The Title Change: Chris Benoit submitted Sid in the main event of the WCW Souled Out pay-per-view on January, 16th 2000 to finally win the WCW World Title. Benoit had long been recognized as one of the most talented wrestlers by fans during his stint with the company but due to the heavy politics in WCW, was never really given a shot as a headliner. This was beginning to change as Benoit had engaged Bret Hart in some memorable encounters (including their classic Owen Hart Tribute match in October of the previous year) and was finally breaking through the glass ceiling to the WCW Heavyweight Title scene. In as decent a match as possible considering the fairly immobile Side was the opponent, Benoit cleanly won an emotional victory. Benoit receiving his first WCW World title (he had previously won almost every other primary belt in the company) drew so much respect backstage that his peers emptied out of the locker room to applaud him. This seemed like the beginning of a new era for WCW and for Benoit as a main event star. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x59ebx_chris-benoit-vs-sid-vicious-wcw-sou_sport The Aftermath: Shockingly, that seemingly unforgettable moment would be Benoits last with the company as he quit WCW the very next day. WCW would quickly strip Benoit of the title with the reasoning that Sids foot was under the rope when he submitted during their title match. Yet, every wrestling fan knew the real story of Benoit quitting along with a group of other talented yet disgruntled wrestlers to jump ship to the WWE. Essentially, Benoit walked out of WCW as the World Champion and went on to face a similar uphill struggle before he finally tasted the top title again from his new employer. Yet, Benoits WCW World title moment was a quick flash in an entire career that has now been permanently been wiped out from the pages of wrestling history. Any other forgotten title changes? Agree/disagree with the top ten entries on this list? Please comment below.
