More often than not, the culmination of a long journey in WWE is the moment in which a wrestler finally wins a world championship. Becoming champion is likely the dream of most budding superstars, and it can take many years to even be in contention for the WWE, World Heavyweight, or Universal Title.RELATED: 10 Wrestlers Who Held The WWE Championship For Less Than A WeekHowever, there are times in which WWE puts all their eggs in one basket and pushes a new star to the moon, with them picking up a World Title quickly into their stint in the company or main roster. This can be a sure-fire way to create a new star straight away and add someone else to the main event scene. Sometimes, this doesn’t pan out well in the long run, but sometimes it can kickstart a Hall of Fame career.
10 Kurt Angle
Angle is regarded as one of the most natural wrestlers of all time, and that is likely why he would win the WWE Championship less than a year after his main roster debut. The Olympic Gold Medalist was sought after by both ECW and WWE, though it would take until 1998 to put pen to paper.
After winning both the European and Intercontinental Titles, he set his sights on the bigger prize, as he defeated The Rock at the No Mercy PPV in 2000, capping off a wonderful rookie year with the company.
9 Ric Flair
Before joining WWE, Flair had become one of the biggest names in all of wrestling during his time in the NWA, winning many World Titles. When he was signed in 1991, he was pushed to the top due to his name value.
In under six months, Flair would win the WWE’s biggest prize after winning the 1992 Royal Rumble, which had the WWE Title on the line. This rise may not be as impressive as some of the rookies who won titles due to him being an established name already, but it was still a remarkably quick win given some of the big names in WWE at the time that he had to contend with.
8 Big Show
After much success in WCW, “Paul Wight” made the jump to WWE, becoming “Big Show”, involving himself in the Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon feud at the 1999 February PPV, St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
In November, after an up and down time in WWE, he would defeat The Rock and Triple H in a triple threat match, winning the WWE Title at Survivor Series. Big Show always had size on his side, and that took him to the top, even if his reign wasn’t too long or noteworthy.
7 Alberto Del Rio
When Del Rio arrived in WWE in late 2010, it was clear to see that he was thought very highly of, beating Rey Mysterio in his first rivalry, and winning the Royal Rumble just mere months into his run. It would take him until SummerSlam to win gold, after several failed attempts.
He would cash in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk, claiming the WWE Title, adding to his already impressive accomplishments such as the Rumble and MITB. Del Rio would struggle to truly get over in WWE, but he still has several world titles to his name.
6 AJ Styles
For a long time, AJ Styles was one of the biggest wrestlers in the world to have not been signed to WWE. After being the face of TNA for several years, before taking NJPW by storm, he was signed by WWE in 2016 and was immediately treated like a star following his Royal Rumble debut.
RELATED: 10 Best Wrestlers Who Won 2 Different World Titles In WWE
It would take less than a year for Styles to become WWE Champion, as he defeated Dean Ambrose at the first Smackdown-exclusive PPV since the 2016 brand split, cementing himself as the face of the entire show, which was surreal to say the least.
5 Goldberg
By the time Goldberg made it to WWE, he was already a ready-made star due to his incredible run in WCW. His undefeated streak is legendary, with it seeing him win the WCW Championship. When he came to WWE, a lot of his aura was lost, but he still rose the ranks in no time.
In just over half a year, Goldberg would dethrone Triple H, with whom he had been feuding with for quite some time, but his time as champion didn’t last too long. His first run with WWE only lasted one year, but he still managed to find time to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
4 Yokozuna
Yokozuna was quickly pushed as a monster heel following his debut in October of 1992, and he dominated the opposition on the way to winning the 1993 Royal Rumble, marking his ticket for WrestleMania 9.
He defeated Bret Hart in the main event, becoming the WWE Champion in just six months. He would lose it almost immediately, as Hulk Hogan beat him in an impromptu match. Yokozuna would eventually pick up the title once again down the road.
3 Finn Balor
By the time Finn Balor entered WWE developmental, NXT was on its way to becoming WWE’s definitive third brand, and Balor aided in making that happen during his run as NXT Champion. By the time he was drafted to Raw in the 2016 brand split, he had already established himself, and fans were familiar with him.
However, moving to Raw was a massive jump, but WWE pushed him quickly. After just a month on the main roster, Balor would become the first ever Universal Champion, defeating Seth Rollins at Summerslam, though he would unfortunately have to vacate the title through injury.
2 Sheamus
In June of 2009, after impressing in WWE developmental, Sheamus made his debut in ECW, dominating several names including the likes of Goldust. He was eventually drafted over to Raw, continuing his ascent. He would shockingly win a Battle Royal to earn a shot at the WWE Title.
RELATED: 10 WWE Wrestlers We Still Can’t Believe Actually Won A Championship
At the December PPV, TLC, Sheamus defeated John Cena in a tables match to become WWE Champion, which was an incredibly fast climb to the top. This would kickstart a career full of countless championships and accomplishments.
1 Brock Lesnar
It was clear very quickly that Brock Lesnar was a freak of an athlete, impressing during his main roster debut on the night after WrestleMania 18. After just four months, Lesnar became King of the Ring, which earned him a shot at the Undisputed WWE Championship.
At SummerSlam, Lesnar dethroned one of the biggest names in WWE history, The Rock, to become the youngest WWE Champion of all time. In around half a year, Lesnar had achieved the goal that many dream of but never get. Not just that, but he would win the Royal Rumble and a second WWE Title, all within his rookie year.
