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Every wrestler dreams of making it to the top of the mountain and holding a world title in WWE. It defines them as a wrestler and is a massive milestone in their career. To have the top title means the company has put faith in you to carry the product as the top guy.
Although backstage politics may not be as ruthless as it used to be, you can guarantee everyone in the locker room is chomping at the bit to get their opportunity to carry the company on their shoulders. No one ever would have expected Jinder Mahal to have had this opportunity, but to be fair to him, he has handled it well and has now been champion for well over 100 days as of this article.
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But what stands out when we think of World Champions of the past? Their defences? Maybe, with many great WWE/World Heavyweight Championship matches over the years it would be hard not to. The length of the reign? Not as important, but it can make a wrestler seem more dangerous when defending his title, such as CM Punk’s unprecedented second reign as WWE Champion.
It’s the celebration that we, as wrestling fans, remember more often than not as they are played in video packages and tributes to star of the past. I have collated what I think are five of the best world title celebrations in WWE history. This will include both the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship.
Let’s get into it.
#5 Mankind - Raw (January 4, 1999)
Mankind had had a long storied career where he had played three different characters before his monumental WWF Championship victory over The Rock in a No Disqualification match.
He was helped somewhat by Stone Cold and that played into the celebration that followed. He was hoisted in the air by DX as they celebrated with him for winning his first championship and for overcoming the biggest heel in the company at the time, The Rock.
He ran around the arena with a massive smile on his face. The Mankind mask was off, revealing a more personal joy in Mick Foley than we had seen before. The pure elation is one thing I will never forget and that alone meant it deserved a place on this list but it had a bigger meaning.
The reason it has been played so much and why it’s still so fresh in the mind is because on WCW that night -- who were live, Tony Schiavone revealed Mankind’s win, sarcastically stating “That’ll put a lot of butts in seats”. At that point, a vast majority of the wrestling fans tuned in to the WWF to see Mankind finally put the title over his shoulder.
It’s also the one time that I can remember Michael Cole providing some epic commentary: “Mankind has achieved his dream and the dream of everyone else who’s been told, you can’t do it”. The crowd were mental. Road Dogg announced him as champion in that famous DX drawl and history was made.
It was such a brilliant celebration, as it was not only a celebration for Mankind and his WWF Championship, but for the WWF and them getting one over on WCW (not that they knew it at the time!)
#4 Stone Cold Steve Austin - WrestleMania XIV
This celebration is probably most famous because it ushered in the Attitude Era, officially. Stone Cold Steve Austin, the foul-mouthed redneck with no respect for authority, anything or anyone, won the WWF Championship on the "Grandest Stage of them Al"l and he did it in black tights and a bald head.
If you’re not familiar with the Attitude Era, let me paint the picture. Austin was more over than anybody in the history of the business or sports entertainment. And taking on the cocky, brash Shawn Michaels was putting him in a position that would propel him to the top of the company for years to come.
Having never won the championship before, the stakes were high for Austin. ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson was brought in for the traditional celebrity influence and sided with Michaels and DX. However, when it came down to it, Austin overcame the odds and defeated Shawn Michaels to become the new WWF Champion.
That image of Austin on the second rope, holding the belt high is a simple celebration, I will grant you, but it holds a place in this list for all it represented. It represented a different direction for the company, a new man on top and just how important winning the championship was to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
#3 Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania XII
Shawn Michaels was never supposed to be at the top of the wrestling business. He was too short, too lean and nothing like anyone that had come before in that industry. His charisma and his natural ability in the ring helped in making it to heights thought impossible when he was running around with Marty Jannetty as a tag team.
Michaels won the 1995 Royal Rumble and faced former partner Diesel in the main event of WrestleMania XI. However, the company clearly had not deemed him ready enough to carry the company and he lost to the 7ft WWF Champion. However, his popularity grew and he won the 1996 Royal Rumble and was set to face Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII.
They squared off in an Iron Man match, which would mean a half hour time limit nowadays, but back then it was an hour. And by all accounts, it was a 5-star match. Back and forth, the momentum shifted with neither man able to get the better of the other. In a shock result, it ended at 0-0 and had to go to overtime.
A Sweet Chin Music from Michaels and it was all over. "The Heartbreak Kid" had been deemed worthy of the WWF Championship and kneeled in the middle of the ring after the win, completely drained and overcome with emotion. It really is a picture you can read a lot into.
Vince McMahon added to the triumph, stating “the boyhood dream has come true” on commentary. Head in his hands and tears in his eyes, he didn’t even stand up for awhile. The ref placed the belt around his waist and Michaels stood in the middle, soaking it all in before the signature pose came out. It’s been plated thousands of times in promos for WrestleMania and WWE title matches.
Shawn Michaels was now on top.
#2 Chris Benoit/Eddie Guerrero - WrestleMania XX
Unlike the others mentioned on this list, it’s very unlikely you’ll ever see this emotional celebration on WWE programming ever again. The only place you’d be able to access it is the WWE Network thanks to it being, for the most part, uncensored. Chris Benoit beat Shawn Michaels and Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania XX and became World Heavyweight Champion.
He got to this point by winning the 2004 Royal Rumble, another thing you’ll seldom hear mentioned on current programming. The WWE switched brands so as not to interfere with the current Guerrero storyline. They needed two massive main events, two big champions and this was the best way to do it.
The triple threat match was actually a fantastically worked match and Triple H took the loss to Benoit, tapping out to the Crippler Crossface, which was a record in itself, as it was the first time a main event of WrestleMania had ended via submission.
We’ve talked about the emotion that wrestlers go through when they win titles but Benoit took it to a different level. As the confetti came down and his good friend Eddie Guerrero came down as WWE Champion to celebrate with him, tears filled Benoit’s face as he realised he had made it to the top of the mountain. Someone else, who was never supposed to make it that far.
It was an emotional moment for the fans and the wrestlers alike. I don’t condone what Benoit did in his personal life, but there is no doubt he was a phenomenal wrestler, he deserved this win and due to the raw emotion and feeling in his celebration (and the confetti) it gets a place on this list.
#1 CM Punk - MITB 2011
This is the greatest celebration of a WWE Championship win in the modern era. As we’ve seen throughout the article, it’s not just the actions of the wrestler that make a good celebration. The win needs to have a build-up, a story for the fans to be invested in so they pop when it happens, and they’re loud for the festivities that follow.
It needs to feel special.
This applies to CM Punk more than any other WWE Championship win. It was more than special. It was epic, unexpected and one of the biggest moments in WWE history.
The WWE was in a transitional period in terms of eras and a lot of reality was sneaking into the storylines. It was told that CM Punk was only contracted until Money in the Bank 2011, and he had a WWE Championship match with John Cena. Vince McMahon tried everything to stop Punk walking away with the title but following a 5-star match, he was victorious.
The crowd was as loud as any other crowd I’ve heard in WWE after CM Punk had pulled off the impossible. He was now WWE Champion and out of contract. Vince sent Del Rio down to cash in but Punk got the better of him and this is where the celebration became iconic.
He posed with the title in the ring, with the cheesiest grin on his face, having cemented his legacy as the Best in the World. He then made his way to the crowd to escape and blew a kiss to Vince McMahon. That’s the image I’ll never be able to get out of my head. CM Punk as Champion, blowing a kiss towards the Chairman and his company goodbye as he rides off into the sunset with the top title in the business.
It’s unconventional as far as celebrations go, which is what makes it so special. It ushered in a new era and started the era of Punk. He went on to hold the title for a second time a few months later for 434 days, the longest reign of the modern era.
But we’ll never forget that kiss.
