3. Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan - WWE Title (WrestleMania 28)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF_kEtYlfBc The most recent major title change squash has one major difference between it and the others on this list: The fallout from this match turned the loser into a much bigger star. And all it took was 18 seconds. When Sheamus Brogue Kicked Daniel Bryan right out of his World Heavyweight Championship reign at WrestleMania XXVIII, he inadvertently awoke a growing, vocal group of fans. Even though it was the curtain-jerking match, thousands of fans had come to Miami that year to chant Yes! during D-Brys matchup. When it ended unceremoniously and fans were robbed of what could (and should) have been a great contest, fans were irate. They chanted throughout the next nights Raw, and carried right on through the next two years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Shzq7QAiDD8 Today, the 18-second loss is an afterthought. Sheamus is toiling in the midcard as United States Champion, just recently gaining some direction after being back for four pointless months. And Bryan, while on the shelf, is also still on the mountaintop as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Who could have predicted that?
Scott Carlson
Contributor
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
See more from
Scott