Jump to content

Most Shocking Title Changes


Liam O'Rourke

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members

Jericho winning the Undisputed title was a huge shock, at the time. I think most were expecting them to do the big Austin/Rock match for the belts. Wrestling was sort of becoming uncool at school again, or at the very least, it was no longer talked about at all in late 2001, but I always remember my mate bringing this up to me and pointing out how Jericho beating The Rock and Austin was bollocks and a sure sign wrestling was rubbish now. He wasn't far off, because Jericho was such a massive dip from those that held it during the 2 years they took their World title from the Big Show.

CM Punk was another shocker too. IIRC, we were all still unsure if this was a one match deal with Cena before he pissed off. The fact he not only won, but pissed off with the belt was one of the great finishes ever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 42
  • Created
  • Last Reply

It was the first or second PPV I even watched so I was just a passenger at the time, but is Eddie v Brock a good shout? I know the seeds had been set for Brock v Goldberg but at the time, you'd have likely assumed they would both be around for the forseeable and that the match would be for the title though. 

Now that I think of the show in more depth "GOLDBERG IS IN THE BUILDING" was a key factor, so it might have been slightly telegraphed to the smarks. Like Benoit winning the Rumble, would potentially be a huge shock if it wasn't so heavily telegraphed during and prior to the whole show 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

HBK winning the first elimination chamber is the one that comes the mind before all the others.

At the time I thought it was great to see a childhood idol back but I wasn't much into the online aspect of wrestling so I had no idea he would win. Added to the fact he had my mum's haircut and jobber trousers on it made the 3 count all the more surreal.

That match is one of the very best. It is still a great watch and the superkick into pin combo is still one of my favourite HBK moves. Lovely stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members
3 hours ago, FUM said:

The decision obviously got reversed later but Jericho beating Triple H was brilliant.

I watched it again the other night and everything about it was perfect. The fast count, the fan reaction as nobody expected it. Wrestling at its best.

I was going to post that when I read the thread title. The most shocking if I take into account I was much younger and naive to wrestling secrets. Genuinely didn't think anyone would beat HHH for a long long time. The finish was just perfect. The commentary was as good as it gets. "Spinning heel kick by Jericho..  Jericho.. scores with the moonsault.. We got a new champion! My god can you believe it!"

Nobody did or does it better than JR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members
19 hours ago, Murtz said:

I was going to post that when I read the thread title. The most shocking if I take into account I was much younger and naive to wrestling secrets. Genuinely didn't think anyone would beat HHH for a long long time. The finish was just perfect. The commentary was as good as it gets. "Spinning heel kick by Jericho..  Jericho.. scores with the moonsault.. We got a new champion! My god can you believe it!"

Nobody did or does it better than JR.

I decided watching this was a good idea then finished up watching that entire Raw (#360). Despite an incredibly random selection of talent at times, I couldn't take my eyes off it. Everything was worthwhile. I marked out hard for DX (HHH, X-Pac and Road Dogg) coming out to "The Kings" for the main event. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although they actually happened about six weeks apart, I remember, in that pre-internet age, hearing about Ron Simmons and Bret Hart's title wins in 1992 at around the same time.  

At the time, both seemed like huge surprises.  Both were mid-card guys who got the title with no build at all on TV tapings At that time big title changes just didn't happen like that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Jericho is a great shout even if it's an immediate DQ. I've rarely ever popped in my living room for anything like I did for that. 

Mahal definitely doesn't shock me. Maybe it's the seen it too many times aspect but even though I expected Orton to retain, a huge part of me thought they might do it. Like 60/40.

Michaels at Survivors 2002 is another good shout. Wasn't stunned but definitely thought Trips would retain. Others like Guerrero and Benoit in 2004 I was hopeful of and was only pleasantly  surprised that they went through with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Kurt Angle winning the title at No Mercy 2000. Didn't see that coming at all. I was again young and naive and thought Angle was nowhere near The Rock's level, and he'd beat that Olympic jabroni no problem.

Slightly off topic, but as a shocking retained title, Kurt retaining in the 6 man hell in a cell was ridiculous.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

David Arquette winning the WCW World Title in 2000 is one that is brought up whenever worst title runs are mentioned, but for me it was utterly shocking. We didn't have the internet at home, so I would go online and read WCW results at my Mum's work while I was waiting for her to finish her work, after I had finished school. Reading that Arquette had won the title, in a tag match no less, on Thunder seemed insane. My 13-year-old brain nearly exploded at the idea, and I can't think of many other title changes that had such an effect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Dudley Eastbank said:

Although they actually happened about six weeks apart, I remember, in that pre-internet age, hearing about Ron Simmons and Bret Hart's title wins in 1992 at around the same time.  

At the time, both seemed like huge surprises.  Both were mid-card guys who got the title with no build at all on TV tapings At that time big title changes just didn't happen like that.

Bret Hart is a great shout.

I doubt anyone expected that in 1992. I was amazed when Bret suddenly came out for an interview on Superstars of Wrestling, as WWF champion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First one that springs to mind not yet mentioned is Big Show winning at Survivor Series 99, I was a super new viewer to wrestling then but he wasn't even in the match so him being champion at the end of the night shocked me big time.

More recently Seth Rollins' win at Wrestlemania with the cash in I didn't expect there and then so that was a surprise.

 

More in lines with the topic though was the JBL win, at the time I thought I was the smartest fan on the planet with my ROH 3rd generation VHS tapes and knowledge of NWATNA so I really didn't expect Bradshaw to suddenly be WWE Champion within 2-3 months of his gimmick change. I hadnt actually read about Eddie not wanting to be the champ or anything like that and was super anti JBL even being in title matches above Booker T, RVD, Taker, Cena or Angle. In fact they all could've done the job of champ well enough. I was super pissed off for months about it after reading on the newz sites about the change as I didn't have sky at the time. I kept the same attitude all the way through until years later when I actually watched some of it and didn't mind it so much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...