10 Wrestlers Who Became WWE Champion The Quickest
1. Ric Flair (113 Days)
Ric Flair was already considered wrestling royalty by the time he finally hit WWE in 1991. Debuting in 1972, Flair had established his reputation as one of the most effective heels in the business through his era-defining work in the AWA, NWA, and WCW.
He parted ways with WCW following a contract dispute, and while he was officially “stripped” of the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, he kept hold of the physical belt and took it to WWE. Proclaiming himself “The Real World Heavyweight Champion,” Flair, his adviser Bobby Heenan, and “executive consultant” Mr. Perfect began their WWE campaign by throwing down challenges to the likes of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Hulk Hogan.
Hogan vs. Flair was the match fans were salivating over, of course. The duo had become the two biggest stars in the business while working for separate organisations, and when Flair signed, it looked like WWE would finally be able to book the most hotly-anticipated match in the sport’s history.
It looked to be coming to fruition when Flair helped The Undertaker beat Hogan for the WWE Title at Survivor Series ‘91, and the belt was vacated in the run up to the 1992 Royal Rumble. There, Flair put in one of the all-time great Rumble performances, lasting over 60 minutes to outlast the entire roster, and become World Champion.
It took just 113 days for Flair to reach the top. His existing pedigree obviously helped in this regard, but it remains a staggering achievement. WWE were never able to put together the hotly-anticipated Flair vs. Hogan match, however: Randy Savage was plugged in as Flair’s WrestleMania 8 opponent, and Hogan wrestled Sycho Sid instead.