10 Shortest WWE Champions Ever

For the longest time, professional wrestling was considered the land of the giants. When World Championship Wrestling made its power-move against the World Wrestling Federation in the mid 1990s it did so on the back of a slogan screaming that is was 'Where The Big Boys Play'. Big men ruled the roost, and if you were over six feet four inches tall there was a good chance you'd get a fair shake in one of the big two companies.

This feeling has subsided in the years since, and a number of smaller men have clawed their way to the top of the mountain. 'Being A Giant' is no longer a necessary skill needed to forge a career in professional wrestling, as Kevin Nash's famed 'vanilla midgets' have gone on to claim the biggest prizes in the game.

13 men who stand exactly six feet or under have won a world championship in the confines of World Wrestling Entertainment. Here are the 10 shortest of those men, and just to qualify only world championships won under the watch of the WWWF/WWF/WWE are up for listing, which is bad news for fans of Tazz. Or fans of David Arquette, if they exist. Those champions of equal height are separated by weight.

Just edging out Bret Hart on weight difference (Bret was billed as being eight pounds heavier), the list begins with the man who would be notoriously aped by Ric Flair. Buddy Rogers was the original 'Nature Boy', he was used the figure-four leglock as a finisher (with considerably more success than Flair) and had the hair and mannerisms to boot.

Rogers was also the very first World Wide Wrestling Federation champion, claiming the belt in 1963. The story was that Rogers won a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, but the truth was that he was the NWA Champion when the WWWF broke away. Vince McMahon Sr. wasn't exactly too happy with Rogers as his champion however, and just 22 days later he lost the strap to Bruno Sammartino.