5 Biggest WWE Superstars who suffered embarrassing losses on PPV's

Squash matches were a staple on WWE TV back in the 80s. The promotion used to put over its top Superstars on a regular basis by letting them squash on-screen villains on TV and live events.

Superstars who get squashed are usually wrestlers who are relegated to the lower card. There have been plenty of such athletes in WWE's storied history who have contributed towards WWE pushing some of their biggest prospects to the moon.

WWE has always made it a point to entertain its fans by churning out engaging storylines and matches over the course of the past several decades. One aspect of pro-wrestling that always takes fans by surprise is when a major Superstar ends up being put down in a matter of minutes, or even seconds.

There have been numerous instances where WWE's top Superstars were squashed on major PPVs. Let's take a look at five of these Superstars.

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#5 Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is stunned

At WrestleMania 20, Brock Lesnar lost a marquee match to Goldberg and the duo left WWE immediately after. Lesnar made his return to WWE in 2012 and turned into the most dominant Superstar in the company over the next four years. Survivor Series 2016 saw Lesnar taking on Goldberg in one of the most anticipated rematches of all time.

This was Goldberg's first WWE match since 2004. The behemoth finished off Lesnar in a matter of seconds. A couple of devastating Spears followed by a Jackhammer did the job and Lesnar was squashed by the former World Champion. Until that point, Lesnar had destroyed the likes of Roman Reigns, John Cena, and The Undertaker.

This was why Goldberg left the WWE Universe stunned when he finished off Lesnar in one of the biggest squashes of all time.

#4 Daniel Bryan

Sheamus defeats Bryan

Despite his size, Daniel Bryan managed to become one of the biggest Superstars in the history of WWE. His crowning moment came when he won the WWE World title by defeating Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista, all in one night.

A couple of years before this historic win, Bryan held the World Heavyweight Championship on the Road to WrestleMania 28. Sheamus had won the 2012 Royal Rumble match by last eliminating WWE legend Chris Jericho.

The duo competed in the opening match of The Show of Shows. Sheamus didn't have time for theatrics, as he hit Bryan with a Brogue Kick as soon as the match kicked off. He proceeded to pin Bryan to win the World title, as the crowd erupted in unison.

Bryan and AJ Lee were stunned at what had just happened, while Sheamus posed for the crowd with his newly-won World title. This loss favored Bryan in the long run though, as it was instrumental in making the Yes Movement famous among the WWE Universe.

#3 Triple H

Triple H vs The Ultimate Warrior

Triple H currently holds the position of WWE's EVP and is regarded as one of the greatest sports entertainers in WWE history. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of D-Generation X last year and is a sure-fire first-ballot future Hall of Famer in a singles capacity.

After a brief stint with WCW, Triple H made his way to WWE in the mid-90s. He took on The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania 12. During the early moments of the match, Triple H hit Warrior with a Pedigree but the WWE legend didn't sell the devastating move. He got up quickly and made short work of Triple H to win the match in less than two minutes.

This embarrassing defeat didn't do much harm to Triple H's standing on the main roster. He won the King of the Ring tournament a year later and won his first WWE title soon after. Triple H went on to become a mainstay at WrestleMania and has competed in several 'Mania main events since then.

#2 Bray Wyatt

Goldberg vs Wyatt

The Fiend won the Universal title by defeating Seth Rollins at WWE Crown Jewel 2019. The sinister alter-ego of Bray Wyatt had been wreaking havoc on the WWE roster ever since he made his return last year. Many wondered who would be worthy enough of dethroning a white-hot Superstar like Wyatt.

The buildup to WWE Super ShowDown 2020 saw WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg making a return to challenge for the Universal title. A match was set for the Saudi Arabia event. At Super ShowDown, Goldberg hit a Spear on Wyatt immediately after the match began, but failed to score a pinfall. Three minutes later, Goldberg executed a Jackhammer on the Champion and pinned him to win the Universal title.

This was the first time that a WWE Hall of Famer had won the World title. The loss marked The Fiend's first-ever defeat since the character debuted on WWE TV. WWE was criticized by fans for letting a veteran like Goldberg put down Wyatt in a matter of minutes.

#1 John Cena

Cena vs Lesnar

At WrestleMania 30, Brock Lesnar shocked the world by defeating The Undertaker and ending his famed WrestleMania streak. The Phenom's record was tainted with this one loss, after winning 21 straight WrestleMania matches. Lesnar immediately turned into the most destructive force in all of WWE. He challenged WWE World Champion John Cena at SummerSlam 2014.

The match began with Lesnar executing an F5 on Cena, but it wasn't enough to bag a pin. The rest of the match was a squash with Brock Lesnar hitting a total of 16 German Suplexes on Cena.

Although the match lasted just over 16 minutes, Cena got little to no offense and was heavily dominated by The Beast. A second F5 resulted in Lesnar getting the pin and winning the WWE World title.

Cena had become a living legend by that point and this squash was a big shocker for the WWE Universe. Lesnar would keep the title for months on end, finally losing it to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31, after the latter cashed-in his MITB briefcase in the main event.