The Contentious Ten 11.02.09: The Top Ten Most Important WWE Title Changes

I was going to start doing Survivor Series lists this week, but the results of Bragging Rights pushed me in another direction. John Cena’s WWE Championship victory marked the tenth WWE Title Change within the span of one year (November to November), that’s bad, but when you factor in the ten World Heavyweight Title changes, it becomes pretty clear that the decision makers at WWE are swapping their world titles around with little regard for how that makes the titles look too easy to win. For comparisons sake the ECW Title has only changed hands four times in the last year, the Intercontinental Title has changed hands seven times, and the United States Title has changed hands only three times. The point is, that while the two world tiles are clearly more important than the secondary titles, the bookers have made it so that world title changes are not special occasions anymore.

This is not the first time that a WWE world title has been tossed around like a hot potato, in 1999 (from January 4th 1999 to January 3rd 2000) the WWF Title changed hands thirteen times; the most WWF Title changes within the span of a year. When you have two world tiles that are being booked in such a cavalier fashion it results in inflation in world title changes, meaning that along with a greater number of world title changes the changes have also lost their significance. You see, I just don’t care that John Cena won the WWE Title (it’s his fourth world title within a year) because, given the current rate of title changes, he’ll probably lose it within a month or two. With this in mind I’ve decided to look at what I would consider to be The Top Ten Most Important WWE Title Changes. I’m not doing World Heavyweight Title Changes on this list because, in my opinion there haven’t really been any truly significant, promotion changing, World Heavyweight Title changes since the WCW Title became the WWE’s World Heavyweight Title. Which by the way, as the WWE’s History of the World Heavyweight Title DVD seems to indicate, is now how they look it. I guess the argument I put forward a few weeks ago holds water after all.

The Top Ten Most Important WWE Title Changes

Honorable Mentions

Since there have been nearly one-hundred WWE Title changes since 1963, and a lot of them have been pretty important, I’m going to go a little crazy on the honorable mentions, which are listed in chronologic order.

Pedro Morales defeats Ivan Koloff, February 8, 1971: Anytime a wrestler kicks off a three year title reign it’s pretty important. This didn’t make the list because Morales never escaped the shadow of Bruno Sammartino.

Bruno Sammartino defeats Stan Stasiak, December 1, 1973: Bruno’s second title reign officially reestablished him as the WWWF’s top dog (even though he never really stopped being it). This reign wasn’t as successful as his first, this one ONLY lasted THREE YEARS!

Billy Graham defeats Bruno Sammartino, April 30, 1977: Like the title of his DVD says, Graham was twenty years too soon. His colorful character was a tremendous inspiration to countless other wrestlers, and this title reign helped him showcase it. It doesn’t make my list because Graham would have been influential regardless.

Randy Savage defeats Ted DiBiase, March 27, 1988: Savage became the first man in over five years other than Hulk Hogan to officially hold the WWF Title longer than a few minutes. It’s not on the list because despite not holding the title Hogan was still the WWF’s biggest star.

Yokozuna defeats Hulk Hogan, June 13, 1993: The fact that Yokozuna practically squashed Hogan and sent him packing out of the WWF was certainly an important result of this title change. The fact that Yokozuna enjoyed the longest heel title reign since Billy Graham is pretty important too. However, it just didn’t seem important enough to make the list.

Diesel defeats Bob Backlund, November 26, 1994: The Diesel era began in practically the blink of an eye when Diesel beat Backlund in only eight seconds, and his reign was the focal point of the WWF for a year. It didn’t make the list because the year was one of the shittiest in the promotion’s history (which in and of itself is pretty important too).

Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart, March 30, 1996: It was a tremendous changing of the guard moment, but the two would have a far more significant match a year-and-a-half later.

Sid defeats Shawn Michaels, November 17, 1996: The rabid MSG crowd cheered the “Sycho” one on, even as he sent Jose Lothario into cardiac arrest by hitting him with a television camera. I would argue that this match marked the unofficial beginning of the Attitude Era.

