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We've seen WWE and World Championship changes on RAW many times, but the blue brand, despite being 19 years running, has hardly seen any World title changes. It's a shame because some of the greatest World Champions have made their names on SmackDown Live.
The Phenomenal AJ Styles is one such name. Hardly 7 months into his WWE run, he was a first-round draft pick for SmackDown Live (Being the second overall pick) and won the WWE Championship 2 months afterwards.
It was over a year later, however, that he would embark on a historic title run, defeating Jinder Mahal in a magical night at Manchester to become a 2-time WWE Champion. As the brand's top face, he defended the title night in and night out and joined an elite club of legends who have held the WWE Championship for over a year.
His reign came to an end on SmackDown Live at 371 days but it's certainly one that'll never be forgotten. Let's look at the rare times where the WWE Championship has changed hands on the blue brand.
#4 Vince McMahon - SmackDown September 1999
Vince McMahon made his triumphant WWE return in the fall of 1999. While he was the notorious top heel of the industry, it took people by surprise when he returned as a babyface. In a storyline only crazy enough for the Attitude Era, he found himself involved with WWF Champion Triple H and even faced him for the WWE title in a September 14th episode of SmackDown!
Shane McMahon was the special guest referee and as you can imagine, the match had shenanigans after shenanigans. At the end, Vince McMahon pinned Triple H to win the WWF Championship.
He would, however, relinquish the championship just six days later on RAW.
#3 Brock Lesnar - SmackDown September 2003
In the summer of 2003, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar had renewed their rivalry that had initially culminated at WrestleMania. Angle won the title back from Lesnar a few months after WrestleMania XIX but their renewed feud saw a more friendly rivalry, i.e, until Lesnar turned heel.
Then things became heated and Lesnar got his rematch in a 60-minute Iron Man match for the WWE Championship. If you've never seen the match before, we highly recommend it, because there's a reason many consider this the greatest match on SmackDown history.
It was also Lesnar's peak in his first run and he was reaching new levels of superstardom in a short time. On the night, Lesnar conquered Kurt Angle with a score of 5-4.
Brock Lesnar was once again the WWE Champion. It was intense and Kurt Angle had Lesnar in an ankle lock in the closing seconds. When it seemed like they were right about to tie, the buzzer hit and the bell rang.
#2 AJ Styles - SmackDown Live November 2017
It was truly a magical night in Manchester. On November 7th, 2017, AJ Styles was given an opportunity to reclaim the WWE Championship when he faced Jinder Mahal, who earlier in the year shocked the world by winning the WWE title.
Jinder Mahal was already scheduled for a Survivor Series Champion vs Champion clash against Brock Lesnar and fans weren't particularly excited about it. However, with the prospect of AJ Styles winning, they realised that not only would they get a WWE Champion they wanted, but they would get a dream Styles vs Lesnar clash.
Jinder Mahal had the best match of his career on the night, but it was The Phenomenal One's time as he defeated Mahal to become the first superstar to ever win a WWE Championship outside of North America.
He would then go on a couple of weeks later and face Brock Lesnar in an instant classic.
#1 Daniel Bryan - SmackDown November 2018
The latest entry to his list, Daniel Bryan shocked the world when he dethroned AJ Styles to become WWE champion. AJ Styles was running strong as WWE Champion for 371 days, joining an elite club with the likes of Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bob Backlund, Pedro Morales, John Cena and CM Punk to become only the eighth man in history to hold the WWE Championship for a full year.
Styles was scheduled for a dream rematch with Lesnar at Survivor Series but after a brawl in the go-home SmackDown before Survivor Series, he got into a brawl with Daniel Bryan, forcing commissioner Shane McMahon to make a title match against him.
On the night, Daniel Bryan, one of the most beloved faces in WWE history turned heel when he hit Styles with a low blow when the referee was down. He then hit the running knee to secure his fourth WWE Championship and fifth World title. He attacked Styles after the match and cemented his heel turn.
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