15 Wrestlers With The Most Losses In WWE History
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- Throughout the years, WWE has seen many wrestlers come and go, and with the eras, the style of wrestling has changed as well. In the 1980s, the WWE survived on jobbers and enhancement talent to put over the stars on television. This meant that names like The Brooklyn Brawler would appear on television weekly, and lose almost every match - but that was their job and they did it well. In more recent eras, jobbers were no longer part of the shows, and it was wrestlers who should have been main event talent who were dropping losses on TV every week instead. It might be surprising to see some of the names in WWE history with the most losses.
Highlights
- Christian, Goldust, and Matt Hardy are wrestlers who have experienced a high number of losses in their WWE careers, despite their achievements and success in the company.
- Despite being a nine-time tag team champion and a four-time world champion, Christian has suffered 786 losses during his WWE career.
- Goldust, known for his successful and lengthy tenure in WWE, has accumulated 790 losses, making him one of the wrestlers with the most losses in WWE history.
Throughout the years, WWE has seen many superstars walk in and out of the company, and while some go on to become main-event players, others settle for the lower & mid-cards. Wins and losses don't matter in WWE until they are in equal proportion, but sometimes, certain performers end up on the losing side in most of their matches. This list doesn't include only the names of jobbers, as some surprising superstars have suffered the most defeats in the company.
The data is obtained from the internet wrestling database cagematch.net.
UPDATE: 2024/02/11 14:30 EST BY SHAWN S. LEALOS
Throughout the years, WWE has seen many wrestlers come and go, and with the eras, the style of wrestling has changed as well. In the 1980s, the WWE survived on jobbers and enhancement talent to put over the stars on television. This meant that names like The Brooklyn Brawler would appear on television weekly, and lose almost every match - but that was their job and they did it well. In more recent eras, jobbers were no longer part of the shows, and it was wrestlers who should have been main event talent who were dropping losses on TV every week instead. It might be surprising to see some of the names in WWE history with the most losses.
15 Christian Was Never As Successful As His Partner Edge
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 786 Losses
Birthdate | November 30, 1973 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1998-2005, 2009-2021 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 741-786 (48.5%) |
WWE Highlights | World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), ECW Championship (2 times), WWE Intercontinental Championship (4 times), WWF European Championship (1 time), WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time), WWF Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWF World Tag Team Championship (9 times) |
Christian is someone who started as one of the best tag team wrestlers in WWE history and moved on to prove himself as a singles star. Christian wrestled 1,553 matches in his WWE career, including returning after a long retirement for a short stint. However, in those matches, Christian had more losses than wins, with a 741-786 record.
In WWE, Christian was a nine-time tag team champion, four-time world champion, and held mid-card titles seven times. Thanks to his long career, Christian ended up racking up a lot of losses, and even his WWE Hall of Fame partner Edge lost 790 times in his WWE career. Christian has since moved on to AEW, where he has wracked up a few losses, but has more wins and worked as a very entertaining TNT Champion for the company.
14 Goldust Was A Major Star, But Still Lost A Great Deal In WWE
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 790 Losses
Birthdate | April 11, 1969 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1990-1991, 1995-1999, 2001-2003, 2005-2006, 2008-2012, 2013-2019 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 830-790 (50.6%) |
WWE Highlights | World Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times), WWF Hardcore Championship (9 times), WWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times) |
When Dustin Rhodes left WCW for WWE, the company made a massive change to his character. Gone was his cowboy persona and his connection to his dad, The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. Instead, he put on gold body paint and became the androgynous Goldust. He was an immediate hit and ended up a mainstay in the IC title scene.
He was a massive success, with 826 wins over his WWE career, but his 786 losses were more than all but 13 other wrestlers in history. He is still one of the more successful wrestlers in history, with 15 different title reigns in the company, including two tag title runs with his brother Cody Rhodes. He has since made his way to AEW, where he has a winning percentage of 63.8% and is seen as a respected veteran.
