AJ styles championship precedent

Can we acknowledge how awesome it is that AJ’s first title was the Smackdown championship?

Finn Balor and KO were at least former NXT champs (with KO also US champ)
Ambrose was a former IC and US championship.
Reigns was a former tag champ (as was Rollins)

But when was the last time we saw someone go straight to winning the top (one of two) championship in the WWE without also holding NXT or lower card gold? Kane?

What a world!!

​Owens was never US champ. He was IC champ. But same thing either way.

But yeah, AJ has really had the rocket strapped to him in a big way, although Brock Lesnar won the title faster in 2002 after his debut. ​