Looking Back at Some of the Great Wrestlemania Performers
With the Undertaker successfully extending his streak to 18 wins at Wrestlemania, I thought it might help put that astonishing record into context if we had a look at the competition. With that in mind, I have composed this list of some of the greats of Wrestlemania, which I have arranged in a loose top 20, based primarily on how many matches people have had at Wrestlemania, then on victories and championships won or retained. This is not necessarily a list of the 20 best Wrestlemania records, however, simply an arrangement of 20 of the biggest names in the event’s history.
20 Ric Flair
The Nature Boy is at the bottom of my list simply because the bulk of his career was spent outside WWE. As a result, he only wrestled five matches at Mania, and he lost four of those. Nevertheless, he did give us one of the enduring moments in Mania history with his final Mania match even if, in the eyes of some fans, he has rather cheapened that moment by returning to the ring.
19 Batista
Injuries have prevented Batista from racking up a few more Mania appearances. Thus far he has achieved only three Wrestlemania victories, set against two defeats. That said, one of those victories was over Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship in what must be remembered as one of the great storylines of the decade.
18 The Ultimate Warrior
A happy accident sees Warrior and Batista side by side in this listing. Like Batista, Warrior has had five Wrestlemania matches but his four and one record nudges him ahead. Also like Batista, one of Warrior’s victories saw him win a title against a dominant champion, Hulk Hogan, at Wrestlemania 6. That moment alone suffices to book him a place on any list of Mania greats.
17 Mick Foley
With six Wrestlemania matches we come to Mrs Foley’s baby boy, the hardcore legend himself. It is perhaps unsurprising that Foley’s record is stacked towards the loss column, with two wins, three losses and one double count-out. Even so, Foley participated in a main event at Wrestlemania 2000 and won the tag team titles with his mentor Terry Funk in a fondly remembered dumpster match at Wrestlemania 14. He also provided one of the most spectacular moments in Mania history when Edge speared him through a flaming table.
16 Owen Hart
Another man who had six matches at Wrestlemania, Owen actually had an impressively dominant record, winning five of his six matches. His most famous victory was probably his Wrestlemania 10 victory over brother Bret but he also won and retained tag team championships at the big dance.
15 Roddy Piper
Piper is probably another man you might have expected more Wrestlemania matches from. Nevertheless, although a mainstay of the first two Manias, Piper only had seven Wrestlemania matches and only two victories. Having said that, he was involved in several more Wrestlemanias, whether hosting Piper’s Pit or acting as a special referee. His ultimate moment has to be his participation in the main event of Wrestlemania itself (as he said at this year’s Hall of Fame Induction, “I was there when it didn’t have a number”) when he teamed with “Mr Wonderful” Paul Orndorff against Hogan and Mr T.
14 Kurt Angle
The Olympic gold medallist also stands on seven Wrestlemania matches but, with three victories, he edges just ahead of the rowdy one. Even so, Angle has lost more than he’s won on the grandest stage, and he must be the only man in history to lose two titles at the same Wrestlemania (Wrestlemania 2000, if you’re interested). A truly great wrestler, Kurt has rarely had bad matches but his high point must be his Wrestlemania 21 clash with Shawn Michaels – the last match Angle would ever win at Wrestlemania.
13 Randy Orton
With exactly the same record (three wins, four losses) as Kurt Angle, the only reason I have moved Mr Orton up is that one of his victories saw him retain the WWE Championship – Angle never won a title match at Wrestlemania. One of the many victims of The Undertaker, one somehow feels that Orton is yet to have his truly defining Wrestlemania moment.
12 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Yet another man on seven Wrestlemania matches, within that seven Austin boasts an incredibly dominant record. Not only has he earned five wins for two losses, three of Austin’s Wrestlemania wins (14, 15 and 17) saw him capture the WWE Championship. Yet, it is one of his defeats that probably stands out the most, his “I Quit” loss to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania 13. Although many will point out Shawn Michaels as the man who made Austin at Wrestlemania 14, it was this match where Austin “passed out from the pain” and refused to quit that truly legitimised him as a main-eventer.
