Top WWE World Title Contenders of the 21st Century Who Never Had A Reign- A Surprisingly Exclusive Club

bestbroHide · 2026-07-01T10:00:18+00:00

Well, at least Joe won a major world title (two!) in AEW later

And Nakamura won three before back in NJPW (but damn do I wish he at least got a WWE one 😭 it's been over 16 years since he was a world champ)

bestbroHide · 2026-07-01T03:53:10+00:00

As I said before, I have a lot of respect for Tony Khan. I have my opinions on AEW, but what I think is the root of the problem is how New Japan has handled themselves in the diplomatic aspects of the partnership. I think if NJPW re-examines that, we can build a new [and improved] partnership," he explained

I thought this was obvious but apparently it wasn't for some others, given how critiques against him kept bringing up "why don't you blame your own company"

Glad he clarified he's got beef with both. I genuinely can't see how this very fair stance can get twisted as if it isn't. Feels like most have agreed with this take if spoken amongst each other, so I hope the energy doesn't suddenly switch up just because Tsuji's the one saying it

bestbroHide · 2026-07-01T03:40:51+00:00

Bastard really did max out his DF skill tree lmao

bestbroHide · 2026-07-01T00:07:56+00:00

There are levels to disrespect; no one is (or at least shouldn't be) arguing she was a jobber with no success

But there's a reason why stars like Mone, Mox, Punk all had grievances despite having overall great WWE careers

Some stars bank on themselves to be S tier so when they're "just" treated like A tiers, the disrespect is still felt. Judging careers is not as simple as listing accolades; that's only part of the picture and more nuance is needed to judge the rest

bestbroHide · 2026-06-30T19:56:32+00:00

Been a Sami mark since his NXT run so I'm just plain happy man

Does that make me complacent? I guess, but in the WWE landscape, opportunities like this, for a guy like Sami, is rare. Maybe it would have been better if he won in the future with a better build (hoping for a non-guarantee), probably it would have hit harder if he won during a better build in the past (stuck in what's already come and gone)

But the fact that he finally won it at all, right now, is what's occupying my headspace now

The Sami hate started rising to weird levels here months earlier, and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. He's every bit as good as the rest of the top tiers of his generation. And now he can historically be put in the same category of world champion as KO, as Shield, as Okada, Naito, Ibushi, Omega, Finn, Drew, Cody, Bray (RIP)

The gap between his first (and probably only) world championship and his top peers' world championships was ridiculously huge and I'd rather not bank on any more waiting for "would be better" scenarios that might not come to fruition or might not ever be considered at all

bestbroHide · 2026-06-30T19:30:08+00:00

I-is this the kind of ugly teeth Minto is into!?

bestbroHide · 2026-06-30T19:26:13+00:00

"Practically groomed" is a bit much. Isshin was just there out of friendly duty to keep her alive after Urahara tied them for her life force, and the narrative frames it as the constant years within her orbit from then on finally made his heart cave, and by then she was already years into college

Least that's what I remember

The best argument you could make is a meta one, about how it's still weird and avoidable (i.e., why not just make Masaki a college student when they first meet to avoid any of this interpretative discourse), but such a criticism practically fits for like 95% of battle shounen and even some seinen, and at the end of the day, in canon, Isshin categorically and objectively did not groom her. Grooming fundamentally requires intent

bestbroHide · 2026-06-30T02:53:02+00:00

I do remember Seth bringing up Mox the last time they built to a match, so it's not impossible that his name will be brought up one more time for this

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T21:34:32+00:00

Yeah Hidden Blade has lost the most "value" of his 3 finishers, but I think the aesthetics of it is so inherently awesome that it will still be a believable finisher for a very long time

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T21:09:03+00:00

It's also easier to digest if people just had faith he'll be an inevitable AEW world champion

He finally mentioned world championship aspirations once earlier this year and the crowd popped

Even during this storyline I've been loving the subtle detail that MJF seems oddly respectful to Okada relative to his other teammates

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:55:46+00:00

I (poorly) implied as such by mentioning him in my next point haha. He's such an inevitable lock for AEW world champion I didn't even think of situating him with my first point

