AJ Styles Beats Jinder Mahal and the 9 Best Non-PPV Title Changes in WWE History

WWE Survivor Series seemed all but set in stone before AJ Styles defeated Jinder Mahal for the WWE Championship on SmackDown Live.

We will now see Styles faces Brock Lesnar in a champion vs. champion match on November 19 unless Mahal somehow regains the title between the publishing of this article and the pay-per-view.

This seemed like an odd move for management to make this close to the event, especially since it was Mahal who issued the challenge to Lesnar.

However, putting The Prince of Phenomenal in the main event against The Beast Incarnate is more appealing than the squash match we would have seen between Lesnar and Mahal.

Styles vs. Lesnar has been on many lists of dream matchups for years. WWE was smart to use them to elevate an otherwise lackluster card.

Having a top championship change hands on Raw or SmackDown is a lot less common than some people may realize, which makes every non-PPV title change more special.

Now we have talked about Styles and Mahal, let's take a look back through WWE history at the nine best non-PPV WWE world heavyweight title changes.

John Cena vs. Rey Mysterio on Raw (July 25, 2011)

In 2011, CM Punk seemed like he was well on his way to becoming the top Superstar in WWE, and the company put together a storyline for him to help make him even more popular.

Punk was establishing a reputation as the anti-WWE Superstar. He won the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 and seemingly left the company with the belt.

WWE opted to crown a new champion on the July 25 episode of Raw. Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz to become the new top dog, but John Cena wanted another reign on his resume.

Cena immediately challenged and defeated Mysterio to win the title in a fantastic main event match, but Punk was still out there with his own WWE Championship.

The Straight Edge Superstar eventually returned and unified the two belts by defeating Cena at SummerSlam a few weeks later.

Kurt Angle Wins SmackDown Battle Royal (January 13, 2006)

Injuries happen a lot in the world of pro wrestling, and they can often sideline a Superstar in the middle of a big push.

This was the case when Batista was forced to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship in 2006 because of a triceps tear.

A Battle Royal to crown a new champion was held on the January 13, 2006, episode of SmackDown. The match featured a variety of Superstars, but only one man could emerge victoriously.

Kurt Angle was able to eliminate Mark Henry in the final moments of the match to become the new world champion, but he almost botched the ending when his feet hit the ground a split second after Henry's.

WWE doesn't have any footage of this match on YouTube, so check out one of Angle's matches against Mysterio from his run as champion.

Chris Jericho vs. Batista on Raw (November 3, 2008)

WWE likes to celebrate a lot of milestones to remind us all how successful the company has been over the years. One of the first big events held for Raw was for episode No. 800.

It's hard to believe this happened 10 years ago. It feels like just a few years ago when Chris Jericho defeated Batista inside a steel cage to win the World Championship.

The Animal was still in the prime of his career, and he had just defeated Jericho and three other opponents in a Championship Scramble at Unforgiven 2008 to win the title.

Y2J kept pursuing Batista until Raw 800, when he was finally able to regain the belt by escaping the cage. Jericho and Batista clashed many times over the years, but this was one of their better encounters.

The Rock vs. Mankind on Raw (January 4, 1999)

During the Monday Night War, WCW head honcho Eric Bischoff would have his commentators on Nitro spoil the results for the pre-taped episode of Raw airing on the same night so fans would be more inclined to stay tuned in to his product.

This worked for a little while, but the strategy backfired when Tony Schiavone revealed Mick Foley would be winning the WWE Championship from The Rock on January 4, 1999.

This moment is considered a turning point in the battle between WWE and WCW. Hundreds of thousands of fans switched over to Raw to see Mankind win WWE's top title for the first time, marking the end of WCW's lead in the ratings.

It was an emotional moment for Foley and all his fans, as most of the roster came out to celebrate his big win by carrying him around the ring for a victory lap.

This might be one of the only specific dates for a non-PPV title change people will remember because of its importance.

The Rock vs. Mankind on Halftime Heat (January 31, 1999)

WWE likes to bill WrestleMania as the Super Bowl of sports entertainment, and back in 1999, the company tried to get in on the NFL's action.

During the halftime show for Super Bowl 33, WWE simultaneously aired an empty-arena match between The Rock and Mankind for the WWE Championship on Halftime Heat. 

This was the first and only time WWE tried this experiment. Perhaps management was hoping people would switch over to see Foley win the WWE Championship just like they had when he beat Rocky during the bout discussed in the previous slide.

The idea of a match in an empty arena sounded good on paper, but it would have been a total disaster in the hands of anyone other than Mankind and The Rock.

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle on Raw (October 8, 2001)

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin had been wrestling a long time when we entered the new millennium, but he still had a few good years left in him.

He had some classic bouts with some of his greatest rivals during the final few years of his career, but most of them happened at PPVs.

One of his more memorable Raw matches from this era happened on October 8, 2001, when he challenged Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship.

Angle and Austin had developed an amazing chemistry at this point in their careers, and they more than lived up to the high expectations of the WWE Universe.

This wound up being Austin's final reign as WWE champion. He held on to the title for just over two months before Jericho defeated him and The Rock on the same night to become the first undisputed champion at Vengeance 2001.

John Cena vs. RVD vs. Edge on Raw (July 3, 2006)

When Rob Van Dam beat John Cena for the WWE Championship at ECW One Night Stand in 2006, he did so with a little help from Edge.

The Rated R Superstar never worked for ECW, but fans of the hardcore promotion praised Edge for helping one of their heroes beat a man they despised in Cena.

However, Edge didn't do this because he likes RVD. He did it because it was in his best interests. When Cena got a rematch for the title on the July 3 episode of Raw, Edge found a way to make it a Triple Threat.

With no disqualifications to worry about, Edge waited for Cena to hit RVD with the Attitude Adjustment before laying him out with the WWE title belt.

With Cena out of the way, Edge was free to cover RVD and win the WWE title. He was a heel at the time, but the crowd couldn't help but cheer for him.

Cena was able to get a small measure of revenge a couple of weeks later when he attacked Edge in his hotel room.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio on Raw (April 8, 2013)

No matter how WWE books its shows, it always seems like there are a few Superstars who deserve a bigger push than they are getting.

One person who is constantly in this position is Dolph Ziggler. Despite his great mic skills, popularity and enviable in-ring talent, he has never been portrayed as a top star.

Even though management constantly overlooks him, The Showoff was able to win the World Championship from Alberto Del Rio when he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on the April 8, 2013, episode of Raw.

This was another instance of a heel's victory being cheered by the crowd because of its appreciation for all his hard work, and the joy on Ziggler's face when he held the belt above his head was as real as it gets.

The Miz vs. Randy Orton on Raw (November 22, 2010)

WWE fans will always be more interested in a Superstar if they have a reason to be invested in their journey to success, and nobody has a better story than The Miz.

He started out as just another loud wannabe wrestler on The Real World, but he proved his physical prowess during the fourth season of WWE Tough Enough, and he ended up earning a spot on the roster after being eliminated from the show.

It took him a long time, but The Miz was able to win over his fellow wrestlers and fans by working harder than anyone else to be the best at what he does.

Being able to follow his path to WWE through various reality shows connected him to the fans in a different way than anyone else, and it's part of what made his first WWE Championship win so special.

It happened on the November 22, 2010, episode of Raw. The A-Lister cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on an injured Randy Orton in one of the greatest moments of his career.

Every bit of emotion on his face as he celebrated with the title was genuine—as was the disdain on the face of the little girl in the crowd, who became an instant meme sensation.

It has been a while since The Miz held a top title, but considering how good he has been as intercontinental champion, it wouldn't be surprising to see him back in the main event scene in 2018.