The Most Shocking WWE Champions of All-Time

Cody Rhodes had a long road to winning the WWE Championship, ascending through the main event and into an iconic title win over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL. Rhodes fits the mold of a top guy in WWE, so it was no surprise to see him finally in the spot.

The same cannot be said of every WWE Champion, however. Some eventually would grow into Hall of Famers, with their title wins just the beginning of a massive career ahead. Others received opportunities no one ever imagined they would, stunning the wrestling world with a 1-2-3. Their wins weren’t just notable — they were shocking.

1. Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal was a career lower mid-card act who enjoyed success during his first WWE run in the comedy stable “3MB.” He was a reliable performer who managed to find himself back with the company in 2016 following a 2014 release, given a brand new opportunity to break out.

He spent the first few months of his second tenure in a similar position as before, but things quickly changed near WrestleMania 33. He was a finalist in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, then weeks later, won a No. 1 contenders match to challenge Randy Orton at Backlash for the WWE Championship. Mahal shocked the world on May 21, 2017, pinning Orton to win the title and begin his 170-day reign.

The move was allegedly an avenue to grow WWE’s presence with its audience in India, though Mahal would lose the championship to AJ Styles before he even had a chance to appear with the belt in the country.

2. Mick Foley

Mick Foley didn’t fit the mold of the prototypical WWE Superstar, but his finest moment in wrestling came on the January 4, 1999 edition of Monday Night Raw.

Foley wrestled around the world under a variety of monikers, eventually landing in WWE in 1996 as Mankind. While he would bounce up and down between the main event and mid-card, his performance at King of the Ring 1998 with The Undertaker sent him on a trajectory to stardom. He came close to capturing the WWE Championship at Survivor Series that year but was betrayed by The Rock, who would go on to embrace Vince McMahon’s evil Corporation.

But on that fateful night in Worcester, Mass., Mankind would get his comeuppance on Rock with the help of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Foley pinned The Rock to become WWE Champion for the first time and was hoisted in the air by fellow members of the roster, celebrating his unlikely title win.

3. Eddie Guerrero

He was considered one of the most dynamic performers of his era, but still, not many saw Eddie Guerrero as a potential WWE Champion. “Latino Heat” was an outstanding in-ring talent and a great character wrestler, but his size was considered a hamper in McMahon’s Land of the Giants.

His charisma ultimately made him undeniable in the eyes of the audiences though, and a successful tag team run in 2003 as a member of Los Guerreros had him knocking on the door of the main event. He would finally get that opportunity at No Way Out 2003, facing Brock Lesnar at the iconic Cow Palace.

There, Guerrero would pin Lesnar in one of the most emotional WWE title matches ever. He lept into the crowd and celebrated with fans and family, cementing his spot in sports entertainment immortality. He would never win the WWE Championship again before his tragic death the following year.

4. The Miz

The Miz was a reality TV star who always dreamed of becoming a WWE wrestler, and eventually, WWE Champion one day. Turns out, dreams can actually come true.

Though his debut years weren’t full of much promise, Miz began to develop into a heat magnet thanks to his microphone abilities and hateable character tactics. He would win the WWE Money in the Bank briefcase in 2010, holding it throughout the summer of that year and teasing cashing it in on various occasions.

That moment finally came in Orlando on November 22, 2010. Orton had just wrestled a match, and realizing he was in a weakened state, Miz decided to cash in. He hit a Skull Crushing Finale, rolled Orton over, and pinned him clean to win his first WWE Championship. This would lead to him being in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII with John Cena.

5. Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston is one of WWE’s greatest success stories, and his WWE Championship win at WrestleMania 35 may be the most emotional title pursuit in company history.

Kingston achieved a plethora of singles mid-card and tag team success throughout his WWE run, but he had never held a world championship. He was an injury replacement for Mustafa Ali for a match in early 2019 and picked up some critical crowd momentum for his performance in it. This led to a storyline dubbed “KofiMania,” as he chased an opportunity at Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship.

There were several gauntlets thrown his way, and he had to overcome them, as did his New Day teammates Xavier Woods and Big E. He would get his chance at the pay-per-view and win the title in front of more than 70,000 people. His win was seen as an overdue recognition of his contributions by fans and people in the industry alike.

6. Sheamus

Sheamus has gone on to have a WWE Hall of Fame-caliber career, but his initial WWE Championship win was one of the most shocking in wrestling history.

He had only been on the WWE main roster since the end of June 2009, debuting on ECW. He quickly rose the ranks into the upper card and debuted on Monday Night Raw at the end of October. Sheamus quickly earned a WWE Championship opportunity against John Cena in a tables match that December and the two headlined the TLC pay-per-view in a Tables Match. There, Sheamus pushed Cena off the top rope, sending him crashing through a table. The crowd was in disbelief as the relative newcomer became one of the fastest men ever to win the WWE title upon debut.