Age is just a number when you’re one of the very greats who ever separated the ropes and entered the ring. There’s no stopping great fighters regardless of how many winters they have seen, too few or too many. The list of three youngest and oldest WWE champions is full with some of the all-time greats, which proves how much of a regular man’s sport pro wrestling is, as it’s almost never “too early” or “too late”.
The Youngest WWE Champions Ever
- The Rock (26 years, 6 months, 13 days)
Arguably the biggest WWE mainstream star The Rock was always going to be a champion, but the pace in which he became the champ was probably surprising even to his father, WWE Hall of Famer Rocky Johnson. The Rock firstly became the Intercontinental champion, and when his pure talent and freakish strength couldn’t be overlooked he got to fight for the vacant WWE title in 1998. Mankind couldn’t stop the ascension The Rock has started, and the title he won at such young age was just the start of his impressive legacy.
- Yokozuna (26 years, 6 months, 2 days)
When you weigh roughly around 600 pounds you’re a significant threat, regardless of the date you were born, and the Japanese champion sumo wrestler had a serious skill set to go with his size. Clearing “Macho Man” Randy Savage in the 1993 Royal Rumble Match lead Yokozuna to get his chance and battle with Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania IX. The Hall of Famer defeated Hart and became the youngest WWE champion ever, the record which stood for almost a whole decade.
- Brock Lesnar (25 years, 1 month, 13 days)
Some men cannot be denied regardless of their age, and any resistance thrown at Brock Lesnar was futile, so the freak of nature gathered numerous accolades prior to setting a new record. Just a few months after his debut, Lesnar won the King of the Ring tournament in June of 2002, a mere trailer for what’s about to come several months after Lesnar blew out 25 candles on his birthday cake. In a poetic fashion, The Anomaly defeated the third youngest WWE champion ever to become the youngest WWE wrestler to win the belt and probably got the wish he wanted.
The Oldest WWE Champions Ever
- Triple H (46 years, 5 months, 28 days)
Hunter Hearst Helmsley, better known as Triple H, had a big motive to chase down an additional belt so late in his career and that is becoming the fourth superstar to hold the WWE title in three separate decades. Prior to his victory over Dean Ambrose at Royal Rumble 2016 only Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and The Rock have managed that. This was the 46-year old’s ninth WWE title, first since 2009, but we have a hunch that it won’t be his last so the number three guy might be number two sooner rather than later.
- Hulk Hogan (48 years, 8 months, 10 days)
Although Triple H might jump over him on this list in a few years, Hulk Hogan can take comfort in that he won his last title in a direct match with Triple H in 2002 at Backlash. Just a year after returning to the organization Hogan became the Undisputed WWF champion and was awarded the belt for the sixth time, amazing 18 years after winning his first belt. Since Hogan is on WWE’s blacklist now we can’t expect him to improve on this record, but that cannot be said for the #1 oldest pro wrestling world champ ever.
- Mr McMahon (54 years 21 days)
To celebrate his 54th birthday accordingly Mr. McMahon battled it out with number three man on this list Triple H, way back in 1999 on SmackDown. It was in Vince’s power hungry phase, but in this bout he was defending his family’s honor and getting beaten pretty hard, although, eventually he did manage to become the champion. Yet his reign didn’t last long and he vacated the belt a few days later and Triple H was the champ again. But if the record is ever going to get broken again, it’s going to be Mr. McMahon breaking it, after all, he does own the company, so brace yourselves for a 71-year-old champion.
Out these six youngest and oldest WWE champions ever, whose accomplishment do you value the most?
