10 Biggest "Out Of Left Field" WWE Booking Decisions

4. Diesel Wins The WWE Championship In MSG (1994)

When Bob Backlund defeated Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at the 1994 Survivor Series, it seemed that what was once old was now new again. The former All-American had reinvented himself as a maniacal villain, prone to snapping and injuring opponents with his trademark Crossface Chicken Wing. His title win was the culmination of one of the most peculiar journeys of any wrestler in the 1990s. It looked as though he was primed for a decent main event run that would last at least until WrestleMania. Then he ran into a seven-foot-tall Diesel truck who tore through him in eightseconds to take the title inside the historic Madison Square Garden. That's right; Diesel defeated Backlund to win the title just three days after the Minnesotan's grand victory. It was a booking decision that took the wrestling world by surprise, not only because the title switched hands in such short order but because of the superstar who unseated Backlund. Diesel was a midcard villain up to a week before the MSG show, his official face turn coming at the same Survivor Series pay-per-view at which Backlund had achieved the biggest victory of his career. His sudden ascension caught the audience completely off guard and created interest, even if fleeting, in what Vince McMahon had in store for the future of his promotion.