10 WWE Wrestlers Who Won A World Title In Their First World Title Match

Every wrestler who signs with WWE dreams of winning a World Championship some day. However, only a select few of them actually get to win World Titles, with many of the wrestlers not even receiving any title shots.

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Most wrestlers who eventually win World Titles start off by winning mid-card titles. Sometimes, WWE tests wrestlers if they are deserving of being in the main event scene by giving them World Title shots, where they lose. However, there are some wrestlers who win World Titles in their first World title shot itself.

10 The Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior made his WWE debut in 1987, instantly receiving a pretty good push and rarely losing. His first shot at championship success came in 1988, where he beat Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title.

Warrior had dominant runs as the Intercontinental Champion, and was ready to be pushed to the main event scene in 1990. He faced Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 6 and defeated him to become the first wrestler to hold both the WWE & Intercontinental Championships simultaneously.

9 The Undertaker

The Undertaker debuted in WWE at Survivor Series 1990 as the heel mystery partner of The Million Dollar Team. He was initially managed by Bruce Prichard, but was then taken over by Paul Bearer in 1991.

'Taker was having a dominant run in WWE and thus got a WWE Title shot against Hulk Hogan at Survivor Series 1991. The match was billed as Hogan's "Gravest Challenge". In the match, we saw interferences by Ric Flair which helped 'Taker win the match and his first WWE Title.

8 Ric Flair

Ric Flair had a very successful career in WCW and had established himself as one of the biggest wrestling stars of the 1980s. However, after some disagreements with WCW, he joined WWE in 1991. Due to his star power and great wrestling skills, WWE quickly pushed him to the top.

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In late 1991, the WWE Championship was vacated. The vacant WWE Title was then put on the line in the 1992 Royal Rumble match. Ric Flair entered the match at number 3 and had a terrific performance, as he lasted until the end and last eliminated Sid Justice to win the match and the title.

7 Yokozuna

Yokozuna made his WWE debut in late 1992. Just like Ric Flair, he also got a big push from the beginning. He had some impressive squashes before he won the 1993 Royal Rumble match to earn a WWE Title match at WrestleMania IX.

RELATED: Yokozuna's First 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

He faced Bret Hart for the title and dominated much of the match. Bret tried his best but Mr. Fuji threw salt in Bret's eyes, after which Yokozuna pinned him to win the match and the title. Even though Yokozuna lost the title just moments later, it doesn't take away from his great title win.

6 Kane

Kane's first run in WWE was as Isaac Yankem DDS, being introduced as Jerry Lawler's private dentist. The run was a complete failure, and soon he played the gimmick of Fake Diesel, not finding much success in that gimmick either.

Post WrestleMania season in 1997, WWE started teasing the debut of the "Kane" character as The Undertaker's brother. Kane made his monstrous debut at In Your House: Badd Blood by attacking 'Taker. In 1998, he defeated Undertaker to get a WWE Title shot at King of the Ring against Steve Austin. He faced him in a First Blood match, and came out of the match with the title.

5 The Rock

The Rock made his WWE debut in 1996 as a third generation wrestler by the name of Rocky Maivia. He was set for a big push, but his bland babyface gimmick didn't sit well with the fans, and he wasn't liked by them. Thus, WWE turned him heel and repackaged him as "The Rock". After a couple of Intercontinental title reigns, The Rock got a main event push.

At Survivor Series 1998, WWE held a Deadly Games Tournament to crown the new WWE Champion. Rock defeated Big Boss Man in the first round, Ken Shamrock in the quarter-finals, and The Undertaker in the semi-final. He then finally beat Mankind in the main event of the PPV to win his first WWE Title.

4 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar debuted in WWE on the Raw after WrestleMania 18. He was nicknamed "The Next Big Thing", and was pushed to the moon instantly. He won the 2002 King of the Ring Tournament, which gave him a shot at the Undisputed Title at SummerSlam.

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Lesnar then joined the SmackDown brand and had a mini-feud with Hulk Hogan before his title match. At SummerSlam, Lesnar defeated The Rock to win the Undisputed Title. In the process, Lesnar became the youngest WWE Champion ever, and also became the second-fastest wrestler to win the WWE Title after his debut.

3 Sheamus

Sheamus made his WWE main roster debut in June 2009 on the ECW brand. It didn't take long for him to get his first World Title shot as he got one in December, when he faced John Cena for the WWE Championship at TLC.

RELATED: Sheamus' First 10 WWE PPV Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

Sheamus won a "Breakthrough Battle Royal" on Raw to get the title shot against Cena. The match was then made a Tables Match. At the event, Sheamus unexpectedly won the title as he pushed Cena through a table for the win.

2 The Miz

The Miz had to struggle a lot in WWE before getting his first World Title shot, not finding much success until he was paired with John Morrison. The Miz went solo by attacking John Morrison at the WWE 2009 Draft. The Miz won the United States Championship and had a great run with it.

He then won the 2010 Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match. He waited 4 months to cash in the contract, as he cashed it in on Randy Orton after Orton just had a successful WWE Title defense. Orton was obviously tired, and Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on The Viper to win the WWE Title.

1 Finn Balor

Finn Balor was a popular wrestler among the fans even before his main roster debut due to his great runs in NJPW and NXT. Due to his popularity, he was drafted to the Raw brand in the 2016 WWE Draft as the fifth overall pick. The WWE Champion at the time was Dean Ambrose, and he was drafted to SmackDown.

Thus, Raw introduced the Universal Championship, with the first match for the title to take place at SummerSlam. Balor won a Fatal-4 Way and defeated Roman Reigns on the same episode of Raw to get the Universal Title match at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins. After a great contest, Balor hit the Coup de Grace on Rollins to win the Title.