10 Youngest WWE Champions Ever
9. Ivan Koloff - 28
Date First WWE Title Won: January 18th, 1971
Age: 28 years, 4 months, 24 days
Allegedly, only the dropping of pins and the cries of Bruno Sammartino's supporters could be heard inside Madison Square Garden when Ivan Koloff ended his near-seven year WWE Title reign with a top rope knee drop.
Sammartino took his role as champion extremely seriously in an era where the formulaic presentation of heels as his equal before ultimately eating defeat paid dividends for the burgeoning McMahon empire. Despite still drawing strong gate receipts as the heroic titleholder, by 1971 he'd grown wary of the physical and emotional demands the schedule required.
Following a time honoured rule of thumb, the company selected Koloff as the transitional heel to move the title to the aforementioned next great babyface hope Pedro Morales. The choice was vindicated by the rumblings of a riot that threatened to engulf the new champion as he left the ring amidst the realisation that Sammartino had been felled.