10 Times WWE Championships Changed Hands Twice In The Same Night
2. No Mercy 2007
There were three new champions at No Mercy 2007, but it misses out on top spot because of the final pick’s notoriety…
With John Cena’s 380 day WWE Championship reign being ended by injury, Vince McMahon simply handed the belt to Randy Orton. This was the Viper’s first time holding the belt and only his second World title reign since 2004. Once again, he’d lose the gold to Triple H - but this time far more quickly. The Game made his way to the ring and goaded the Viper and the chairman into putting the belt on the line right there and then. The short match ended in a roll-up and new champion being crowned. The longer you spend burying, the quicker you get with the shovel.
Considering a week before fans were expecting a match between Orton and Cena, it was surreal to see the Game raising the belt 20 minutes into the pay-per-view (the earliest a World title has changed hands on one, incidentally). But the saga didn’t end there. Triple H had to defend the belt against Umaga in a match that was already scheduled for the pay-per-view, then he'd replace Cena in the main event: a last man standing match with Orton again.
As the show went off the air, the Viper was once again WWE Champion. Having never held the belt before he walked out of No Mercy 2007 in his second reign. Triple H is off the list now because of his retirement, but if Randy Orton ever equals or breaks Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships, he'll owe a lot to this night of car crash television.