5 times Superstars lost the match but won the hearts in WWE

#3 Jeff Hardy - Jeff Hardy vs CM Punk

Hardy left the WWE in 2009 after losing to CM Punk

Jeff Hardy and CM Punk had a bitter rivalry in 2009 when they both fought one another for the World Heavyweight Championship. It all started at Extreme Rules when CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on a vulnerable Jeff Hardy who had just retained the title by defeating Edge in a ladder match. Punk won the Championship from Hardy.

This led to the both feuding and fighting one another several time over the next few months for the title. While Jeff Hardy won the title once at Night of Champions, Punk won it back at SummerSlam. The duo met in a final encounter at SmackDown on 28 August to end the rivalry.

It was a steel cage match. CM Punk went on to win the match and this forced Hardy to leave WWE (as per the match stipulation). Though Punk retained the title by winning the match, he became a villain in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

Jeff Hardy though lost the match, he won the hearts of the people. He brought tears to the eyes of the WWE universe as they had to see their beloved Superstar leave the company.