Your Favorite First World Championship Win

[WBL]

Sheamus beating John Cena in a table match.

Nobody... NOBODY thought Sheamus was gonna beat him. Sheamus was just being fed to Cena. And then... was it an accident? Was Sheamus supposed to go through a table at the same time? Was this crash TV and they were booking it on the fly? I don't know. But Sheamus beating Cena CLEAN for his first WWE title gave him the momentum to be where he is today.

Meaning he'd be Future Endeavored long ago if he hadn't.

 

[justtxyank]

Man this is a TOUGH question. Lots of good ones to choose from.

Even though I was a WCW guy, Mankind's title win was obviously huge. Lots of fun, well booked, etc.

Shawn Michaels winning over Bret Hart felt big and was one of the best promoted "first time" wins.

The previously mentioned WCW Title win by Hulk Hogan was a great mention by multiple people. Well booked, felt big, good match, etc.

Sting winning the title over Flair is a great one as well.

However, I'm going to go with Goldberg pinning Hollywood Hogan. This one of the hottest moments in history. Crowd was white hot, Goldberg was white hot, Hogan was oozing heel heat and you genuinely wondered what could happen. Was the undefeated rising star going to get the gold? Or was Hollywood Hogan going to screw Goldberg and the fans one more time?

The pop when he won that match and the gold was insane.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I've two, the first is when Christian won the World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules in 2011? I think it was 2011, if not 2012, anyway, I had been a devoted Christian fan ever since he and Edge broke up, I never liked Edge and to this day have never understood the appeal. Christian however was a guy who could do everything, wrestle a great match, cut a great promo, be funny, be serious, be the comedic heel or the hated villain, lovable babyface or whatever else, for me he had it all. When he left WWE for TNA that's when I actually started watching TNA regularly, but I digress. Christian returned and I always said he would eventually win the World or WWE Championship and so many, many people told me I was out of my mind, like my next entry mind you, yet I continued saying he would do it and eventually, he did it. I watched it on a replay but when he pulled that title down I remember jumping out of my chair at home despite being dreadfully hungover, delighted he'd done it - then they had him lose it two days later at a Smackdown taping. However, like Christian has said, it led to a great feud with Randy Orton and therefore was worth it.

My second, is Daniel Bryan. I have followed Bryan's career since I started watching ROH in 2004, I saw him go from the great wrestler on the roster to "the man", we'll say. Win the ROH World Championship, which in itself was a great moment, to show his personality, be the bad guy, be the hero, continue to be "the man" and then leave for WWE. Everyone said, "he won't make it, indie vanilla midget, no personality, not big enough, nothing good will ever come from ROH", and everyone who said those things were wrong. Bryan exemplifies that when you have the talent in the buckets he has, nobody can keep you down, and when he won the World Heavyweight Championship I remember this forum going bezerk. I even went onto an old forum I used to post on before here where I kept saying he'd do it and people kept saying I was wrong, to leave one singular post, "I told you so". Both felt like I had won, because in a sense, I had.

 

[Bobbywoodhogan]

Sting winning the title over Flair is a great one as well.

Oh god I knew I forgot one, that actually is the greatest first title win ever for me, the long feud and Sting's injury actually helped the storyline, it felt truly epic when Sting finally beat Flair. One if the greatest nights in the history of professional wrestling.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

It might be Benoit for me. The match meant all the more to the whole scenario and the 'we made it' scene between him and Guerrero afterwards. It was all immense.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I liked CM punks first WWE championship win against John Cena at money in the bank 2011, I thought the storyline was great and I liked the fact that Punk voiced his real opinions during the storyline, I'm a fan of wrestlers winning titles in their hometown,I think the match didn't need Vince or lauraunitis to interfere but then it's Cena and he ain't gonna lose clean.

The purpose of the thread was favorite FIRST World Championship victory, Punk had already won four World Championships at that point.

 

[Catacomb]

i agree with a lot of what has been posted so i wont repeat any of them, im going to go with

yokozuna i saw king of the ring 93 with a group of friends and by 93 we were all sick of hogan, but we all thought he would slam then pin yoko. yes the camera exploding was stupid, but yoko beating hogan was completely unexpected.

 

[Soulblazed]

I have a few favorites when it comes to winning the WWF Title for the first time..