13 Matt Hardy Struggled To Match His Tag Team Success As A Singles Star
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 799 Losses
Birthdate | September 23, 1974 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1994-2005, 2005-2010, 2017-2020 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 928-799 (52.7%) |
WWE Highlights | ECW Championship (1 time), WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time), WWF European Championship (1 time), WWE United States Championship (1 time), WWE Cruiserweight Championship (1 time), WWF/World Tag Team Championship (6 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship (3 times), WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time), André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (2018) |
Jeff and Matt Hardy joined Edge & Christian as two of the best tag teams in the Attitude Era. Much like Edge & Christian, the Hardy Boyz worked a long time in WWE and therefore suffered more losses than wrestlers who never reached even a partial level of success as these four individuals.
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Matt Hardy has had a long career spanning several companies. That means there are plenty of surprising tales from behind the scenesJeff Hardy was the more successful of the brothers, winning multiple singles titles, while only losing 645 times. With that said, Matt Hardy did win a lot of matches in his WWE career, with 928 total wins but a high 799 losses along the way. Along the way, Matt won one world title in WWE's ECW, 11 tag team titles, and four mid-card titles.
12 Heath Slater Never Could Find Success In WWE
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 806 Losses
Birthdate | July 15, 1983 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2006-2020 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 261-806 (24.4%) |
WWE Highlights | WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time), WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time) |
Heath Slater was one of the more entertaining characters in WWE during his time there. However, whenever it appeared like Slater would finally get a break in the company, it somehow slipped out of his grasp. Slater had been a part of the company since 2010 and made a big debut as a part of the notorious faction, Nexus.
He had some success. He is a former four-time tag team champion and has also held the 24/7 championship once. However, despite the accolades, Slater found himself losing more often than winning and was even in more than one jobber stable before leaving WWE. He competed in 1071 matches for WWE and ended up on the losing side on 806 occasions.
11 Cesaro Never Reached His Potential In WWE
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 806 Losses
Birthdate | December 7, 1980 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2011-2022 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 602-806 (42.4%) |
WWE Highlights | WWE United States Championship (1 time), WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (5 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (2 times), André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (2014) |
For many years, WWE fans counted Cesaro as one of the most misused wrestlers in the company. When he showed up in WWE as Antonio Cesaro, he had already developed a massive reputation in the indies, and he came in on fire, with a manager, an arrogant attitude, and an early United States Championship reign. However, it didn't take long for Cesaro to get pushed down. He lost more than he won and ended up falling to everyone he stepped into the ring with.
1:2920 WWE Wrestlers With The Most Wins In History, Ranked
With WWE having thousands of wrestling matches per year, which wrestlers have the most wins in history?He did have moments of success, mostly as a tag wrestler with seven title reigns, but overall, he saw more losses (806) than wins (602) and never seemed to get on a roll when it comes to his singles career. Since leaving WWE, Cesaro has seen much more success, winning his first major title (ROH World Championship), and he has a 72% winning percentage in AEW since he arrived in that promotion.
10 Chris Jericho Surprisingly Had More Losses Than Wins In WWE
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 837 Losses
Birthdate | November 9, 1970 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1999-2018 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 799-837 (47.7%) |
WWE Highlights | Undisputed WWF Championship (1 time), World Heavyweight Championship (3 times), WCW/World Championship (2 times), WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (9 times), WWE United States Championship (2 times), WWF European Championship (1 time), WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time), WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times), WWF/World Tag Team Championship (5 times) |
As one of WWE's most decorated superstars, it is surprising to learn that Chris Jericho had lost more matches than he won in WWE. As he competed as a heel for most of his time with the company, Jericho eventually had to put over the babyfaces on several occasions.
The first-ever AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho performed for WWE for over two decades and has held almost every major championship the company has had to offer. Jericho had competed in 1676 matches throughout his WWE career and ended up losing more than 50% with 837 defeats. While he still put people over in AEW, his win-loss record has been much better there.
