10 WWE Title Changes That Shocked The World

6. Kane (King Of The Ring 1998)

Nobody was a bigger star in pro wrestling than 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in the summer of 1998; raring to go as a headliner for well over a year, the popularity of Austin was most rampant once he bagged the WWF Heavyweight Title from D-Generation X leader Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XIV.

Subsequent defences against all odds were to come, and matches against Dude Love at Unforgiven and Over The Edge were superb in their execution. It was as if the evil Mr. McMahon character would never be able to wrestle the title from his hated enemy, at least until the 1998 King Of The Ring and Kane came along.

For some reason, the WWF decided to temporarily end Austin's successful title reign for 24 hours, just so Kane could briefly hold the belt.

In a 'First Blood' battle on the June pay-per-view, The Undertaker's brother won his first WWF Title. Austin recaptured the strap the next night on Raw, but there was a hushed surprise over fans inside Pittsburgh's Civic Arena when their beloved 'Rattlesnake' was dethroned.