5 big losses that led to legendary pushes

#4 Hulk Hogan, 2002

The Rock vs Hogan

At WrestleMania 18, The Rock faced Hulk Hogan in a legit dream match. The fans in Toronto gave an incredibly loud, (and positive) reaction to Hogan, despite him being a heel. In the end, The Rock emerged victorious and helped Hogan fend off the villainous nWo. WWE hadn't expected that a heel Hogan would get a reaction such as this.

Vince McMahon cashed in on the opportunity and Hogan, now a mega babyface, was pushed by WWE immediately after 'Mania was done and dusted with. He went on to defeat Triple H at Backlash 2002 to win the WWE title, at 49! Hogan's reign as WWE Champion didn't last long though, and he lost the title to The Undertaker at Judgment Day.

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#3 Daniel Bryan, 2013

Daniel Bryan

At SummerSlam 2013, Triple H turned heel by attacking Daniel Bryan after his WWE title victory over John Cena, and helped Randy Orton defeat Bryan. By this time, Bryan's popularity was going through the roof. The loss resulted in Bryan becoming the cornerstone of one of the greatest storylines of the modern era, which culminated at WrestleMania 30.

The SummerSlam loss was followed by Bryan being held back by The Authority on several occasions. This continued as 2014 came around. Bryan's exclusion from the Royal Rumble Match irked the fans to no end and they booed Batista out of the building after his victory. Bryan defeated Triple H in the opening match at 'Mania, and went on to defeat Orton and Batista in the end to win the WWE World title, as 70,000 plus fans chanted 'yes' at the top of their voices.