WWE Wrestlers Who Went A Decade Before Their First World Title Win

The road to the top of WWE can see many different paths to success. Names like John Cena, Kurt Angle, and Roman Reigns were pushed right away to make it clear they’d be world champions within a couple of years. However, many others have had longer roads to holding a top prize.

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The stories range from talents who spent their entire careers in WWE moving up the ladder later than most to those who left the company and returned to accomplish that goal. Wrestling has no objective definition for what makes one ready for a title, so promotions can make plans at any time. Each of the following names waited at least a decade before winning a WWE world title.

Drew McIntyre

Proving Himself Elsewhere Helped

The first run of Drew McIntyre in WWE featured him having a lot of pressure at a young age. WWE saw the obvious potential in McIntyre and called him up early with the push of Vince McMahon naming him the “chosen one” as the next big star.

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Unfortunately, the push didn’t pan out and McIntyre struggled to get over with the audience until his shocking release. McIntyre thrived outside of WWE and returned a bigger name. The second tenure saw Drew pushed more consistently and winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36 in 2020.

Jeff Hardy

Fans Felt Connected To His Big Moment

Jeff Hardy joined WWE at a young age having enhancement matches before getting hired with his brother Matt to get the tag team run together. Fans loved the Hardy Boyz, but Jeff having more star power made the audience want to see him accomplish the highest level of singles success.

Multiple stints in the promotion led to Jeff having a bigger singles push in the latter half of the 2000s. The moment of Jeff becoming WWE Champion by defeating Triple H and Edge in a triple threat had an incredible reaction due to the organic connection he developed with fans.

Kofi Kingston

KofiMania Became Special Story

The best storylines in wrestling are based in reality, and that helped Kofi Kingston get the most unexpected push in WWE history. Fans rallied behind Kingston replacing Mustafa Ali in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship.

Kofi became the unexpected WrestleMania 35 challenger to Daniel Bryan in a tremendous program. The decade and change as a tremendous mid-card and tag team wrestler had fans wanting this moment for him badly. Kingston’s WWE Championship reign remains among the most special title victories.

Sgt. Slaughter

Received Unexpected Title Reign

The first chapter of Sgt. Slaughter’s WWE career came in 1980 before Vince McMahon Jr. took control of the company from his father. Slaughter had a lot of cool moments in WWE, but he didn’t feel like a true top star worthy of holding the world title for most of his run.

WWE wanting to have a heel take the title off Ultimate Warrior to lose it quickly to Hulk Hogan led to a huge push for Slaughter. The former patriotic face turned heel against America to align with the Iron Sheik and won the WWE Championship a decade after his debut.

Cody Rhodes

Had The Ultimate Story Of Redemption

WWE hired Cody Rhodes at a young age and called him up from developmental faster than most due to his potential. Rhodes achieved success in various tag teams and delivered strong mid-card work with some memorable stints holding the Intercontinental Championship.

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Displeasure with the Stardust gimmick led to Cody requesting his release to leave the promotion. Rhodes winning the ROH World Championship, among other huge accomplishments, showed his greatness. However, he still wanted a bigger title victory and achieved a dream coming back to win the WWE Championship for his current reign.

Big E

Fans Overlook How Long He’s Been WWE

Kofi Kingston being the veteran of New Day made it easy to forget that Big E was also on the roster for a decade before his first world title reign. WWE made Big E one of the first NXT Champions to show a belief in his potential and pushed him card once called up.

Unfortunately, the first big push on the main roster went nowhere and saw Big E treading water until forming New Day with Kingston and Xavier Woods. Big E winning Money in the Bank and using it to become WWE Champion for the first time. Many fans forget Big E was on the roster for over a decade before that moment.

Bobby Lashley

Winning World Title Was Important Moment

The ECW Championship didn’t count as a true world title in WWE or Bobby Lashley may have been among the fastest to become a world champion. However, the early push for Lashley in his first WWE stint backfired when he never reached the top and left the company faster than expected.

Lashley became TNA World Champion during his time away to validate his talent and prove he could thrive at the top. WWE brought Lashley back after the TNA success and made him a consistent part of the show. The big moment of Lashley becoming WWE Champion saw him defeating The Miz and accomplishing a dream that eluded him for so long.

Christian

Needed Multiple Variables To Win Title

Edge and Christian joining WWE together early in their careers allowed the real-life best friends to get over together by playing brothers. Vince McMahon split them up just about two years into a legendary tag team run due to viewing Edge as a much bigger singles star than Christian. WWE still used Christian as arguably the best mid-carder for years, but they never pushed him harder.

Christian leaving for TNA proved he could do more in a top role for a promotion that believed in him. The return to WWE saw Christian treading water again until Edge had his career-ending injury. Christian finally received his chance to become World Champion in an emotional moment in support of Edge.

Mark Henry

Reinventing Himself Led To Major Success

WWE had high hopes for Mark Henry when signing him after his time competing in the Olympics. Henry flopped in the babyface push and had short-term roles in the Sexual Chocolate comedy gimmick and Nation of Domination faction to end the 1990s.

Lackluster results in the early 2000s saw Henry going back to developmental and returning with a more serious heel character to feud with Kurt Angle and Undertaker. Henry getting over led to him eventually winning the World Championship in 2011 with the Hall of Pain gimmick.