11 John Cena
An even more dominant record than Austin’s belongs to the Chaingang soldier, with six wins and only one defeat. Cena has also won both the World Heavyweight and WWE Championships at Mania, as well as twice retaining the WWE Championship and winning the US Championship! The fact that no less than three of his six victories have come by submission also makes him the most successful submission wrestler in Mania history. Like many others, Cena’s finest Wrestlemania moment probably came against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 23.
10 The Rock
Moving on to eight Wrestlemania matches, we come to the Great One, whose record is exactly even at four wins and four losses. When two of those losses come in a fantastic series of main events with Steve Austin, however, they’re almost as good as victories! The Rock twice retained the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania but his greatest moment has to be Wrestlemania 18, when he defeated Hulk Hogan in one of the most emotional matches in Mania history.
9 Randy Savage
The Macho Man was truly a Wrestlemania specialist. A two time WWE Champion, both of his title victories came at Wrestlemania. At Wrestlemania 4 he actually won 4 matches to win his first WWE Championship, which he held onto until Wrestlemania 5 when he lost it to Hulk Hogan! Wrestlemania 8 saw him beat Ric Flair for the title, one year after supposedly being retired by The Ultimate Warrior but it is his Wrestlemania 3 Intercontinental Title match with Ricky Steamboat that remains his outstanding moment. A record of eleven matches, although only wrestling on eight Wrestlemania cards, which is why I have ranked him at this point, with seven wins and four defeats truly does not tell the whole story.
8 Chris Jericho
Having competed at nine Wrestlemanias, it is impressive that I have Jericho’s win/loss record as four and six! This is because Wrestlemania 2000 saw him effectively wrestle two matches, where he was pinned the first time but won the European Championship the second. Jericho’s greatest Wrestlemania success came this year when he successfully retained the World Heavyweight Championship against Edge; however, most would rank his defeat to Shawn Michaels as his greatest Wrestlemania match.
7 Edge
Amusingly, although Jericho this year taunted Edge for missing Wrestlemanias through injury, they have, in fact, worked the same amount of Manias. Edge, however, has a slightly more impressive record of five wins and four losses, including two tag team championship victories. One interesting fact is that Edge has lost his last four Wrestlemania matches, having won all of his first five. Edge has generally been a big-time player who has always brought his a-game to Wrestlemania but, for me, his victory with Christian at TLC 2, back in Wrestlemania 17, is still his standout moment.
6 Hulk Hogan
For many years Hulk Hogan more or less WAS Wrestlemania and his record reflects that. Hulk Hogan wrestled at eleven Wrestlemanias in all, including the first nine, and managed to compete in twelve matches, of which he won eight. It is not terribly surprising, therefore, that his losses are often more memorable than his victories, particularly against Ultimate Warrior and The Rock. Even so, there can only be one choice for Hulk Hogan’s defining Mania moment – his victory over Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3.
5 Kane
The Undertaker’s impressive Wrestlemania record probably helps to explain why people often overlook the fact that Kane has notched up a pretty impressive record himself. Having appeared in twelve Wrestlemanias, Kane has become part of the furniture at the big event. His record, of five wins and seven losses, may not seem quite so impressive but, when one considers that three of those losses came in Money in the Bank matches and two against The Undertaker, his record begins to look more dominant. His very first Wrestlemania match, against Undertaker at Wrestlemania 14, is probably still his best moment.
4 Bret Hart
The tremendous fitness and consistency of Bret Hart saw him compete in 12 consecutive Wrestlemanias, from 2 to 13, an amazing record in itself. Adding his latest appearance at this year’s event, that means that Bret has participated in fully half of all the Wrestlemanias, wrestling a total of fourteen matches. His win/loss record of eight and six illustrates the generosity of his career, not to mention the fact that Bret didn’t need a win to make a Wrestlemania moment – witness his losses to Shawn Michaels and Owen Hart, as well as the battle royal finish at Wrestlemania 4. Nevertheless, I would have to say that Bret’s greatest moment is one that’s already appeared on this list – the “I Quit” match with Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13. This match was one of the defining moments of WWE history, which paved the way for the Attitude Era and all that followed.