Chris Jericho defeats Steve Austin, December 9, 2001: Jericho became the first Undisputed Champion in over fifty years. That’s as important as it gets. But, it doesn’t make the list because Jericho’s reign was anything but game-changing.

Brock Lesnar defeats the Rock, August 25, 2002: The “Next Big Thing” arrived. He may have made the list if he didn’t depart less than two years later.

John Cena defeats John Bradshaw Layfield, April 3, 2005: Cena’s victory ushered in the modern period in WWE. While important, it remains to be seen how significant this era will be.

X

Mankind defeats The Rock
December 29, 1998

Mick Foley’s first title victory comes in at number ten because as far as title reigns go there wasn’t much to it. In fact, Foley’s victory was more of a speed bump in the road toward the showdown between the “Corporate Champion,” The Rock and Steve Austin at WrestleMania XV. Furthermore, it might seem like almost any of my Honorable Mentions deserve this spot more. However, Foley’s victory was one of the greatest moments in the history of Monday Night Raw, and was a wonderful and emotional victory, as the man who just never seemed like real championship material realized his life long dream of becoming WWF Champion. It didn’t mater that he had DX in his corner, or that Steve Austin essentially won the match for him. When the referee counted to three the arena exploded with jubilation.

What makes this particular title change so important is that along with the emotional aspect of the victory, and the fact that it was the career zenith for Foley, is that it was a pivotal moment in the Monday Night War between WWF and WCW. This particular episode of Raw was filled on December 29, 1998, but aired on January 4, 1999. WCW had a habit of reporting Raw’s taped results on Nitro, and even though the WWF announced Foley’s victory on WWF.com, WCW snidely reported that Mankind was going to win the WWF Title with the intention that fans would stick with Nitro’s live showdown between Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash. Tony Schiavone ironically quipped “That’ll put a lot of butts in the seats,” but in this instance the irony wasn’t just the tone of his voice, as reporting the match outcome backfired and caused droves of fans to switch over to Raw because they did, in fact, want to see Foley win the belt.

IX

Ultimate Warrior defeats Hulk Hogan
April 1, 1990

When you bring up WrestleMania to people of my generation, inevitably this match quickly finds its way into the conversation. While Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant may have been the biggest match of all time, Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior is one of the most fondly remembered matches of all time. And for good reason, as the match is with out a doubt a classic battle between two seemingly unstoppable forces and two of the most popular wrestlers in the country at the time. When you remove the match from its epic context, it is really only a decent match at best, that simply attempts to pass the torch from Hogan to Warrior. That changing of the guard may have been enough for this entry to have made it on the list, but what makes this such an important title change is the very thing I mentioned above. How many title matches do you hear people talk about today? There are a few (some of the others on this list), but Hogan vs. Warrior has taken on a life of its own; it transcends the concept of a wrestling match and has somehow become greater than the sum of its parts.

Ultimately this match comes in at number nine because despite the huge push, victory, and passing of the torch moment, Warrior ultimately failed to change the game. Instead of becoming the next Hulk Hogan he merely drifted along until the Warrior as WWF Champion experiment came to an end. The fact that Warrior was at best a just barely above average champion and didn’t/couldn’t live up to the promise that the match made, really hurt this title change’s ranking on my list. Because, despite how important the match seemed at the time Warrior’s failure to become the next iconic flag bearer for the WWF made the title change significantly less important.

VIII

Ric Flair wins the Royal Rumble
January 19, 1992

When Ric Flair came to the WWF in the fall of 1991, it seemed like only a matter of time before he would face off with Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title. After helping The Undertaker defeat Hogan for the WWF Title, and interfering in Hogan’s rematch it seemed certain that Flair would get his shot against Hogan. However, WWF President Jack Tunney declared the WWF Title vacant due to the controversial title changes and put the belt up for grabs in the 1992 Royal Rumble match. The match featured a who’s who of WWF talent including former champions Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Sgt. Slaughter, Randy Savage, The Iron Sheik (as Col. Mustafa), and other greats like Roddy Pipper, Jimmy Snuka, Sid Justice, and of course Ric Flair. Flair drew the rather unlucky number three entrance position, but managed to keep himself in the match all the way to the final five (Piper, Savage, Hogan, and Justice). After Savage and Piper were eliminated, Hogan thought he had an ally in Sid, but Sid betrayed him and helped Flair eliminate him. Angered by the betrayal Hogan grabbed Sid’s arm and pulled as Flair pushed, making Flair the new WWF Champion.

