Recently, Jinder Mahal shocked the world not just once but twice. First, he won a Six Pack Challenge to establish himself as the Number 1 Contender for Randy Orton’s WWE Championship after moving over to Smackdown Live from Monday Night Raw during the Superstar Shakeup.
After that, he went one step further by defeating The Viper to capture the biggest prize in all of sports entertainment. It remains one of the most surreal moments in recent WWE history. After all, WWE Championship matches are reserved for the elite, right? Well, no.
There have been plenty of instances where some very unexpected challengers have risen to challenge for the big belt. Some have been successful whereas others? Not so much. But, regardless of the outcome of the match, we are here to celebrate those shocking Number 1 Contenders.
So, without any further ado, here is our list of the 10 most unexpected Number 1 Contenders for the WWE Championship:
#10 Jeff Hardy
Today, nobody would blink an eye if Jeff Hardy was pushed into the main event picture to challenge for the WWE Title. But, what makes his entry on this list so shocking is the fact that the WWE gave him an opportunity at the gold 15 years ago, back in 2002.
Jeff challenged The Undertaker – then operating under his Big Evil heel gimmick – to a Ladder Match for the title on an episode of Monday Night Raw. It remains one of the best Raw matches of all time with The Deadman just about scraping a victory against the unexpected underdog.
The younger Hardy brother was also put over big time when Taker showed him respect by raising his opponent’s hand after retaining the championship. This was the start of Jeff’s stellar run as a single’s competitor as well.
Also read: 10 WWE Superstars that were overshadowed by a more famous sibling
#9 The Miz
Before 2010, The Miz was seen as an average mid-carder who would never ascend to the main event picture. All of that changed on one fateful night during the Money in the Bank pay per view where The A-Lister shockingly won the briefcase to guarantee himself a future WWE Title or World Heavyweight Title opportunity.
Things turned from shock to utter disbelief when Mr Mizanin cashed in the briefcase against Randy Orton – after The Viper’s match against Wade Barrett – to do the unthinkable and become WWE Champion for the first time.
Unfortunately, it was an ill-fated run that did not work out.
#8 Zack Ryder
Before the rise of the Ryder Revolution, Zack Ryder was just another struggling mid-carder in the WWE’s long list of talent with no hopes of making it to the main event scene. A large part of this was what happened when he attempted to win the WWE Championship, which was then held by Sheamus.
Given an unexpected opportunity as the Number 1 Contender to The Celtic Warrior’s title, Ryder was given a harsh lesson in reality as he was squashed in just 11 seconds, making it the second-shortest WWE Championship bout of all time.
#7 Jinder Mahal
Number 7 on our list is also the latest person to shock to the world and the one I spoke about in the intro to this article: Jinder Mahal. The Indo-Canadian star was first given the unexpected opportunity to challenge Randy Orton for the WWE Championship and then went on to tame The Viper at Backlash 2017.
It’s one of the most unexpected outcomes ever to a WWE Championship match and one that will live long in the memory – for better or for worse.
#6 Taka Michinoku
Taka Michinoku is one of the most talented Japanese wrestlers of all-time, and no one would think twice about it if he was challenging for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling. But, his star never shined so brightly during his tenure in the WWE.
Used mainly as a Light Heavyweight and Tag Team competitor he was given an unexpected shot at Triple H and the WWE Championship during a random episode of Monday Night Raw. As one would expect, Trips retained the belt.
#5 Rikishi Fatu
That’s right. The big guy who used to rub his bum in people’s faces was once Number 1 Contender to the WWE Championship. Long before his days with 2 Cool, Rikishi – wrestling under the name of Fatu – was part of a tag team called The Headshrinkers.
In 1995, he received a shot at Bret Hart’s WWE Championship from absolutely out of nowhere. Despite interference from his tag team partner – Samu – Rikishi was unsuccessful in his attempt to win the big belt.
#4 Spike Dudley
Remember the smallest guy from The Dudley Boyz, Spike Dudley? Well, in 2001, he went up against none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship. The little guy and The Texas Rattlesnake put on an unexpectedly good match where Austin obviously retained the belt.
No one really knows why this match happened, but happen it did.
#3 Vince McMahon
While Vince McMahon hasn’t been afraid to get his hands dirty by becoming an active part of WWE storylines, he hasn’t been afraid to push himself to the top, either. Vinny Mac has been Number 1 Contender multiple times over the years.
He has won the WWE Championship, the ECW Championship, as well the 1999 Royal Rumble. Except for his run that destroyed all credibility that the ECW belt had, Vince was always quick to move the title onto full-time wrestlers.
#2 James Ellsworth
James Ellsworth's story turned from feel-good to annoying really fast and one of the reasons was his Number 1 Contendership to AJ Styles' WWE Championship. When the jobber was given the opportunity to win a contract with the WWE against The Phenomenal One, it came attached with a shot at the championship.
Ellsworth got the win and the opportunity thanks to Dean Ambrose. He was quite emphatically squashed by AJ when the two met for the title to the pleasure of fans all over the world.
#1 Eric Bischoff
Who’s a more unexpected Number 1 Contender than even James Ellsworth? Well, that honour goes to Mr. Eric Bischoff. During his tenure as General Manager of Monday Night Raw, Bischoff found himself in a WWE Championship match against John Cena in 2005.
No matter who else becomes Number 1 Contender for the WWE Title in the future, don’t expect them to be more unexpected than Eric Bischoff.
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