5 Superstars whose first Championship in WWE was the world title
The typical path to reaching main event glory in WWE is to start from the bottom of the card and rise up. However, there have been quite a few instances where a superstar has become world champion relatively quickly.
It isn't every day that a WWE Superstar wins the world title first, especially if it is within a year of joining RAW or SmackDown. Where does one go after already reaching the top? Staying there is a challenge, with only a few of the following names remaining a perpetual main eventer in WWE.
This list isn't as obvious as one might think, as some of the company's biggest recent stars had different starts despite getting pushed early on.
Randy Orton's first title was the Intercontinental Championship in 2003, while John Cena won the US Title a few months later. Additionally, Roman Reigns won the Tag Team Titles with Seth Rollins over two years before his first world title win.
However, these five superstars' first Championship in WWE was the top prize in the game.
#5 One-time WWE Champion Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal’s reign as WWE champion was longer than all of Edge’s reigns, combined. https://t.co/yahQYf4gB5
It may have happened during his second run, but Jinder Mahal went straight for the world title in WWE. He received the push of a lifetime months after returning to the company where he spent years as a lower card superstar.
Mahal would suddenly capture the WWE Championship in mid-2017, with nobody expecting it to happen at all. The Modern Day Maharaja's rise shocked the world and wasn't exactly sustainable. He won the United States Championship less than a year later, at WrestleMania 34.
It may have happened differently to the others on this list, but the WWE Title was indeed Jinder Mahal's first-ever Championship in the company.
#4 Three-time WWE World Champion Goldberg
Unforgiven 2003, when @Goldberg defeated @TripleH to become @WWE World Heavyweight Champion
#WWE #WWERaw #WWENetwork #WWEHOF #Goldberg #TripleH #wrestling #WrestlingWednesday #ComicCon #meetandgreet #tickets #sellout #buynow #Liverpool #England #WhosNext #worldchampion #FTLOW https://t.co/oVYm2TfA43
Goldberg's initial run with WWE lasted a year, with him mainly wrestling high-level and televised bouts. That is why it isn't a surprise to see him only go after the World Heavyweight Championship during his time there.
He won the big gold belt from Triple H at Unforgiven 2003, before winning the Universal Championship twice in recent years. Goldberg's wins over Kevin Owens and The Fiend were frustrating, while they added to his world title count.
The short-term nature of his WWE career ensured Goldberg remained a main-eventer throughout it, continuing to do so until today.