5 Great Inaugural WWE Champions (And 5 That Sucked)

2. Buddy Rogers - WWE World Champion

At first glance, Buddy Rogers might seem like a pretty unremarkable WWE World Champion. His reign lasted less than a month in an era where that was uncommon, and the man who ended it - Bruno Sammartino - was the star who ended up becoming the face of early WWE. Still, Rogers was essential to the early prestige of the WWE Championship.

Rogers was a huge draw as a heel, and in 1961, he defeated Pat O'Connor for the NWA World Heavyweight Title at Chicago's Comiskey Park. That bout set a North American wrestling attendance record that lasted for 33 years, as well as a gate record that lasted nearly 20.

Rogers continued to draw money, but his favouritism toward northeastern promoters (like Vincent J. McMahon) was a sticking point for the NWA's board. He was forced to drop the belt to Lou Thesz in 1963, but in order to sweeten the deal for Rogers, the bout was just a one-fall match (as opposed to two out of three).

Controversy over a single-fall bout gave Rogers legitimacy when he kept claiming to be world champion - only now, it was for a fledgling NWA breakaway known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Unfortunately, Rogers's health soon took a turn for the worse and he had to drop the belt, but his credibility and stature got the WWE Title - and WWE - off to a strong start.