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Most WWE Superstars have had to work for a few years in developmental territories or on NXT before they make it to the main roster. However, several major names broke through and made it big right away.
With their eyes on the prize, Superstars such as Kofi Kingston have had to wait for several years to even gain a WWE Championship opportunity. On the other hand, there are several former and current WWE Superstars who managed to become no.1 contenders to the top titles very early in their careers. This allowed them to become world champions within a year of their debut.
The instant success paved the way for some of the most iconic careers in WWE history. We will look at the nine Superstars who won a WWE title within their first year of debuting on the main roster.
#9 Kurt Angle won the WWE Championship in 343 days
Not many men could match Kurt Angle’s skills in the ring. That is exactly what made the Olympic Gold Medalist a treat for the WWE Universe. After deliberating about a professional wrestling career for a few years, Angle finally made his television debut for WWE at Survivor Series in 1999.
It didn’t take long for Angle to become a big star with the company. He ended up winning both the WWE European Championship and the Intercontinental Championship in February 2000.
He later pursued the world title and defeated The Rock at No Mercy 2000 to become the WWE Champion in just under a year. The victory also made him the first person to have ever won the Olympic Gold medal and the world championship.
Angle had a successful career with WWE. Afterward, he worked with other promotions before he returned.
The WWE Hall of Famer competed in his final match at WrestleMania 35 and has made sporadic appearances for the company ever since. He has appeared in a few movies and television shows, and lent his voice to a few episodes of OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes in recent years.
#8 Big Show won the WWE Championship after 273 days
The biggest Superstar on this list signed his WWE contract on Feb. 9, 1999, and made his television debut at St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House. He became Vince McMahon’s enforcer during his initial days in the company.
It didn’t take long for The Big Show to start his reign of terror in the company. He won the WWE Tag Team Championships twice with The Undertaker, once in August and again in September 1999.
Then, Big Show defeated The Rock and Triple H in a Triple Threat match to become the WWE Champion at Survivor Series 1999. This allowed The World’s Largest Athlete to win the WWE title just 273 days after his debut.
The four-time world champion has achieved a lot in his illustrious career, and still makes sporadic appearances for the company. He has worked tirelessly to put several Superstars over during his time with the company. Outside the ring, Big Show has appeared in several movies and tv shows. He even had his own Netflix series in 2020.
#7 Kane launched himself to the WWE Championship in 266 days
Kane is one of the most iconic Superstars in WWE history. While he was part of the company before 1997, WWE officially recognizes the time between his debut as Kane and his world title reign as 266 days.
Kane made his re-debut at Badd Blood: In Your House on Oct/ 5, 1997, and attacked The Undertaker. Kane's action caused The Deadman to lose his match against Shawn Michaels. Kane and The Undertaker continued to feud for several months.
On June 1, 1998, Kane defeated The Undertaker to become the number one contender to Stone Cold Steve Austin’s WWE Championship. Kane defeated Austin at King of the Ring 1998 to become the new WWE Champion only to lose his title the next day.
Kane isn’t the only man on this list who became a world champion for a single day. Currently, Kane is on a hiatus as he serves as the Mayor of Knox County. However, he has graced WWE with his presence wherever they’ve required him to make an appearance.
Kane is one of the longest-tenured employees in WWE today, and he will likely compete in a few more big matches before he calls it a day.
#6 AJ Styles took just 231 days to become the WWE Champion
AJ Styles received one of the biggest pops in Royal Rumble history when he made his WWE debut during the 2016 edition of the pay-per-view. Styles was regarded as one of the most highly regarded wrestlers in the world, and his arrival was met with an overwhelmingly positive response.
While Styles didn't win the Royal Rumble match, he left a huge mark on the fans. Afterward, he entered high-profile rivalries with Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, and John Cena in the months that followed.
At Backlash 2016, Styles defeated Dean Ambrose to win his first WWE Championship. The victory allowed him to take home his first major title within eight months of his WWE debut.
Since then, The Phenomenal One has been one of the most iconic WWE Championship reigns in modern history, giving fans something new during both of his reigns.
Styles is still a major part of the WWE locker room, and he will likely add to his tally of world championship reigns before he hangs up his boots.
#5 Yokozuna's size helped him reach the WWE Championship in just 173 days
During the 1990s, WWE looked to load their roster with some of the biggest men in the wrestling industry. In 1992, Vince McMahon decided to sign Yokozuna and give him a chance to dominate with his size.
