times Val was a jobber to MANY wwe stars, wrestling on heat for most of his career. I surprised he hasn't quit WWE for Vince treating him like crap. Anyway, I would love to see Val win at least one title before he retires or quits.

Michael David wrote:
I agree what you are saying about V.Venis,but with stupid "gimmicks" like that they would be lucky if they are wrestling in Raw or Smackdown instead of velocity or Heat. Simon Dean is another great wrestler that because of the "gimmick" is being pulled away for the top and I wonder the success of Simon Dean with the "Nova" Gimmick back on.

Yadayadayada wrote:
Dear Ryan, With all due respect, I believe you have forgotten someone. Now I know that the name I am about to throw out at you is probably not what you want, but is one that deserves to be mentioned in your column: Kane. I know that Kane has had many title shots, and once even held the Title, defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood Match, but he held the Title for just one night. Surely, he should still Deserve some mention in your article. He is a former Intercontinental Champion, Hardcore Champion, and has won the Tag Team Titles many times with such diverse Partners as RVD, Undertaker, X-Pac, Mankind, and The Hurricane. Also, I absolutely agree with you about Booker T!

Thomas Bradley wrote:
I agree with you Ryan. Val Venis is so set back, it ain't funny. He deserves a main event push, big time. Hell I think he is a better wrestler than John Cena, Cena sucks crap! Hardcore Holly, reminds me of the greatest wrestler to never hold a world title, Arn Anderson they are both THE ENFORCERS! Other than Anderson, Jake "The Snake" Roberts was the other wrestler to never hold a world title.

Anthony Chowanec wrote:
Nice article. I know you where going with present wrestlers but my two favorite wresters ever where never given a title run. They are Scott Hall and Mr Perfect (Curt Henning). I know Hall was never given a run because of his problems with drinking but I still don't understand why Henning was never WWE/F or WCW champ. I loved his 80's pormos when every other sentance would contain the word perfect. He was one of the gratest technical wrestlers ever. His match at summer slam 91 when he lost the IC title to Breat Hart was one of the gratest wrestling matches ever (if you never saw it the match was on youtube.com last I saw just run mr perfect and it will come up its worth checking out)He also had a few calssic matches agasint Ric Flair One of which ran Flair out of WWF for years another was almost five years latter at WCW world war 3 97. I'm sure there is more I can say but Henning should have hada run as WCW or WWE/F champ. It is a rela schame he died he was always oen of my favorites for as long as I can remember. Again, nice article.

Neil Dunsmuir wrote:
I would like to point out that Booker T has held the World Heavyweight Championship 5 times. Your column states he's never had a shot!!

Judy wrote:
Yeah, I don't think anyone (even Stevie) expects Steven Richards to ever hold a major title. William Regal is getting old and fairly flabby, and his gimmick just doesn't suit a top title. Hardcore Holly has ZERO charisma, plain and simple! I can't even get excited enough to watch another boring Holly match. It doesn't matter how much respect he has or what he accomplishes, Hardcore Holly matches are the toilet-breaks at PPV's (as well as Diva 'waterfights'). And can you seriously picture Val Venis with the Heavyweight title" And Booker T is a "5" time WCW Heavyweight champion, not 2.

Etontonbomb33 wrote:
One reason Val Venis, Steven Richards, and Tatanka dont get title shots is cause nobody wants to see it. They do their jobs well and I dont dislike any of them but if one of them won the World title I dont think I could bring myself to watch the next Raw or Smackdown, and it would kill the credibility of a title. Ya Steven Richards won the Hardcore Title 21 times, it had a 24/7 rule, im sure he won it 3 or 4 times a night on some editions of Raw. William Regal is great, and most fans would buy him as a United States Champion but not a World Title contender, not anymore atleast. Hardcore Holly has one chance at the title, against Brock, and that was the only time I thought he even had a remote chance, and thats just because u could see how angry he was for having his arm broken by Brock some many months earlier. Also Booker T. is a 5 time, 5 time, 5 time , 5 time, 5 time WCW champion, not a 2 time champion. Everyone knows that man, he says it EVERY WEEK for the last 5 years. Anyways, what im getting at is I have my favorite wrestlers too, but i realize that some of them are never gonna hold the title just cause its not believable. The reason Cena gets the title back and not Val is because Cena draws fans, and sells more merchandise than anyone, I know Val's a good worker, but ive never seen anyone with a Val Venis shirt ( well maybe one) or say " Man we better buy this PPV I think Val Venis has a match" and nobodys gonna buy him as a champ after seeing Orton beat him in about 15 seconds this week on Raw. So nice column, but I really think it's all just wishful thinking.

