10 Totally Soul-Crushing WWE Title Changes

8. Daniel Bryan Vs Sheamus (WrestleMania 28)

Akira Tozawa Titus O'Neil Apollo Crews
WWE.com

Though the company pounced on the moment in order to set a narrative for tear-jerking Daniel Bryan documentaries, his WrestleMania World Heavyweight Title squash from Sheamus wasn't ever intended to kick off a movement that would lead him back to the promised land two years later.

Latching on to his self-aggrandising 'YES!' chants as he entered for the evening's opener, the Miami crowd were beyond devastated when Bryan was struck with a single surprise Brogue Kick from the challenger to end his night and enjoyable reign after just 18 seconds.

Literally overnight, the murmurings of the monosyllabic call-to-arms throughout the remainder of WrestleMania turned into an out-and-out protest vote on the evening's typically rambunctious Monday Night Raw. In truth, the company were fortunate that it remained loud and strong enough for them to repurpose the following year in time for Bryan's push towards SummerSlam 2013 with John Cena.

Keeping Daniel a heel and literally insisting he screamed 'NO!' in response to the crowd, the company tried and failed multiple times to break the inexorable connection between the performer and the fans, with the audience's stubbornness winning out once and for all shortly after the disastrous 2014 Royal Rumble. A flat-out refusal from the fanbase to tolerate his 18 second mistreatment started it all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett