11 WWE Stars Quickly Elevated From Secondary To World Championships

5. Eddie Guerrero (2004)

By the end of the summer of 2003, Guerrero's creative heel act of lying, cheating, and stealing had turned him face, and was proving to be an undeniable house show draw. Guerrero was the first United States champion of the belt's revival that July, and viewers were left wondering why he dropped it to the stale Big Show at No Mercy in October. Guerrero feuded with nephew Chavo into the 2004 calendar year, vanquishing him to tie up that loose end. When he won a special 15-man Smackdown rumble to earn a WWE title shot at Brock Lesnar, it remained hard to fathom him knocking off the beast for the gold. Then he did at No Way Out, and it was an unforgettable moment. It's unclear how far back the office's faith in Guerrero as an eventual champion goes, but once his fresh character proved to be a draw, they smartly ran with it.