Flair’s title victory was important for several reasons. First, by having him win the hour long Royal Rumble Flair essentially defeated the WWF’s entire roster, and unquestionably earned the championship. Second, Flair became the first former NWA Champion since Buddy Rogers to win the WWF Title, which is an important feat unto itself. Third, Flair’s victory kicked off the WWF’s post Hogan era. Although Hogan would wrestle at WrestleMania VIII, and would win the WWF Title at WrestleMania IX, Hogan really wasn’t much of factor in the WWF after losing the Rumble. The reason this entry only comes in at number eight is because Flair wasn’t really the one who ushered in the new era, but his victory signaled the start of it.

VII

Bob Backlund defeats Billy Graham
February 20, 1978

Since I’m writing about ushering in new eras in WWF history, it’s important not to forget about some of the older ones. Since the WWWF’s inception its fifteen year had been largely dominated by Bruno Sammartino who had been the promotion’s champion for eleven years. In 1977 Sammartino lost the title for the last time to “Superstar” Billy Graham. Graham enjoyed a particularly long title reign for a rule breaker in the WWWF, and may have even enjoyed a longer reign if Vince McMahon, Sr. hadn’t already promised the championship to Bob Backlund. Backlund defeated Graham with his trademark Atomic Drop (even though Graham got his foot on the rope) and kicked off a brand new era in WWF history. Aside from a few controversial and debated title changes Backlund reigned for five years as champion.

This title change comes in at number seven because it marks a significant change in direction for the WWWF. Graham’s reign bridged the gap between Sammartino and Backlund, and Backlund represented this new direction away from Sammartino as the main attraction. The success of Backlund’s reign both within the ring and financially helps this particular title change make the list. Ultimately, however, Backlund’s era was still sandwiched between the incredible success of the Sammartino and Hogan eras, and takes a back seat to both of them.

VI

Steve Austin defeats The Rock
April 1, 2001

My reasoning for choosing this match is similar to my reasoning for choosing Hogan vs. Warrior. The showdown between the WWF Champion The Rock and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was as big a match as they could possibly promote. Both men were arguably the single most popular wrestler not just in the WWF, but in the whole country. While the two had been in the main event of WrestleMania XV, two years later both had only become bigger stars. However, there was more to this match than just the WWF Title. Austin was fighting to regain his place on top of the wrestling world, The Rock was trying to establish himself as the best in the world, and surrounding it all was the demise of WCW and the end of the massively successful Monday Night War era. So, in a way this match was sort of the WWF’s grand finale of that period. The match is also significant because it opened a new chapter in the McMahon/Austin saga, as Austin turned heel and aligned himself with his former enemy.

Unlike Hogan vs. Warrior, Rock vs. Austin was a superb match, and just as dramatic, yet, the two had faced each other several times and big matches like this one (thanks to the Monday Night War) were a fairly regular occurrence, so the legend of the match didn’t become bigger than the match itself. However, in a kind of sad way, the match represented a huge change in the WWF. The star (Austin) and the storyline (Austin vs. McMahon) that had won the Monday Night War for the WWF were permanently altered after WrestleMania XVII. Austin flopped as a heel, and the WWF, without competition, started a long slide back to mediocrity. Because I view this title change as a very important I’ve placed it at number six. However, because I view this title change as signaling the transition to a negative period in the WWF, I’ve only placed this title change at number six.

