Longest wait to win a world title

[ChitownKnight]

Who is it? From wwe debut to first world title win. And yes we can count people that temporarily left. I think the actual winner is Bobby Lashley

[Citizen Snips]

HBK and Bret Hart both went 8 straight years after their debut to get their first WWF Title.

Andre made his first WWWF appearance in 1973, won the title in 1988.

[government mule]

Mark Henry or Christian

[chronocross]

I think it's Mark Henry, he made his debut in 1996 and won the World Title in 2011.

[Feyrhausen]

Jul 15, 2022 16:31:28 GMT -5 ChitownKnight said:

Who is it? From wwe debut to first world title win. And yes we can count people that temporarily left. I think the actual winner is Bobby Lashley

Bobby is debateable. When he won the ECW title it was a world title. Remember when Taker won the Rumble and was given hire his choice of champions to challenge he faced down Cena, Batista, and Lashley. It was only after the Benoit murders that the ECW title was devalued.

If you dont count ECW then Bobby has 16 years, maybe the record. If you do count ECW then Henry or Andre both at 15.

[67 more]

Jul 15, 2022 17:25:08 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Jul 15, 2022 16:31:28 GMT -5 ChitownKnight said:

Who is it? From wwe debut to first world title win. And yes we can count people that temporarily left. I think the actual winner is Bobby Lashley

Bobby is debateable. When he won the ECW title it was a world title. Remember when Taker won the Rumble and was given hire his choice of champions to challenge he faced down Cena, Batista, and Lashley. It was only after the Benoit murders that the ECW title was devalued.

If you dont count ECW then Bobby has 16 years, maybe the record. If you do count ECW then Henry or Andre both at 15.

If you're counting ECW, that would put Henry at 12. While they dropped world from the name, the ECW title would still get included in polls and stuff like "Who is most dominant world champion?" around that time.

[Feyrhausen]

Jul 16, 2022 0:41:25 GMT -5 67 more said:

Jul 15, 2022 17:25:08 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Bobby is debateable. When he won the ECW title it was a world title. Remember when Taker won the Rumble and was given hire his choice of champions to challenge he faced down Cena, Batista, and Lashley. It was only after the Benoit murders that the ECW title was devalued.

If you dont count ECW then Bobby has 16 years, maybe the record. If you do count ECW then Henry or Andre both at 15.

If you're counting ECW, that would put Henry at 12. While they dropped world from the name, the ECW title would still get included in polls and stuff like "Who is most dominant world champion?" around that time.

But they also had the ECW champion entering the Rumble in 2008 which was the first clear sign that it was no longer on the level of the others.

All a matter of opinion I guess since there can be no clear rules with this company.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

my first guess was Jeff Hardy.

he debuted in 92. getting conflicting reports most site list 94 as his first WWF match...

didn't get a title until 2008.

using the 94 date he was at 14.5 years.


and unlike Bobby he spent the majority of the time IN the company.

[67 more]

Jul 16, 2022 1:04:02 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Jul 16, 2022 0:41:25 GMT -5 67 more said:

If you're counting ECW, that would put Henry at 12. While they dropped world from the name, the ECW title would still get included in polls and stuff like "Who is most dominant world champion?" around that time.

But they also had the ECW champion entering the Rumble in 2008 which was the first clear sign that it was no longer on the level of the others.

All a matter of opinion I guess since there can be no clear rules with this company.

It doesn't help that the belt was on Chavo. If the belt was still on Punk, it wouldn't be as bad but the belt was so devalued being put on Chavo. But still, you could have at least Chavo say something like "why wouldn't I want to be a double world champion?"

Nowadays though, you have Jinder winning THE title and the WWE Champion appearing in the Rumble.

[A Platypus Rave is Correct]

Jul 16, 2022 0:41:25 GMT -5 67 more said:

Jul 15, 2022 17:25:08 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

Bobby is debateable. When he won the ECW title it was a world title. Remember when Taker won the Rumble and was given hire his choice of champions to challenge he faced down Cena, Batista, and Lashley. It was only after the Benoit murders that the ECW title was devalued.

If you dont count ECW then Bobby has 16 years, maybe the record. If you do count ECW then Henry or Andre both at 15.

