SummerSlam By The Numbers WWE DON'T Want You To Remember

3. 24 Years Old

SummerSlam 92 thumb
WWE

At SummerSlam 2004, Randy Orton, still wet behind the ears, became WWE's youngest top line title holder at the age of just 24. His maiden WWE Heavyweight Championship victory eclipsed the record previously set by the departed star he was being groomed to replace: Brock Lesnar.

You'll rarely hear this accolade mentioned on programming these days, owing to the fact Orton displaced the historically redacted Chris Benoit for the strap. The Big Gold Belt distinction has proved a fortuitous one for WWE; 'youngest WWE champion' records today entirely discount reigns with what was, for a period, the promotion's premier title, for the sole purpose of benighting the Benoit connection.

Instead, Brock Lesnar's accomplishment - itself recorded at SummerSlam, two years prior - is the one cited, despite him being marginally older. Knowing WWE, it's astonishing they have not christened a 23 year old a major champion of any description to erase this unwanted footnote, but then, simply ignoring it seems to do the trick.

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.