10 MORE Strange Things WWE Champions Did With The Belt
9. The Rock Throws It Off A Bridge
WWE used to be so great at making Backlash feel like anything but a rehash, even after WrestleMania XV's end-of-the-world victory for Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The hero didn't just want his belt back. He wanted his belt back. And he nearly drowned getting it.
Turning an old Austin trick on its head in 1999, The Rock went one further than just hoying the Smoking Skull WWE Championship into the Detroit River just as 'The Rattlesnake' had once done to his Intercontinental Title - he knocked Stone Cold into the drink too.
The dramatic scene played off a vintage moment from their original 1997 series that saw Austin hand the Intercontinental Championship over to 'The Great One' only to hold it hostage before lobbing over the Belle Isle bridge into the briny deep below.
Spotting the opportunity for a cute callback when the pair were back waging war during a return to the city two years later, Rock's dangerous assault perfectly set the stage for the their pay-per-view rematch, especially when he revealed that he still had possession of it one week later.