Highlights
- Several wrestlers have become the youngest WWE Champions in history, achieving this milestone before the age of 30.
- Pedro Morales, Ivan Koloff, John Cena, and Randy Orton are among the wrestlers who won the WWE Championship at a young age.
- Bruno Sammartino holds the record for the longest WWE Championship reign, while Brock Lesnar is the youngest WWE Champion in history at 25 years old.
When every wrestler gets into the wrestling business they aspire to make a living, but most importantly to win championships. The WWE Championship is the most prestigious title available, and 2023 is the six-decade anniversary of the WWE Championship. Buddy Rogers was the inaugural WWE Champion in 1963. Nevertheless, several WWE Hall of Famers and future WWE Hall of Famers have got their hands on the WWE Championship.
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Some wrestlers have waited years to win the WWE Championship but some attained their peak in the early years of their WWE careers, and went on to become the youngest WWE Champions in history before turning the age of 30!
10 Pedro Morales - 28 Years, 3 Months, And 17 Days
Pedro Morales is a history-maker as he is the first Triple Crown Winner in WWE history. Morales joined WWE in 1971 and he wasted no time in defeating Ivan Koloff for the WWE Championship on a live event in New York City on February 8, 1971.
Morales was popular and he had a successful run as WWE Champion as he held the championship for almost three years. His title reign was curtailed by Stan Stasiak on December 1, 1973, at a live event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
9 Ivan Koloff - 28 Years, 4 Months, And 24 Days
Bruno Sammartino had a dominant WWE Championship reign that lasted over seven years, but the longest WWE Championship reign by a landslide came to a halt by Ivan Koloff inside the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden on January 18, 1971.
The Russian Bear was only 28 years of age when he captured his lone WWE Championship. Koloff was the third WWE Champion in history, but he was only WWE Champin for three weeks as he dropped the title to Pedro Morales, who was also 28.
8 John Cena - 27 Years, 11 Months, And 11 Days
John Cena became the franchise player in 2005, and a year after winning his first championship at WrestleMania 20, Cena went one better at WrestleMania 21. Cena ended JBL's 280-day WWE Championship reign to embark on his own 280-day run as WWE Champion.
It was the first of Cena's record 13 WWE Championship reigns, and he was only 27 when his name was etched on the WWE Championship for the first time. Cena battled past the likes of Chris Jericho, Christian, Shawn Michaels, and Kurt Angle during his run as WWE Champion. However, he was victim to the first Money in the Bank cash-in at New Year's Revolution 2006 when Edge saw off to claim his first WWE Championship.
7 Big Show - 27 Years, 9 Months, And 6 Days
Big Show was a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, and he was hoping to translate his success from WCW when he joined WWE in 1999. The World's Largest Athlete was a member of the Corporation, but he branched out on his own after his tag team with The Undertaker dissolved in September 1999.
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Two months later, Show replaced Steve Austin in a triple threat match at Survivor Series 1999 and he defeated the reigning WWE Champion Triple H and The Rock in a triple threat match to become WWE Champion for the first time. Show was just 27, and both of his WWE Title reigns have started at Survivor Series.
6 Bruno Sammartino - 27 Years, 7 Months, And 11 Days
"The Living Legend" Bruno Sammartino's first WWE Championship reign is most likely to live in infamy as the longest WWE Championship reign in history. Sammartino ended "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers' reign on May 17, 1963, when he was just 27 years of age.
Sammartino would go on to hold the WWE Championship for 2,803 days which is an outstanding effort. Sammartino's WWE Championship reign was curtailed by Ivan Koloff, but Sammartino would win the WWE Championship again and he held it for another three years.
5 Randy Orton - 27 Years, 6 Months, And 6 Days
Randy Orton made history at SummerSlam 2004 when he won the World Heavyweight Championship at 24 to become the youngest World Champion in WWE history. After Orton dropped the gold to Triple H, a month later at Unforgiven 2004, Orton would go on a three-year barren run until his next World Championship reign.
John Cena sustained a pectoral injury which led to the WWE Championship being vacant, and Mr. McMahon awarded Orton the WWE Championship at No Mercy 2007. The Apex Predator was 27 but he was in store for a long night as he dropped the WWE Championship to Triple H, but he regained the title in the main event in a Last Man Standing match.
4 The Undertaker - 26 Years, 8 Months, And 3 Days
The Undertaker made his WWE debut at Survivor Series 1990, but just 12 months later, Undertaker was in WWE Championship contention. The Deadman challenged the seemingly unbeatable Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship at Survivor Series 1991.
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Undertaker had a huge assist from Ric Flair as he executed the Tombstone on the chair and Hogan was unable to kick out. With the victory, Undertaker became WWE Champion for the first time, and he broke Bruno Sammartino's record that stood for nearly three decades as he was the youngest WWE Champion at just 26.
3 The Rock - 26 Years, 6 Months, And 13 Days
Just like The Undertaker, The Rock made his WWE debut at Survivor Series in 1996. The People's Champion is a third-generation wrestler the son of Rocky Johnson, and the grandson of "High Chief" Peter Maivia. Rock was destined to have a successful WWE career and so it came to fruition.
Rock was involved in one of the greatest double turns in WWE history as he defeated Mankind with some help from the McMahons to become one of the youngest WWE Champions at 26. Furthermore, Rock turned heel with Mankind becoming a babyface, and he ended Rock's abrupt WWE Championship reign on the January 4, 1999 taping of Raw.
2 Yokozuna - 26 Years, 6 Months, And 2 Days
Yokozuna was on a roll after he won the 1993 Royal Rumble match. That year was the first time the Royal Rumble match winner was awarded a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. Yokozuna rocked up to Caesars Palace at WrestleMania 9, and Bret Hart was waiting in the wings for their WWE Championship showdown.
Yokozuna's manager Mr. Fuji proved to be resourceful as he threw some salt in the Hitman's eyes which led to Yokozuna clinching the WWE Championship at 26. However, it turned from jubilation to ecstasy for Yokozuna as Hulk Hogan answered his impromptu challenge and he won the WWE Championship for the fifth time. Yokozuna was humiliated but he regained the WWE Championship from Hogan at King of the Ring 1993.
1 Brock Lesnar - 25 Years, 1 Month, And 13 Days
Brock Lesnar won the 2002 King of the Ring tournament, and he was ruthless when he defeated The Rock for his first WWE Championship reign at SummerSlam 2002. Lesnar's WWE Championship win was historic as he became the youngest WWE Champion in WWE history at 25.
Two decades have passed and no man has managed to break Lesnar's record as the youngest WWE Champion in history. Nevertheless, Lesnar's maiden WWE Championship reign was superb as he defeated The Undertaker cleanly inside Hell in a Cell at No Mercy 2002 to remain as WWE Champion. Ultimately, Lesnar suffered his first pinfall loss at Survivor Series 2002 when he lost the championship to Big Show all thanks to Paul Heyman betraying his client to side with Show.
