10 Times A Major WWE Championship Changed Hands On "The Road To WrestleMania"
Sometimes big things happen in the lead up to the biggest show of the year.
We're on the road to WrestleMania!
Yay!
Wait, what does that mean exactly?
Well, usually it means that WWE start building to their biggest show of the year. It usually means that big stars make returns to set up major matches. In general, it means that WWE begins to care about its product again, because it knows it stands a chance of getting some mainstream press.
It also means that very little changes in the way of the world championship picture. From Royal Rumble until WrestleMania, the world championship has very rarely changed hands in the history of WWE, as the company begins to build programmes between the Rumble winner and the champion pretty much as soon as the Rumble match is over.
Sometimes, however, they choose to break from this mould. Every now and then, WWE throw a curveball.
There are pros and cons to this. One con is that whoever wins the title will be going into 'Mania with a short reign, which could damage their credibility. On the other hand, WWE fans are so used to the title not changing hands in this time period, that when a belt does go from one person to another it can be a genuine shock.
Let's take a look at some, and then you can make your own minds up.
10. Bray Wyatt Wins The WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber 2017)
From January to May in 2017, the WWE Championship was held by five different people.
AJ Styles went into the year as champion, lost it to John Cena at Royal Rumble, and then he lost it to the topic of this entry - Bray Wyatt.
Before his audition to become the world's most sinister children's TV host, Bray Wyatt was still a cult leader with followers Luke Harper and Randy Orton in tow.
Wyatt was part of the Elimination Chamber match at the pay-per-view of the same name. He would be competing alongside names like Styles, Dean Ambrose, and The Miz to get his hands on Cena's title.
In what was a very impressive match, Wyatt entered at number four, scoring two huge eliminations when he pinned the reigning champion before going onto defeat AJ to capture a world championship for the first time in his career.
Sadly, what could have been a really interesting run with the belt was cut short at WrestleMania, when he fought his former protege, Orton, in a match more memorable for its special effects than any in-ring work.
Still, Bray's not doing too badly these days, is he?