In WWE, championship gold is often reserved for larger-than-life superstars with undeniable star power. However, every now and then, an underdog defies the odds, capturing a title when no one thought they stood a chance. These shocking victories not only create unforgettable moments but also remind fans that anything can happen in the world of professional wrestling.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at some of WWE\u2019s most unexpected champions who stunned the world.<\/p>\n
Few WWE debuts have been as shocking as Santino Marella\u2019s. In 2007, during an episode of Monday Night RAW in Milan, Italy, Vince McMahon invited a \u201clocal competitor\u201d to challenge the dominant Intercontinental Champion, Umaga. Fans expected a squash match but, with the help of Bobby Lashley, Santino pulled off the unthinkable\u2014pinning Umaga and becoming the Intercontinental Champion in his debut match.<\/p>\n
At the time, no one had heard of Marella, and his comedic persona seemed incompatible with championship success. Yet, his underdog win became one of the most memorable moments of the Ruthless Aggression Era and launched a WWE career that later led to a director of authority role<\/a>.<\/p>\n In early 2017, Jinder Mahal was a lower-card talent struggling to gain traction. By May, he had transformed into an elite competitor and shocked the world by defeating Randy Orton at Backlash to win the WWE Championship.<\/p>\n Few could have predicted this outcome. Mahal had spent years as an enhancement talent. However, WWE\u2019s desire to expand in the Indian market led to his push, and his reign became one of the most surprising in modern wrestling history.<\/p>\n Whether fans loved or loathed it, Jinder\u2019s championship win proved that persistence pays off in the world of WWE.<\/p>\n Zack Ryder was known more for his YouTube show and underdog spirit than championship credentials. At WrestleMania 32, he competed in a seven-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship\u2014a match many assumed he was just there to fill out.<\/p>\n However, in a shocking twist, Ryder climbed the ladder and unhooked the title, securing his first and only Intercontinental Championship. The emotional victory was a reward for years of hard work and fan support. Though his reign lasted only 24 hours, the moment remains one of the most heartwarming surprises in WrestleMania history.<\/p>\n Nikki Cross reinvented herself as Nikki A.S.H. (Almost a Superhero), embracing an optimistic and underdog persona. After winning the 2021 Money in the Bank briefcase, she cashed in the next night on RAW, defeating Charlotte Flair to capture the RAW Women\u2019s Championship.<\/p>\n Given Flair’s dominance, few expected Nikki to succeed. Yet, her win embodied the spirit of her character\u2014proving that you don\u2019t need to be perfect to achieve your dreams.<\/p>\n While not a title win, no underdog victory shocked WWE fans more than the 1-2-3 Kid\u2019s upset over Razor Ramon. A young, unknown competitor, The Kid was meant to be an easy win for the \u201cBad Guy.\u201d Instead, he pulled off a surprise pinfall, instantly becoming a fan favorite.<\/p>\n Though he didn\u2019t win gold that night, the victory launched his career and inspired future underdogs to believe that anything is possible in WWE.<\/p>\n In WWE, the unexpected is always around the corner. These championship wins prove that even the most unlikely contenders can seize the spotlight. As long as WWE continues to deliver surprises, fans will always be on the edge of their seats\u2014waiting for the next underdog to shock the world.<\/p>\n More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Stay tuned to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on WWE underdogs and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/em><\/p>\n You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0Netflix<\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0The CW<\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0Tubi<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0A&E<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and\u00a0Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In WWE, championship gold is often reserved for larger-than-life superstars with undeniable star power. However, every now and then, an underdog defies the odds, capturing a title when no one thought they stood a chance. These shocking victories not only create unforgettable moments but also remind fans that anything can happen in the world of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5456,"featured_media":132856,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[730,7825,1079,9282,1375],"class_list":["post-132820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-jinder-mahal","tag-nikki-ash","tag-santino-marella","tag-shocking-wwe-victories","tag-zack-ryder"],"modified_by":"Chinyere Okafor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132820"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132855,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132820\/revisions\/132855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Jinder Mahal \u2013 WWE Champion (2017)<\/h2>\n
Zack Ryder \u2013 Intercontinental Champion (2016)<\/h2>\n
Nikki A.S.H. \u2013 RAW Women\u2019s Champion (2021)<\/h2>\n
The 1-2-3 Kid \u2013 Pinning Razor Ramon (1993)<\/h2>\n
When the Underdogs Rise<\/h2>\n