9 Superstars who won a WWE title in their first year - Where are they now?

#5 Yokozuna's size helped him reach the WWE Championship in just 173 days

Yokozuna literally stood out from the rest of the roster

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.