Being a great champion does not necessitate being popular.  These men went out and did their job each and every night. They defended the title and dropped the title when told to do so.  There was never an "EGO" problem as with todays so called champions.  None of these men would have forfeited the title in order to avoid doing the "job" (ala Shawn Michaels) and while some may have had outside help in some matches, nothing compares to the extent Hogan goes to in order to gain or retain a title. Hogan's "EGO" is killing the sport of wrestling.

The reason this list does NOT include Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan is simple.  Popularity does not make one a great champion.  In Shawn Michaels case, he has gone out of his way to avoid doing the job on more than one occasion.  In Hogan's case, he has never "won" the title without help from the outside.  As champion, Hogan rarely defended the title and when he did he has always had some kind of help in retaining the title.  Steve Austin, while entertaining has not proven himself to be of the same caliber as the above men.