10 Oldest WWE Champions Ever
8. Buddy Rogers - 42
Date Last WWE Title Won: April 25th, 1963
Age: 42 years, 2 months, 5 days
The Shane Douglas of his day (with far less swearing, belt-throwing, and pioneering the 'Nature Boy' persona instead of lambasting it), Buddy Rogers 'won' the first ever incarnation of the WWE Title when North East territory doyen Vince McMahon Sr elected to secede from the National Wrestling Alliance and form the World Wide Wrestling Federation alongside business partner Toots Mondt.
Rogers had been a proven box office hit for the NWA in headliners with perennial champion Lou Thesz, but committee members weren't convinced of his drawing potential as touring champion. In contrast, McMahon and Mondt didn't believe Thesz would sufficiently service their own market, leading to the split and Rogers being announced as the first official champion following victory in a fictional Rio De Janeiro tournament.
Unfortunately, Rogers advancing age, ill health and the nature of the business all conspired against him in the role. A hated heel in a time where the industry favoured marathon reigns by babyfaces, the decision was taken for Bruno Sammartino to unseat him in under a minute less than a month later.