Clash of Champions 2019: 5 best title changes in the history of the pay-per-view
With the 2019 edition of Clash of Champions nearly upon us, it feels worth looking back to some of the best moments from the history of the show. When it comes to championship matches, everyone has opinions and feelings when a title changes. Some people get upset that an undeserving Superstar won an important title, or that an underdog lost to a perennial top guy without getting a chance to prove themselves. Sometimes, it's the opposite, with the excitement of a title changing hands being absolutely overwhelming. When it's done right, a title change is either a terrible moment of dismay (a heel cashing in Money in the Bank, for example) or a great moment of triumph (such as an underdog finally getting the shot they earned and making the most of their opportunity).
In an event designed to have every championship defended, titles changing hands is to be expected. Not a full slate of new champions, but at least one new champion is more than likely going to be crowned. From wrestlers getting revenge to shocking victories, and Superstars receiving comeuppance for past grievances, the entire spectrum has been visited and revisited.
WWE put the pay-per-view event on the backburner in 2018, but it's back in 2019 with a mammoth card of title matches. There are some seemingly obvious winners and losers, and a few matches where many people are likely really hoping that go differently than what the betting odds might suggest. Are there any matches, specifically ones in which titles will change hands, that might find themselves making a list like this one someday?
Let's first take a look into the history books and revisit some of the best matches that have gone down at WWE's annual championship carnival, where a new champion has been crowned to the delight (or dismay) of the fans all over the world.
Disclaimer: The article includes matches from both Clash of Champions and Night of Champions.
#5 Mark Henry defeats Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship (Night of Champions 2011)
Mark Henry made his WWE debut all the way back in 1996. He was generally regarded as a charismatic guy who did well in the background but couldn't put it together in the spotlight. He spent a great deal of his career as a comedy character or a big man who existed only to be toppled by smaller foes to show their strength and fighting spirit.
Cut to 2011. Mark Henry has a new look and a new personality. While he had played an angry and destructive character in the past (such as his run as ECW Champion in 2008), he was still largely thought of as a guy nearing the end of his career who would finish his run by making others look good. That was not the case, however, as Henry would go on a rampage from spring until the late summer, where he would earn the right to challenge Randy Orton for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2011 edition of Night of Champions.
It was a match that many people expected to go the obvious route. Henry runs over the smaller (well, everyone's smaller than him) champion, dominates the majority of the match, and then gets hit with an RKO outta nowhere (it was a thing long before it was a meme) and loses his bid at becoming World Champion.
Henry and Orton would have the expected match, with Mark Henry dominating and blocking just about every offensive move in Orton's playbook -- but then he won the match. Mark Henry beat Randy Orton, without cheating or cheap tactics, to win the World Heavyweight Title. It was a really good match, and the outcome was unexpected and frankly, pretty shocking.
Even more shockingly, a couple of weeks later, Henry would defend the belt at Hell in a Cell (in a Hell in a Cell match, of course) and beat Orton again to retain the championship in an even better match! Henry would lose the title at TLC 2011 when Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after a brutal Chairs Match between Henry and The Big Show. He never won another World Title but stayed near the top, and more importantly, was respected by all, for the rest of his in-ring career.