9 Jack Swagger Is A Former World Champion But Lost More Often Than Not
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 838 Losses
Birthdate | March 24, 1982 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2006-2017 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 474-838 (35.9%) |
WWE Highlights | ECW Championship (1 time), World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), WWE United States Championship (1 time), Money in the Bank (2010) |
Jack Swagger broke into the WWE as a potential top heel for the company. He also got a big push when he won the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleMania 26 and successfully cashed it in on Chris Jericho to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
Despite the initial success, Swagger's career went downhill in the company, and he soon found himself floundering in the mid-card. Swagger performed for WWE from 2008 to 2017 and lost 838 out of 1322 matches he competed in.
8 Triple H Didn't Win As Much Early In His Career
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 839 Losses
Birthdate | July 27, 1969 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1995-2022 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 1006-839 (52.5%) |
WWE Highlights | WWF/WWE Championship[b] (9 times), World Heavyweight Championship (5 times), WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (5 times), WWF European Championship (2 times), WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWF World Tag Team Championship (2 times), King of the Ring (1997), Royal Rumble (2002, 2016) |
It's hard to imagine a 14-time WWE Champion as one of the company's biggest losers, yet Triple H has lost over 800 matches in his career. The Game is one of the most accomplished superstars in WWE history with over 24 title reigns throughout his career.
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7 Cody Rhodes Finally Began To Find Success After Leaving WWE
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 890 Losses +
Birthdate | June 30, 1985 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2006-2016, 2022-Present |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 700-890 (44.025%) |
WWE Highlights | WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times), WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (4 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time), World Tag Team Championship (3 times), Men's Royal Rumble (2023) |
Cody Rhodes had to fight through plenty of challenges before he got to where he is today. Being the son of the legendary WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, Cody followed in his father's footsteps when he broke into the scenes in WWE in 2007. He had a great time with Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase as a part of Legacy, but apart from a few mid-card title reigns, he didn't do much in WWE.
Cody lost 883 out of the 1451 matches he competed in while part of WWE and found himself out of the company after he ended up with the terrible gimmick known as Stardust. However, he then moved to AEW and proved he was a star. When he returned to WWE in 2022, he became a main event star and now seems destined to finally win his first world title.
6 The Big Show Lost A Lot Of Matches For A Giant
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 910 Losses
Birthdate | February 8, 1972 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1999-2021 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 1228-910 (55.3%) |
WWE Highlights | WWF/E Championship (2 times), World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), ECW World Championship (1 time), WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time), WWF/E Hardcore Championship (3 times), WWE United States Championship (1 time), WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times), WWF/World Tag Team Championship (5 times), André the Giant Memorial Trophy (2015) |
The Big Show is the epitome of the old saying, "the bigger they are, the harder they fall," as he has lost over 900 matches in WWE. The 7-foot world's largest athlete was a part of WWE for over two decades and is one of the company's most decorated superstars.
Big Show is known for switching between heel and face characters frequently throughout his career, and he has never hesitated to put other superstars over. Before leaving WWE for AEW, Big Show competed in 2228 matches, suffering defeat on 910 occasions. Since arriving in AEW, Big Show's record has been almost spotless.
5 Randy Orton Has Lost A Lot For A Legend
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 1041 Losses +
Birthdate | April 1, 1980 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2000 - Present |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 1270-1042 (53.3%) |
WWE Highlights | WWE Championship (10 times), World Heavyweight Championship (4 times), WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time), WWE United States Championship (1 time), World Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (2 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time), Money in the Bank (2013), Royal Rumble (2009, 2017) |
The Viper is one of the most notorious heels in WWE history and has been in the ring with almost every high-profile superstar the company had to offer. The third-generation superstar is a former 13-time WWE Champion and is still going strong even after being a part of the company for over 20 years.
