12 Most Shocking WWE Title Changes

5. Punk Beats Cena (And Leaves WWE)

In hindsight, it made total sense for WWE to put the title on CM Punk. He was a molten hot, groundbreaking force in wrestling at the time, and having John Cena defeat him in Chicago would have been an incredibly deflating booking decision.

At the time, however, there was a real sense of "they surely won't, will they!?" about the match. Quite how WWE would develop the storyline once Punk had walked out, however kayfabe his refusal to sign a new contract was, seemed a mystery.

The rest is history. Cena and Punk put on the only 5-star match in WWE's recent history, the Chicago native walked out with the title, and came back to have a controversial champion vs. champion feud with Cena later that summer (which fizzled out very quickly once Triple H and Kevin Nash got involved).

It's a common misconception that this victory led to Punk's landmark 434 day reign, but that actually came after victory over Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series 2011.