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The WWE Championship is arguably the top wrestling title in the industry. Wrestlers work day and night to prove themselves to the WWE creatives and win the big prize at least once in their careers. However, only a handful of Superstars have been fortunate enough to win the WWE title.
The company has arguably tried to change things around and award the Championship to Superstars who weren’t seen as “championship material” by many. Some Superstars were awarded the title too early in their careers, and this ended up causing some problems for them further down the line.
On the other hand, there are a few big names who had to wait a long time to win the title. Some of these Superstars could not do so in their prime and failed to make the impact that they could have, had they been given the title at an earlier stage.
Let’s take a look at three Superstars who won the WWE Championship too early in their career, and three who won it rather late.
#6 Early - Sheamus won the WWE Championship 166 days after his debut
Sheamus walked into WWE in 2006, but it took him almost three years to make his on-screen debut for the company. The Irish Superstar made his television debut as a heel in 2009, on an episode of ECW.
Sheamus started working his way up the ladder, and his physique and work in the ring allowed him to come across as a good heel. It took the Superstar less than six months to win the WWE Championship from John Cena at the WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay-per-view.
The Celtic Warrior’s reign as WWE Champion lasted just 70 days and was filled with disqualification victories. Even though Sheamus was playing a heel character, his title reign was largely forgettable due to the nature of his title defenses.
The Irish Superstar himself revealed that he couldn’t believe that he’d won the title so early in his career, and others around him were also in shock.
“I was like, ‘this is mad!’ I just had the title in my hand at the hotel room and the whole thing was just crazy, it just didn’t register at the time. Everyone was like, what the f*ck’s going on?"
“But when you win it, that’s great, it’s fantastic and you shock the world. But, then I had to go and prove to everybody (including myself) that this was not a fluke.”
Sheamus’ WWE Championship victory was seen as premature by many, and it took him some time to get accustomed to WWE. By the time he got his second run with the title, he was a much better and more complete Superstar.
#5 Late - Rob Van Dam took a long time to win the WWE Championship
Rob Van Dam was seen as one of the most popular WWE Superstars in the early 2000s. After making a name for himself in ECW, RVD moved to WWE in 2001 as part of the Invasion angle.
It did not take him too long to win his first major title in WWE as he became the Intercontinental Champion at WrestleMania X8. RVD’s value continued to grow as his daredevil attitude helped him get over with the fans in the early 2000s. His popularity peaked around 2002, and that would potentially have been the perfect time to pull the trigger and make him WWE Champion.
However, RVD had to wait until 2006 before he would finally lift the gold at ECW One Night Stand. His reign as Champion did not last too long, and he fell into a controversy soon after which led to his suspension.
While RVD was doing well before 2006, the creatives waited for too long before awarding him the top title of the company. At that point, John Cena and Edge were gaining a lot of popularity and overshadowed RVD’s work and title reign.
#4 Early - Kane won the WWE Championship soon after reinventing his character
Kane made his WWE debut in 1995 and immediately started making an impact in the company. The Kane character was brought to the front in 1997, and the Superstar was reborn. His rivalry against The Undertaker remains one of the most unforgettable times in WWE history.
After becoming a great villainous force in WWE, the Superstar was able to defeat “Stone Cold” Steve Austin at King of the Ring 1998 in a First Blood match to become WWE Champion. Mankind and The Undertaker interfered in the match, and The Phenom's attack led to Kane winning the match.
However, Kane’s title reign did not last more than 24 hours. Austin was able to defeat Kane the next night on RAW is WAR and win back the title from The Big Red Machine.
Kane’s title reign did not make much sense, as WWE could have waited for some time before making him the WWE Champion and then kept the title on him for longer. Instead, he was used to simply increase Austin’s title reigns in the company. The loss took some value from the monstrous Superstar, who could have done without a 24-hour reign as the WWE Champion.
#3 Late - Kofi Kingston had to wait a long time for his WWE Championship reign
Kofi Kingston stepped into WWE in 2006 and started building himself as an impressive highflyer in the ring. Kingston did not have too much wrestling experience before joining WWE, but it looked like he was born to wrestle once he found his footing in the company.
Kingston continued to remain in the mix for the mid-card Championships and the Tag Team Championships for most of his time in WWE. However, the Superstar was always overlooked for the top title, even though he was seen as an excellent performer.
All that changed once the WWE Universe got behind the Superstar in 2019 and started demanding a top title run for the veteran. Things started to turn in Kofi’s favor, and the company built a great storyline around it.
At WrestleMania 35, Kofi defeated Daniel Bryan to bag his first WWE Championship, nearly 13 years after he stepped into the company. Even though it took a long time for the veteran to win the title, he made things memorable by being a great Champion.
This was Kofi’s first WWE Championship reign, and he might not reach the same level again in his career. It took a long time for WWE to believe in the Superstar, and he delivered as soon as he got the chance.
#2 Early - Jack Swagger won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship less than two years after his debut
Jack Swagger had a good time in WWE during the initial part of his career. Swagger was given a massive push early on, making his ECW debut in September 2008, and it took him only a few months to become the ECW Champion.
In 2010, the WWE Superstar won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania XXVI and earned himself a WWE World Championship contract. In April 2010, Swagger cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Chris Jericho for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
The Superstar held the title for 79 days before he lost it to Rey Mysterio. Swagger’s reign as the World Heavyweight Champion wasn’t too long or memorable, even though he tried to fine-tune his character.
The creatives gave Swagger a chance too early in his career and it could be said he wasn’t able to impress as much as they would have expected.
It took Swagger some time to find himself in the wrestling industry, but his career has been a successful one. He currently resides in AEW.
#1 Late - Bobby Lashley won the WWE Championship very late in his career
Bobby Lashley joined WWE in 2005 and was booked as a dominant Superstar. Lashley had several good rivalries and was moved to the ECW brand where he soon became the top Champion. Following his stint in ECW, Lashley tried to enter the WWE Championship scene, but failed to win the title.
Soon after, Lashley left the company and tried his hands at other promotions. The All Mighty also moved away from the squared circle and started competing in the MMA cage for some time.
Lashley was successful in other promotions and returned to WWE in 2018, in hopes of winning the company’s top title. Even though a portion of the WWE Universe was behind him, the creatives didn't give him the final push that he deserved.
However, in 2021, Lashley finally defeated The Miz to become the WWE Champion, his first World title in the company. It took him a very long time to become the WWE Champion, even though his work and physique should have allowed him to win the title in his first stint.
The Superstar is 44 years old, but still has one of the best physiques in the company. This could help him remain at the top of WWE for a few years before he retires.
