'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
If there's one thing to be known about the way the WWE functions, it's that in between the weekly TV episodes of Monday Night Raw, Smackdown Live and all the pay per views that the company puts out on a regular basis, there are a massive number of house shows which are not televised.
These untelevised shows are a great source of revenue for the company and comprises of a significant area of merchandise sales. This is the reason that professional wrestlers in the WWE's employ are on the road for 300 days in a year. While the weekly shows are important for international audiences, the house shows are for the local ones.
The thing about house shows, though, is that there is rarely anything significant about them. After all, the WWE wants to preserve the big moments for TV and pay per view, so the house shows usually get a run of the mill event with nothing spectacular involved.
But, once in a while, Vince McMahon and his creative decide to change things up or are forced into a change on a random house show and this leads unexpected title changes. So, without any further ado, here are 10 times championships changed hands on WWE house shows
#10 AJ Styles wins the United States Championship at Madison Square Garden
Let's start with the most recent entry on this list. AJ Styles shocked the professional wrestling world when he defeated Kevin Owens just a few weeks ago for the United States Championship during a house show at the famed Madison Square Garden.
Rumour has it that the title change was because they wanted a moment at The Garden included on an upcoming DVD about The Phenomenal One.
#9 Mickie James and Melina swap the WWE Women's Championship
This is a strange one. Mickie James pinned Victoria in a Triple Threat match involving the WWE Women's Champion, Melina, to become the new champion during a house show in France in 2007.
Two matches later, Melina demanded a rematch since she was never pinned and won the title back to leave the show as the WWE Women's Champion.
#8 Paul London and Brian Kendrick trade WWE Tag Team Championships with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch
Another case of swapped title reigns. This time it happened over the course of two successive house shows and for the WWE Tag Team Championships back in 2007.
Paul London and Brian Kendrick won the belts off Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch but dropped the titles straight back during the next house show three days later.
#7 The Hardcore Championship madness
The Hardcore Championship is a now-defunct title but one that was highly regarded during The Attitude Era. What made the championship so interesting is that it was used under the rules that the champion had to defend his belt 24x7 - meaning anyone could challenge for the belt, anytime, anywhere.
So, with this insane rule in place, the Harcore Championship changed hands a whopping 128 times on shows during its lifespan.
#6 Edge wins the Intercontinental Championship in his hometown
Sometimes, title changes are booked during house shows in order to give the fans something to really cheer about with a hometown hero getting an unexpected championship win. And, that's exactly what happened with Edge in 1999.
The Toronto native received a shot at Jeff Jarrett's WWE Intercontinental Championship and won the match - much to the delight of his adoring family and friends. He would drop the belt the very next night on Fully Loaded.
#5 The Mountie becomes a transitional champion
Sometimes house show title changes are used to crown transitional champions. When Bret Hart was going through contract disagreements with the WWE back in 1992, he dropped the WWE Intercontinental Championship to The Mountie during a house show.
The Mountie would then drop the belt to Rowdy Roddy Piper just days later at The Royal Rumble.
#4 AIr Boom drop the tag titles due to Evan Bourne's suspension
Another reason for unexpected title changes these days is if a WWE superstar gets suspended under the company's Wellness Policy. In this case, it was Evan Bourne's indiscretions that cost him and tag team partner Kofi Kingston.
The two were forced to drop the WWE Tag Team Championships to Primo and Epico Colon during a house show in 2012 in Oakland.
#3 Finn Balor loses the NXT Championship
During a random NXT house show in Lowell, Massachusetts in April 2016, Finn Balor lost his NXT Championship to Samoa Joe. It was a shocking end to the longest NXT Championship reign in history.
293 days after winning the belt during Beast in the East in Japan, Balor unexpectedly dropped the belt to the Samoan Submission Machine.
Samoa Joe got a taste of his own medicine as he himself dropped the NXT Championship to Shinsuke Nakamura during a house show in Osaka, Japan.
The match was eventually made available on the WWE Network but the original title change did happen during an unaired house show in Osaka.
#1 Diesel wins the WWE Championship
The WWE Championship — or the WWF Championship as it was known back then — changed hands during a live event was all the way back in 1994. During a house show in Madison Square Garden, Diesel picked up his maiden WWE Championship.
The man also known as Kevin Nash beat Bob Backlund for the belt at the legendary arena to become WWE Champion and no one has done it at a live event since then. Needless to say, this feat will endure as long as common sense prevails.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
