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Winning a championship in WWE is a huge honor in a superstar's career. Not everyone who steps into the squared circle has the opportunity to win a title.
That being said, successfully defending a championship is just as important. Unfortunately, some superstars have lost their titles without even getting the chance to defend them.
In this list, we'll explore nine WWE Superstars who lost their title without competing.
#9. Jeff Jarrett awards Mark Henry the European Championship
Jeff Jarrett won both the Intercontinental and European Championships from D'Lo Brown at Summerslam in 1999. Rather than hanging on to both, he awarded Mark Henry the European title for helping him defeat D'Lo.
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This was Henry's first championship in his career. In hindsight, Jarrett handing him the title was a bit underwhelming for what should have been a watershed moment in the future WWE Hall of Famer's career.
#8. Bobby Lashley's Elimination Chamber misfortune
Bobby Lashley was on the wrong side of fortune at this year's Elimination Chamber. He was set to defend his WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber in Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately for Lashley, he got injured while waiting in his pod inside the structure.
Seth Rollins launched Austin Theory into Lashley's pod with a buckle bomb, which brought both Theory and the pod wall crashing down onto The All Mighty. WWE medics proceeded to check on Lashley before removing him from the match.
Michael Cole then informed viewers that Lashley had entered concussion protocol and would be further evaluated upon returning to the States. This wasn't a legit concussion, however, as Lashley was planned to be taken out early due to a prior shoulder injury.
#7. CM Punk's no-show in the Championship Scramble match
At Unforgiven 2008, CM Punk was set to defend the World Heavyweight title in a Championship Scramble match. Punk, however, never made it to the match as he was attacked backstage by Randy Orton.
This opened the window of opportunity for Chris Jericho to enter the match as a late replacement. Jericho went on to become the World Heavyweight Champion that night.
Former champion CM Punk then had to wait until Extreme Rules 2009 to reclaim his title after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Jeff Hardy.
#6. Edge's unexpected retirement
At Extreme Rules 2011, Edge was set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio in a ladder match. Unfortunately, The Rated R Superstar was forced to retire on April 11th due to cervical spinal stenosis.
This meant Del Rio didn't have an opponent for the ladder match at Extreme Rules. That was until Christian won the Battle Royal on SmackDown to face the champion. Christian won that bout and captured his first world title in WWE.
#5. Stone Cold forfeits the Intercontinental Championship to The Rock
At one stage, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock battled it out for the Intercontinental Championship. Following Austin's victory at 1997's Degeneration X: In Your House, Mr. McMahon booked a rematch on RAW. The Rattlesnake refused and was threatened with being stripped of the gold.
Austin beat Vince to the punch and declared that he would surrender his belt to The Rock. Stone Cold cited that his reasons were purely based on becoming WWE Champion - a title he hadn't held up to that point.
The Rock hesitated to believe Austin, but eventually shook hands and accepted the Intercontinental Championship. Rocky, however, made the mistake of turning his back on Austin, who hit him with a Stunner.
#4. Andre the Giant helps The Million Dollar Man buy the WWE title
On February 5th, 1988 at The Main Event, Andre the Giant won the WWE Championship in a controversial manner. Following his victory, he gave the belt to the Million Dollar Man, who would be stripped of it shortly after by WWF President Jack Tunney.
Facing off against Hulk Hogan and with DiBiase and Virgil in his corner, Andre defeated Hogan with the help of referee Earl Hebner to become WWE champion. Hebner had been bribed by DiBiase to make the three-count even with Hogan's shoulder up.
Later on, Earl's brother Dave Hebner was revealed to have been the original referee assigned to the match. Since the two are identical twins, it was easy for Earl to take his place and do The Million Dollar Man's dastardly work.
#3. John Cena's pectoral injury kept him from competing at No Mercy
John Cena was set to defend his WWE championship at No Mercy 2007 against Randy Orton. However, tragedy struck on the RAW before the event when Cena injured his pectoral muscle.
Overlooking the injury, Cena vowed to still compete at No Mercy, but his injury was worse than anticipated. He'd completely torn his right pectoral muscle, thus he was unable to compete and had to surrender his belt.
At No Mercy, Vince McMahon awarded Randy Orton the WWE Championship for the first time in his career. Orton proceeded to lose the belt and then regain it from Triple H at the event, ending the night as a two-time WWE Champion.
#2. Vince McMahon surrenders the WWE Championship
Vince McMahon shocked the world when he won the WWE championship on SmackDown on September 16th, 1999. His triumph came at the expense of Triple H, who was in his first reign as WWE Champion.
Vince's victory came with an assist from his arch nemesis, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Following his shocking victory, Vince relinquished the championship on RAW, stating that he wasn't a wrestler.
Despite a reign that lasted less than a week, The Chairman of WWE can boast of having the richest prize in WWE next to his name.
#1. Becky Lynch announces her pregnancy
Following the Money in the Bank event in May 2020, Becky Lynch announced her pregnancy on RAW. This meant that she wouldn't be able to compete and defend her title. However, no one foresaw what transpired next.
Asuka, who had won the Women's Money in the Bank ladder match the night before, came to the ring. Becky revealed that Asuka's briefcase contained the RAW Women's Championship, not a contract. This meant that Asuka was the new RAW Women's Champion.
Asuka celebrated as only Asuka can, and Becky Lynch went on a 15-month hiatus. Big Time Becks returned at Summerslam in 2021 and won the SmackDown Women's Championship, which she then exchanged for the Raw Women's title after she and Charlotte Flair were drafted to opposite brands.
