Logan Paul had challenged Rey Mysterio for his United States Championship title after his return to boxing bore him a victory against Dillon Danis. Since then, there has been some back and forth between the two SmackDown stars. The official contract was signed and the two stars were present for a weigh-in ahead of the premium live event. The stars fought their hearts out with The Maverick securing the win, ending Lucha Libre’s third reign as the United States Champion. The internet celebrity managed to secure his first-ever title win after appearing in almost 8 matches.
Although it might feel like a normal thing, there have been stars who were able to secure a title way quicker than the 28-year-old star. Here is a list of WWE stars who secured a win at their debut matches.
The Undertaker (1991, WWF Champion)
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The Phenom made his first appearance at the then-WWF Survivor Series in 1990. The star was introduced as a mystery partner for the Million Dollar team. Since the beginning, he was introduced as a heel. As his name suggests, he was in fact an undertaker who happened to have supernatural powers. This was something new, and the star garnered a massive fan following.
As he got a massive push from the promotion, it was time for him to claim his first title win with the WWE Champion. The Deadman went against none other than the prominent face of the promotion, Hulk Hogan. The face-off which happened at the Survivor Series 1991, was dubbed Hogan’s “Gravest Challenge” going in line with the 58-year-old star’s initial gimmick. The Undertaker won the match by delivering a Tombstone to Hogan and became the new champion of the promotion.
Christian Cage (1998, WWF Light-Heavyweight Champion)
Fans know Christian Cage as Edge’s famous tag-team partner. The duo were one of the most formidable tag teams of the promotion and had won numerous matches. But before the duo teamed up once again at the Stamford-based promotion, they both had their own solo runs. During this time, Christian managed to become the promotion’s light-heavyweight champion. The star debuted in 1998 and had his first televised match against Taka Michinoku at WWE Judgment Day. The WWE alumni proved himself by going toe-to-toe against the former champion.
In the end, Cage came out as the winner and was crowned the new WWE Light Heavyweight champion of the promotion. The only problem with this title win was that Cage was not popular at that time. Still, the promotion banked on him, thinking that he had the potential. And boy oh boy, Cage proved it to the promotion by becoming part of the vampiric faction The Brood. He, along with Edge and Gangrel, ruled the promotion as the upcoming heel stable. Later on, Gangrel left, and the two became the tag team duo we know today.
Gail Kim (2003, WWE Women’s Champion)
Gail Kim became a prominent figure during her time at TNA (Impact). She was inducted in the TNA Hall of Fame but she became a global name after she made her way to WWE. Kim was the surprise contender for the WWE Women’s Championship title and made her debut on Monday Night Raw in June 2003. On the day of her debut, she was thrown right into the action, where she fought in a seven-woman battle royal for the title.
She gave her all and became the new WWE Women’s Champion after she eliminated Victoria. Following that victory, she was released the following year as a part of cost-cutting. After that, she was seen making occasional appearances at the promotion and had a short run from 2008 to 2011. Since her retirement from professional wrestling, she has been a part of Impact Wrestling as a producer, along with talent development roles.
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Carlito (2004, United States Champion)
The Caribbean Cool made his debut at the promotion in 2004. During this time, The Leader of The Cenation was dominating the scene after freshly being crowned as the United States Champion. The new debutante challenged Cena and the Hollywood star who had defeated Booker T four days ago had to put his championship title on the line. Carlito used both brawn and his brains when he knocked the champion using his own chain.
The rookie then pinned Cena and, after the count of three, became the new United States Champion. But his reign as the champion was short-lived as he lost the title again to John Cena just after 42 days after Cena was ‘allegedly’ attacked by Carlito’s bodyguard. This was the promotion’s trick to write him off for some time. After his scripted hospitalization, he came back to annihilate Carlito and take back his title from him. Nevertheless, it gave birth to one of the most iconic rivalries of all time.
Paige (2014, WWE Divas Champion)
Paige made the black and gold brand popular when it did not have much of a fan following. Miss Hell in Boots was the reigning NXT Women’s Champion for almost 300 days and it was time for her to be promoted further. She made her debut on the red brand, a day after WrestleMania 30 premiered in 2014. On the very first day of her new workplace, she was thrown into ‘workplace drama’. The current WWE Divas Champion, AJ Lee, kept her title on the line for a fight against the NXT Champion.
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This proved to be one of her gravest mistakes as she ended up losing the battle and her title. Paige was crowned as the new WWE Divas Champion. However, her career had other plans for her. Pertaining to medical conditions, her in-ring career lasted for just 4 years. She announced her retirement from the ring after WrestleMania 34. However, Shane McMahon gave her an offer to be the manager of SmackDown Live. She took up the offer and was with the brand till 2022. In June 2022, she announced that she would be parting ways with the promotion.
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Do you think we missed anyone on this list? Who do you think should be on our next list?