5 WWE stars who lost their push after dropping the World Title
It's hard to win a world title in WWE, but it's even harder to keep it. Some rise with the belt and others fall fast once the gold is gone. When Jey Uso defeated Gunther at WrestleMania 41, his emotional ascent reached its zenith. However, Jey's reign came to an end just a few months later when The Ring General reclaimed his throne on RAW following WWE Money in the Bank 2025.
Before the main list, it's impossible not to mention two infamous examples of this phenomenon. Jinder Mahal’s 2017 WWE Championship reign never connected with the audience, and The Modern Day Maharaja quickly fell back down the card after losing to AJ Styles. Similarly, Jack Swagger’s 2010 cash-in led to a forgettable World Heavyweight Championship run, and The All-American American spent the rest of his WWE career in the midcard.
Here are five WWE stars who lost their push after dropping the world title.
#5. Kofi Kingston
After defeating Daniel Bryan to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 in 2019, Kofi Kingston enjoyed a successful reign. However, Brock Lesnar defeated him in a matter of seconds to win the championship when SmackDown debuted on FOX.
After that quick loss, The Jamaican Sensation quietly returned to tag team competition and was no longer part of the main event picture.
#4. Big E
After cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Bobby Lashley, Big E became WWE Champion in 2021. Due to poor booking, his title run did not live up to expectations, despite being a fan favorite.
Big E was moved back to SmackDown after losing the title to Brock Lesnar after almost 100 days, and his singles push quietly came to an end.
#3. Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens became Universal Champion in 2016 after Triple H helped him defeat Seth Rollins. He and Chris Jericho were rumored to be the main event at WrestleMania 33, but those plans never materialized.
Mr. Wrestling lost the title to Goldberg at Fastlane 2017 and later went on to win the U.S. Title. KO's time in the main event scene faded after that.
#2. Dolph Ziggler
One of the loudest reactions from fans came when Dolph Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013 after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract.
Unfortunately, he soon lost momentum due to an injury and lost the title. Since then, The Natural has stayed in the mid-card and hasn’t had another major run.
#1. Finn Balor
Finn Balor made a big impact on his first night on RAW by beating Roman Reigns. He later won the Universal Championship at SummerSlam 2016. But a shoulder injury during that match forced him to give up the belt the very next night.
Although Balor returned and won other championships, he never got the same kind of push again. Two years later, the Irish Young Gun received a second chance at the Universal Championship but failed to win it then as well.
