10 Last-Minute WWE Champions

4. Kane (1998)

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

At the 1998 King of the Ring, WWE had booked itself into a corner. In an effort to boost the pay-per-view buyrate and Monday Night Raw ratings, Kane promised to set himself on fire were he unable to win the WWE Championship. The champion, Stone Cold Steve Austin, was still fresh off winning the title for the first time just two months prior at WrestleMania XIV.

WWE put themselves into a tough position. They either had to go through with a stunt that, even with gimmicked props, would've been very dangerous and in extremely poor taste, or they'd have to take the title off WWE's most popular superstar since the peak of Hulkamania.

WWE decided that the best move would be for Kane to win the title on pay-per-view, only to lose it back to Austin the next night on Raw. This last-minute decision was done to accomplish several things: avoid setting Kane on fire, increase the PPV buyrates and Raw rating, and drive home the idea that Raw was must-see television every Monday night.

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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.