Though Herman Rohde became a popular wrestler around his hometown of Camden, New Jersey, it wasn't until he changed his name to Buddy Rogers and bleached his hair blond (maybe there's a pattern here...) that he began to gain national recognition. Working in Houston, then Ohio, and then St. Louis, Rogers took the nickname "Nature Boy" and emerged as one of wrestling's first arrogant heels - and a major draw. In 1961, Rogers - who also wielded power as a booker in the Midwest - was chosen as the next National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Champion by the NWA's Board of Directors. This was a rarity (and a testament to Rogers's personality and popularity), as most world champions in those days were required to have legitimate grappling backgrounds, just in case things got heated during a match. Rogers reigned for two years before dropping the title to Lou Thesz. Northeast promoters Vince McMahon, Sr. and Toots Mondt were unhappy with Rogers's loss. They withdrew from the NWA, formed their own company, and continued to recognize Rogers as champ. That's why, in addition to his success in the ring and his power as a drawing card (his NWA title victory brought a record 38,622 fans to Chicago's Comiskey Park), Rogers has gone down in history with another distinction - he was the first ever WWE Champion.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
