Ranking Every WWE Title Change On Raw
11. Steve Austin Def. Kane (29 June 1998)
Kane's first-ever WWF Title run came to an end when he was defeated by Stone Cold on Raw is War in June 1998, just 24 hours after winning the thing from the Texas Rattlesnake at King of the Ring.
Given its abruptness, some fans have gone so far as to suggest that the result of their first encounter may have been a rare occasion on which the wrestlers accidentally defied their booking instructions (a First Blood match, Austin was declared the loser after bleeding heavily from the face).
Whatever the case, this was still a pretty good bout. A big man up against a no-nonsense brawler seems like something of a mismatch on paper, but the contrasting styles ended up meshing together nicely for a 10-minute slobberknocker.
It came to a climax, brilliantly, when Stone Cold reversed out of a Tombstone to nail his opponent with the Stunner, prompting one of the biggest crowd reactions of the year, and cementing Vince McMahon's new franchise player at the top of the card.