Top 10 most surprising Championship changes in WWE

The WWE is in preparations for Wrestlemania which is basically a pay-per-view where the stakes are at the very highest. Over the course of wrestling history, there have been a plethora of title changes but not everyone gets stuck in our mind while some are incredibly hard to forget.The amount of shock value is what makes these unforgettable ones so special. There are opportunities for the company to pull off something similar and make it a memorable outing for the WWE Universe in the subsequent PPVs.So, here is a look back to feed the nostalgic needs.

#10 Spirit Squad defeats Kane and Big Show for Tag team titles (Raw, 2006)

It was that good old time in 2006 where the company actually cared about the tag team division. Big Show and Kane was reigning as the tag team champions while the creative were also pushing a five men cheerleader squad.

The Spirit Squad was involved in the feud between Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon and along with this they also got a title shot at the tag titles on Raw.

Kenny and Mikey with the help of their team mates ended the reign of Show and Kane to secure the tag titles which later proved to be a subplot in their feud with D Generation X.

Rookies getting a big over former World Champions didn’t make sense at that moment but as time went by the fans understood the reason for the title change.

#9 Jillian Hall defeated Mickie James for Divas Championship (Raw, 2008)

Jillian Hall was introduced into WWE programming as a part of JBL’s stable. Her signature was a big mole on her cheek which apparently got eaten by the Boogeyman. After this angle, the company started pushing her as an in ring talent.

Hall was constantly seen switching brands and after four years of making her main roster debut, Jillian ended up in Raw where she aligned with the likes of Melina and Beth Phoenix.

However, her singles career peeked when she defeated Mickie James on an episode of Raw in 2008 to win the Divas Championship. This was her first and last title in WWE and lost the title just minutes later, to her former friend Melina.

#8 Paige defeated AJ Lee for Divas Championship (Raw, 2014)

So there is AJ Lee who was having the longest diva championship reign in the WWE. At WrestleMania AJ defeated the entire Divas roster to retain her title but on the night that followed, AJ was faced with something outside her stale division.

Paige, the then NXT Women’s champion came with intentions of congratulating AJ for retaining the title. However, an arrogant AJ saw this as an act of disrespect and gave Paige a title shot.

And the rest was history. Paige, a mere NXT rookie did what the entire divas division couldn’t do together. The win marked the arrival of Paige who has turned into a mainstay into a division.

#7 Jeff Hardy defeats Triple H for Intercontinental championship (SmackDown, 2001)

There are many criticisms about Hunter saying that he never puts talent over. Well this wasn’t the case with Jeff Hardy. For one reason or the other, Triple H was always keen to make Jeff the better guy in almost all the occasions that they faced eachother.

In 2001, Jeff Hardy was coming off fresh from the legendary TLC matches and the company decided to give him a singles push. One part of this push was to get an Intercontinental title shot.

Hardy faced Hunter in SmackDown with the championship on the line and crashing everyone’s expectations, Hardy got his first singles title with the help of his brother Matt who took out Hunter with a steel chair.

#6 Sheamus defeats John Cena for WWE Championship (TLC, 2009)

Sheamus made his WWE debut in 2009 and went on to have a small feud with Shelton Benjamin. He was then randomly booked here and there to show how good he is but the breakthrough for the Celtic Warrior came when he won the battle royal which was made to determine the new No. 1 contender.

He now had a shot at John Cena’s championship and Jesse Ventura, who was the guest manager of Raw made it a tables match.

The two superstars squared off at TLC for the title and many expected it to be another win for the Cenation leader but Sheamus shocked everyone. Cena ended up going through the table while Sheamus got the WWE championship just months after making his debut.

#5 Edge defeats John Cena for WWE Championship (New Years Revolution, 2006)

Edge was a mainstay in the WWE during the Attitude Era. However, he never made it past the upper midcard until Paul Heyman took charge as the SmackDown creative head. After that, WWE was willing to push Edge as a main event talent and this saw him win the first ever Money in the Bank.

The Rated R superstar had many occasions which he could’ve cashed in but he waited for the best moment which was at New Year’s Revolution in 2006.

Then champion, Cena defeated five other wrestlers in a cruel elimination chamber match and was struggling to stand up while Edge cashed in the briefcase to win his first ever WWE Championship.

#4 Vince McMahon defeats Triple H for WWE Championship (SmackDown, 1999)

1999 saw Vince McMahon have one of those rare face runs despite his evil character being the backbone of Attitude Era. McMahon was pitted up against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon while Steve Austin was aligned with his arch nemesis.

On the September 16th edition of SmackDown that year, Triple H and McMahon faced eachother for the WWE championship. McMahon didn’t stand any chance against the game but Austin was there for the rescue.

The Texas Rattlesnake laid out Hunter and made sure Vince won the championship while a shocked Stephanie and Shane McMahon looked on. This was Vince’s only WWE Championship reign in the company and gave birth to the McMahon-Helmsley Era.

#3 Andre the Giant defeats Hulk Hogan for WWF championship (Main Event, 1988)

Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan might be remembered for their match at WrestleMania III where the famous the bodyslam heard around the world took place but many won’t remember the rematch that the two had a year later.

Andre and Hogan faced off at the episode of Main event and Andre was accompanied by The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase who had the idea of how the match would end.

DiBiase had hired the referee, Earl Hebner to make sure that Andre won the title and he did just that when he made the three count while Hogan’s shoulder was clearly off the mat. It was a big win for the Giant while Hogan was screwed. Speaking of screws…

#2 Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship (Survivor Series, 1997)

Earl Hebner was in the mix once again and this time it was not kayfabe. Hebner was involved in a legitimate Screwjob at Survivor Series, 1997.

Bret Hart was on his way to WCW and promised that he would surrender his title but wasn’t willing to drop it to Shawn Michaels with whom he had many personal problems. McMahon didn’t however didn’t like the idea and did something that changed the course of Professional wrestling.

Michaels was declared the winner of the match without Bret tapping out to the Sharpshooter. The title change was one of the controversial crowning ever and came to be known as the Montreal Screwjob and started the Attitude Era.

#1 David Arquette wins WCW championship (WCW Thunder, 2000)

There are many things that proved to be a catalyst for WCW’s demise and this was right up there among the best. Arquette was starring in the Ready to Rumble film which featured WCW and Vince Russo had the idea of letting him be the World Champion.

Arquette was against the idea of a non-wrestler winning the prestigious title but Russo insisted. It was a tag team match at Thunder where Jeff Jarrett and Eric Bischoff teamed to face Arquette and Diamond Dallas Page with the stipulation that anyone who got the pin would be champion.

Arquette pinned Bischoff to become the new champion and lived one of the low points of WCW’s creative direction. He later dropped the title in a triple Cage match but the Russo would look back into the decision with nothing more than regret.