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Heading into last month’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, the WWE Universe was braced for perhaps the biggest underdog victory in the history of the company. Sami Zayn, the fans’ newest darling in a mold similar to that of Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston, headed into a title tilt against the reigning and defending Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Following the year the Montreal native had had, many felt like the stars had aligned perfectly for Zayn’s crowning moment.
Throughout 2022, Sami Zayn had become the WWE’s biggest babyface. His integration into Reigns’ Bloodline faction made for gripping viewing, and his betrayal of Reigns - striking him down with a steel chair at the culmination of the champion retaining his title at the end of the Royal Rumble - was Emmy-worthy.
That turn set up Reigns vs Zayn at the Elimination Chamber in one of the most highly anticipated championship matches in recent history. And to raise the stakes even more, the match took place in Montreal, Zayn’s hometown. Heading into the bout, online bookmaker Bodog, which provides boxing, WWE, and UFC betting odds, had made the champion a -900 favorite to retain his crown, but still, we all dared to dream.
In the end, those dreams were crushed by the Head of the Table. He escaped Montreal with the title in tow after one of the most emotional matches any of us had ever seen. But on some rare occasions, the underdog does get the victory…
Heading into WrestleMania 20, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg had been on a collision course. With Lesnar representing SamckDown and Goldberg representing Raw, the pair had very limited interactions. They shared a few backstage segments at pay-per-views but then Lesnar fired the first shot, hit Goldberg with the F5, and cost him victory in the Royal Rumble match.
As the Next Big Thing was the WWE Champion, many had predicted that he and Goldberg would square off for the title at WrestleMania. But on SmackDown, underdog Eddie Guerrero was as popular as he had ever been. His lying, cheating, and stealing persona had endeared him to the WWE Universe and he earned a championship opportunity at February’s No Way Out pay-per-view, the last stop on the Road to WrestleMania.
Many felt that, although Latino Heat was as over as he ever had been, he would put up a valiant but losing effort against the champion. Then, Lesnar could continue on his path toward Goldberg at the Showcase of the Immortals. How wrong we were.
Goldberg was in attendance that night, and with the referee down injured, hit Lesnar with a spear. Guerrero would cover the champion, only for Lesnar to kick out at the very last possible moment.
The match continued and it looked as though the champion would retain his crown when he picked the challenger up for an F5. Latino Heat would reverse, however, hitting Lesnar with a DDT onto the championship gold. From there, he would hit the Frog Splash from the rope and cover the champion… 1… 2… 3.
The Cow Palace in California lost its mind as the ultimate underdog climbed to the very top of the wrestling industry. Eddie Guerrero had delivered, and Vince McMahon had treated fans to one of the biggest swerves of all time.
The build-up to Money in the Bank was impeccable, purely because it blurred the lines between fact and fiction. The WWE Universe didn’t know if what they were witnessing in front of their eyes was real or scripted, and that made it all the more gripping.
On the June 20th episode of Monday Night Raw, CM Punk - after defeating WWE Champion John Cena the previous week in a non-title match - announced that on July 17th, his contract with WWE would come to an end. He also said that he would be leaving with the WWE Championship.
While fans would have welcomed a title run for Punk, who had been one of the top heels in the company for some time - it was scarcely believable that he would win the WWE Championship, let alone leave the company with it. On the one hand, his contract genuinely was set to expire, and there was simply no way Vince McMahon could let him win the title. On the other, John Cena had promised he would carry the championship up until WrestleMania where he would face off with The Rock.
But as the weeks passed, Punk’s following would grow. He delivered the infamous ‘pipebomb’ promo on June 27th, where he attacked everyone from the McMahon family to Hulk Hogan, and praised the likes of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, neither of whom were affiliated with the company at the time. Finally, the match was set, Cena vs Punk at Money in the Bank on July 17th, the same day Punk's contract came to an end.
Just as was the case with Sami Zayn last month, the match took place in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, and his buoyant hometown followers were raucous all evening. The Best in the World entered to a thunderous ovation, while Cena was viscerally booed throughout.
In the end, it looked as though Cena was about to get the victory. Vince McMahon came to the ring and looked to call for the bell just as he did with the Montreal Screwjob in 1997. That would distract Cena, allowing Punk to hit the Go To Sleep and get the victory much to the amazement of everybody in attendance.
Punk would then simply hop over the barricade, blow McMahon a kiss, and scurry out through the crowd and into the Chicago evening. And he did so as the WWE Champion.
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