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WWE often demonstrates a willingness to embark on unexpected championship directions, with sporadic title victories coming out of left field reminding fans that anything really can happen. These instances of shock WWE or world title changes have a tendency to take place at the tail end of the calendar year, perhaps when the risk appetite of WWE’s creative team is at its highest.
That might sound like conjecture, but there's plenty of evidence that shows this trend. There are obvious outliers, most notably Jinder Mahal’s stunning title victory in May 2017. External variables, such as injuries and suspensions, can also force WWE to execute impromptu title switches.
With that being said, let’s take a look at five December championship trials that took fans by surprise.
1) Sheamus — WWE TLC, December 2009 (2 months)
When Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura made a guest appearance as the guest host of WWE RAW, he booked an 8-man breakthrough battle royal. It featured Kofi Kingston, MVP, Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, R-Truth, Sheamus and Randy Orton. The winner of the match would go on to face WWE Champion John Cena at December’s TLC PPV.
The ‘breakthrough’ billing of the match essentially ruled out an Orton victory. So the list of likely heel championship contenders was limited to Rhodes, DiBiase and Sheamus. The Celtic Warrior emerged victorious to cement his status as the new challenger for Cena’s WWE Championship.
While it was certainly odd to see Sheamus suddenly being thrust into the title picture, the subsequent TLC main event arguably served up the year’s most shocking moment. A competitive Tables Match pitting Cena against Sheamus was, for the most part, in line with the standard framework of a traditional Cena title defense.
By late 2009, Cena’s title matches had an established pattern. As both men teetered on the top rope with a table set up below, all signs pointed to a superplex or an AA through the table. An outcome that few saw coming, though, was for Cena to be nudged off the top and awkwardly crash through the table.
The nature of the fall seemed accidental, and the slight delay in the bell ringing added to the sense of ambiguity around the freak finish. However, as a means of protecting Cena in defeat, the decision was made for Sheamus to win in an unconvincing fashion, as he started what would be a two-month trial as the champion.
2) Jeff Hardy — WWE Armageddon, December 2008 (1.5 months)
Jeff Hardy’s WWE Championship win in 2008 capped a strong year of booking for WWE. Hardy’s 2008 run on WWE SmackDown was particularly eye-catching, even in a banner year for the company. A key moment in Hardy’s ascent came when the charismatic enigma brazenly interrupted The Undertaker in the middle of a promo.
As "The Phenom" delivered a chilling address, Hardy appeared on the video screen, wearing gothic face paint. There was a real darkness to Hardy’s delivery in his promo. Hardy, still very much a babyface, exuded confidence and conviction, and he secured a clean victory over Undertaker later that night. In doing so, he proved that he was a legitimate main-eventer.
Propelled forward by this landmark victory, Hardy’s lengthy WWE Championship chase led to the main event of WWE Armageddon 2008. There, he faced Triple H and Edge for the title. The three-way bout opened the door for "The Game" to lose the title without being pinned, and that's exactly what happened.
The shock of Hardy’s victory was amplified by the excellent camera work which kept him out of the shot as Triple hit the pedigree on Edge. With Hardy seemingly strewn across the top turnbuckle, the champion delivered his signature move and made the cover for what looked like a sure-fire victory. But a dramatic Swanton Bomb — out of nowhere — broke up the pin.
Hardy's unexpected three count victory reverberated around the arena, and Hardy was a made man as WWE's Champion for just under two months.
3) Chris Jericho — WWE Vengeance, December 2001 (3 months)
Chris Jericho will always be known as the man who defeated The Rock and Steve Austin in the same night. That night, he scored what is still considered the most prolific set of back-to-back victories in WWE history. WWE Vengeance 2001 provided a very real opportunity to promote Jericho to the top of the card, but this outcome seemed unlikely.
After toppling The Rock earlier in the evening, Jericho went on to face Stone Cold Steve Austin for the honor of becoming WWE’s first Undisputed Champion. WWE opted not to reignite the Austin/Rock feud for the main event of Vengeance. Given the tournament brackets, this match seemed to be the most probable finale. Instead, Jericho was slotted into this prominent role.
In keeping with WWE’s December championship trials, the win was far from conclusive. Jericho's title victory was ultimately marred by a Booker T run-in, which didn't make Jericho look very strong. While he enjoyed a title run that lasted three months, he was never framed as the showcase star. It took Jericho a long time to be treated with the reverence a true undisputed champion deserves.
4) Daniel Bryan — WWE TLC, December 2011 (3.5 months trial)
By 2011, a superstar’s success trajectory in WWE was becoming less intrinsically linked to physique and stature, a paradigm precipitated by CM Punk’s wildly successful summer. But Daniel Bryan’s modest mic skills left an important box unticked. Previously, that would have been enough to dissuade WWE creative from pulling the trigger on a major push. But Bryan was an exception.
At WWE TLC, Big Show and Mark Henry waged war in a Chairs Match for the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Bryan hit the ring and cashed in his Money in the Bank contract. Bryan then scurried to pin a fallen Big Show for the three count. The opportunistic nature of this win set up Bryan's heel turn.
While the credibility of Bryan’s title victory was limited by his cash-in, his subsequent title run was enjoyable. Unfortunately, it ended with a dud. In just 18 seconds, Bryan lost the gold to Sheamus at WWE WrestleMania 28. Still, it was only a matter of time before Bryan became a genuine champion.
5) Mankind — WWE Raw, December 1998 (one month trial)
Creative experimentation during the Attitude Era was a standard, but overt championship hot-shotting was traditionally reserved for the mid-card titles. Up until the No Disqualification bout pitting Mankind against The Rock on December 29th, the year 1998 had only seen four WWF Championship switches.
It should be noted that WWE technically recognizes the commencement of Mankind's reign as of January 4, 1999, the night the episode aired on tape delay. The match was filled with interference. Ultimately, Stone Cold Steve Austin stormed to the ring and delivered a vicious chair shot to The Rock. He then dragged Mankind’s body over the Great One for the three count.
The ensuing ovation was euphoric, so it stands out as one of the great moments in Monday Night Raw history. But Mankind's title reign lasted less than one month. In a prolonged year of championship pivots, the WWF title changed hands a startling eleven times over the course of 1999.
Mankind's shocking title win remains one of the most surprising of its kind. As with other trial champions, he didn't hold the title for a long time, but the fans were still pleased to see one of their favorites win the gold.
