10 Last-Minute WWE Champions

5. Sid (1996)

Lol Look At That Wakcy Dean Ambrose And His Shiny Belt
WWE.com

Coming out of WrestleMania XII, early plans for WrestleMania 13 called for Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart to headline for the WWE title. In between WrestleManias, Vince McMahon needed a heel that would serve as Shawn's primary foe for the months that lied ahead. Vader was supposed to be that primary foe and WWE's top heel of 1996.

At SummerSlam '96, Vader was supposed to win the title until Michaels successfully convinced McMahon to keep the belt on him. Vince then penciled-in Vader to leave Survivor Series as WWE Champion with plans to drop the belt back to Shawn at the 1997 Royal Rumble.

As it turned out, Vader was dead in the water coming out of SummerSlam and by October of '96, Vince decided to go with Sid instead of Vader to bridge the gap to WrestleMania 13. As a result, Sycho Sid won his first WWE title at Survivor Series '96.

Sid's second reign was also thanks to the revolving door that was WWE's plans for WrestleMania 13. Once Vince decided to change Shawn vs. Bret to a non-title match (and then Shawn was taken off the card altogether), Sid was once again on the better end of a WWE Championship match, defeating Bret Hart the night after February's In Your House.

Whether it was at Survivor Series '96 or Raw after In Your House: Final Four, Sid winning the WWE Championship was a last-minute move and an emergency call.

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A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling, technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible. Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard. As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.