Shawn Wolf wrote:
I agree with you on most of the wrestlers, but Steven Richards World Heavyweight Champion" It doesn't have a nice ring to it. Nothing against him holding the US title, but World Heavyweight title" no I don't think so, and out of all the guys you mention the one wrestler I would be surprised if he wins the World Heavyweight Championship would be Booker T. Look at the history of the WWE/F, and you will see that the closest thing to a black heavyweight was The Rock, and he is not as dark as Mark Henry or Booker T or even Ron Simmons for that matter. Now to Val Venis winning the heavyweight title that would not be a bad angle for the WWE I can see it now. Edge beats John Cena, Val Venis wins a #1 contenders battle royal on raw and goes on to the next Raw ppv and beats Edge in a upset with the help of John Cena now that would make great ratings.

the big time Mike Mahoney wrote:
...This column makes absolutley no sense. If WWE were to give Venis or Richards, or Holly a world title then why not Brooklyn Brawler" After all, hes been in the WWE longer than any of them, he's been through the toughest gimmicks, and he's respected backstage... and he too can cut a mediocre promo. See my point"

wrote:
"threw and threw"" no one has ever said it like that. if you are going to make a worthless case for a lame mid-card wrestler to be world champ, at least run a spell check, so you don't look like a jerk. by the way, val venis sucks, and that's why he never won the big one. no one cares if he had sex with ken shamrock's sister, or debra, or any other lame whore. lame character. too bad for him. look at marty janetty, he was wwe "threw and threw" but he was never world champ either... where's the column on him" he was solid in ring, but sadly... no one gave two craps about him as a character.

seriously, hardcore holly" == who the hell is going to buy him as a world champion" == tatanka" really"

wow. I'm at a loss for words. just terrible. by that logic, whoever has been around the longest should be champ. well, just give it to vince mcmahon right now, for a long reign. stupid analysis. stupid conditions for success. if a wrestler is over, he gets a run as champ. otherwise, he is val venis, hardcore holly, or tatanka. period.

edgehead1989 wrote:
This is an interesting article. Both RAW and SmackDown could do with some new contenders for the main title. And some of the names in your article are definitely being under-used by WWE Creative, and have been for years. Namely Val Venis. Like you said, this man is solid in-ring and is good on the mic. Also like you said, I'm not sure whether his gimmick is main-event material but hell, if Umaga is in-line for a main event push then there's no reason why a porn star can't be.

The other names you mentioned...I'm not so sure about. I don't like Hardcore Holly at all and as well as the title match he had with Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble 2004, he also had a couple of title matches against JBL on SmackDown in Fall 2004, including a No-DQ match I seem to remember. Holly is an asshole backstage, he stiffs in the ring and he has an attitude problem with newcomers. Although I wish him well with his infection, I don't think he should ever carry the main gold.

I think that Matt Hardy is a guy you should have on your list. This guy has put his heart and soul into pro wrestling since he was a child. How many superstars can you name that promoted their own federation during their teens" Matt was always overshadowed by Jeff, despite being more reliable and better in-ring. Matt Hardy is definite US title material, and I think could be a main-event player. Just like William Regal and Val Venis.

Some people may think that these people may never get a main-event push or a title run, and I was thinking that when I started reading. But look at JBL" Three months before he was WWE Champion, he was in a non-title tag team feud with the World's Greatest Tag Team alongside Faarooq. No one would have ever thought that JBL could be champion, even at that point. But with good booking, JBL has turned out to be a real success and was on top of the SmackDown roster for nearly two years before being struck down by injury.

I like this article, but you made a few mistakes with Booker T. He was a five-time WCW Champion. (Have you not been listening to his promos over his WWE tenure") Although he has never been WWE Champion, the WCW Championship counts just as much as the WWE title when it comes to World championships. Therefore, he can't be counted in the 'Best To Never Hold...' category. This is basically just down to the fact that Vince doesn't like pushing talent that made their names in other federations.

Kyle, Baltimore wrote:
Mr. Kennedy is off his rocker in many of these statements. I was all with him through the Val Venis argument. I do not see how a Val push would be any different then when Bradshaw got tossed into the main event mix. Val has great ring work, and if he got a slow build back into the mid-card on Smackdown followed by a big altercation with a championship contender, he could easily get into the mix for the title. It would be difficult on RAW with the level of established talent, along with youngsters being pushed currently. However, when Kennedy begins discussion of Tatanka and William Regal he loses me. Regal in no way should be doing anything beyond managerial duties. He is too old to carry on a regular schedule. He is not in the same shape, nor did he ever have the same skills as Ric Flair. So I don't want to here that comparison. Regal should remain where he is. In fact, i think he is too high on the card right now. Tatanka shouldn't even be on the show. He doesn't have what he once did. His best days were as a heel following the Million Dollar Man's mid-90's run in WWF with Tatanka and Bam Bam Bigelow. A sell-out Indian was when he was at his best. Right now he's a gimmick and nothing more. Gimmicks do not belong in the championship hunt. Booker T is not at the level of HHH, Angle, Cena, Batista, Michaels, etc. Booker is a great high/mid-carder who did his best work as a tag teamer. If he were paired with Shelton Benjiman and called themselves the Harlem Renaissance, it would be great. A passing of the torch in a sense. Booker is a good intercontinental/US champion. People need to realize that wrestlers like Booker, Hardcore Holly, Regal all have a place in wrestling. That place just isn't always at the top of the card. A strong mid-card is vital to a strong show. So being pushed to the top isn't always a necessity. If a guy can make a name and create a following in the mid-card he has arrived. Hacksaw Jim Duggan never held a world title, but he still gets pops. He has a strong following. People will show up at indy shows to see him and to a point at RAW. Let these guys be who they are.Not everybody is a star. A those who try to be 'the man' and don't do it set their careers back. If it is meant to be the crowd will force the issue. However, sometimes it just isnt' meant to be.

