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In the history of WWE, there is no prize richer than the WWE Championship. Established in 1963, the title has only been held by a handful of Superstars, from various backgrounds.
From the colossal brute strength of the Big Show, to the technical skillset of current champion Daniel Bryan, the title has been held by a variety of Superstars, every single one of whom will now be immortalized in the company's history books.
But sometimes, the title has changed hands in the most shocking of ways, and to the most surprising of wrestlers.
Here are five huge WWE title changes that nobody saw coming, and the Superstars who shocked the world.
#5: Bob Backlund and Diesel pull off a shock
A two-for-one special, as these two shocking title wins came so close together. On February 20, 1978, Bob Backlund became the 7th man to hold the WWF Championship.
Holding the title for an astounding 2,135 days, Backlund became an established figure of the time as a clean-cut babyface, though by 1994, a lot had changed. Surprising everyone with a return to the ring, Backlund would feud with WWF Champion Bret Hart.
Meeting in a special 'throw in the towel' match, Hart never tapped to Mr. Backlund, but lost the gold anyway, shocking everyone when Owen Hart who had feuded with brother Bret, convinced his mother to give up for her son.
Though some feared another lengthy reign, this wouldn't be the case, as he would lose the gold just three days later on a house show to Diesel. To add insult to injury, the match where Backlund lost the title lasted mere seconds.
#4: Rollins pulls off the heist of the century
When the WWE approached WrestleMania 31, things were bleak. Fans had grown tired of Brock Lesnar's hold of the WWE World Championship, which saw the Beast go months without appearing.
The same fans had also turned on Roman Reigns, whom they had cheered fervently a year ago, after some questionable booking decisions. In the main event of the show, fans quickly turned on the match, booing both stars mercilessly.
Fortunately for the WWE, they had an ace in the hole, as Seth Rollins appeared out of nowhere to cash in Money in the Bank.
Whilst it was always a possibility, few expected Rollins to cash in during the main event, though he did, pinning his former Shield-brother to save the show, and leave as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
#3: The Champion of the board
In 1999, Vince McMahon had a very strange year. Starting off, McMahon was embroiled in his classic feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, that saw the Chairman shockingly win the Royal Rumble.
Later in the year though, the Boss would become a babyface, after being enraged by Triple H, who had married Vince's daughter Stephanie against her will. So sure he would beat the boss, the Game put his WWF Championship on the line, a costly mistake.
Though the young champion battered the boss for the majority of the match, McMahon would have glimpses of opportunity.
Ultimately, it was Steve Austin who made the difference, attacking Triple H from the crowd, neutralizing his henchwoman Chyna, and helping his former nemesis become the champion of his own company.
#2: Don't hinder Jinder
When Jinder Mahal was released from WWE in 2014, very few people cared.
The alleged 'funny one' of 3MB, Jinder would be gone for two years, before returning and finding a place on SmackDown Live. In 2017, Mahal would become the number one contender for the WWE Championship, which had just been won by Randy Orton at WrestleMania 33.
A legend of the game, practically everybody expected the Viper to retain the title against the Modern-Day Maharaja, in what fans were sure would be another lengthy reign. Instead, Mahal dethroned the Apex Predator, ending his reign at 49 days.
A huge shock to the entire WWE Universe, Mahal would hold onto the title for months, defeating Orton repeatedly, before his reign was ended at 170 days, thanks to a Phenomenal Forearm from AJ Styles.
#1: The Rated-R Champion
At WrestleMania 21, the WWE Universe witnessed the dawn of a new match-type.
Christened the Money in the Bank ladder match, the match was relatively simple, though the prize was great: a guaranteed World title shot at your choice of time. Once the dust was settled, it was Edge who emerged victorious, leaving fans wondering when the Rated-R Superstar would announce his title win.
Instead, the Canadian was coy, and waited until John Cena had been decimated inside the Elimination Chamber at New Years Revolution to do the deed. Nobody expected this kind of cash-in, as fans naturally assumed a huge title match would be announced ahead of time.
Nowadays, nearly all cash-ins have been a shock, and though they have been amazing, no-one gave the fans the same shock given by the Rated-R Superstar
