3 shocking championship reigns in WWE you might have forgotten about

Whenever a new champion is crowned, it is always a moment to remember for both the Superstar and the WWE Universe. Title changes bring about much-needed freshness into the product.

WWE Creative tends to shock the fans whenever it comes to title changes on WWE TV, be it Dolph Ziggler pinning Seth Rollins for the Intercontinental Championship on a RAW episode or AJ Styles ending Jinder Mahal’s seemingly never-ending reign with the WWE Championship on a UK Special episode of ‘SmackDown Live!’.

A superstar tries his best to elevate the title he is holding but sometimes due to lazy booking decisions, the WWE Universe forgets these title reigns.

Here’s a list of 3 such title reigns.

(This list considers title reigns of 2016-18 only)

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#3 Kevin Owens (second reign as the Intercontinental Champion)

Kevin Owens carried the title to WrestleMania 32

Kevin Owens debuted on the main roster as the NXT Champion and defeated John Cena clean in his first ever match at Elimination Chamber. The Prizefighter proved his dominance by winning the Intercontinental Championship from Ryback at Night of Champions 2015.

His first run with the championship was a reign to remember, with Kevin involved in a heated rivalry with the Lunatic Fringe, Dean Ambrose. Ambrose and Owens put on a series of matches on RAW, SmackDown, and even had a Last Man Standing match at WWE Royal Rumble 2016.

Dean won the feud and the WWE Universe thought he would defend the title at the “Show of Shows”. However, he battled in a triple threat match involving Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar to determine the #1 contender for Triple H’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Dean lost his IC title to Kevin Owens in a Fatal 5 way match on RAW, and KO would have a forgettable reign as he was busy making his own matches for his title defences and the title was altogether ignored when the KO-Sami Zayn saga started. Owens ultimately lost the title to Zack Ryder at WM 32, marking the end of a lacklustre reign.

#2 Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (WWE RAW Tag Team Champions)

Yes! They had won the gold

The WWE Creative had separated The Club from their leader AJ Styles, thanks to the WWE Draft. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had many unsuccessful attempts at ending the New Day’s record-breaking title reign.

However, after the dysfunctional duo of Cesaro and Sheamus conquered the challenge of the New Day at Clash of Champions 2016 and defended the gold against The Club in a match officiated by two referees.

The sad part about the title change was that it took place on the Royal Rumble kick-off show. The duo could not defend the title at WrestleMania 33 as they lost the titles to the returning Hardy Boyz in a Fatal 4 way Ladder Match.

#1 Natalya (WWE SmackDown Women's Champion)

Natalya

Nobody in the WWE Universe predicted the Queen of Harts would walk out as the SmackDown Women's champion at SummerSlam 2017. Naomi was dominating the division since her emphatic return from injury at WrestleMania 33. She kept hold of her championship throughout the summer.

Natalya won a Fatal 5 Way match at WWE Battleground to become the #1 contender for Naomi's title. The build-up to this match was not extraordinary and this seemed just another predictable SummerSlam match. However, the WWE Creative's decision to crown Natalya as the champ raised eyebrows, as Charlotte was expected to turn heel to feud with Naomi.

Nevertheless, the member of the Hart Dungeon failed as a champion as she dropped the title before her big match against the RAW Women's champion Alexa Bliss at Survivor Series.

She lost in her rematch against Charlotte in a lumberjack match at Clash of Champions and has not been a part of the title picture ever since.