Randy Savage at Wrestlemania 4 against DiBiase..Now I was 50/50 in this match..If either DiBiase or Savage won, I was happy since I was fans of both wrestlers. When Hogan used the heel tactic of hitting DiBiase in the back with the steel chair, I was pissed because I liked DiBiase, yet I was happy since I knew that Savage would hold the belt.

Savage at Wrestlemania 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaUsMv0xmgA

My 2nd pick is The Undertaker beating Hogan at the 1991 Survivor Series with Flair's help. I was the only 7 year old I knew of who was cheering when Taker beat Hogan. When Taker debuted a year earlier I was hoping that Taker would beat Hogan and sure enough he did..All the kids who watched WWF in my 2nd grade class were scared of Taker and I never understood why. I always hated Hogan as a kid, couldn't stand the fucking Legdrop and only came to like Hogan after his 1996 heel turn.

The full Taker/Hogan match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYQ4bzY8msg

Eddy Guerrero beating Lesnar in 2004 at No Way Out is my 3rd pick. I was at The Cow Palace and the crowd was completely alive during the entire match. It was one of a kind..When Eddy Frog Splashed Lesnar the entire building was cheering, absolutely no one was sitting down. Damn I was happy when Eddy won the WWE Title.

The Full Lesnar/Guerrero match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpVc9zLiqG8

 

[mildewygenie89]

Yokos first win wasnt at kotr it was against bret hart at WM 9.

My favorite first title win is probably goldberg just because that was the peak of my wrestling fandom. There are many others such as flairs first WWF rumble win. And what about Deseil over backlund I know it was a house show but one day he beats bret the next thing we know deseil deats him in 20 seconds.

 

[Radical]

Imagine that moment at Armageddon at WM25 with 60,000 screaming fans cheering when he wins the title. Plus Jeff Hardy was ready at that point he had the fan support and marketability to be the WWE Champ.

My favourite also probably Jeff Hardy's WWE Championship win against Triple H & Edge at Armageddon.

I understand how you feel it would have been better at WrestleMania, and the pop would have been louder, yes. But you have to admit, that stage design, Armageddon, with those burned down buildings and seeing Hardy at the end of the show climbed to the top of the structure and posing on the top with the title is perfect for everything he stands for. That whole, take-no-prisoners, give all you got like it's the last day on Earth style that endeared him to fans was a perfect PPV for Hardy to win at.

WWE, by the way, sucks now with boring PPV stages except for WrestleMania. It's probably one of their 'cost cutting measures' along with getting rid of most intro show pyro, but I digress.

Hardy was one of my favourites.

Other one was Christian vs Del Rio at Extreme Rules! LOVED seeing that. So much real emotion and to such a deserving guy!


One thing WWE kinda of sucks at though... think of all these matches we've all said were our favourite World Title wins ...

Mick Foley's, RVD's, Hardy's, Christian's, Bryan's ...

What do these all have in common?

Their title reigns were minimal! Christian's was like 5 days, Foley's never lasted more than 3 weeks I think. Why does WWE do this so often to our beloved Superstars? Why CAN'T Mick Foley go on to be a 3-4 month Champion winning big PPV matches in the process? Or RVD? Hardy? Christian or Bryan? Fans would LOVE it and buy the PPVs more if their favourites were on top and they felt they would keep it because they are that good.

Anyway ... I guess it's better than never giving them the title at all.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Multiple people have listed Flair's Royal Rumble 92 Match - that was a great match, epic even, but it was his 8th World Title Win, not his first....I re read the thread to make sure it wasn't a WWE only thread and it wasn't.

Likewise, at least two posters mentioned Hogan's 1994 WCW Tiitle... I believe that his 5th reign wasn't it (Sheik in 83, Savage in 89, Slaughter in 91, Yokozuna in 93) - another very good match with a great ending, but how is that qualifying as "Favorite First World Title Win" ??

 

[FlairFan2003]

One thing WWE kinda of sucks at though... think of all these matches we've all said were our favourite World Title wins ...

Mick Foley's, RVD's, Hardy's, Christian's, Bryan's ...

What do these all have in common?

