{"id":163490,"date":"2026-06-24T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=163490"},"modified":"2026-06-24T00:51:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:51:01","slug":"top-5-wwe-night-of-champions-title-changes-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/06\/24\/top-5-wwe-night-of-champions-title-changes-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 WWE Night of Champions Title Changes, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

WWE Night of Champions is this Saturday, and fans are buzzing for what has the potential to be an unforgettable night. While there\u2019s massive focus on the King and Queen of the Ring finals, the highly anticipated title matches are stealing just as much of the spotlight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Three massive championship matches anchor the card, starting with <\/span>Trick Williams<\/span><\/a> putting his United States Title on the line against <\/span>Ricky Saints<\/span><\/a>. Tiffany Stratton is also ready to make history as she defends her Women\u2019s United States title against Jade Cargill, <\/span>marking the first time that the title has been defended on a major PLE<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rounding out the championship line-up is a blockbuster Triple Threat match, as Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes puts his gold up for grabs against <\/span>Gunther<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Sami Zayn<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This Saturday’s card is undeniably loaded with potential instant classics, and there’s nothing quite like the rush of a blockbuster title change that catches everyone completely off guard.\u00a0 We\u2019re taking a trip down memory lane to rank the top five most explosive, unforgettable title changes to ever go down at Night of Champions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. Win the Tag Team Championships (WWE Night of Champions 2008)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

We\u2019re kicking things off with one of the most bizarre title changes in WWE history: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. capturing the World Tag Team Titles at Night of Champions 2008. Heading into the event, Rhodes was already champion, carrying the gold alongside his veteran partner, Hardcore Holly.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

For weeks, DiBiase Jr. had been hyping up his debut, proclaiming that he would win the title belts in his very first match with a \u201cmystery partner.\u201d But when he walked down the aisle, he was completely alone, claiming his partner was “running late” and forcing the referee to start the match as a handicap bout.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the second the bell rang, chaos erupted. Rhodes instantly turned on his own partner, dropping Holly with a devastating DDT. With the crowd in shock, Cody then grabbed a microphone to reveal the ultimate twist: he was DiBiase’s mystery partner all along. DiBiase Jr. stepped into the ring, locked Holly in the Million Dollar Dream, easily securing the pinfall and the gold.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the dust settled, Cody Rhodes had technically lost the championships to himself. It was a completely mind-bending twist, easily scoring a place on this list.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

4. Seth Rollins Wins the Inaugural World Heavyweight Title (WWE Night of Champions 2023)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

In 2023, Triple H made the bold yet brilliant decision to introduce a <\/span>brand-new World Heavyweight Championship<\/span><\/a> for Raw. This move was triggered by Roman Reigns, whose multi-year stranglehold on the Undisputed WWE Championship had left the rest of the roster without a top prize to fight for.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with unveiling the brand-new title belt, Triple H announced a tournament that would culminate at WWE Night of Champions to crown the new champion. The finals featured two of WWE\u2019s absolute best world-class technicians: Seth Rollins and AJ Styles.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The match absolutely lived up to the hype as both men left it all in the ring in a wrestling masterclass. When Rollins hit his signature Curb Stomp to win the matchup, fans felt as though balance was restored to WWE, knowing they would finally get to watch a full-time, fighting World Champion once again.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Asuka Wins the Raw Women\u2019s Championship (WWE Night of Champions 2023)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Heading into this matchup, <\/span>Bianca Belair<\/span><\/a> was seen as an indestructible force, riding a historic, record-setting 420-day reign as Raw Women\u2019s Champion. Meanwhile, her opponent, Asuka, was widely viewed as a massive underdog, with most believing that Belair would walk out with the title still around her waist.<\/span><\/p>\n

The two battled in a high-stakes rematch from their clash at WrestleMania 39, with Asuka bringing a much more aggressive edge following her recent heel turn. The closing sequence of the contest showcased an incredibly clever strategy from the challenger that stole the show.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the referee was distracted, Asuka attempted to spray her blue mist into Belair\u2019s face, but missed when the champion managed to duck out of the way at the last second.<\/span><\/p>\n

