In the world of wrestling, Championship gold is earned when two wrestlers compete for a title and one defeats the other. It’s as simple as it sounds. To quote Ric Flair; “To be the man (WOOOOO), you gotta beat the man!” However there have been some instances in history where divine intervention changed the rules. A Champion forced to vacate the title, either through storyline or something that occurred backstage.
The most recent example is that of Daniel Bryan’s brief run as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After an everlasting battle to overcome Triple H and the Authority, the storyline hit its peak at Wrestlemania 30 when Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H in the opening match to gain a spot in the main event that was originally slotted to be a one-on-one match between Randy Orton and Batista for the Championship. Daniel Bryan would eventually go on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, culminating what was an emotional roller coaster.
One month later, it was revealed that Daniel Bryan would require neck surgery and eventually be forced to drop the Championship due to inability to defend his Gold. In June, one month after the WWE’s most coveted prize was vacated, John Cena defeated Alberto Del Rio, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Roman Reigns, and Kane, to become the new holder of the Championship.
This would become the 16th time in the WWE’s history that the main Championship was vacated.
Last Word On Sports takes a look back at the top 10 moments where the the WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship was vacated.
10. Undertaker stripped after illegal choke
After defeating Edge at Wrestlemania XXIV with his Hell’s Gate submission to win his second World Heavyweight Championship, Undertaker would defeat Edge a second time at Backlash with the same hold before things went south. General Manager of Smackdown (at that time) Vickie Guerrero stripped The Undertaker of the Championship, declaring that Hell’s Gate was an illegal chokehold, and forcing Undertaker to once again battle for the right to be Champion. At One Night Stand in 2008, The Undertaker lost to Edge in a TLC match for the World Heavyweight Championship and in the extra stipulation added, Undertaker was fired from the company.
9. Batista’s torn tricep
Two days after surpassing Triple H’s 280-day reign as World Heavyweight Champion, Batisa was forced to vacate the Title after it was revealed he required surgery after tearing his right tricep muscle in a match against Mark Henry. That very same night, Kurt Angle won the Title in a 20-man battle royal and turning face in the process. It was the first time in the company’s history that a Championship was both vacated and won in the same night.
8. Vince McMahon, WWF Champion… or not
On September 16th, 1999, Vince McMahon returned to the company as face and defeated Triple H in a shocking upset, with some outside interference by Stone Cold Steve Austin, to win the WWF Championship. All was for naught as Vince was actually banned from WWF television due to a stipulation in the contract he signed at 1999’s Fully Loaded. Vince showed up the following Monday Night Raw and relinquished the Championship. Triple H would re-gain the Championship after defeating The Rock, Mankind, Kane, Big Show, and the British Bulldog in a Six-Pack Challenge.
7. Elimination Chamber solves the problem
For the first time in the WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship was vacated after a controversial finish in a triple threat match between Triple H, Edge, and Chris Benoit. The match ended when Edge tapped out to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface at the same moment that the referee counted to three with Benoit’s shoulders on the mat. Uncertainty in the air, Eric Bischoff declared that the Championship was vacant at a winner would be determined inside the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Resolution in 2005. Once again, Triple H would stand above his opponents, defeating Edge, Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and Batista.
6. The Champ is hurt
John Cena’s run as WWE Champion, the longest in 19 years at the time, came to an end after Cena tore a pectoral muscle completely from the bone in a match against Mr. Kennedy. The injury came after performing a textbook hip toss and while he did finish the match, even partaking in a scripted attack by Randy Orton, Cena would require surgery and was given a rehabilitation period between 7 months to a year. At the No Mercy PPV, Orton was handed the Championship at the top of the show and went on to both lose and win it in consecutive matches against Triple H, the second match contested under Last Man Standing rules.
5. The Boss has the last word
At the Breakdown: In Your House PPV in 1998, Stone Cold Steve Austin was pinned by both Undertaker and Kane, resulting in confusion among the crowd. An irate Vince McMahon took the title into his own hands and declared it to be vacant. At the Judgment Day PPV, just a few weeks later, Undertaker wrestled Kane in a one-on-one battle with Steve Austin serving as special guest referee. After Undertaker hit Kane with a chair, Austin gave a Stunner to Undertaker and counted both men’s shoulders to the mat, declaring the match a no-contest and naming himself the new WWF Champion. Vince McMahon, in all his glory, fired Austin on the spot and once again vacated the Championship. The new champion? The Rock, after a controversial finish against Mankind at Survivor Series: Deadly Games.
4. Punk returns to take what is his
Following CM Punk’s memorable victory over John Cena at the Money In The Bank PPV in 2011, Punk’s departure from the company forced Vince McMahon to vacate the Title and announce an 8-man tournament to determine a new winner. Rey Mysterio would defeat The Miz in the finals on an episode of Monday Night Raw but by the end of that night, Mysterio would lose to John Cena in the main event, dropping the Championship. Fans got their money’s worth when CM Punk returned from his hiatus to cause mass hysteria among the WWE ranks, as he came out with his WWE Championship. This would result in a match between CM Punk and John Cena at that year’s Summerslam PPV.
3. “Everybody’s got a price” but not the Championship
In one of the most watched wrestling matches in history and a storyline that captivated everyone’s attention, André the Giant defeated Hulk Hogan to capture the WWF Championship. The major swerve was that the referee in the match was actually Dave Hebner’s evil twin brother, Earl, who Hogan has accused him of being paid off (originally they claimed Earl was not a twin but got reconstructive surgery paid by the Million Dollar Man to look like Dave). Despite the shady outcome, André won the Title and would later sell it to The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase. Jack Tunney, the WWF President at that time, declared the move to be invalid and stripped André of the Championship in the process. A tournament was announced for Wrestlemania IV to determine a new holder of the Title and it was Randy Savage that would win it all after defeating Ted DiBiase in the finals.
2. Ric Flair, the ultimate survivor
In 1991, The Undertaker defeated Hulk Hogan to become the WWF Championship and what was a controversial finish. After Jack Tunney called for a rematch just a few nights later, it was Hulk Hogan’s turn to win in controversial manner, spraying the ashes inside the Urn right into the face of The Undertaker. Enraged by the outcome of both matches, Tunney vacated the Championship and decided to put it on the line at the 1992 Royal Rumble. A one-on-one match? No! The Title was up for grabs in the annual Royal Rumble match. Ric Flair, who entered third, overcame the odds and won the vacant WWF Championship, last eliminating Sid Justice with the help of Hogan.
1. Shawn Michaels loses his smile
In what was the most memorable title vacancies in the 90s, possibly ever, Shawn Michaels delivered one of the most emotional speeches of his career. Declaring he had simply lost his smile, Michaels left the WWE, vacating the WWF Championship. The real story behind the speech depends on who you ask. Injuries, drugs, or the sheer unwillingness to drop the Title to Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels departed and would not return for a few months after rehabbing knee surgery. Plans went through despite Michaels’ absence, as Bret Hart captured the WWF Championship in an elimination match against The Undertaker, Vader, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Photo via Ringside Action
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