7 surprise replacement opponents in Championship matches in WWE

In WWE, replacements happen all the time. Behind the scenes, there are Superstars who WWE push into a title match, but those plans can change for various reasons.

However, this list focuses on the storyline replacements that happened on WWE TV, particularly concerning Championship matches. Let's start with an example from last year in the build to WrestleMania 35:

#7. Kevin Owens replaces Kofi Kingston in the WWE title match at Fastlane 2019

The entire story behind KofiMania all started with Kofi Kingston being a replacement in the WWE title Elimination Chamber match. Mustafa Ali was originally scheduled to take the last spot, but due to a legitimate injury, WWE was forced to pull him out of the match and replace him with Kofi Kingston.

It was a Gauntlet Match on SmackDown that saw Kofi Kingston put on the performance of his career, lasting an hour before elimination and getting a standing ovation from the crowd. In an instant, he became one of WWE's hottest stars.

Kofi Kingston only continued to impress and was seemingly seconds away from becoming WWE Champion before falling short at Elimination Chamber 2019. While he still received a standing ovation in defeat, then-SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon granted him a WWE title shot against Daniel Bryan at Fastlane.

Vince McMahon didn't feel the same way about Kofi Kingston and surprisingly replaced him at Fastlane with Kevin Owens. It would be a part of the many hurdles that Kofi Kingston would have to jump to get his WWE title shot at WrestleMania.

It was abrupt, but the original plan was seemingly for Kevin Owens to return and face Daniel Bryan for the WWE title at WrestleMania. Kofi Kingston's unexpected rise meant that WWE swapped their places, and Kevin Owens ended up replacing Kofi Kingston at Fastlane.

Interestingly enough, Mustafa Ali was also added to the WWE title match at Fastlane. It was a great way to get heat on Vince McMahon to help the crowds become more invested in Kofi Kingston.

It had the ultimate payoff, with Kofi Kingston making history at WrestleMania 35 and becoming the WWE Champion.

#6. The Ultimate Warrior replaces Brutus Beefcake to dethrone The Honky Tonk Man at WWE SummerSlam 1988

The Honky Tonk Man was a big heel in the late 1980s for WWE, and he maintained his heat while holding the Intercontinental Championship for a whopping 454 days. - the longest reign in the title's history.

He was originally scheduled to defend it against Brutus The Barber Beefcake, but WWE replaced Beefcake at the last minute as a part of their plan to help get The Ultimate Warrior over.

After Beefcake was written out of the match, The Honky Tonk man, as arrogant as ever, refused to even find out who the replacement would be. Out came The Ultimate Warrior, who rushed in and finished the Champion in just 31 seconds.

Today, it's hard to imagine fans reacting well to a 454-day title reign ending in half a minute, but at the time, The Warrior got the loudest reaction of the night. It marked the first of three Championships that The Ultimate Warrior would hold for WWE, and it kickstarted his ascent to the top - one that would culminate with a WrestleMania main event victory over Hulk Hogan in 1990.

#5. Razor Ramon replaces Sycho Sid to recreate one of WWE's most iconic matches at SummerSlam 1995

Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon

WWE has had many iconic ladder matches over the years, but similar to Hell in a Cell, it's hard to look past the first one that happened. Interestingly enough, both involved Shawn Michaels, so it's no coincidence that they were so good.

At WrestleMania X, Shawn Michaels faced Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship in WWE's first-ever ladder match. Razor Ramon was victorious in what is now considered an all-time classic. What often falls under the radar, however, is the rematch they had with the same stipulation over 16 months later.

While Shawn Michaels was originally supposed to face Sycho Sid at SummerSlam 1995, he was abruptly replaced by Razor Ramon. Although the match didn't have too much of a build to it, there was hardly any requirement, and it turned out to be the most highly-anticipated match in a rather underwhelming card (headlined by Diesel vs Mabel for the WWE Championship).

