10 Last-Minute WWE Champions
7. Chris Jericho (2000)
On 17 April, 2000, Chris Jericho was announced as the new WWF Champion after defeating Triple H just prior to Monday Night Raw going on the air. Fans that tuned into RAW were greeted with mass confusion and chaos with Chris Jericho holding the WWF Championship.
Jericho and Triple H had an impromptu match for The Game's WWF Championship prior to Raw going live. In the arena from State College, PA, fans witnessed Jericho pin Triple H after referee Earl Hebner administered a fast-count. While Raw was airing live, Triple H bullied Earl Hebner into reversing his previous decision and awarding the title back to Triple H.
Officially, Chris Jericho's title win from 2000 never happened as WWE does not recognize Y2J as a WWE Champion until 9 December, 2001 when he defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock at Vengeance to become Undisputed WWF Champion. Still, WWE tested the waters in the spring of 2000 to see how fans would react to the "new" WWF Champion in Chris Jericho, and the result was very favorable for Y2J.
It was a last-minute call that allowed Triple H's new opponent to be seen as a credible threat to the stranglehold Trips had on the WWF title at the time, but officially, it never happened.