3 Triple H
Another incredibly consistent performer, this year Triple H wrestled his fourteenth Wrestlemania match at his fourteenth Wrestlemania – a staggering feat when one considers that he is still only forty and in great shape. Perhaps surprisingly, however, given the constant accusations that he uses his influence to leverage his own position, Hunter’s win-loss record is dead even – seven wins and seven losses. Even so, Wrestlemania has been good to Triple H. No one has retained more championships at the big event than he has – three times Triple H has walked into Wrestlemania a world champion and left the same way. He also boasts the little-known record that he is the only man ever to beat Owen Hart at Wrestlemania. Many would say that Hunter is still searching for that truly defining Mania moment. His match with Undertaker at Wrestlemania 17 was a true classic but I would place his fatal four-way victory at Wrestlemania 2000 on the top of his list. Not only did he successfully retain the WWE title against three challengers – The Rock, Mick Foley and The Big Show – he did what no one had ever done before. He became the first heel ever to leave Wrestlemania victorious in the main event.
2 Shawn Michaels
The man they call “Mr Wrestlemania” comes in at number two with an astonishing 17 Manias! It would have been more if he hadn’t missed Wrestlemania 13, as well. At first glance, Michaels’ slanted win-loss record of a mere six wins and eleven defeats might seem to take the gloss off of his record but, as usual, the wins and losses don’t tell the whole story here. Yet, although Michaels had well and truly made his name by the time of his first, forced, retirement after Wrestlemania 14, it is his performances since his comeback at Wrestlemania 19 that have really been consistently stellar. His matches against Chris Jericho, John Cena and Ric Flair have all been outstanding and when one adds to them his earlier main events with Bret Hart and Steve Austin, the reason for the “Mr Wrestlemania” tag becomes more obvious. Ultimately, of course, it is his two last Wrestlemanias, with his brace of matches against The Undertaker that truly define his Wrestlemania legacy. Shawn Michaels took the most dependable, bankable streak in wrestling history and threw it in doubt again. It’s hard to see how anybody could possibly have a better Wrestlemania record or, at least, it would be if it weren’t for…
1 The Undertaker
What can we say? This man has competed in 18 of the last 19 Wrestlemanias and has won every one of his matches. His seventeen opponents include no less than ten world champions and two current hall of famers. He is one of only two men (the other being Steve Austin) to win three world championships at Wrestlemania. More important than all of this, however, is just how good some of those matches have been. Standouts include his brutal clash with Triple H at Wrestlemania 17, his encounters with Kane (particularly their first at Wrestlemania 14) and his World Heavyweight Championship wins over Batista and Edge. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, however, his greatest moments have been his two victories over Shawn Michaels in the last two Wrestlemanias. The Undertaker’s streak has become one of the great drawing tools of modern wrestling. It has now become something special simply to be the Deadman’s opponent at Wrestlemania. The only thing is where do we go from here? How can the Shawn Michaels-Undertaker rivalry be followed? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, no one will ever match this record.
The Sky’s The Limit: the Fastest Journeys to the Top of WCW!
Following Jack Swagger’s capture of the World Heavyweight Championship on Smackdown last week, and in view of the continuing popularity of my earlier article Strapped to a Rocket: the Fastest Journeys to the Top of the WWE! I thought it might be fun to take a similar look at the World Heavyweight Title’s antecedent, the WCW Championship. Here, therefore, in reverse order are the eleven fastest journeys to the top in WCW history. I should point out that I have not included anyone who had already been NWA Champion.
11 Ron Simmons.
Damn! Long before his time with WWE, Simmons was a successful tag team wrestler as one half of Doom, the other being Butch Reed. The team debuted in late 1989 and were tag team champions within about six months. Their reign was long lasting and saw them recognised as the first WCW Tag Team Champions when the company transitioned from the NWA titles to the new belts. During this period they feuded with just about everyone who was anyone in the tag business – the Steiners, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and so on – so it was no surprise, when the team broke up, that WCW looked to make individual stars of them. Simmons took the babyface role and was initially pushed hard but failed to take the championship at Halloween Havoc 1991. It was not until August of 1992, 1009 days after his debut, that Simmons finally captured the gold and, given that he had spent the majority of his singles run in mid-card feuds, it was something of a surprise. Simmons beat Vader to win the title and, in the process, become the first African-American World Wrestling Champion. Other African-Americans had held various “world titles” before then but this was the first time that one of the big organizations had officially recognized an African-American champion and, for that reason alone, Simmons’ reign is immensely significant. As title reigns go, it was not considered one of the more memorable. His title defences were mostly against lesser lights and he returned to the mid-card when he lost the belt about three months later. Even so, Ron Simmons had made history and, given the man’s work ethic and overall contributions to the business, one can hardly begrudge him his day in the sun.
