3 WWE jobbers who became main eventers, and 2 main eventers that became jobbers

Jeff Hardy started in WWE as a jobber but captured the WWE Championship in December 2008
Jeff Hardy started in WWE as a jobber but captured the WWE Championship in December 2008

In WWE, just a few matches can make a career or break a career.

If they go the way you want, the fans may latch behind you, leaving the company no choice but to give you bigger, more prominent stories.

However, a handful of sloppy matches in a row can be a death sentence for a promising WWE Superstar, as the company could quickly lose faith in your abilities.

And whilst some of these roles are set for life, there have been those who have moved both up and down the card.

Here are three WWE jobbers, who ascended to the main event, as well as two who got to back in the spotlight, before falling down the rungs.


#3 Jobber to main event: Jinder Mahal

Mahal won the gold from Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2017.
Mahal won the gold from Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2017.

When Jinder Mahal left WWE in 2014, nobody was that surprised.

A part of 3MB, Mahal (as well as his partners Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) were the jobbiest of jobbers, very rarely winning.

Returning to the company in 2016 though, Mahal wowed fans and those backstage with his new ripped physique and impressive work rate.

Becoming the number one contender for the WWE Championship the next year, few expected Mahal to dethrone the new champion, Randy Orton, who had won the title at WrestleMania 33, though Mahal did just that.

Cutting the Viper's run short just weeks into it, Mahal would use every tactic to keep hold of the gold, even recruiting The Great Khali to stop Orton escaping the Punjabi prison.

A truly shocking promotion for Mahal, his reign came to an end in November 2017, at the hands of AJ Styles, who captured the gold in England.

#2 Main event to jobber: Wade Barrett

Barrett holds a pay per view win over John Cena.
Barrett holds a pay per view win over John Cena.

Is there a bigger what-if Superstar in WWE history than Wade Barrett?

Debuting in 2010, Barrett certainly started off strong, winning the first season of the original NXT reality show, and got an even bigger boost as the leader of the Nexus.

When the group split, Barrett had singles success for some time, but by 2013, began losing more matches than he was winning.

Every time something came up for the British Superstar, an injury would sideline him, as the company continued to lose favor with the man who once beat John Cena on pay per view.

Winning the 2015 King of the Ring was the final nail in the coffin, as the crown added very little, and Barrett, now known as King Bad News, asked for his release in May 2016, probably for the best.

#2 Jobber to main event: Jeff Hardy

Hardy won the WWE title in 2008.
Hardy won the WWE title in 2008.

With all the iconic, death-defying moments that have made up Jeff Hardy's career, it is amazing that the 41-year old Superstar is still competing at the level he is today.

But before the Charismatic Enigma was wowing fans in TLC matches and as World Champion, Jeff Hardy was a jobber in the new generation era.

Joining the company in 1994, Hardy's first match would be against Razor Ramon, and competed as Keith Davis, the name of the original jobber that the Bad Guy was going to face.

Hardy would continue his jobbing ways for several years, until 1998, when he and brother Matt would be pushed as a tag-team.

Rising to popularity during the Attitude Era, the team would eventually go their separate ways in 2002, though would have the occasional reunion.

In 2008, Hardy captured his first of three World Championships.

#1 Main event to jobber: Jack Swagger

Swagger became World Heavyweight Champion just days after winning Money in the Bank.
Swagger became World Heavyweight Champion just days after winning Money in the Bank.

Jack Swagger seemingly had it all when it comes to building a WWE Superstar.

With a great look, amateur background and incredible physique, the All-American clearly ticked a lot of boxes.

Perhaps that is why in 2010, Swagger cashed in Money in the Bank on a prone Chris Jericho, taking the World Heavyweight Title from him, and developing a more serious tone.

Within just a few months though, Swagger's reign would come to an end at the hands of Rey Mysterio, and by the end of the year, the Oklahoma-native was barely seen.

As the years went on, Swagger would struggle to get any wins, and though he did have a brief push in early 2013, the Bellator star had very few wins under his belt in his final few years.

#1 Jobber to main event: Daniel Bryan

Bryan is the reigning WWE Champion, after being able to come out of retirement in April last year.
Bryan is the reigning WWE Champion, after being able to come out of retirement in April last year.

If you've played WWE 2K19, you may know that Daniel Bryan did not exactly start his WWE career on NXT in 2010.

Instead, Bryan first joined in the early 2000s, and though he would have lengthy matches, would almost always come out on the losing end.

Appearing on SmackDown's B-Show Velocity, Bryan would face off against fellow future-WWE World Champion John Cena, in a match that the Chaingang leader would win.

After leaving, Bryan would return in 2010, and would capture the United States Championship that same year.

His first taste of gold, Bryan would go on to become one of the WWE's most beloved stars of all time, before turning heel late last year to win the WWE Title, which he still holds to this day.

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