10 Major WWE World Title Changes That Took Place On Free TV

Well, strike me with a guitar and call me 'Slapnuts,' we have a new WWE Champion! After months of an interminable Jinder Mahal reign, said era is now, at least for the time being, over. Fans all over are celebrating the best wrestler in the company once again becoming champion, but moreover, they're still recovering from the shock of when and where such a change occurred. For the first time since August of last year, a world title has changed hands in WWE on one of their free TV programs.

Historically, WWE would save their major title changes for big events, be it major house shows, or by the '80s, one of their PPVs. However, with the increased importance of weekly TV during the Monday Night Wars, the company began giving away important title changes on RAW, SmackDown, and in one instance, during halftime of the Super Bowl.

With the end of the Wars, and in recent years, the increase of PPVs on the WWE Network, the frequency of title changes on free TV has diminished, making ones that have occurred nowadays all the more special. AJ's recent win puts himself in a category with these other fine gentlemen:

Well, since we're already talking about AJ, might as well keep the ball rolling. This past Tuesday, Styles shocked Manchester and the wrestling world by unexpectedly defeating Jinder Mahal and ending a title reign that had been going on since May. Now instead of getting to witness the 'Modern Day Maharaja' plod his way through a match with Brock Lesnar, fans will ostensibly be treated to a dream match with the 'Phenomenal One'... or not - we still have a week.

In any case, Styles' win marks the first time in 14 years the WWE Championship has changed hands on an episode of SmackDown, the last being when Brock Lesnar defeated Kurt Angle. More interesting, however, is the fact that this is the first time the highest prize in the company has been won in the United Kingdom. Before this match, all WWE title changes had occurred in the good old U S of A, or in its humble brother, Canada. Meanwhile, the UK and Europe at large have seen only either midcard title switches, or predictable world title defenses. With this historic win over Mahal, Styles has opened the floodgates for potentially bigger moments to occur on UK soil.