10 Kevin Nash
The first of several disputable entries in this list, Kevin Nash won his first WCW World Heavyweight Championship 930 days after debuting for WCW as part of the Outsiders at the start of in the infamous NWO angle. However, Nash had, of course, spent almost three years in WCW in an earlier run. Given that that run had seen Nash use several different gimmicks, none of which had anything to do with his NWO run, I don’t think that that is really an issue. Nash, of course, was also a former World Wrestling Federation champion by this point so it is perhaps unsurprising that he climbed to the top of WCW relatively quickly on his return to the company. I won’t recount the convoluted history of the storylines that led to his ascension; suffice it to say that Nash remains one of the most controversial world champions in modern pro wrestling history. Detractors claim that he was a poor draw as champion, an inferior worker and that he used his political clout to put himself over, most especially in his title victory when he beat the then-undefeated Goldberg after Scott Hall interfered with a taser. On the other hand, one could argue that Nash only took as long as he did to win the WCW title because he himself was being held back by Hulk Hogan’s political manoeuvring.
9 Vader
Vader made his debut on WCW television on July 7th 1990 and was champion not much more than two years later, on July 12th 1992. However, this 736-day period actually felt much shorter, as Vader’s appearances were sporadic, at best, until 1992. It was actually only in 1991 that Vader signed a full-time contract with WCW so, to most fans, it probably seemed as if the big man had won the title in not much more than a year. Vader, at this point in his career, was undoubtedly championship material. An amazingly athletic big man, Vader was the perfect bad guy to heroes like Sting, and even Ron Simmons looked like an underdog next to him. This was only the first of three championship reigns and only lasted three weeks, an injury forcing him to lose to the title to Simmons. Nevertheless, one could hardly suggest that it had come too soon. A taste of the domination that was to follow had been given to WCW fans in this first title reign.
8 Bret Hart
Given the fact that Bret Hart arrived in WCW as the injured party in the hottest wrestling angle of all time, and that he was only the second five time WWE champion in the company’s history (the first being Hulk Hogan, of course) it is frankly astonishing that WCW waited almost two years, 706 days, before putting their top belt around his waist. WCW’s handling of Hart must go down as one of the greatest examples of poor booking in the history of the business and Hart’s WCW title reigns are little more than a footnote to his career. However, it is worth noting that this saw Bret Hart become one of only a handful of men to hold both titles before Vince McMahon acquired total control of the business and that he was never actually defeated for the WCW title; both of his reigns ended when he forfeited the belt due to injury.
7 Randy Savage
Yet another man who was already a household name when he entered WCW. It is a testament to the star quality of Savage that, despite joining the company at the height of Hulk Hogan’s dominance, in December of 1994, Savage was still champion within a year, just 364 days later. Savage actually won the first of four WCW titles in one of WCW’s World War Three battles royal, a three-ring, sixty man contest. However, not one of Savage’s WCW title reigns lasted for more than a month. It is a clear indication of how the business had changed during Savage’s career that titles now switched hands frequently where earlier times had seen them won and lost only rarely. Savage had gone to WCW with something to prove after Vince had made it clear he felt that the Macho Man’s in-ring days were over; for better or worse, he certainly proved it.
