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Loyalty and professional wrestling are two words that are rarely used together. The wrestling business might be known for scandals, backstabbing, controversies or even some good wrestling. But it will never be famous for loyalty. The Monday Night Wars were the prime examples to support that statement as Superstars were jumping from one company to another within the blink of an eye.
Despite such a reputation, the wrestling business does have some gems beneath all the dirt. A handful of superstars has the stand out quality of staying loyal to certain promotions. And they do this irrespective of the situation that the company is in. This list takes a look at such superstars that proved the existence of loyalty in professional wrestling.
Edge
The Rated-R Superstar saw all the highs and lows of his career in WWE. After having a horrible start to his career in WCW, Edge joined WWE. He was part of the legendary TLC Matches and afterwards, Edge had a main event run as well. He wrestled for the company despite the doctor's telling him not to.
After retirement, Edge got a lot of offers from other wrestling promotions, including TNA. More recently, before his comeback, he admitted that a top wrestling promotion approached to sign him. He rejected all and decided it was better to be around Vince McMahon's promotion.
Mark Henry
Believe it or not, Mark Henry has been in WWE for more than two decades. The World’s Strongest Man made a jump into professional wrestling after his Olympics heroics. Vince McMahon had the idea of pushing him to the top. That did not work out but still Henry proved to be a loyal servant for the company.
Even during the last few years of his career, Henry shows no signs of slowing down, and despite the injuries, he had been around for WWE when it mattered the most.
Kane
What are the chances of a wrestling legend putting to youngsters every week in and week out? Pretty slim, right? But Kane was doing just that toward the end of his active years in WWE.
The Big Red Monster boasts an illustrious career in WWE. But still, he is doing everything that WWE asks him to do. From being one of the pillars of Attitude Era to being a hated authority figure, Kane did it all.
Just like all the other Attitude Era superstars on the list, Kane also had the option of joining WCW. He didn’t do this because of his loyalty and ended up being one of the legendary names in the business.
JBL
For the ones who did not know, there is a great bromance between Vince McMahon and John Bradshaw Layfield. JBL has been around WWE for a long time. And he is incredibly vocal when it comes to defending the company. His initial run came during the Attitude Era. JBL then came back when WWE was in a crisis.
There was a shortage of heels in SmackDown, so Vince decided to make JBL into a main event heel. The idea worked wonders and once this ended, JBL remained in the company as a color commentator.
Triple H
Many might say that Triple H's loyalty towards WWE is because of his relationship with the McMahon family. To an extent, this argument might be right. However, before Hunter married Stephanie McMahon, he was an employee in the WWE just like all those other guys. Hunter had a lot of heat backstage during his pre-Stephanie run.
One of the most notable incidents is the MSG curtain call. Hunter was punished for breaking kayfabe along with Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. He was fed to other wrestlers after the incident and Hunter had the option to make a jump. But he stayed put and showed that he was loyal to WWE, so much so that he completed 25 years with the company earlier this week.
Shawn Michaels
The Monday Night Wars saw a lot of stars jumping ships. Almost every Superstar that was in WWE's roster during that time had a history with WCW. For instance, Steve Austin, Triple H, Undertaker and many others were former WCW superstars. But Shawn Michaels had a different story. He never wrestled for WCW even when he had the company was so high to bring him in.
Shawn stayed with WWE despite all the battles that he had with his personal demons. A wrestler who went through such difficulties would have easily left the company. But Shawn didn’t. He still has a legends contract with WWE and is a coach at the Performance Center, which only shows Shawn's dedication to the promotion.
Sting
What comes to your mind when you hear about WCW? The answers may range from NWO to Eric Bischoff. But few will come up with the name of Sting. The Icon was part of the company when it was still the Jim Crockett promotions. He then stuck around through all the transition period and ended up being the face of WCW.
He also has a rare record of wrestling in the first and last main event of WCW Nitro. And once WCW went bankrupt, Sting refused to join WWE. This stalemate stood for more than a decade before he finally gave in and signed a deal with Vince McMahon.
The Undertaker
In Vince McMahon's own words, The Undertaker is the most loyal employee that he has ever hired. Taker started off his career in WCW and when it didn’t go as he planned, he joined WWE. The rest is history. Taker did everything in his power to keep his kayfabe image intact. He was successful in doing this as well.
At the same time, the way in which he worked for WWE makes it impossible to even imagine seeing Taker somewhere else. Taker wrestling in WrestleManias despite his physical condition is another proof of his loyalty towards Vince McMahon. The fans will always remember him as the most loyal servant of WWE.
Tommy Dreamer
It would be a big surprise to see Tommy Dreamer's name on top of the list. He has never achieved things that John Cena or Undertaker did, but Tommy was loyal. He went through the worst possible times with ECW but never abandoned the promotion that made him who he is today. He dedicated his entire career to the Philadelphia promotion.
There were instances of Tommy working without pay for months just because he loved the company. Today, ECW is synonymous with Tommy Dreamer and rightfully so. Some might argue that Tommy would have struggled in other promotions even if he had moved. But due to his loyalty, Tommy stayed with ECW until it went bankrupt.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
