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Fans have always cared about who wins and who loses a match, but in many cases not as much as the wrestlers themselves. In some scenarios, this is due to the wrestler not liking who they are working with and in others, it is for not agreeing with a booking decision.
WWE have always been known as a company where its wrestlers are involved in more than what we see inside the ring. Incidences such as Hulk Hogan refusing to lose to Bret Hart at Summer Slam 1993 and the Survivor Series 1997 Montreal screwjob are a couple of storyline outcomes that were determined due to a wrestler possessing significant backstage influence.
These are exceptional circumstances and in most wrestling matches, performers who are asked to lose do so without incident. It is rare amongst lower level talent who are trying to make a name for themselves in the business but is more common in established stars who have more pulling power backstage.
Down the years, many popular WWE Superstars have engaged in backstage politics in order to influence the decision making of bookers and superstars that haven't got their own way have sometimes left the company altogether.
Here are five times a WWE superstar refused to lose a match.
#5 John Cena refuses to lose to the Nexus
John Cena isn't known for engaging in backstage politics, however, there was a time where he had a bit of a reputation for his influence backstage.
2010 was the height of the Nexus' popularity, the group made an instant impact on their Raw debut tearing apart the ring, smashing up the ringside area and attacking WWE staff. Nexus became the hottest thing in WWE during the summer of 2010 and their rivalry with Cena established them as the hottest heels in the company.
At SummerSlam 2010 the Nexus team of Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, David Otunga, Skip Sheffield Michael Tarver and Darren Young faced off against the WWE team consisting of John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho, Bret Hart, R-Truth, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan in a 7-on-7 tag team elimination match.
According to Wade Barrett, Vince McMahon had originally decided for the Nexus to go over in the match. Edge and Chris Jericho reportedly recommended to Cena that he put over the Nexus group, but Cena didn't like the idea and thought the storyline had run its course.
Cena has since admitted that he was wrong for not putting the group over, the defeat was clearly very damaging to the Nexus as they never recovered and disbanded a short time afterwards.
#4 Chyna refuses to lose to Lita
Much of Chyna's career in the WWE consisted of her facing male wrestlers, the Ninth Wonder of the World won the Intercontinental Championship several times, competed for the WWF Championship and beat a number of male superstars.
It seemed odd seeing Chyna toss around other divas in the women's division, because if Chyna could defeat Triple H then someone like Ivory didn’t have much of a chance. Chyna herself was reported to be against the idea of winning the women's championship at Mania but eventually, she agreed to it and beat Ivory easily in their match.
Two months later, Chyna was booked to lose the women's title to Lita at Judgment Day 2001. However, Chyna did not like the idea and refused to put Lita over, even an idea to have Eddie Guerrero interfere in the match and cost Chyna the belt was not enough. She would go onto win the match and retain her title in what would turn out to be her last match with the company.
#3 Shawn Michaels refuses to lose to Vader
It's easy to forget now, but in the mid 90's Vader was a monster that ran through every opponent he faced in WCW. The aptly named 'Masterdon' carried on his reign of terror when he moved to the WWF in 1996 crushing every superstar on his way to facing high-flyer, babyface and WWF champion, Shawn Michaels.
At SummerSlam 1996 the wheels had been put in motion for Vader to capture his first WWF Championship from Shawn Michaels. However, Michaels, who was known at the time for being a bad apple and for his backstage politics as part of the Clique, ensured that Vader would not go over.
The poster for SummerSlam 1996 stated that 'Opposites Attack', and that is pretty accurate in almost every way, Vader was a big monster, like something out of a horror movie and Shawn Michaels had the look of a guy who was in a boy band. A very influential boy band as it turns out, Michaels won, Vader lost. As a result, HBK's title reign carried on while Vader faded into obscurity.
#2 Hulk Hogan refuses to lose to Bret Hart
When Hulk Hogan returned to the then-WWF back in 1993, he famously refused to partake in his advertised WrestleMania IX tag match involving him and Brutus Beefcake against Money Inc, that was unless he somehow left the event as the WWF Champion.
Of course, Yokozuna would beat Bret then ridiculously accept an impromptu match against Hogan in which, yes, Hulkamania walked out of Caesar’s Palace as the WWF Champion.
Following that, the plan was for Hogan to lose the WWF Title to Hart at that years SummerSlam -- so much so that promotional material was coming together for the bout which included a feature in WWF Magazine.
However, Hogan didn’t see the smaller Hart as being on his level; thus he refused to go through with the match and instead lost the WWF Championship back to Yokozuna at King of the Ring.
#5 Bret Hart refuses to lose to Shawn Michaels
It is one of the most infamous moments in wrestling history, two longtime bitter rivals and two of the biggest stars in WWF history met for the final time at the 1997 Survivor Series in which Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels, referee Earl Hebner and Triple H conspired to 'screw' Bret Hart out of his WWF Title.
Bret and Michaels bitter real-life feud had reached íts boiling point. Michaels had remarked privately to Bret that he would not lose to him. Bret therefore, with the 'creative control' clause that was written in his contract had refused to do what he had earlier promised for the Heartbreak Kid.
This moment set the path towards the Montreal Screwjob when both men refused to lose to one another and Bret as the champion, with his contract soon to expire had to drop the belt.
Bret, to his credit, had agreed to scenarios where he would lose the belt, just not to Shawn Michaels and not at Survivor Series. Vince, however, was sceptical and did not want Bret Hart taking the WWF title to WCW with him after his contract with the WWE expired.
Triple H is reported to having suggested that WWF take matter into their own hands and if Bret wasn't willing to lose the belt properly, they could take it from him by force. In Bret's last proper WWF match, Earl Hebner called for the bell while Michaels had him locked in the Sharpshooter as Vince stood and looked on from ringside. It will live on as one of the most infamous moments in wrestling history and it all stemmed from one man steadfastly refusing to lose.
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