The Complete History of the WWE Championship - Part 12

Edge (January 8, 2006 - January 29, 2006)

Edge finally won the WWE Championship at New Year's Revolution 2006

Edge debuted for WWE in the summer of 1998. Over seven and a half years later, he finally won his first World title.

Many observers thought Edge who had been tag team champion seven times with his onscreen brother, Christian as well as Intercontinental and United States Champion and the 2001 King of the Ring was a mid-carder for life due to the length of time he had been outside of the main event.

However, Edge in 2005 finally hit upon a character that made him into a bonafide headliner. He owed much to the real-life scandal in which Edge cheated on his wife with his best friend, Matt Hardy's girlfriend Lita.

Edge (and WWE) capitalized on the enmity with which the pair received from fans following the affair becoming public by teaming Edge and Lita up on television and encouraging the negative chants from the audience.

Edge re-christened himself the Rated-R superstar and after winning the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania, he had his shot at becoming WWE Champion at a time of his choosing.

At New Year's Revolution 2006, Edge finally picked his spot. After Cena had retained the gold in a grueling Elimination Chamber match, Edge cashed in the briefcase and speared his way to his first WWE Championship win.

Ratings increased dramatically after Edge's title victory, with many lapsed fans tuning back into RAW to see a wrestler they remembered from the Attitude Era as WWE Champion.

RAW's ratings were the highest since the Attitude Era ended in 2001 and for that reason, many in WWE wanted Edge to remain champion long term. However, Edge's reign was a short term fix for the troublesome boos WWE Champion, John Cena was receiving and the long term plan for the main event of WrestleMania 22 was Cena versus Triple H with the WWE Title on the line.

Therefore, Cena had to regain it. That he did, three weeks later at Royal Rumble 2006. However, Edge's short reign had cemented him as a permanent main eventer.