Shawn Michaels would get his retribution, defeating Razor Ramon in a 25-minute instant classic to retain the Intercontinental Championship.

As a fun fact on the side, SummerSlam 1995 was also Triple H's WWE PPV debut. He defeated Bob Holly in the second match of the night.

#4. The Big Show becomes an unexpected WWE Champion after replacing Steve Austin at Survivor Series 1999

The Attitude Era was undoubtedly the most interesting period in WWE history. It's easy to forget that it only spanned 3 full years from WrestleMania 14 to 17, but the impact of it has made it WWE's most timeless era.

The original main event of Survivor Series was supposed to feature Triple H defending the WWE Championship against The Rock and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Due to a legitimate injury, Austin was written out of WWE TV with an assault, and his replacement would only be announced at the last minute.

On the side, Big Show was in the midst of a heated feud with Big Boss Man, who insulted his "dead" father. He was a part of a Survivor Series elimination match, where he ran through his opponents in a 1-on-4 handicap situation.

He ended up becoming Steve Austin's replacement in the main event of Survivor Series and defeated Triple H and The Rock to capture his first WWE Championship.

#3. Edge replaces Kofi Kingston at Elimination Chamber after losing the WWE Championship

Edge made history at No Way Out 2009 when he walked into the PPV as the WWE Champion and walked out as the World Heavyweight Champion. It was a unique bit of storytelling.

Edge defended the WWE Championship in the opening Elimination Chamber match of the night. He was eliminated first within three minutes after a pin from Jeff Hardy. Shocked and dejected, Edge left, but he made a big impact before the main event.

Assaulting Kofi Kingston (who was scheduled to compete in the World Heavyweight title Elimination Chamber match), Edge would lock himself in the Chamber and forcefully replace him. In another big surprise of the night, he would go on to defeat all other competitors, including John Cena, to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

Not many could pull it off, but Edge, being one of the best of his generation, made a rare achievement on the night.

It's perhaps the most unique case of WWE replacements on this list.

#2. Braun Strowman replaces Roman Reigns to win his first WWE Universal title at WrestleMania 36

There was a point between 2017 to 2018 where Braun Strowman was WWE's hottest full-time star. While many argued that it would have been the perfect time for him to have a Universal Championship run, it never came to fruition due to WWE's preference for Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar.

The latter two held a duopoly of dominance in RAW's main event scene, and Braun Strowman was a clear #3. While it wasn't a bad position to be in, the losses on big occasions saw The Monster Among Men lose momentum.

At WrestleMania 36, the newly-crowned WWE Universal Champion was set to face Roman Reigns in a dream clash, but the latter pulled out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While health issues were the speculated reason, Roman Reigns stated that it was more related to family issues.

Ultimately, Braun Strowman was announced as the surprise and abrupt replacement, with WWE giving no actual explanation for Reigns' absence. Braun Strowman had a match with Goldberg that only lasted minutes, but it finally led to him winning the WWE Universal Championship. He would hold on to it for over four months while Roman Reigns took a 5-month hiatus. Reigns would return and win the Universal title a week after Braun Strowman lost it to 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt.

#1. Johnny Nitro replaces Chris Benoit due to one of WWE's most tragic incidents

As much as we hate to add this to the list, it's the most significant point, and can't be ignored. The replacement, in this case, happened around the same time of the tragic Benoit family double murder-suicide case.

Chris Benoit was originally set to face CM Punk for the ECW World Championship. While it would have been a dream match in WWE in any period, the actual events that happened were unknown at the time.

Chris Benoit had missed the house shows he was scheduled for, citing a family emergency, and as is the case with WWE the wheel kept spinning. Chris Benoit would be replaced by Johnny Nitro, who went on to defeat CM Punk and become the ECW World Champion in what was considered an upset.

While we could go on about how Johnny Nitro used the title win to change his name and improve his character, it's hard to ignore the tragic circumstances of the replacement.