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At AEW Full Gear, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) defeated Jon Moxley to win the top prize in All Elite Wrestling. The surprising part is the new champion's age: MJF is only 26 years old.
However, he isn't the only former WWE Superstar to have won a championship under 27, and this listicle explores four such other names.
#5 MJF is the youngest AEW World Champion.
The evening of November 19, 2022, marked the dawn of the MJF era. After a brutal back-and-forth encounter, Friedman defeated Moxley, with unwarranted help from William Regal, to become the youngest AEW World Champion.
Many fans may not know this, but MJF did appear on WWE programming. He appeared as a security guard backstage for Samoa Joe at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in August 2016. Joe shoved the current AEW World Champion, who was walking too fast.
The 26-year-old never officially inked a contract with the Stamford-based promotion but managed to gain some television time.
#4/3. Former WWE Tag Team Champions Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins
They may not have had the most successful singles career, but Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins have achieved considerable success as a tag team. As "Edgeheads," Hawkins and Ryder joined La Familia, a stable that helped Edge keep the World Heavyweight Championship at all costs, in late 2007.
They won the WWE Tag Team Championship at The Great American Bash in July 2008. Edgeheads held onto the titles for two months. More than a decade later, Hawkins and Ryder would win the championships again.
However, at the time of their first title win, Hawkins and Ryder were just 23, making them the youngest tag-team champions up until that point. Given their early success, it was a massive let-down that neither man became a huge success.
#2. Former WWE Divas Champion Paige had a short but successful run.
A career-halting neck injury forced Paige to retire when she announced her in-ring retirement in April 2018. However, the young second-generation star left an indelible footprint in the women's division.
At just 20, Paige won the inaugural NXT Women's Championship. The AEW star's passion and determination knew no bounds as she outdid herself months later. Debuting on the night after WrestleMania 30, the British Superstar defeated AJ Lee on RAW to win the Divas Title, the top prize in the then women's division.
Paige was 21 at the time of her Divas Title victory, and defeating the top dog in the division on her first night was a massive milestone in her short but successful WWE career.
#1 Nicholas was RAW Tag Team Champion at 10.
Braun Strowman entered the RAW Tag Team division in the final weeks leading up to WrestleMania 34. He was set to face The Bar but hadn't selected a team-mate until The Show of Shows. Strowman hand-picked a random ten-year-old from the crowd in the Mercedez-Benz Superdome as his partner.
Introducing himself as Nicholas, the ten-year-old sensation won the RAW Tag Team Titles without throwing a single punch as The Monster Among Men ran over The Bar. The next night, Strowman and Nicholas had to relinquish their championships because the latter had to go to school.
Nicholas was later revealed as referee John Cone's son. To this day, it remains unclear if Cone's child signed a contract, but the history books still list the ten-year-old as a champion.
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