If you're counting ECW, that would put Henry at 12. While they dropped world from the name, the ECW title would still get included in polls and stuff like "Who is most dominant world champion?" around that time.

Also not counting the ECW title Bobby is at 15 5/12 years... if we're going full technically correct >_>

[Feyrhausen]

Jul 16, 2022 1:15:50 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave is Correct said:

Jul 16, 2022 0:41:25 GMT -5 67 more said:

If you're counting ECW, that would put Henry at 12. While they dropped world from the name, the ECW title would still get included in polls and stuff like "Who is most dominant world champion?" around that time.

Also not counting the ECW title Bobby is at 15 5/12 years... if we're going full technically correct >_>

You can count ECW up until a certain point going by how it was treated. Until mid 2007 it was treated as a legit title. After that it was not treated that way. So.it was a world title until it was not.

[Allie Kitsune]

Jul 16, 2022 1:09:33 GMT -5 67 more said:

Jul 16, 2022 1:04:02 GMT -5 Feyrhausen said:

But they also had the ECW champion entering the Rumble in 2008 which was the first clear sign that it was no longer on the level of the others.

All a matter of opinion I guess since there can be no clear rules with this company.

It doesn't help that the belt was on Chavo. If the belt was still on Punk, it wouldn't be as bad but the belt was so devalued being put on Chavo. But still, you could have at least Chavo say something like "why wouldn't I want to be a double world champion?"

Nowadays though, you have Jinder winning THE title and the WWE Champion appearing in the Rumble.

It's not even so much "They put the belt on Chavo" that it is putting the belt on Chavo was just a way to get Kane to start feuding with Edge.

[simplydurhamcalling]

Kofi went 11 years I think from ECW debut in 2008 to world champion in 2019. Doesn't trump the above options but still a long time.

I always bang on about this but the sheer number of roster members who have been active in WWE 10+ years is astonishing when you think back to Undertaker's "decade of destruction" being seen as a great achievement at the time. I do think it contributes to the stale product we see today.

[greyfmdan]

I get what some of you are saying about the ECW being a world title for a time. But did anyone really buy it being on the same level as the WWE & WH titles? Did anyone think there was any chance Taker was going to challenge Lashley for it? I thought including Lashley in that storyline was a decent way to hype WWECW, and I guess you can count it if you look at it that way. But for me personally, I never thought it passed the eye test as a top-tier title.

[tirtefaa]

It took Vince McMahon 28 years to win one, but I guess the company felt he was owed after all he'd done for them.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Jul 16, 2022 6:54:12 GMT -5 greyfmdan said:

I get what some of you are saying about the ECW being a world title for a time. But did anyone really buy it being on the same level as the WWE & WH titles? Did anyone think there was any chance Taker was going to challenge Lashley for it? I thought including Lashley in that storyline was a decent way to hype WWECW, and I guess you can count it if you look at it that way. But for me personally, I never thought it passed the eye test as a top-tier title.

I think the second Lashley vacated it, it became no longer a world title so anyone who won it then or earlier counts and anyone afterwards doesn't

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Jul 16, 2022 8:16:08 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Jul 16, 2022 6:54:12 GMT -5 greyfmdan said:

I get what some of you are saying about the ECW being a world title for a time. But did anyone really buy it being on the same level as the WWE & WH titles? Did anyone think there was any chance Taker was going to challenge Lashley for it? I thought including Lashley in that storyline was a decent way to hype WWECW, and I guess you can count it if you look at it that way. But for me personally, I never thought it passed the eye test as a top-tier title.

I think the second Lashley vacated it, it became no longer a world title so anyone who won it then or earlier counts and anyone afterwards doesn't

Yeah, they real life teased Taker challenging for the title as a possibility when he won the Rumble that year. After Lashley vacated it, the drop was obvious.

[Feyrhausen]

Jul 16, 2022 14:16:02 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Jul 16, 2022 8:16:08 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

I think the second Lashley vacated it, it became no longer a world title so anyone who won it then or earlier counts and anyone afterwards doesn't

Yeah, they real life teased Taker challenging for the title as a possibility when he won the Rumble that year. After Lashley vacated it, the drop was obvious.

If the Benoit situation had not happened and he won the belt I think would have stayed a world title for awhile longer. But once Johnny Nitro won it was over and done.