6 Goldberg
The first of three names that appear on both of my lists of fastest champions, Bill Goldberg’s 287-day rise to WCW Champion is almost legend. This early part of his run was handled almost perfectly by WCW and absolutely caught the imagination of wrestling fans everywhere. His awesome entrance, his refusal to speak and most of all, his ever-inflated winning streak, were something very new in WCW at the time. Often compared to Austin at this time, the comparisons seem to be based on three things: their bald heads, goatee beards and the fact that they became faces of their respective companies at about the same time. As wrestlers, they could scarcely have been more different. The mistakes, of course, came once Goldberg had made it to the top. First, WCW gave his title victory over Hulk Hogan away for free on television instead of making a killing on pay per view, a decision which can be understood in terms of wanting as large an audience as was possible to see the “changing of the guard” but which, nonetheless, simply gave away money. Then, there was the infamous end, when Scott Hall and a taser combined to give Nash the first victory over Goldberg. All that can be said for this is that Goldberg had to lose sometime and at least the interference helped to keep him strong. With hindsight, the smart thing to have done would have been to ride the horse for as long as it had legs, possibly leaving the title with Goldberg until the audience finally began to get bored, at which point he could have been turned heel. Or, he might have been stripped of the title, or lost it on a DQ or similar, in order to gain a sense of injustice. It’s easy to say with hindsight and, the fact is that with Hogan, Nash, Savage, Hart and so on and so forth all in the same company, often with a fair amount of creative control, no one was going to stay on top for very long.
5 Jeff Jarrett
Another contentious entry here, as Jeff Jarrett could be placed as low as seventh on this list if we consider the fact that his first title reign came only during his second spell in WCW. Jarrett, the “Chosen One”, won his first WCW title just 181 days after returning to WCW in October of 1999. However, he had previously spent about a year working for the company earlier in the decade. Either way, he had not clocked up a lot of “company miles” when he became the champion. In many ways, Jarrett was an odd choice for the top spot, having spent most of the nineties as a successful but distinctly mid-card wrestler. That he was a solid and reliable in-ring performer, few would dispute, although just how good remains open to debate. I personally consider him to be a very consistent and entertaining performer in the ring but not all would rate him as highly as I do. Even so, Jarrett didn’t quite seem to have that “it” that a main-event wrestler should have. Although this was the first of four WCW titles, it has to be said that Jarrett won them only during the company’s desperate last couple of years.
4 Vince Russo
No, I can hardly believe I just typed that either but I’m afraid it’s true. On September 25th of 2000, 181 days after making his TV debut, Vince Russo won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. What can we say? To be fair to Russo, he wasn’t simply booking himself to be superman here, since he “won” the title only by escaping a steel cage when Goldberg speared him through it. Moreover, he relinquished the title the next day. The fact is, Russo was just plain desperate at this point and would try anything if he thought it would get WCW some publicity which might just lead to more viewers. This is evidenced by the fact that Russo was actually the ninth of ten different men to hold the belt during 2000. Given that several of these men held the title more than once that year, one can easily see how often Russo was booking title changes. It is probably this, along with another disastrous booking decision that we’ll come to later, more than anything, that is responsible for Russo’s reputation today.
3 The Giant
The second man to appear on both lists, Paul Wight, who would go on to become The Big Show in WWE, is probably the fastest real rise to the top in WCW history. It took just 161 days from his first appearance for The Giant to become WCW’s top guy, knocking off Hulk Hogan in October of 1996. Although he would soon lose the title, he would get it back again, from Ric Flair making him one of only two men (the other being Sting) to win world championships from both Hogan and Flair. In all honesty, Wight was a guaranteed champion from day one. His size and willingness to learn and improve meant that he just had to go all the way. Although not then as good a wrestler as he would become, Wight was much lighter and more athletic back then, which allowed him to hit a wider variety of moves. He probably should have had more championship success in WCW than he actually got.
2 Hulk Hogan
Well, obviously! The third man to appear on both lists, it is perhaps amazing that Hogan didn’t top this one, given that he entered WCW as already being the biggest star in the history of pro wrestling. Just 36 days after signing his contract, he had defeated Ric Flair for the title. Hogan would go on to be associated with much that was good and more that was bad for WCW over the following years but, at this point, it cannot be doubted that he was an enormous asset for the company. Still a massive draw, the pay per view figures alone show that he was a worthy acquisition. This was the first of six reigns that saw Hogan clock up more days as WCW champion than any other wrestler – more than twice as many as Ric Flair, even.