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4 Dolph Ziggler Never Could Hold Onto A Main Event Position
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 1187 Losses
Birthdate | July 27, 1980 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2004-2023 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 805-1187 (39.9%) |
WWE Highlights | World Heavyweight Championship (2 times), NXT Championship (1 time), WWE Intercontinental Championship (6 times), WWE Raw Tag Team Championship (2 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWE United States Championship (2 times), World Tag Team Championship (1 time), Money in the Bank (2012) |
Despite making his debut as a part of the male cheerleading faction Spirit Squad, Dolph Ziggler emerged as the only major singles player from the group. Ziggler went on to carve his own path and has held multiple titles within the company, including two reigns as the World Heavyweight Champion.
As Ziggler has performed as a heel for most of his career, he has had to put over the babyfaces on many occasions. Sadly, even as a babyface himself, he rarely got a push as a major star in his time in WWE. The Show-off fought in 2,018 matches in his WWE career, losing on 1,187 occasions, before finally leaving the company in 2023 and moving on to TNA and NJPW.
3 Brooklyn Brawler Was One Of WWE's Most Iconic Jobbers
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 1169 Losses
Birthdate | April 18, 1961 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1983-2016 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 151-1206 (11.0%) |
WWE Highlights | Slammy Award (1 Time) |
For many years, WWE used what fans used to call jobbers and the company calls enhancement talent. These wrestlers would come in and lose to the stars, although they would have to be some of the most talented wrestlers in the company since their job was to make everyone else look good.
Names like Barry O and Barry Horowitz were examples of famous WWE enhancement talent, but the most popular of all time was arguably The Brooklyn Brawler Steve Lombardi. He lost to almost every major star of the late '80s and even got Bobby "The Brain" Heenan to manage him at one point.
2 Kane Has Lost More Than Most Fans Might Expect
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 1221 Losses
Birthdate | April 26, 1967 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 1995-2020 |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 1490-1229 (52.8%) |
WWE Highlights | WWF Championship (1 time), World Heavyweight Championship (1 time), ECW Championship (1 time), WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time), WWF/WWE Intercontinental Championship (2 times), WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time), WWE 24/7 Championship (1 time), WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times), WWF/WWE/World Tag Team Championship (9 times), Tag Team Royal Rumble (1998) |
The Big Red Machine Kane has been WWE's resident monster for over 23 years. Despite making his debut in 1995 as Dr. Isaac Yankem and running through some failed gimmicks as DDS and fake Diesel, Glenn Jacobs found superstardom with the Kane character. Kane's feuds against the likes of the Undertaker and Edge are some of the best rivalries in the company's history.
Kane has also held multiple championships, including the WWE and World Heavyweight titles. Despite all these accolades, Kane had more losses than any other superstar in WWE when he retired, although The Miz has since surpassed him. He lost 1229 out of the 2824 matches he has competed for the company, but his wins still made him a WWE Hall of Fame star.
1 The Miz Never Needed Wins To Be A Success
Number Of WWE Career Losses: 1303 Losses +
Birthdate | October 8, 1980 |
|---|---|
Years In WWE | 2004 - Present |
Win-Loss Record (WWE) | 718-1303 (35%) |
WWE Highlights | WWE Championship (2 times), WWE Intercontinental Championship (8 times), WWE United States Championship (2 times), WWE Tag Team Championship (4 times), WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (2 times), World Tag Team Championship (2 times), Mixed Match Challenge (Season 1), Money in the Bank (2 times) |
The Miz has been a part of WWE for almost 20 years and emerged as one of the best Intercontinental Champions in the company's history. The A-lister has held the title eight times and also holds the record for the second-longest combined days with the title.
The Miz has also held other titles, including one reign as the WWE Champion. The Miz has become an inevitable performer for WWE as he has never backed down from putting other stars over. Despite his title wins and his dedication to WWE, his long-time tenure as well as his willingness to do whatever is asked of him means that he has lost more than any other WWE star in history - the only person to lose over 1,300 matches.
