Wrestlers Who Became WWE Champion The Quickest

Art: Dave Cole – @daveypainting

Ric Flair said it best when he proclaimed the WWE Championship “is the only title in the wrestling world that makes you number one. When you are the king of the WWF, you rule the world.” No title is more coveted, and no belt symbolizes success more.

Many wrestlers spend years grinding it out to prove they have what it takes for WWE to put them front and center on the marquee. Bret Hart thought he’d never win the title. Eight years, one month, and fourteen days later, “The Hitman” hoisted the title up high.

However, an elect few made such an impression in a short time; tenure and inexperience were ignored to serve the bottom line. We’re going to look at the 12 wrestlers who won their first WWE Championship in the fastest time since Vincent Kennedy McMahon went all in on Hulkamania in 1984.

Bob Backlund won his first WWE Championship four months after he started working for the company exclusively under Vincent J. McMahon. The now-retired McMahon inherited Backlund when he bought the company from his father in 1982 and therefore did not make our list.

Universal and World Heavyweight Championships are not on the menu here. It’s all about the most coveted prize in the industry.

The fairest way to chart the list is to start when the wrestler made their in-ring/television debut in a match or angle. Many debut matches were filmed days, weeks, and months before they aired on television. To the audience, a character is only in play once they’re on TV.

Continue reading “Wrestlers Who Became WWE Champion The Quickest”

30 Years Ago Today: Bret Hart won his first WWE Title

Wrestling fans have always had their sentimental favorites. You know? The ones you’d love to see the world title, but their mid-card ceiling seemed unbreakable. On October 11, 1992, Bret Hart was one of those favorites. Masterful tag team fare followed by an exciting singles run served as an example of Hart’s exquisite craftsmanship in between the ropes.

On October 12, 1992, all that changed for Calgary’s favorite son.

Continue reading “30 Years Ago Today: Bret Hart won his first WWE Title”

NWA Means What Now?

The following is a personal story from my childhood that is wrestling related in the most unusual way imaginable. In hindsight, if you look at it from the perspective of a black nine-year-old who grew up in an all-white neighborhood, it’s quite funny.

Enjoy! Continue reading “NWA Means What Now?”

Camp WWE Review

campwwe

Camp WWE is the newest original program from the WWE Network. This animated series breaks from the norms of the current PG environment with a TV-MA rating that is chock-full vulgarity and laced with all sorts of crude overtones. Think South Park or Robot Chicken as your inner wrestling fan indulges in the obscene with most of your favorite WWE superstars as children.  Continue reading “Camp WWE Review”

What I Liked About Raw: 4/28/14

RAW_1092_Photo_017 (1)

I really enjoyed Raw on Monday. Online chatter suggests the show was a failure and didn’t get them excited for Extreme Rules this Sunday. I saw something different. Yes, there were some things that made me scratch my head in confusion, but overall, it was a strong episode where the writing team has appeared to have gone outside of their wheelhouse and try different things. Continue reading “What I Liked About Raw: 4/28/14”

WWE Network Recommendations

wwenetpromo

I crawled into bed late last night to watch TV. Channel after channel, nothing tickled my fancy until I said “Hey, you have the WWE Network.” I logged onto my iPhone and fell asleep watching WrestleMania Rewind chronicling the iconic confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. When I woke up, I realized I’d just experienced something that my ten year old self could only dream of. Continue reading “WWE Network Recommendations”

RoboCop Saves Sting From The Four Horsemen

RobocopAndSting

In honor of the RoboCop reboot hitting movie theaters today, I feel it’s only appropriate to reminisce about one of wrestling’s greatest moments. Ok, I’m joking. People hated it and its widely considered the most preposterous publicity stunt in the history of wrestling. As a nine-year-old kid who thought wrestling was real, I loved it. My imagination ran wild with possibilities as the cybernetic law enforcement officer found a new partner in a man called Sting. Continue reading “RoboCop Saves Sting From The Four Horsemen”

Ronda Rousey armbar’s her place in UFC History

ufc-157-poster-500x500

Vince McMahon couldn’t have booked a better finish as Ronda Rousey did what many debuting fighters, with a lot of press, fail to do. She lived up to the hype. Rousey’s 7-0 record brings her tally to seven armbar finishes in the first round. Liz Carmouche deserves a ton of credit after having the champion in trouble early and has undoubtedly increased her stock in defeat. Dana White said it best “She will get her kitchen table now.”

Ronda Rousey’s armbar is officially the first finishing move of Mixed Martial Arts. Like Ric Flair’s Figure Four Leg Lock and Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter, you know it’s coming, and you can’t do anything about it. Unlike the worked nature of professional wrestling, Rousey can’t put all of her eggs in the armbar basket and will have to add new weapons to her arsenal. If not, it will be a bad day when someone eventually breaks her grip.

Continue reading “Ronda Rousey armbar’s her place in UFC History”

Piledriving introduction to the National Wrestling Alliance

piledriver

Professional wrestling consumed my life at the early age of 8. In fact, as far as I was concerned, the WWF was the only game in town. This idea that other wrestling promotions existed never dawned on me until a random Sunday afternoon of channel surfing. Fate brought me to TBS and I got my first taste of the National Wrestling Alliance.

Continue reading “Piledriving introduction to the National Wrestling Alliance”

It’s All About The Luck of The Draw in The Royal Rumble

tumbler

The unsung hero of the Royal Rumble event is the golden spinning tumbler that holds the numbers drawn randomly to determine the order of entry into the Royal Rumble match. The luck of the draw is so important because the higher the number, the higher a wrestler’s chances are of victory. Back in the day, the actual drawing of the numbers was focused on a lot more because it gave fans a clue as to what spot the wrestlers drew without revealing the actual point of entry.

Continue reading “It’s All About The Luck of The Draw in The Royal Rumble”