10 Champion vs. Champion Matches You Totally Forgot About

There's something about champion vs champion matches in wrestling that always entices fans. Seeing two titleholders going at it can lead to some dramatic twists, especially if it's a title vs title match. Yet even if the belts aren't on the line, it's fun seeing titleholders fight just to see who's the better man. Wrestling has seen scores of such battles from Hogan vs Warrior at WrestleMania VI, to the recent clashes of AWE and Impact champions.

While champion vs champion bouts may seem rare, they have happened more often in wrestling history than most expect. Some bouts have fallen out of memory which is a shame given they were good matches between top champions. Others are unique for the circumstances or some odd stipulations. From pure unification matches to some overlooked encounters, fans may have forgotten these ten champion vs champion matches but show what happens when two or more titleholders clash.

10 Kofi Kingston vs Cesaro - RAW, October 29, 2012

It's frustrating seeing how Kofi Kingston and Cesaro both had lots of shots at stardom early in their careers but took a while to get there. This late 2012 RAW match is a good case as Cesaro, the U.S. Champ, took on Intercontinental Champion Kofi on RAW. The two both had some high energy, with Kofi doing his usual high-flying against Cesaro's power moves.

Sadly, just as the bout was getting going, The Miz attacked Kofi to cause a disqualification. R-Truth ran in to help Kofi out and set up a new feud. It's a shame as this could have been a minor classic battle if they'd been given enough time for it.

9 Superstar Billy Graham vs Harley Race - Super Bowl of Wrestling

Back in 1978, before Starrcade or WrestleMania, the NWA and what was then the WWWF joined forces for a "Superbowl of Wrestling" event. The main event was the dream match of WWWF champion Superstar Billy Graham vs NWA champion Harley Race in a unification match.

It was a clash of styles, Graham's power vs Race's skill, with Graham winning the first fall by submission and Race tying it up in the second. It turned into a bloody brawl with Race having Graham down in a sleeper just as the one-hour time limit ran out. Declared a draw, it was a rare match of the two promotions, and no wonder WWE Network had it under their "Hidden Gems."

8 Lashley vs Eddie Edwards - Impact Wrestling, July 21, 2016

Bobby Lashley vs Eddie Edwards title vs title

It's funny how TNA managed to make Bobby Lashley work as a powerhouse champion before WWE did. Lashley was on a dominant run as Impact World Champion in 2016 with he and X Division Champion Eddie Edwards facing off in a title vs title steel cage match.

Edwards smartly used the cage and his high-flying to offset Lashley's power moves. In the end, Lashley's strength was too much to pin Edwards for the X Division Title and assert his dominance in TNA.

7 Ric Flair vs Sting - Clash Of The Champions XXVII

It would take a long time to explain the history of WCW's "International" Championship. Suffice to say, Sting held that big gold belt in early 1994 while Ric Flair was reigning as WCW World Champion. The pair faced off in yet another classic battle, each giving their all to the match.

It culminated in Sherri Martel interfering to allow Flair to cheat and unify the titles. This paved the way for Hulk Hogan's big WCW entrance, but it was fun to see Flair and Sting go at it with two belts on the line.

6 Nikita Koloff vs Terry Taylor - Starrcade 1987

In the late 1980s, Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation was showing real promise. Sadly, a major economic downturn hurt Watts and forced him to sell the UWF to Jim Crockett. Crockett promised a big program between the UWF and his young WCW, but it never came off.

In a unification match at Starrcade '87, UWF TV champ Terry Taylor faced NWA TV Champion Nikita Koloff. Nikita won to unify the belts, which turned out to be the only champion vs champion bouts between the promotions, with the UWF dying out.

5 CM Punk vs Sheamus - Main Event, October 3, 2012

It's sometimes easy to forget that Main Event even exists as a show. WWE wanted to promote it when it debuted in 2012, and so the first episode featured WWE Champion CM Punk taking on World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus.

The match itself was interesting a few times, it looked like both guys were ready to tear it up, but it never quite got to that level. It was still a good bout with Punk getting the win and one of Sheamus' better WWE efforts of the time.

4 Daniel Bryan vs Dolph Ziggler - Bragging Rights 2010

Bragging Rights is a forgotten show that would pit RAW and SmackDown guys against each other. The 2010 event was marked by a terrific opening bout between Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler and U.S. champion Daniel Bryan. The pair went all out trying to kick the show off well with frantic action and some great back and forth.

It looked like Ziggler got the pin, but Bryan's foot was on the ropes, and he eventually forced Ziggler to tap out. Neither title was on the line, but it was one of Bryan's first great matches in WWE.

3 Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs Yokozuna & Davey Boy Smith - In Your House 3

Shawn Michaels And Diesel vs Yokozuna And Davey Boy Smith

At the time, this was a pretty big deal. Diesel, the WWE Champion, and Shawn Michaels, the Intercontinental Champion, faced tag team champs Yokozuna and Owen Hart with the stipulation that if either Diesel or Shawn was pinned, they'd lose their respective belts. Before the match, Owen was explained as unable to make it, so the British Bulldog took his place.

Owen finally did show up and was pinned to give Diesel and Shawn all the belts. The next night, it was announced that because of the substitution, the title change didn't count with Owen and Yoko immediately losing the belts to the Smoking Gunns. Little wonder 1995 WWE was such a mess.

2 Lex Luger & Sting vs Ric Flair & The Giant - WCW Nitro, April 15, 1996

Even by WCW's standards, this was a weird stipulation bout. Luger and Sting were the tag champs against World champion Flair and the Giant, with Luger also the TV champion. If Luger was pinned, he'd lose the TV belt as well as the tag titles, while Flair could lose the World title.

But a loophole said that the Giant could pin Flair for the World title while Sting could pin Luger for the TV belt. This added some tension with the question if the partners could trust each other. It turned out to be moot as the match ended in a double-DQ but one of the more intriguing "multiple belts on the line" bouts.

1 Triple H vs Matt Hardy vs Chris Jericho - SmackDown, October 3, 2008

Triple H vs Hardy vs Jericho champions match from 2008

This is notable as a triple champion match given away on free TV, not a PPV. To promote SmackDown moving to MyNetwork TV, WWE Champion Triple H, World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, and ECW Champion Matt Hardy went at it. None of the titles were on the line, with the trio each wanting to prove they (and their brand) were better.

As expected, the trio put on a wild match that was thrilling to watch with plenty of near falls. Hardy took Jericho down only to eat a Pedigree for Triple H to win, but it was a great clash of three to-level champs.

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