10 Most Shocking First-Time WWE Champions

8. Mr. McMahon

Sheamus WWE Champion TLC 2009
WWE Network

Mr. McMahon winning the WWE Championship was a surprise indeed. What prevents this title change from appearing any higher on this list is that it came about during a period when titles changed hands like hot potatoes with many different authority figures and other non-wrestlers representing various promotions as champions.

The lasting shock of Vince winning the title was diminished over the next several months and years after "competitors" like Vince Russo and David Arquette would win world championships in other organisations.

The fact that McMahon had already competed in, and technically won, the 1999 Royal Rumble Match showed that Vince wasn't afraid to put himself over.

Still, when Vince defeated Triple H, with the help of Stone Cold Steve Austin, to win the WWE Championship on the September 16th, 1999 edition of SmackDown!, fans were left stood in awe. What would happen now that the legit owner was the company's champion? Would he be a defending champion? At 54-years-old, would Vince be able to be a believable world champion?

All those questions were quickly answered when Vince vacated the title shortly after winning it, but fans still remember the day that VKM became his promotion's own world champion.

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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.