10 WWE Wrestlers who reached the top by winning the world title first

Sami Zayn made a bold move this week on Raw, challenging Gunther for the World Heavyweight Championship. Zayn noted that Gunther, like legends such as Randy Savage, Bret Hart, and Steve Austin, used the Intercontinental Championship as a stepping stone to winning the world title. Zayn, a former four-time IC Champion, now looks to do the same.

However, not every road to a world title in WWE goes through the Intercontinental Championship. Some legends went directly for a world title without winning any other titles in the company first. Here are ten stars who bypassed the secondary titles and went straight to the top of WWE.

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar had one of the fastest rises to the top in WWE history. Dubbed “The Next Big Thing, Lesnar debuted on Raw in 2002, the night after WrestleMania X-8. He didn’t win any secondary titles on his road to greatness. However, he won the King of the Ring tournament in June to earn a championship match against The Rock at SummerSlam. Along the way, he cut through Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan before beating The Rock to win the Undisputed WWE Title.

Iron Sheik

WWE.com

After representing Iran in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1968 Olympics, the Iron Sheik moved to the United States. Years later, Sheik began training with legendary pro wrestler Verne Gagne, making his debut in 1972. In the aftermath of the Iran hostage crisis, the Sheik became one of the most hated men in pro wrestling. His poor approval rating among fans led to him winning the WWE Championship in 1983. But his reign was short-lived, serving to catapult Hulk Hogan into wrestling immortality.

Hulk Hogan

WWE

Before defeating the Iron Sheik for the WWE Championship in January 1984, Hulk Hogan had previously been a heel in WWE. After failing to win the title from Bob Backlund in the early 1980s, Hogan left WWE, became a star in Japan and the AWA, and gained fame with his role in Rocky III. When he returned to WWE at the end of 1983, he was immediately set up as the challenger for the Sheik. In just over five minutes, Hogan defeated the Sheik, starting the Hulkamania era and one of WWE’s first major boom periods.

AJ Styles

WWE, via Rolling Stone

After winning world titles in TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Styles was a surprise entrant in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, which, ironically, was for the WWE Championship. Though unsuccessful, the Phenomenal One would make good that September, defeating Dean Ambrose at Backlash to capture his first of two WWE world titles.

Andre the Giant

WWE.com

Andre the Giant was a global attraction long before he won the WWE Championship in 1988. In 1987, he headlined WrestleMania III with Hulk Hogan in front of one of the largest crowds in wrestling history, a reported 93,173 fans. In February 1988, he defeated Hogan on the NBC special The Main Event, which drew a record 33 million viewers, making it the most-watched wrestling show in TV history.

Sgt. Slaughter

WWE.com

Sgt. Slaughter’s WWE career is the stuff of legend. As a villain, he had a highly acclaimed Alley Fight match against Pat Patterson. After turning into a good guy in 1984, Slaughter had a fierce feud with the Iron Sheik, leading to another celebrated encounter, a Boot Camp Match, at Madison Square Garden. Despite these memorable moments, Slaughter didn’t win any titles in WWE. But his fortunes changed in 1991 when he became an Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War. At that year’s Royal Rumble, he defeated the Ultimate Warrior to win the WWE Championship, his only title run in WWE.

Jinder Mahal

WWE.com

Now known as Raj Dhesi, the man who is currently terrorizing independent promotions had an up-and-down start to his WWE career. In 2012, Mahal lost to Seth Rollins in the finals to become the first NXT Champion. Over the next few years, Mahal’s stock plummeted, and he was eventually released by WWE. After working his way back to the promotion, Mahal, in noticeably improved condition, came from literally outta nowhere to surprise Randy Orton at Backlash to become the 50th WWE Champion in company history. His rise from mediocrity to main event remains a hot topic among wrestling fans.

The Undertaker

WWE.com

After a lackluster run in WCW, Mark Calaway signed with WWE in 1990. Rebranded as The Undertaker, he debuted later that year at the Survivor Series, leaving fans awestruck. Over the next year, The Undertaker defeated stars like Bret Hart and buried the Ultimate Warrior alive, earning a championship match against Hulk Hogan at the 1991 Survivor Series. With help from Ric Flair, The Undertaker shocked the world by defeating Hogan to become WWE Champion, capping off the first year of a WWE career that would last over 30 years.

Ric Flair

Already considered the greatest wrestler of all time, Ric Flair made his shocking WWE debut by bringing with him the WCW World title belt. Referring to himself as “The Real World Champion,” Flair made good on his claim after winning the WWE Championship at the 1992 Royal Rumble. Afterward, Flair delivered a memorable promo where he said the WWE Championship was the only title “that makes you number one.”

Bill Goldberg

WWE.com

Bill Goldberg became a household name during the Monday Night Wars with an undefeated streak that led him to the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 1998. Nearly five years later, after WCW was bought by WWE, Goldberg joined WWE and won the World Heavyweight Title by defeating Triple H.

Goldberg left WWE in 2004 but returned in 2016 with a surprising win over Brock Lesnar at the Survivor Series. In the following years, he won the Universal Championship twice, first by defeating Kevin Owens and then Bray Wyatt — moments that still anger many fans today. Interestingly, the only world title Goldberg never won in WWE was the WWE Championship, the main title established in 1963.