This week in WWE history : (Dec 27-Jan 2) Mankind becomes WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar Retires 

It has been an interesting week in WWE history
It has been an interesting week in WWE history

#4 Mankind defeats The Rock to become WWE Champion - RAW Is War December 29th, 1998

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More than two decades ago on a pre-taped episode of WWE's Monday Night RAW, which was then called RAW is War, Mick Foley was able to win his first WWE Championship under his Mankind persona.

Foley has noted several times that this is a title that he didn't want to win, but it was one that changed the history of WWE. The show was pre-taped in the middle of the Monday Night Wars between WCW and WWE.

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The outcome of the match between The Rock and Mick Foley/Mankind was ruined by Tony Schiavone midway through the WCW Nitro show when he told the crowd that Mankind had won the title.

This move backfired as more than half a million fans then changed the channel in order to watch Mankind lift the Championship and dramatically change the face of the company.

Foley went on to lose the title back to The Rock just a few weeks later in an I Quit match at The Royal Rumble.

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Edited by Alan John
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