7 Major Title Changes NOT On The WWE Network

1. WWWF World Championship Tournament

Ric Flair Randy Savage Superstars
WWE.com

13 years before Pat Patterson sent an imaginary set of Rio de Janeiro fans into raptures, Buddy Rogers also made history in front of the very same audience, rolling home in a completely fictional tournament to crown himself WWE's first champion.

In 1961, Buddy Rogers had captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, and unlike the straight-shooters who dominated the southern territories, the bleached-blonde showman was a legitimate draw in the north-east. Obviously then, the territory's top promoters Vince McMahon Sr. and Toots Mondt were eager to keep the original 'Nature Boy' in situ.

Rogers himself had no intention of betraying the NWA committee by refusing to drop the belt - not at the cost of his $25,000 deposit, anyway. When he did the honours for Lou Thesz in January 1963, Mondt and McMahon were absolutely livid, and immediately withdrew their membership from the union, setting up the World Wide Wrestling Federation.

They took Rogers along with them, who went on to win the company's rival championship during a bogus bout in Brazil.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.