10 Youngest WWE Champions Ever
Age Ain't Nothing But A Number
Much was made of Tyler Bate's UK Championship victory as WWE launched their already-maligned British project in early 2017, and rightfully so.
At 19 years old, the Dudley-born star became both the youngest performer to ever snare a WWE strap and the youngest inaugural titleholder, setting records unlikely to ever be broken unless the company somehow ends up sending actual children into battle.
Born in March 1997, Bate was less than a month old when Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin ushered in a brave new era for WWE, and wasn't a twinkle in his mother's eye when 'Hulkamania' changed the landscape of professional wrestling over a decade earlier. Seth Rollins synched a similarly superlative statistic in 2015, becoming the first WrestleMania main eventer born after the 1985 inception of the event.
Such youthful success is a relatively new phenomenon though. From illegally underage debuts to indie success stories or Performance Centre acceleration, Superstars across the board are reaching the biggest stage substantially quicker than generations past.
Youth and young manhood wasn't always so prevalent at the top of the card, making some of the fresh faced fighters' ascents even more remarkable.
10. Pedro Morales - 28
Date First WWE Title Won: February 8th, 1971
Age: 28 years, 3 months, 17 days
Chosen as the next great babyface hope of the North East territory after Bruno Sammartino's shocking loss less than a month earlier, Puerto Rican hero Pedro Morales built on his increasing popularity with a stunning victory over despised Russian heel Ivan Koloff.
Morales had been a revelation for the group since arriving in November 1970, snaring the United States title in January he'd then be required to vacate after taking the company's top prize just a month later.
Pedro's relative youth and relatable demeanour amongst an ageing population of well-tenured stars made him a natural fit in the role. Amassing an impressive 1027 days with the title, only John Cena, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan and Sammartino himself can lay claim to holding the gold more cumulative days than the Latin American star.