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Non-title matches in WWE are always an interesting concept: On the one hand, they're used to elevate up and coming talent without fear of a champion losing his or her gold. On the other hand, they rob some of the spectacle and welcome anticipation we've come to expect from challengers getting a shot at the big-time.
Whatever your opinion of non-title matches in WWE, it's safe to say they're always used to achieve a specific creative goal. And, now that the upcoming match as Extreme Rules between challenger Bray Wyatt and Universal Champion Braun Strowman has been announced as a non-title match, the speculation can begin as to whether Wyatt will topple his former protege while remaining title-less, or whether the "Monster Among Men" will put his Wyatt Family saga firmly to bed.
But given just how high-profile of a non-title match this is, it offers us a chance to look back at some of the times in WWE history where champions did indeed fail to overcome their opponents when the gold was not on the line. We've seen it many times before, and in all likelyhood we'll be seeing it again very soon.
With this in mind, here are 5 times champions lost non-title matches in WWE:
#5 - Dolph Ziggler(c) vs Jack Swagger, WWE Monday Night RAW, April 15th, 2013
Dolph Ziggler's world heavyweight championship reign in WWE was one that's tinged with missed opportunity. After receiving a ridiculous ovation upon cashing in his money in the back contract against Alberto Del Rio, Ziggler looked as though he was ready to be skyrocketed right to the top with masses of WWE fan support clearing his way.
Sadly, what we got was a forgetful reign which lasted a mere eight weeks, before Del Rio took back the title that was stolen from him in one of the most memorable moments in Monday Night Raw history.
One of the things that made Ziggler's reign so unfortunate was his loss at the hands of Jack Swagger a mere seven days after his iconic title victory.
Even with Big E and AJ Lee in his corner, the advantage wasn't enough to stop Swagger picking up an unexpected roll-up victory on the newly crowned Ziggler. Swagger would go on to enter the world of MMA with Bellator (under his real-life name Jake Hager) before teaming up with Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle faction in All Elite Wrestling, where he currently competes.
Dolph is yet to reach this level of prominence in WWE again, to the point where his apparent disappointment with his status within the business has even been used as part of his overall storyline in recent years. But, with his upcoming WWE Championship match against 'The Socttish Psychopath' Drew McIntrye, Ziggler has the chance to climb the mountain once again and knock-off one of the most popular champions in recent memory.
He's certainly one of the most talented superstars on the WWE roster, and could even be considered a veteran at this point. Can Ziggler pull of a monumental upset against McIntyre?
#4 - Cesaro(c) vs Randy Orton, WWE Monday Night RAW, January 28th, 2013
Randy Orton will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time when he finally decides to hang up his boots. But one WWE Superstar who is yet to get his day in the sun is none other than 'The Wrestling Purist' Cesaro.
While Cesaro is yet to become a world champion in WWE (much to the disappointment of many WWE fans worldwide) he has picked up numerous other titles with the company, including the prestigious United States title. But even this did not stop him adding a loss to his resume at the hands of the "Legend Killer."
In one of many non-title matches in WWE where a world championship was not being worn by either competitor, it would be Randy Orton who ultimately prevailed against the man then known as Antonio Cesaro, who suffered an embarrassing non-title loss thanks to some very shady workings from special guest referee The Miz (who would go on to hit the United States champion with the Skull Crushing Finale after the match).
The Miz and Cesaro would go on to share the ring numerous times after this encounter, including a very decent No Disqualification match just a few short weeks later, but Miz remains the only man of the two to have held a world championship in WWE, having held the WWE Championship and even successfully defending it against John Cena in the main event of Wrestlemania 27.
Will the 'Swiss Superman' finally pick up a world title in WWE someday soon? Time will tell.
#3 - Daniel Bryan(c) vs Kofi Kingston, WWE Smackdown, February 12th, 2019
Daniel Bryan's return from early retirement is one of the more heartwarming events to have happened in WWE in recent years. But it's hard to admit that while he may carry an extraodinary amount of favour with fans, his work as a villain is second to none.
Bryan was able to reach the pinnacle of sports entertainment once more in 2018, knocking off a very game AJ styles, albeit with some very underhanded tactics. But it was the unprovoked assault of a prone Styles after the match that ultimately confirmed Bryan's switch to the dark side. And thus, the "New" Daniel Bryan was born.