V

Bret Hart defeats Yokozuna
March 20, 1994

I wrote earlier how when Ric Flair won the WWF Title in the Royal Rumble it signaled the beginning of the post-Hogan era, but that Flair would not be that era’s flag bearer. I would argue that it took the WWF two years to figure out that flag bearer would be Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Although Hart defeated Flair for the WWF Title in 1992, he didn’t really seem like the champion. His victory just sort of happened. There was no hype, no push, and the title change happened at an un-televised house show. Hart would lose the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX, and Yokozuna immediately lost the belt to Hulk Hogan. Hart and Hogan were supposed to have a match at the King of the Ring, but politics got in the way, and instead Yokozuna crushed Hogan and recaptured the belt. For nine months Yokozuna appeared unstoppable, defeating men like Lex Luger and the Undertaker in the process, but at WrestleMania X the WWF Championship would be defended twice. Yokozuna made it past Lex Luger the first challenger, but came up short in his match with Hart, who avenged his loss from the year before.

The match wasn’t very good, but the build up to the match couldn’t have been any better, as Hart was painted as a major underdog to both Luger and Yokozuna. He only co-won the Royal Rumble and then lost to his brother Owen in the opening match of WrestleMania X. The reason I placed this title change at a fairly high number five, is because it marked the official beginning of the New Generation. For the first time since Hogan’s initial departure after WrestleMania VIII the WWF finally seemed to have a real sense of direction. Hart’s victory also established himself as the real top star (despite a number of pretenders to the thronein the company, for several years to come.

IV

Steve Austin defeats Shawn Michaels
March 29, 1998

While there are arguably several potential kick off points of the Attitude Era, the Attitude Era was kicked into high gear at WrestleMania XIV when Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels to win the WWF Title. In the wake of a highly tumultuous 1997, Shawn Michaels was unquestionably the most established wrestler in the WWF and Steve Austin, despite a near crippling neck injury, was on the fast track to the top. Although Michaels was the leader of the bad-attitude laden D-generation X, he was still symbolic of the WWF’s New Generation, and Austin was representative of the unstoppable force of change. To many fans, the outcome of the match was a bit of a foregone conclusion, as the WWF seemed set to explode out of the near dark ages of the last few years into a renaissance led by Steve Austin.

There is only one title change on this list that I would say is more representative of a dramatic shift in the WWF’s direction than this one and I’ve placed it at number one. With Austin’s ascension to the top of the WWF and Michaels’s departure from it came a colossal transformation that, despite months of build, happened almost overnight. Austin’s victory kicked off the McMahon/Austin feud, Michael’s departure led to the recreation of DX with Triple H as the leader, and within a matter of a few weeks the WWF had caught up to WCW in the ratings war. The reason I only placed this title change at number four is because as important as it was the seeds of change (the Attitude Era) had been planted as far back as the Sid vs. Shawn Michaels match at the 1996 Survivor Series when the crowd turned on Michaels.

III

Bruno Sammartino defeats Buddy Rogers
May 17, 1963

In my debut column I ranked Bruno Sammartino as the greatest WWWF Champion, a statement I still stand by today. I’ve documented the history of both Rogers and Sammartino in my Ten Greatest and Ten Worst Champions lists, so I’m going to forgo reiterating what I wrote in those columns. What I will discuss is just how important this title change was to the WWWF. For several years Buddy Rogers had been NWA Champion, but he preferred the New York to Washington D.C. market (Capitol Wrestling) because he made the most money there. So, even after losing the NWA Title it was simply a matter of Capitol Wrestling disputing the loss so that they could continue to promote Rogers as their champion. Capitol Wrestling became the WWWF, and Rogers was their first champion (despite not actually being officially declared WWWF Champion until several months after the renaming of the promotion). Rogers in many ways represented the NWA, as fans still associated him with the NWA Title, and Sammartino represented a new era of wrestling. In fact, Sammartino’s popularity in the New York to Washington D.C. market was so massive that he was one of the primary reasons for the WWWF’s split from the NWA. The NWA would have been unlikely to crown Sammartino champion, so the promoters of the WWWF decided to do it themselves.

