12 Most Shocking WWE Title Changes
3. Jinder Mahal: WWE Champion
Certainly the most shocking WWE Championship title change of the modern era, and also one of the most surprising ever (considering his lack of prior success in WWE up until that moment), Jinder Mahal's defeat of Randy Orton at Backlash 2017 has changed the landscape of the wrestling world as we know it.
An undercard talent for the majority of his WWE career (including a spell in the Three Man Band comedy stable alongside Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre), Jinder's rise can be considered shocking in both its immediacy and extent.
From being eliminated by Mojo Rawley in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal only a matter of weeks prior, to dethroning Randy Orton, The Maharajah's sudden ascent to champion has thrown the entire industry off guard.
Slated by many as a transparent attempt by WWE to break into the Indian market, Jinder's success must nevertheless be accepted as a hugely significant even in modern wrestling.