The top 5 times a WWE championship changed hands at a live event
As the age-old saying goes, anything can happen in the WWE. Although rare, there are a few reasons why a championship may change hands during a house show. WWE may book a title change at a live event to see how the audience reacts to said superstar's title win or just to swerve fans who expected to see the belt retained.
The term live event or house show is used to describe any WWE event occurring in front of a live audience that is not televised. This list will consist of matches where footage exists and can be found on the internet.
This may be in the form of fan recordings or snippets. There are a few factors that influence a match's ranking, not just how good the match was but also the impact the title change had on the wrestler's career. Where available, fan reactions are also considered. For the sake of continuity, titles defended during the WWF era will be referred to in the WWE name.
With that being said, let's get into the list.
#5. Mickie James wins big in France
And there’s the mystery footage @RealMelina @REALLiSAMARiE ... @REALSteamboat was 🤯 haha!! What a life?! twitter.com/HellcatPerez/s…
France was Hardcore Country on April 24, 2007, as Mickie James defeated Victoria and champion, Melina in a match for the Women's Championship. The Le Zénith in Paris crowd was clearly ecstatic to see Mickie as the champion, loudly cheering her on after her victory.
The original finish did not see her walk out as champion, however. Mickie pinned Victoria, who did not kick out as she thought Mickie was the planned winner of the match. Jonathan Coachman appeared and granted Melina a rematch later on in the show, where she beat James and won the title back.
At less than one day, this was Mickie's third reign and the shortest in the championship's history.
#4. The Rougeau Brothers vs. The Hart Foundation for the tag team championships
The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers defeated The Hart Foundation at a house show in Montreal. This was a match for the tag team championships and took place on August 10, 1987.
The decision to have the Rougeau brothers win may have been due to Montreal being their hometown. However, this became another (albeit lesser-known) Montreal Screwjob as the title change was never acknowledged by the company, who never mentioned it on television.
A special story had to be created for the Montreal crowd that attended the event. It was said that then-WWE President Jack Tunney overturned the decision due to the fact that The Rougeau Brothers had used Jimmy Hart's megaphone to win the championships.
#3. Diesel winning the WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden
Fan footage from 27 years ago today of "Big Daddy Cool" Diesel defeating Bob Backlund in 8 seconds to win the WWF Championship at a MSG house show. @RealKevinNash https://t.co/rGNfVD5ifk
Diesel shocked fans at Madison Square Garden on November 26, 1994, by defeating WWE Champion Bob Backlund in eight seconds. Backlund had won the title from Bret Hart three days earlier, and so it was certainly unexpected to see him lose it so quickly.
Big Daddy Cool held the belt for 358 days, defending it against the company's biggest names, Bret Hart, Jeff Jarrett, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, and The British Bulldog.
#2. AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens at Madison Square Garden
AJ Styles beat Kevin Owens to win US title tonight in MSG
In a stark reminder of how unpredictable World Wrestling Entertainment can be, AJ Styles defeated Kevin Owens in a thrilling contest for the United States Championship at a July 7, 2017, live event.
Styles' win sent the internet ablaze, with some fans criticizing WWE for not having the title change hands on television where they could witness it. Others were happy for AJ as this was his first US title reign.
The Phenomenal One lost the championship to Kevin Owens 16 days later at Battleground 2017.
Styles won the WWE Championship later that year, defeating Jinder Mahal at a Manchester, England edition of SmackDown Live. By doing so, this marked the first time the belt changed hands outside the USA. This has re-occurred only once with Brock Lesnar's win at Elimination Chamber 2022, in Saudi Arabia.
#1. Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair for the WWE Championship at Saskatoon, Canada
Arguably two of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Bret "The Hitman" Hart and "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, did battle in Saskatoon, Canada, in October 1992. A match of this magnitude is one that is worthy of a big prize, like Flair's WWE Championship, which was on the line that night.
Saskatoon is the hometown of Bret's father, the legendary Stu Hart. The Canadian crowd certainly made it clear whose side they were on as they booed Flair heavily throughout his entrance.
The Hitman worked on Flair's left arm in the early portion of the match. Hart would match all of Flair's offense with his own as he was firmly in control in the first twelve minutes. The Nature Boy bought himself some well-needed recovery time after he threw Hart over the ropes and out of the ring.
The match would go on with both wrestlers going back and forth, with The Hitman even locking Flair in his own submission, The Figure Four Leglock.
A superplex followed by a Sharpshooter would win Hart his first WWE Championship and cement his name as one of the company's greatest in a match that has since lived on as one of the best of all time.
What do you think of this list? Are there any matches you would like to include here? Which of these were your favorites? Let us know in the comments section below.