The match between the two was less than a minute long and Rogers submitted to an over the shoulder backbreaker, but its brevity only severed as a precursor to Sammartino’s impending dominance. Sammartino would hold the WWWF Title for more than seven years, and worked like a dog the entire time. Even when he wasn’t champion his legacy overshadowed Pedro Morales’s highly successful title reign so much that after a few years the belt was transitioned back to him. As I wrote above, the first fifteen years of the WWE’s history were dominated by Sammartino. His dedication to the promotion and his fans at the expense of himself and his family set the WWWF on the path to success in a way no one else at the time could. Sammartino is probably the very reason there is a WWE today, as without his drawing power Capitol Wrestling probably never would have broken away from the NWA in the first place. Much of the promotions subsequent success was set in motion by Sammartino’s victory over Rogers.

II

Shawn Michaels defeats Bret Hart
November 9, 1997

You knew the Montreal Screwjob had to make it onto this list. Here is a title change that, to this day, is still frequently referenced and emulated. In fact WWE just revisited the plot of it at Breaking Point when the Undertaker “submitted” to CM Punk. I really don’t feel the need to go into many details about this match, as if you’re unfamiliar with it I’m not sure what you are doing reading a wrestling column in the first place. What makes this title change deserving of the number two spot is that it truly changed the rules of the game. Prior to 1997 Vince McMahon was known to most fans as just an (in my opinion an almost unbearably annoying) announcer (seriously, if you think Michael Cole has some over used phrases go back and listen to McMahon “Unbelievable,” “Whadda maneuver,” “One, two, hegothim,nohedidn’t,” ugh). In 1997, however, the secret came out in the storylines that McMahon was in fact the owner of the WWF, and McMahon started playing an increased role in the narrative.

When McMahon told the time keeper to “ring the fucking bell,” as Michaels had Hart locked in Hart’s own Sharpshooter submission hold, a scheme that Hart (I believe) had legitimately not been aware of, McMahon went from being a passive announcer to real-life business man protecting his investment. In this sense this title change is more significant for the career of Vince McMahon than anyone else involved as it laid the foundation for the Mr. McMahon character. Of course, Hart’s career quickly went down the tubes and Michaels would transition the belt to Steve Austin a few months later, but the importance and the ramifications of the Montreal Screwjob can still be seen today over a decade later.

I

Hulk Hogan defeats The Iron Sheik
January 23, 1984

I feel entirely comfortable stating that no title change in the history of pro wrestling is more important that Hulk Hogan’s victory over the Iron Sheik. Hogan’s victory forever changed the very nature of professional wrestling. Prior to his win wrestling was still treated very much like a sport. While some people were aware of the fixed match outcomes wrestling was still taken more at face value. Results were printed in newspapers, and state athletic commissions regulated matches and events. After Hogan won the WWF all of that started to change. “Wrestling” was slowly phased out, and “Sports Entertainment” was slowly phased in. The changes in the wrestling business after Hogan’s victory weren’t just style changes. The audience’s familiarity with Hulk Hogan (due to his appearance in Rocky III) made him, and the WWF, into a nationally recognized brand. “Hulkamania,” did in fact run wild and created a new legion of fans, spawned the pop-culture connection known as “Rock ‘n Wrestling,” and led to the creation of WrestleMania. Most importantly Hogan’s title victory was the vehicle through which Vince McMahon was able to promote his brand of wrestling throughout the entire country, and ultimately led to the demise of the territory system. Whether these changes were good or not are a matter of opinion.

Aside from the business aspects of the title change, Hogan’s victory, like Backlund’s before, and Austin’s later marked a shift in the direction for the WWF. This shift, however, changed not just the WWF but the entire face of professional wrestling and that’s why it is the most important WWF Title change of all time. And I feel comfortable saying that it will always be the most important.

Conclusion

So what’s the point of this list? Part of it is just a trip down memory lane, but it’s also an indictment of the current state of affairs in the WWE. If you look at the Top Ten, the most recent match is Austin vs. Rock at WrestleMania XVII. I’m not saying that there haven’t been important title changes since then, but the addition of a second world title and the brand extension really left WWE unfocused as a promotion. Currently, witnessing an important title change while watching WWE is an impossibility, because when they are swapping world titles around on an average of nearly twice monthly, no champion has the ability to make a real impact.