11 WWE Stars Quickly Elevated From Secondary To World Championships

Had Dean Ambrose remained Intercontinental Champion headed into Fastlane on Sunday, you could almost count on him eating the pinfall, likely from 'brother' Roman Reigns. It's a rare proposition (though not impossible) that a secondary titleholder would head into WrestleMania and face the WWE Champion, and Ambrose dropping the belt on Raw in a five-way match actually adds a bit of intrigue for Sunday. For some, it lays that seed that maybe, just maybe, Ambrose could garner the title match at WrestleMania after all. While Reigns is still the most likely victor in Sunday's triple threat, this wouldn't be the first time a secondary champion has dropped the gold en route to his first WWE World Championship. The modern era of WWE is littered with examples of soon-to-be marquee talents ditching a lesser belt in eventual exchange for the grand prize, and it usually doesn't take long. To qualify for this list, a wrestler had to have dropped the Intercontinental or United States championship (or still have been holding one of the two) within six months of winning their very first recognized WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The time frame indicates, usually, that they had to be free of all hang-ups before their planned ascendance. Here's a chronological look at eleven talents that followed a similar path to the apex of professional wrestling.

11. The Ultimate Warrior (1990)

Warrior is the only qualifier on the list to have still held their lesser belt at the time they became WWE Champion. Warrior famously defeated Hulk Hogan at Toronto's SkyDome at WrestleMania 6 in a title-for-title showcase, winning Hulk's World title while successfully defending his Intercontinental belt. Understandably, Warrior vacated the Intercontinental title shortly after WrestleMania, where Mr. Perfect would win it in a tournament on the syndicated programs. In this case, Warrior's status as Intercontinental champion, in his second impressive reign, elevated him to the WWE Championship. With his character being on Hogan's level as an unbreakable hero, losing the belt by any means prior to WrestleMania may have tarnished his aura. It was the right call letting him hold both belts at once.