Their title reigns were minimal! Christian's was like 5 days, Foley's never lasted more than 3 weeks I think. Why does WWE do this so often to our beloved Superstars? Why CAN'T Mick Foley go on to be a 3-4 month Champion winning big PPV matches in the process? Or RVD? Hardy? Christian or Bryan? .

RVD likely would have had a longer, more distinguished run if he hadn't been arrested for drugs. He lost the title and was let go shortly afterwards.

 

[Wolf Pac]

RVD was gonna lose the WWE Title to Edge at Saturday Night's Main Event that week, but after he got busted they decided to move the Triple Threat between him, Edge & Cena to Raw and have him lose it there instead. He was gonna remain ECW Champion and carry the ECW brand, but because of the suspension, he lost the belt to Big Show the next day.

 

[Nate DaMac]

The purpose of the thread was favorite FIRST World Championship victory, Punk had already won four World Championships at that point.

Multiple people have listed Flair's Royal Rumble 92 Match - that was a great match, epic even, but it was his 8th World Title Win, not his first....I re read the thread to make sure it wasn't a WWE only thread and it wasn't.

Likewise, at least two posters mentioned Hogan's 1994 WCW Tiitle... I believe that his 5th reign wasn't it (Sheik in 83, Savage in 89, Slaughter in 91, Yokozuna in 93) - another very good match with a great ending, but how is that qualifying as "Favorite First World Title Win" ??

Chill the fuck out, guys. There weren't any specific guidelines, hell in my opening post I used the fact that I was watching Christian win his first World Heavyweight Championship but that wasn't his first World Title win. He was a 4 time World Champion at that point, but it was the first time winning that particular World Title.

 

[Bythedockofthebay]

To me it's about the build, and three REALLY stand out to me.

Sting- Sting over Flair to win the WCW title was huge, and I think that's the match that really made Sting. The story of the injury and how it all came about was amazing.

HBK- The story the WWE told here needs to be duplicated at some point. But the work that went into the storyline and the struggle of the match, plus needing extra time, all told the story perfectly.

Brock- I know I might get some hate for this one but the fans really helped this one. Plus the fact Brock as the unstoppable monster could finally meet his match. It took Brock dirty tricks and everything in the book to beat Rock but in the end the fans were ready for a new monster and Brock was it, Good match, great crowd, really good story.

Honorable mention and what might have been bigger was Goldbergs win. Amazing night, with the perfect end to that match. Kicking out of three Hogan legdrops in a row, just wow. Great story and Goldbergs only WCW title reign which to this day baffles me.

 

[Wrestlingaholic]

I really enjoyed the Rock's first win at Survivor Series '98. For only the 2nd time in history the title is up for grabs in a 14-man tournament (seriously WWE, just add two more matches and make it a round 16-man tourney!!) where the expected final was Stone Cold v the Undertaker, but a show long storyline of Mankind trying to become the 'corporate champion' and Vince and the Corporation trying to ensure Austin and the Rock don't progress.

A fantastic ppv all round, with enough red herrings to make the ending a true shocker: Mankind getting the easiest possible 1st round opponent in Duane Gill; the Big Boss Man earning a second chance against the Rock, only to lose in record time; the failed interference of the Boss Man in Rock's match v Shamrock; and Shane o'Mac's refereeing screw job of Austin in the semi final v Mankind.

So to have the Corporation help the Rock to win, over a deflated and heartbroken Mankind, instituting a double-switch in the process, was a fantastic piece of storytelling, on one of the best ppvs I've seen. The only thing that takes from it is the finish, a rehash of the Montreal Screwjob a year earlier. But what a memorable first title win for the Great One.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

There are two that immediately stand out for me; Bret Hart beating Ric Flair in October 1992. And Mick Foley beating The Rock in December 1999.

I live in the UK, so it came through about a week later on TV. Bret won it at a house show. That was the only taint to this epic match.

The Mick Foley win was just so well written, so well told and so entertaining. It was a very happy event. To know what Mick went through to reach the top made it even more enjoyable.

 

[justtxyank]

Other than being a Bret fan that simply likes that he won the title, how could you even think about his as the best? It's so anti-climatic. He beat Flair in a blah match on a non-televised house show with no build-up. I actually think it's a shame for Bret that his first title was more of a "well we've got to put the belt on someone, I guess we'll give it to Bret and see what happens." He deserved better than that.

