5 times Vince McMahon was forced to take the World title off a WWE Superstar
When a WWE superstar wins a title, it's always a big moment. While there are all kinds of different reigns ranging from transitional reigns to long, legitimate ones, the fact of the matter is that being the Champion is a big responsibility.
It's the company putting its trust in a superstar to carry one of their titles. Naturally, the weight of responsibility is even bigger for the World Championships and the Women's Championships.
For the most part, it all goes well, but there are situations where WWE is forced to play their hand. They may have superstars who they want to carry the World Championship for a certain period, but external circumstances played a big role in Vince McMahon having to take the title off certain superstars.
Here are five interesting cases where Vince McMahon was forced to take away the World title from a WWE superstar:
#5. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin - 2001
A large part of Kurt Angle's career has been as a heel, but it's hard to forget his unbelievable run as a babyface in 2001 that saw him capture the WWF Championship against 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin at Unforgiven 2001.
Why was the title change forced? The PPV took place on September 23rd, 2001, which was just 12 days after the tragic 9/11 terrorist attack. 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin had his run as the top heel of WWE, having turned at WrestleMania X7.
While Angle was the face heading into SummerSlam that year, Austin would disqualify himself to retain the WWF title. The feud went on, with the most memorable moment being Angle spraying The Alliance with a Milk Truck.
It seems to be well-known that the 9/11 attacks brought up a heavy sense of patriotism, with Angle being the perfect fit. He would win the WWF title in his hometown of Pittsburgh at Unforgiven, though he would lose it 15 days later.