1 David Arquette
I told you that we’d get to another of Vince Russo’s disastrous booking decisions! Following his role in the movie “Ready to Rumble”, Arquette joined in WCW programming on an episode of Thunder, broadcast April 12th of 2000. Two weeks later, he had pinned Eric Bischoff in a tag team match to become WCW champion in what many regard as the worst piece of booking in the history of pro wrestling. To be fair to him, Arquette knew exactly what the reaction of wrestling fans to his title win would be, since he was a fan himself. Nevertheless, as I’ve stated above, WCW was in dire straits at that time and Russo felt compelled to take chances. He obviously felt that the sheer scale of publicity it would garner would more than compensate for the negative reaction the title change would bring. In the event, Russo managed to prove that sometimes there is such a thing as bad publicity. David Arquette proved himself to be a class act by donating his earnings as champion to the paralyzed former wrestler Droz and the families of the sadly deceased Owen Hart and Brian Pillman.
Strapped to a Rocket: the Fastest Journeys to the Top of the WWE!
After Sheamus’ stunning victory for the WWE Championship this past Sunday, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the other fastest ascents to the top of the mountain in WWE history. Although many are protesting that Sheamus has won the title too soon, it may come as a surprise to find out that his is not the shortest run to the title in history. Here I present the list of those men that I believe to be the top eleven quickest world champions in WWE history, although one or two of them, as you will see, are somewhat arguable. I am here counting the number of days it took each of these men, starting from their television debut, to win the championship. I’ll count down in reverse order.
11: Bob Backlund. Later to become known for antics so wild and crazy that many fans remain unsure just what is a work and what isn’t, when he made his debut on February the 8th1977, Bob Backlund was the classic all-American babyface. An accomplished amateur wrestler (he was an NCAA Division II Champion), Backlund had become known for a clean, technical wrestling style and had already found a fair amount of success, and championship belts, in various other territories. Backlund was the perfect foil for the rule-breaking champion “Superstar” Billy Graham. It was not much more than a year later, just 377 days after his debut, that Backlund defeated Graham to begin his reign as the 7th WWWF Champion. And what a reign it was! Glossing over a couple of dubious decisions that are not recognized by the WWE, Backlund was champ for almost six years and faced practically everybody who was anybody in the business at the time, including a string of “Champion vs Champion” matches that pitted him against NWA Champions Harley Race and Ric Flair, and AWA Champion Nick Bockwinkel. He even found time to team with Pedro Morales and win the tag team championships! Finally, The Iron Sheik was victorious where so many had failed, defeating Backlund with his notorious Camel Clutch when Backlund’s manager, Arnold Skaaland, threw in the towel. Backlund would famously return to the company and capture a shocking second championship from Bret Hart eleven years later.
10: The Undertaker. Debuting at the 1990 Survivor Series, The Undertaker took just 370 days, barely over one calendar year, to capture the biggest prize in the company. Now, over nineteen years since his debut, it is difficult to remember the wrestling landscape without the Deadman but back then, this character was a major gamble. Although the World Wrestling Federation was the home of larger than life, outlandish characters, The Undertaker, with his supernatural trappings, represented a leap into the unknown even for them. Add to that the fact that Mark Calaway was yet to really step into main-event level wrestling and the nature of the gamble becomes clear. Of course, the gimmick was actually insanely popular right from the word go, to the extent that Pat Patterson recalled that he was actually surprised that it took as long as it did for The Undertaker to reach the top! Making all of this more impressive was the fact ‘Taker won the title from Hulk Hogan himself, something few people could boast. Sure, it was a crooked win, and Hogan took the title back six days later but the fact remained: hardly a year into his wrestling career, The Undertaker had defeated the Immortal one and reached the top of the mountain.
9: Kurt Angle. If ever a wrestler had seemed destined to be WWE Champion it had to be Kurt Angle. After he won his Olympic Gold Medal in the 1996 Atlanta games, Angle found himself pursued by the WWE. However, at that point he wanted to try other career options and, when he contacted them again a couple of years later, he found that interest had cooled somewhat. Once they got him in developmental, however, that all changed! From the moment he made his debut at the 1999 Survivor Series it was clear that Angle had it all. His sense of entitlement, due to his amateur credentials, his infuriating smugness and his winning streak made him hated heel almost instantly and, as time wore on, and Angle resorted to ever more desperate means to preserve his unbeaten run, he became ever more hated. It was at No Mercy 2000, just 343 days into his WWE career, that Angle won the Championship from The Rock, ironically, the man who had handed Angle his very first pinfall loss. Once at the top, Angle never looked back. That first title reign saw successful defences against The Undertaker and Triple H, but the high point of it had to be the six man Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon, where Angle successfully held off the challenges of Rikishi, Triple H, The Undertaker, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. It really doesn’t get any bigger or better than that. Although Angle dropped the title back to The Rock at No Way Out 2001, just about four months after winning it, it hardly mattered. Kurt Angle had established himself as one of the top pro wrestlers in the business, which is what he has remained ever since.