On Sept. 1, 1992, Yokozuna made his debut. Mr. Fuji managed him on October 31, 1992, as he played the role of a sumo wrestler hailing from Japan. The big man got his big break during the 1993 Royal Rumble match where he eliminated Randy Savage to win.
At WrestleMania IX, Yokozuna took on Bret Hart for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. While Hart had the big man locked into the Sharpshooter, Mr. Fuji threw salt into Hart’s face to allow Yokozuna to win his first WWE title.
Yokozuna lost the title to Hulk Hogan the very same night but managed to reclaim it after a couple of months for his final WWE Championship reign. His weight and health conditions started to take a toll on him and the company released him in 1997.
Yokozuna passed away from pulmonary edema on Oct. 23, 2000 while on an independent wrestling tour of Europe.
#4 Sheamus won the WWE Championship in 166 days
After conquering the European independent circuit for several years, Sheamus appeared for WWE for the first time in November 2006 to take a Pedigree from Triple H. He signed his first WWE contract in 2007 and started working in the company's developmental territory.
The Celtic Warrior made his official television debut in late June 2009, and it did not take him long to click with the WWE Universe. Sheamus won a “Break-through” Battle Royal for a shot at a world championship. As a result, he became the number one contender for John Cena's WWE title.
At WWE TLC in December 2009, The Celtic Warrior defeated Cena in a Tables Match to become the first Irish-born WWE Champion. It took him less than six months to achieve this magnificent feat. He would go on to enjoy four world championship reigns.
Sheamus is still signed with WWE and one of the company’s longest-tenured Superstars. He is currently performing on RAW where fans could see him enter the world title picture once again.
#3 Brock Lesnar conquered the WWE Championship in 126 days
Paul Heyman has been behind many young and budding WWE Superstars during his career, but one man has benefitted the most from associating with him, Brock Lesnar.
After a stint in OVW, Lesnar arrived on the main roster in March 2002. The heel dubbed as The Next Big Thing rolled over everyone who stood in his path. Three months later, Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament and earned a shot at the WWE Undisputed Championship at SummerSlam.
The Beast took down The Rock at SummerSlam in August 2002 to become the youngest WWE Champion of all time at age 25. It took him just over four months to win WWE's top prize and enter the big leagues.
Lesnar has since become a world champion eight times, with one of his WWE Universal Championship reigns lasting for a record 503-days.
Currently, Lesnar’s WWE contract status is unknown. It seems like he hasn't signed a new contract with the company. This means he could either sign an even bigger contract with the company or go back to UFC for one final run.
#2 Ric Flair became the WWE Champion in only 113 days
The Dirtiest Player in the Game signed with WWE in August 1991 after he left WCW. Ric Flair started appearing on television with his Financial Adviser, Bobby Heenan, and Executive Consultant, Mr. Perfect.
At Royal Rumble 1992, Flair entered as entrant number three and lasted 60 minutes. He finally eliminated Sid Justice with the help of Hulk Hogan to win the vacant WWE Championship in the process. The victory made him a WWE World Champion just 113 days after his debut.
This was the first of his 16 world titles that The Nature Boy won during his illustrious career with WWE. Had he not left the company on a few occasions to try his luck elsewhere, he may have won the world title a few more times.
Flair retired from wrestling following his final loss against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV. He has since appeared with WWE several times and has also been managed by his daughter, Charlotte Flair.
While Flair’s appearances have reduced over the years due to his age and the COVID-19 pandemic, he is still one of the biggest names that WWE frequently calls upon to boost ratings.
#1 Finn Balor became the WWE Universal Champion in just 27 days
This entry stands out from the rest as Finn Balor signed with WWE in 2014 and competed for two years on its developmental brand, NXT. During his time on the black and gold brand, Balor won the NXT Championship once and set the record for the longest title reign.
However, since we are overlooking the time Superstars have spent in developmental territories, we’ll look at The Demon King’s main roster debut instead.
Balor made his first appearance on the main roster on July 25, 2016, where he defeated Rusev, Cesaro, and Kevin Owens in a Four-Way Match. Later, he beat Roman Reigns for a chance to become the inaugural WWE Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016.
At SummerSlam, Balor fought through an injury to defeat Seth Rollins to become the Universal Champion just 27 days after his main roster debut. While Balor was forced to relinquish the title a night later, it is still counted as his first world title reign in the company.
Balor has been a top performer in WWE ever since. He is currently back on NXT where he recently became a two-time NXT Champion.