Asuka, however, had another strategy up her sleeve. While out of sight from Belair and the referee, she secretly spat the mist directly into her own hand. Just as Belair was about to deliver her finisher, Asuka managed to rub her mist-covered fingers directly into the champion\u2019s eyes, completely blinding her. Asuka then delivered two devastating kicks to the back of the head, scoring the pinfall to pull off the upset.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2. Kofi Kingston Wins the Intercontinental Championship (WWE Night of Champions 2008)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Heading into the night, Chris Jericho strode to the ring accompanied by his manager, Lance Cade. He declared that, since his scheduled opponent, Jeff Hardy, was suspended, he had no one left to face and demanded that the referee count to ten so he could leave with his Intercontinental Title belt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, one of WWE’s newest draftees, 26-year-old <\/span>Kofi Kingston<\/span><\/a>, emerged as the surprise challenger. While the match was short, it was highly electric. Near the end of the bout, Jericho managed to lock Kingston in his devastating Walls of Jericho submission.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

But suddenly, Shawn Michaels ran through the crowd, attacking Lance Cade at ringside.\u00a0 Michaels then jumped onto the apron, where he confronted Jericho. Michaels then jumped onto the apron and confronted Jericho. Because of Michaels’ interference, Jericho broke the submission hold, ultimately costing him the match and his title belt.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The moment Jericho turned around from dealing with \u201cThe Heartbreak Kid,\u201d a recovered Kingston unleashed his signature move, Trouble in Paradise. He scored the three-count, securing a massive upset victory to become the new Intercontinental Champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Jeff Hardy Wins the World Heavyweight Championship (WWE Night of Champions 2009)\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Just one month prior to this matchup, <\/span>CM Punk<\/span><\/a> shocked the world by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on a battered Jeff Hardy, who had just won a grueling ladder match, to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the weeks leading up to this showdown, Punk leaned into his \u201cStraight Edge\u201d persona, lecturing Hardy about his real-life history with substance abuse and his \u201cenabler\u201d fanbase.\u00a0 These promos added a more realistic feel to the rivalry, making the anticipation for the eventual match that much bigger.<\/span><\/p>\n

The matchup was a masterclass in storytelling, pitting Punk\u2019s methodical approach against Hardy\u2019s high-flying style. The ending saw Punk attempt to deliver his signature GTS, but Hardy countered the lift, throwing Punk off his shoulders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Moments later, Hardy connected with a Twist of Fate, scaled the turnbuckle, and delivered a Swanton Bomb to secure the victory, bringing the roaring crowd to their feet. CM Punk is arguably at his best as a heel, and this match demonstrated not only his exceptional in-ring skills but also his brilliant character work, which ultimately drove the fans to rally behind Hardy for a major feel-good moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

After diving into the history books to relive these five incredible moments, attention now turns to this year\u2019s PLE. Fans are wondering what WWE has up its sleeve when WWE Night of Champions takes place this Saturday at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia<\/a>. Will WWE actually deliver a shocking upset, or is creative going to play it safe with predictable results that fans can call before the opening bell has even rung?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"WWE
A WWE Night of Champions 2026 graphic featuring IYO SKY and Liv Morgan in the Queen of the Ring 2026 Finals. (Photo Credit: WWE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WWE Night of Champions is this Saturday, and fans are buzzing for what has the potential to be an unforgettable night. While there\u2019s massive focus on the King and Queen of the Ring finals, the highly anticipated title matches are stealing just as much of the spotlight. Three massive championship matches anchor the card, starting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5699,"featured_media":163518,"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":[4,7205,2192,3],"tags":[145,229,1445,98,124,553,76,9746],"class_list":["post-163490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe-universe","tag-aj-styles","tag-asuka","tag-bianca-belair","tag-cody-rhodes","tag-jeff-hardy","tag-kofi-kingston","tag-seth-rollins","tag-wwe-night-of-champions"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163490","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\/5699"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163490"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163519,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163490\/revisions\/163519"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}