8: The Big Show. Paul Wight came to the WWE in 1999 already a former world champion with victories over Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, thanks to his days in WCW, so it is hardly surprising that he found himself champ before the year was out, after a mere 273 days. Subbing in for the run-over Stone Cold Steve Austin in a triple threat match against Triple H and The Rock, Show could hardly have asked for a better way to become champion. However, his title reign would be somewhat anticlimactic. His only pay per view title defence came against The Big Boss Man at Armageddon the next month, in one of WWE’s more tasteless storylines. However, this match actually took place on the lower card, as the main event went to Triple H and Vince McMahon’s street fight. Show also made successful defences against The British Bulldog, Kane and Triple H, before Triple H finally got the job done on the first Raw of 2000. Still, a genuinely gigantic man, Big Show is the very definition of “over without the belt” and will remain a big star as long as he wants to be.
7: Kane. Kane’s meteoric rise to the top is somewhat arguable due to the fact that his debut was not actually his debut. Glenn Jacobs had actually signed with the WWE in 1995 and had competed as Jerry Lawler’s psychotic dentist Isaac Yankem and the fake Diesel in two very forgettable gimmicks. However, the character Kane, although teased for some time beforehand, did not make his televised debut until Badd Blood, on October the 5th 1997. Just 247 days later, at King of the Ring 1998, Kane was WWE Champion. Kane’s rapid ascent to the top was perhaps unsurprising given that, unlike most wrestlers, Kane was brought in as a main-event wrestler from the word go. His gimmick, as The Undertaker’s brother, meant that he was starting at the top. Kane, of course, would famously hold his championship for only one day, losing it back to Steve Austin the next night on Raw in what was regarded as one of the classic matches in Raw history. However, although Kane may not have reached such dizzy heights again, he has remained a serious player in the WWE. Although it is beginning to seem unlikely now, another title reign is not yet out of the question for the Big Red Monster.
6: Goldberg. Bill Goldberg differs from most of the men mentioned so far on this list because, when he reached the WWE in 2003, he was already an established main-event wrestler and former World Champion from his WCW days. Indeed, although he took only 174 days to take the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H at Unforgiven, most critics argued that, if anything the WWE had waited too long to push him to the top! One can also argue that Goldberg does not belong on this list because he never won the WWE Championship; personally, I think it’s clear that the WWE themselves regard the two titles as largely interchangeable, and therefore I see it as a rather pedantic point. Regardless of that, Goldberg’s run as champ in WWE was largely regarded as a disappointment. Whether one blames him for not adapting to the WWE style, or them for not booking him correctly, this title run did not even come close to matching his WCW achievements. It was barely three months later, at Armageddon when Triple H reclaimed his belt. By Wrestlemania 20, it was known that Goldberg was leaving the WWE. The man who had once been one of the biggest draws in the wrestling business left it, to a general response of apathy.
5: Sheamus. Well, we all know this story, don’t we? Sheamus’ victory over John Cena at TLC came just 166 days after the Irishman made his WWE television debut on ECW. Sheamus’ elevation in itself was not a surprise, but its speed has been, largely because he has only been booked with mid-card talent until, suddenly, he finds himself number one contender and champion all in the space of a fortnight. Where this will lead, we cannot say. I myself have been a fan of Sheamus’ for years, so I have every confidence that he will go on to be a long-term player in the company. However, nothing is guaranteed in this business.
