The Nature Boy Buddy Rogers is celebrated as the first ever WWE Champion and history books tend to hold him in a very high regard. WWE's own promotional materials are glowing about his legacy. But scratch beyond the surface and you'll realise that this was a man who never actually won the WWF Title, and he only actually reigned as the 'champion' for twenty two days. His status as the first man to win the title is a fiction, as the then WWWF simply awarded him the belt, and then told fans that he'd won it at a tournament in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Nevertheless, Rogers was a big star and had a rich career history long before his fictional Rio win. Unfortunately, he then suffered a small heart attack just days after being made the WWWF Champion. He was therefore unable to make a major legacy with the belt. The WWWF ended up having him job after just twenty two days, putting over Bruno Sammartino on May 17 1963. Bruno went on to reign for seven years, becoming one of the hottest draws ever and effectively making the WWF a powerhouse. Buddy's title reign was just a foot note in comparison.