Chuck Pane wrote:
In my humble opinion, these people are good people to put the title on in the near future because of the new brand of WWECW. For WWECW 2 become a success, they need to move some wrestlers to the WWECW from the Smackdown brand over like Kid Kash Simon Dean as Nova and Super Crazy to name a few. The Raw brand really has no people that would be good over in WWECW, unless the Bashams get back together, which im hearing is possibly in the works. But I think the best person to never hold the WWE Title or a respectible title reign is D'Lo Brown. The guy had everything. He had the charisma, he had the backup with the Nation of Domination, the agility, in which a 300 lbs man doin a high frog splash. He had a semi-wide move set with the low down, sky high, running powerbomb, D'Lo legdrop, D'Lo leaf, among others. then the nation breaks up, and he gets stuck with Tiger Ali Singh with a horrible gimmic. Anyways, i think that your collumn was great and you explained your reasoning very well.

Jason wrote:
I agree. I don't respect Val for sticking with WWE, but a Val Venis and Edge fued would be great... I remember Val was celebrating by previewing his newest movies, when Edge was running around the crowd begging Vince for a match. But thats just how things go, and How they will always be.

Corey G. wrote:
This is the best article I have ever read on oww.com. Val Venis is one of my all time favorites. He is a good worker, and he is so over with the fans it's not even funny. Anytime I go to see RAW live, the highlight of the night (for me) is his HEAT taping match. I miss the old days when he had girls all over the place and was actually involved in storylines. That aside, I agree with just about everything else you say and I would love to see some of these vets get a shot. This raises another point, which would probably make a good article in itself. There are too many damn wrestlers in the WWE today. The Dicks" The Hearthrobs" Sure these guys are gone, but I hate seeing all of these green workers coming in and eating up time that could be used for established workers, only to see them demoted to OVW or fired altogether within a year...

Sebasti�o Pinto wrote:
-This a very well written column, i think its totaly true that guys like Stevie Richards, Val and Tatanka should have a title shot, they have been given the possible and impossible for this company, if they could win a world or WWE title it would bring realy big ratings to the company, thank you for opening my eyes to that situation.

Scott Stone wrote:
Tito Santana, Nikita Koloff, Big John Studd, King Kong Bundy, Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff, Nikolai Volkoff, Kamala, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Superfly Jimmy Snuka, Don the Magnificent Muraco, Arn Anderson, Dr. Death Steve Williams, Ravishing Rick Rude, Scott Hall, Hacksaw Butch Reed, Junkyard Dog, Brutus Beefcake, Greg the Hammer Valentine, Hecules Hernandez, Davey Boy Smith, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Mr USATony Atlas, Rocky Johnson, Jesse the Body Ventura, Adrian Adonis, Cowboy Bob Orton, Ted DiBiase, Mike Rotundo, Kevin Sullivan, Big Bossman, Jake the Snake Roberts.

You could easily fill a hall of fame with wrestlers who: A) are more accomplished than Val Venis, and B) never held a major world title--and this list would double or triple if you added men like Ricky Morton, Michael Hayes, Stan Lane, and Jim Neidhart (amongst countless others) who wrestled almost exclusively in tag matches. You could also add the names Curt Hennig, Jerry Lawler, and Rick Martel to this list if you don't want to count the old AWA belt as a major world title. I'm not trying to say that Val is not a good wrestler, but letting him hold a title just for the sake of letting him hold it before he retires would be an injustice to these men: many of whom either will be in the hall of fame or already are.

Shannon Castensen wrote:
The best to never hold a title".............Hoooooooooooooo Hacksaw Jim Duggan! Lets face it the guy is more OVER then most of the Raw & Smackdown rosters The guy has put more bums on seats then most of the recent/current champions combined! The guys deserves a title run! What an interesting storyline it would make to have ever-lovable Hacksaw win the world title in a match everyone watching will think he will loose" He did a great job in dying days of WCW putting over a heel Goldberg, where his promos made a lot of people think that he could possibly do it" I'm not saying keep the title on him for a long time but what a deserving shock it would make if he won it on RAW - it would be a lot different from the normal repetitive build up of a wrestler to the world title.

wrote:

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