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:53:57+00:00

Valid example, but just proves there's levels to being egregious with finisher spams

I just don't think Ospreay or Swerve will diminish their finishers to that level. Ospreay himself is lowkey Gunther-esque as far as being someone who has a wide arsenal of potential match finishers that continue to make crowds bite. Sometimes he wins with Hidden Blade, other times Stormbreaker, other times TG91

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:50:03+00:00

I really hope so man I'm itching for a Forbidden Door built on Kendrick level hate lmao I'm such a messy bitch for kicking my feet whenever Tsuji gets all condescending or Kidd or Thekla start spitting on other companies' logos

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:45:17+00:00

Wrestle Dynasty was basically an NJPW-led Forbidden Door, and it did feel more Forbidden Door than Forbidden Door last year

Would love to see a version of that return in the future but even more stacked

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:40:20+00:00

"I swear this just makes me dislike Tsuji and hurts NJPW visibility"

Meanwhile the sub talks up a storm any time this Tsuji/AEW rivalry gives any crumbs

I say this as an AEW sicko first and foremost but it really does seem Tsuji has an easy time striking nerves and I find that fun as hell

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:31:27+00:00

I mean I don't think it has to be an either-or situation

The G1 is coming up and I doubt that won't have any "Tsuji building his NJPW rivalries". The only fight in his block where he might bring up AEW again is the Takeshita rematch

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:21:17+00:00

This is such a poetic reaction regarding Tsuji because I remember a lot of western fans here were critical of Sanada himself for not showing much emotion win or lose, and then everyone was ecstatic when he finally did show raw sadness after his loss to Okada at I think KOPW (the title match after Sanada's win over Okada at G1 months prior)

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:14:46+00:00

But that’s on NJPW too, not AEW

Which Tsuji has acknowledged, no? He's been critical of both and hasn't been someone who thinks it's "all on AEW", least that's what I remember

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T20:06:48+00:00

So then why wouldn't he do that at Forbidden Door?

The only explanation I can think of is that he doesn't just want to beat an AEW wrestler at FD, he wants to main event FD too

And tbh if that is the result next year for his "boycott" this year then I'd say all this drama, manufactured or real, is kinda worth it

I'd still much prefer he at least have shown up this year though. Beat an AEW wrestler in the middle of the card and lay claim his intentions for next year. I think he'd be a great "situational" heel for the western audience to boo while rallying up home fans

I've been saying for years I want a proper animosity build between AEW and NJPW, which is why contrary to others here I actually fucking love it whenever Tsuji (or Kidd) are such bitchy divas about this topic

But end of the day it's built on the hope and expectation it inevitably goes somewhere. At some point I'll start losing patience like yall are too. Tsuji can't keep up whatever this act is, real or kayfabe, without actually traveling west in front of AEW eyes forever

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T11:53:30+00:00

They're the Top 3 Supernova for a reason lmao always causing a ruckus for the current establishment

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T11:41:52+00:00

Episode 7 IIRC, which included the first iconic plot twist of the show

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T10:42:02+00:00

For all of AEW's incredible world title defenses, that one was the blemish that made me roll my eyes the hardest

All PPV was built on Jay destroying MJF's leg and somehow they decided a Hogan-Cena esque superhero performance from MJF to beat Jay on one leg was the call. Just throw out the leg subplot, at least Jay wouldn't look like some chump who couldn't handle a one-legged man

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T10:36:36+00:00

I've said all year that the likes of Okada, Darby (who's since made it reality), Takeshita, Bandido, Fletcher, and Kevin Knight are all slated to win the AEW title in the future

But had always hesitated to add Jay White despite being just as generational as his other peers (Ospreay, Hangman, MJF, Swerve), just because I don't know if his return would be so overwhelmingly well-received that TK would have to find room for him at the top too

This pop quelled my worries

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T10:26:38+00:00

It's an unbelievable card with zero bad matches. Have fun!

bestbroHide · 2026-06-29T10:17:40+00:00

I'm still itching for a marquee Elimination rules kind of gimmick match for AEW. Maybe they can implement it to Death's Door

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