8 Most Shocking Title Changes In WWE NXT History

After Sami Zayn finally captured the NXT Championship from Adrian Neville at NXT TakeOver: R Evolution in a phenomenal match, the emotional moment of his celebration was cut short when Sami's longtime friend Kevin Owens - who had debuted earlier that night - attacked him and powerbombed him on the apron. It was a shocking moment in and of itself, instantly kickstarting a brand new NXT feud and bringing one of the hottest programmes from the independent scene to Full Sail.

In his arrogant heel role, Owens was a riot on NXT each week as he campaigned for a title shot against friend-turned-enemy Zayn. Even so, when the two squared off for the title at NXT TakeOver: Rival in February 2015, most expected it to be Zayn's chance to exact revenge. After all, he'd only just won the title, surely he wouldn't lose it again so quickly? How wrong we were.

In a great match, Owens battered Zayn and eventually won the match by referee stoppage when the official deemed Sami unfit to continue after multiple powerbombs. Two months to the day after debuting in NXT, Owens was the NXT champ and nobody had seen it coming. He was a made man in WWE from that day on.