5 Tag Team Champions who became World Champion later

The career arcs of WWE Superstars are very interesting to behold. Nothing is more amazing than seeing a superstar start from nothing and rise to reach the summit of sports entertainment.

Many superstars start out at the bottom of the ladder and work their way up. To use the legendary Vince McMahon phrase, they have to “reach out and grab the brass ring”. When they do, it is the culmination of many years of hard work that is rightfully rewarded.

WWE often has superstars working their way from the ground up. This means making a name for themselves and then winning a midcard championship. The easiest route towards this is by winning the Tag Team Championship before making the jump to the upper tier of singles competition.

Here are five superstars who became World Champion after becoming Tag Team Champion.

#5 On our list of superstars who became World Champion after holding tag team gold: Big E

Big E won the big one recently

The New Day is one of the most successful tag teams of all time. The trio of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E created history multiple times with their record-breaking reigns and classic matches.

The trio split up as part of the draft, leaving E to wrestle in singles competition. With fans firmly behind him, his rise was meteoric. After winning the Money in the Bank ladder match, the powerhouse cashed in on Bobby Lashley to become World Champion and achieve a lifelong dream.

#4 Kofi Kingston’s hard work pays off in stellar style

Eleven years in the WWE, and Kofi Kingston was yet to receive an opportunity to become World Champion. He was a regular in the midcard and was doing everything right there, but somehow never got a chance.

That was until his phenomenal performance in a Gauntlet match saw him earn an opportunity at Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship. After winning numerous tag team titles and establishing himself as one of the most consistent performers on the roster, he finally got his chance at the big time.

Kingston took his opportunity with both hands and pinned Bryan at WrestleMania to become WWE Champion. As his teammates and fans celebrated with him, history was written in emotional fashion.

#3 Edge etches his name into the history books

Edge made a seismic transition from tag team wrestling

Edge is one of the best tag team specialists WWE has ever seen. He has done unthinkable things and become tag team champion countless times, assuring the company that there was an elite singles competitor in him.

Thrust into the spotlight, Edge did not disappoint. Using all the experience and skills he honed as a tag team champion, he became World Champion, eleven times to be exact.

#2 Everyone gets emotional as Christian wins the big one

Christian took years to finally get to the top

Edge and Christian were part of one of the most famous tag teams in WWE history. Every time they stepped into the ring, fans were guaranteed a banger.

As Edge went on to establish himself as a top-tier singles competitor, Christian couldn’t quite reach those heights. After his friend’s shock retirement, he stepped up and earned an opportunity for the World Heavyweight Championship. He defeated Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match to become World Champion and cement his place in history.

#1 Teamwork builds the foundations of the Roman Empire

Many people forget that Roman Reigns was a tag team champion before he became the best in the singles competition business. His arrival as part of The Shield saw him, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins saw the WWE landscape change forever.

It was with the latter that Reigns tasted tag team gold. They were ruthless champions before they lost the titles and embarked on singles runs. Since then, there has been no stopping The Big Dog, as he has become World Champion five times, including his current run as Universal Champion.