Some months later, Bryan would meet Kofi Kingston (who was due a very strong push in popularity from the fans) in the opening round of a gauntlet match on Smackdown, to determine who would enter the upcoming Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship in the promising final position. But the title was not on the line here.
In the end, it would be Kofi who was able to topple the reigning WWE Champion in a thoroughly entertaining back-and-forth affair. It would be this moment, and several other impressive showings around this time (and also an untimely injury sustained by an on-the-rise Mustafa Ali), that would catapult Kofi and the WWE universe into the grips of "KofiMania", eventually culminating with a euphoric WWE Championship victory against Bryan at Wrestlemania.
Fans had been clamoring for a Kofi Kingston WWE Championship victory for years, and there's a very strong argument to be made that it should have come up to a decade sooner when many would have considered him to be in his prime. But it would be Wrestlemania where the Kofi Kingston story would come full-circle in what was a truly monumental moment that all began in one of the more memorable non-title matches in WWE.
Sadly, after a six-month run with the belt, Kofi would end up dropping the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in a match that lasted less than ten seconds.
Thankfully, both Bryan and Kingston still remain integral parts of the WWE roster and have been entertaining fans throughout this global crisis each and every week.
#2 - Finn Balor(c) vs Andrade, WWE Monday Night RAW, April 15th, 2019
He might be one of the more popular names on the WWE roster, but Finn Balor's ride in WWE hasn't been without its difficulties. The most obvious one of which must be having to relinquish the Universal Championship a mere 24 hours after becoming the inaugural champion due to serious injury. Many expected Balor to once again become the head of the pack upon his return, but his chase for a second taste of world title gold is still ongoing.
Still, he has lots of other accomplishments to speak of, including holding titles such as the NXT Championship (during his initial run in NXT) and, of course, the Intercontinental Championship. But it was during his reign as Intercontinental Champion that the man formerly known as Prince Devitt came face to face with a talent who had also made his name in the black and gold brand: Andrade.
Also known as Andrade Cien Almas, the former NXT Champion was looking to make a name for himself when he locked horns with the reigning champion Balor in his very first match ever on Monday Night Raw. And it's safe to say he delivered...
The athleticism and technical prowess Andrade has mastered during his NXT run was on display for all to see, but it was only thanks to help from his manager Zelina Vega that he was able to successfully pin the Intercontinental Champion in a non-title match and win his Raw debut.
In a bid to give WWE a boost in the ongoing "Wednesday Night Wars" with All Elite Wrestling, Balor has since returned to NXT and his in-ring ability remains as captivating as it ever was in his first stay in the brand, perhaps even moreso. As for Andrade, he recently lost his United States Championship to a determined Apollo Crews and is looking to bounce back.
#1 - John Cena(c) vs Shawn Michaels, WWE Monday Night RAW, April 23rd, 2007
They say it's difficult for a sequel to overcome the quality of its predecessor, in any art form. Well, on this night in WWE in 2007, John Cena and Shawn Michaels took that thought and threw it straight out the window...
For their official Wrestlemania 23 rematch (in which Cena had successfully defended the WWE Championship in the main event in front of a packed house in Detroit) the fans in London, England were treated to a true spectacle of a wrestling match, the likes of which only comes around in wrestling every once in a blue moon. Especially on weekly WWE television and not pay-per-view.
For over forty minutes on Monday Night RAW, the leader of the Cenation and the Heartbreak Kid captivated the audience in attendance and live viewers watching around the world in what would go down as one of the best matches in WWE history and certainly one of the best matches in either competitor's WWE career.
It would be Shawn Michaels who would have his hand raised at the end of the night, having countered out of an AA (or F-U) straight into a picture-perfect superkick that caught the champion square on the jaw and knocked him out cold.
However, the title was not on the line and Shawn would have to once again face Cena at the upcoming Backlash pay per view, also having to contend with Randy Orton and Edge in a fatal four way. But once again, the champion Cena would overcome adversity and retain his title.
Shawn Michaels eventually retired a few years later, having lost to The Undertaker in a career-threatening match. But his brutal encounter with Cena in England's capital city remains one of the very best from the HBK catalogue, even if no belt was up for grabs.
Do you have any favourite non-title matches in WWE that we haven't mentioned here? Let us know in the comments. And stay tuned to Sportskeeda for all the latest WWE news.
