5. Mr. McMahon Defeats Triple H – SmackDown (9/16/99)
Mr. McMahon challenged his future son-in-law, Triple H, for the WWE Championship in September 1999. Undoubtedly, the Game was the overwhelming favorite to prevail. The Game battered McMahon to a bloody pulp. However, McMahon’s son Shane oversaw proceedings as the special guest referee.
Triple H was in cruise control, thinking he’d have a stroll through the park. However, Triple H’s overconfidence proved to be his downfall. With outside interference from his rival, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, McMahon did the unthinkable and dethroned Triple H for the WWE Championship. The victory was historic as McMahon became the oldest WWE Champion in history at 54. This was also the first time that the WWE Championship changed hands on SmackDown.
4. AJ Styles Defeats Jinder Mahal – SmackDown (11/7/17)
Jinder Mahal shocked the world when he defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at Backlash 2017. However, fans grew sick and tired of the Modern-Day Maharaja’s WWE Championship reign. Moreover, they were never in favor of it in the first place. Nevertheless, Mahal defended the WWE Championship against AJ Styles across the pond in Manchester, England, on November 7, 2017.
The Phenomenal One began 2017 as the WWE Champion, and he was looking to end the year with the title in his grasp once more. Most of Mahal’s WWE Championship title defences were unwatchable. However, it was fitting that he saved the best for last in his title match with Styles.
The crowd in Manchester was heavily behind the Phenomenal One, wanting him to win the WWE Championship. Styles finished off Mahal with the Phenomenal Forearm to become a two-time WWE Champion. With the win, the WWE Championship changed hands in England for the first time.