 

[themick]

My favorite all-time mark out moment that fits this thread is when Taker beat Hogan. I always rooted for the bad guys when I was a kid, especially against Hogan. I was a huge Taker fan but honestly didn't expect him to win.

In person, I'd say my favorite was Benoit. I liked him, but wouldn't say I was ever a huge fan. However, I totally got caught up in that match and was literally standing on my chair yelling at HHH to tap. The scene that followed with Benoit and Eddie was amazing.

 

[hacksawrowdyhogan]

It is absolutely disgusting all these benoit responses.

All these iwc pimple boys need to listen up. Nothing chris benoit did can be remembered over taking innocent life in a horrific manner. Eventually he took the cowards way out as well.

Shame on you losers.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Two wins come to mind.

First and foremost, Shawn Michaels beating Bret Hart in an Iron Man match at Wrestlemania. Truly epic. I'm a little surprised not to see it mentioned more often here. But then again I'm a total HBK mark and always have been.

The other one that stands out for me is Ric Flair becoming the WWF champion for the first time by winning the 1992 Royal Rumble. That event holds a very special place in my heart anyway. It turned me from a very casual fan, who caught a tiny glimpse of the wrestling world every other month, to a full fledged wrestling addict. Of course back then I hated Flair's guts and was heartbroken when the evil Sid Justice eliminated Hulk Hogan. I just couldn't believe that no one could manage to throw out that tiny little pipsqueak #3 entrant.
Aaah, those were the days when I still saw wrestling unfiltered through a child's eyes as, really, it is meant to be watched.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

Other than being a Bret fan that simply likes that he won the title, how could you even think about his as the best? It's so anti-climatic. He beat Flair in a blah match on a non-televised house show with no build-up. I actually think it's a shame for Bret that his first title was more of a "well we've got to put the belt on someone, I guess we'll give it to Bret and see what happens." He deserved better than that.

I think of it as a personal favourite because I had wanted Bret to be IC champion again so badly after he beat the British Bulldog. Even as an Englishman I was cheering Bret on - he was my childhood hero. To see him beat Ric Flair for the title was exciting for me. I was only 9!

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

I really enjoyed the Rock's first win at Survivor Series '98. For only the 2nd time in history the title is up for grabs in a 14-man tournament (seriously WWE, just add two more matches and make it a round 16-man tourney!!) where the expected final was Stone Cold v the Undertaker, but a show long storyline of Mankind trying to become the 'corporate champion' and Vince and the Corporation trying to ensure Austin and the Rock don't progress.

A fantastic ppv all round, with enough red herrings to make the ending a true shocker: Mankind getting the easiest possible 1st round opponent in Duane Gill; the Big Boss Man earning a second chance against the Rock, only to lose in record time; the failed interference of the Boss Man in Rock's match v Shamrock; and Shane o'Mac's refereeing screw job of Austin in the semi final v Mankind.

So to have the Corporation help the Rock to win, over a deflated and heartbroken Mankind, instituting a double-switch in the process, was a fantastic piece of storytelling, on one of the best ppvs I've seen. The only thing that takes from it is the finish, a rehash of the Montreal Screwjob a year earlier. But what a memorable first title win for the Great One.

I largely agree with this. Survivor Series Deadly Game is probably the best story telling the WWF ever have done on a PPV for all the reasons you noted.

 

[Nate DaMac]

It is absolutely disgusting all these benoit responses.

I know right? You're so angry you can't even seem to form a sentence.

All these iwc pimple boys need to listen up.

Hehe. Don't strain your brain there, numbnuts.

Nothing chris benoit did can be remembered over taking innocent life in a horrific manner. Eventually he took the cowards way out as well.

Who said that his title wins were more memorable than killing his family? Surely more people know him for what he did out of the ring, but it was still a great moment when he made Triple H tap out at Wrestlemania.

Chris Benoit is my all-time favorite wrestler. He isn't my all time favorite person. He barely cracks the top ten in that regard.

Just to add to the actual conversation, what about Kevin Nash's first WCW Title win?



Surely it's more remembered as the day Nash broke Goldberg's streak, but that was Nash's first World title win in WCW. A huge moment.

 

[WBL]

How about we go old school and talk about Ivan Koloff's first title win?

End of an era, man. End of an era.

... look it up, kids.