4: Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar burst onto the scene on the Raw immediately following Wrestlemania 18 and was booked as an unstoppable force from the get go. By the time he defeated The Rock for the championship at Summerslam 2002, he had only been appearing on TV for 160 days! In that time he had accumulated a number of victories, most notably over Hulk Hogan, who he had supposedly retired. Lesnar’s first title reign was memorable for several reasons. Firstly, it saw the beginning of the Raw and Smackdown separate championships system that has persisted to this day. Secondly, because Lesnar turned babyface simply by being so brutal and destructive that people began to like and respect him for it. When, at Survivor Series, he lost the title to The Big Show, his awesome feats of strength displayed in suplexing and throwing the giant around, before finally lifting him to his shoulders for the F5, something which, at that point, had not been done before, meant that he was firmly established as a crowd favourite. Sadly, Lesnar’s heart was not in the business, otherwise who knows what he might have achieved?
3: Yokozuna. Yokozuna’s 144 day sprint to the top represents the fastest journey from TV debut to WWE champion of anybody who was not already established as a main-event star when they joined the company. Making his first televised appearance on October the 31st, his rise was even more astonishing than that of Sheamus and Lesnar, as Yokozuna won the Royal Rumble less than three months into his WWE career! Playing the typically anti-American foreign heel, Yokozuna was billed as a Japanese sumo wrestler when he was, in fact, Samoan wrestler Rodney Anoa’i, nephew of Wild Samoans Afa and Sika and cousin of Rikishi. However, if one thinks that Kane’s title reign, at one day, was brief, Yokozuna’s was real blink and you’ll miss it stuff! At Wrestlemania 9, Yokozuna, as Royal Rumble winner, took on then-champion Bret Hart, and defeated him after Mr Fuji, managing Yokozuna, threw salt in the face of Hart. The evil duo had little time to celebrate, however, as Hulk Hogan came storming to the ring. A challenge was made and answered, a match quickly set up and, before you knew it, Hulk Hogan was champion for the 5th time! It wasn’t all bad for Yokozuna, however. He would remain a top villain for some time, regaining the title at King of the Ring and holding it for an impressive 280 days. A memorable run with Owen Hart as tag champions also came. Sadly, however, Yokozuna’s weight just kept increasing. WWE could not use him anymore he proved unable to drop the excess weight. He passed away, aged just 34, in October 2000.
2: Ric Flair. The Nature Boy Ric Flair entered the WWE in 1991 calling himself the “real world’s champion” and it wasn’t long before he could call himself WWE Champion – just 132 days, in fact. Flair, of course, was already a legendary figure and multiple time NWA Champion, so it was merely a matter of when, not if, he won the title. Nevertheless, his title reign was remarkable for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Flair won the title as a result of winning the Royal Rumble match itself, the only time that this has ever happened. Secondly, Flair won the match from number three, going nearly an hour, which, at the time, was a record-setting performance. Flair did not hold the title for an especially long time, losing it to Randy Savage at Wrestlemania. He would regain the title once before returning to WCW.
1: Hulk Hogan. No surprise to find the Hulkster’s name at the top of a wrestling list. This one, however, is somewhat disputable. Hogan made his second televised debut for the WWE on December the 27th 1983 and won the championship from The Iron Sheik a mere 27 days later! However, Hogan had wrestled in the WWE before, in 1979, for around a year, albeit as a heel managed by Freddie Blassie, rather than the babyface who won the title in 1984. Even adding all that time together, however, Hogan’s rise was rapid. In the meantime, he had been a big star both in New Japan and the AWA. Indeed, legend has it that, so distraught was he to lose Hogan to Vince McMahon, Verne Gagne offered The Iron Sheik a considerable sum of money to legitimately break Hogan’s leg in their title match. Whether this is true or not is another matter entirely. Whatever the case, this was the title reign that started it all: Hulkamania, Wrestlemania, Rock ‘n’ Wrestling and so on. Hogan would hold the title for over four years on this occasion and, even when he finally lost it, he did so only be way of a screwy finish and a vacated title. I should also point out that The Iron Sheik also won the title in short order, just weeks after debuting in 1983. However, like Hogan, Sheik had worked for WWE back in 1979. Unlike Hogan, he had been using the same character and gimmick back then, which is why I excluded him from this list.
Anyone interested may also wish to check out my post on the fastest climbs to the top in WCW: https://marshalllaw2.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/the-skys-the-limit-the-fastest-journeys-to-the-top-of-wcw/
Marshall Law 