Earlier this year, wrestling fans were shocked beyond belief on multiple occasions, as the events surrounding the Daniel Bryan situation at the Royal Rumble leading to WrestleMania unfolded and, of course, when The Deadman went on his presumed Last Ride. Unpredictable moments have been a staple of entertainment for as long as drama has existed. Climactic plot twists were themes in literature that found their way to the stage and, ultimately, were adopted by professional wrestling when it stopped being a legitimate sport and morphed into what we know it to be today. So, what are the most shocking results in modern wrestling lore?
10. Andre The Giants Becomes Champion; Sells Title To Million Dollar Man (The Main Event, February 1988)
It was a simpler time, the 1980s. Insider news was reserved for a select few. Kayfabe still reigned supreme over the wrestling industry. Championships changed hands so infrequently that each of them was eye-popping. When Hulk Hogan lost the WWE title to Andre the Giant in February 1988, sports entertainment enthusiasts certainly took notice. Since Andre was portraying the villain, it was not at all surprising that he earned the gold through nefarious means. However, the concept of being so greedy that a top superstar would actually sell the title to another man was unlike anything that the fledgling mainstream entity had ever seen. Ted Dibiase managed to swindle the Giant and the referee, Dave Hebner, into doing his bidding. Everyone apparently did have a price for the Million Dollar Man. Give credit to Vince McMahon for making a reality the character that he had once dreamed of playing when he was a child and give even more credit to Dibiase for pulling it off so brilliantly. Hogan had been WWE Champion for four years. It was surprising enough to see him lose the belt, but the manner in which he lost it was the enduring moment that has lived on through the ages as one of the most iconically shocking.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
