Holding the record for the most number of losses in WWE history sounds worse than it actually is. After all, if you’ve lost over 1000 matches in your career, at least you were thought worthy enough of representing the biggest wrestling organisation in the world over 1000 times.
Also, high loss records tend to suggest that your time inside the ring was used to enhance other talents, and there is a genuine need for that in the wrestling business. After all, how else would Goldberg have obtained his monster winning streak in WCW if it weren’t for those superstars who were willing to get squashed in under a minute?
Looking at the collection of most losses in WWE history encourages us to ask many questions of the men on the list. Could the company have used them more effectively? Were the men happy to take so many pinfalls and submissions? How fondly do we remember them today? Here is a look at 7 men who hold the most number of losses in WWE history
#1 Cody Rhodes – 866 losses
We start the list off with a bit of a surprise. The man who is likely to challenge Kazichuka Okada for the IWGP Championship next month actually holds an astonishing number of in-ring losses.
Almost everyone today agrees that Rhodes deserved far more success than he achieved with Vince McMahon’s organisation. The problems started after the breakup of Legacy, a three-man team consisting of Cody, Ted Dibiase Jr. and Randy Orton. Instead of using the break up to further the careers of the promising younger talent, the company chose to push Randy Orton as a babyface, having him defeat both in what was effectively a 2-on-1 handicap match at Wrestlemania 26.
Cody tried his best to become a star, trialling several gimmicks including ‘Dashing’ and ‘Un-Dashing’ Cody Rhodes, and later in his tenure, he would dress up as ‘Stardust, following the style of his big brother, Goldust. In each of these periods, fans would show their approval, despite management never actually converting it into any amount of real success.
The more cynical fans amongst us will perhaps argue that one of Cody’s major downfalls was his surname. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes is no doubt a legend of the business, but he originally made his name outside of Vince McMahon’s gaze and only ended up with a comedy gimmick when he finally debuted for the WWF. Cody’s brother Goldust did achieve near legendary status under Vince, but his relationship with his father was always played down.
In 2014, Cody and Goldust were involved in an angle against Triple H and the Authority, where a lot of home truths came to the surface. If you’re a member of the Rhodes family, the WWE isn’t always the best place to compete in.
Also read: 10 WWE Superstars with the most matches of all-time
#2 Big Show – 877 losses (and counting)
Understandably, The Big Show is often compared with Andre the Giant, owing mainly to their size and stature. However, there are probably more differences than similarities between the two men.
While Andre the Giant enjoyed a 15-year undefeated streak, Big Show holds one of the worst records in terms of match losses overall. Andre competed in a time in which Vince McMahon was able to utilise him as a genuine special attraction, only showing him in front of the cameras when the situation called for it.
Big Show, on the other hand, has been far too over exposed. His career has fluctuated between babyface and heel more times than any other, never really being able to secure a consistent position as a dominant monster or a clownish joke.
Big Show is also a very likely target for Vince McMahon every time the latter wishes to push a monster babyface. Show has fought against and lost to, superstars such as Stone Cold, The Rock, John Cena and Roman Reigns many times because after all, the way to show somebody’s strength is to put them up against a 500-pound giant.
Show has also enjoyed a very long career, originally starting in WCW as part of the NWO faction. In a fairly recent match with Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 28, the bookers decided to build on the fact that Show’s mania win/loss record was disappointingly low, having been defeated by boxers and sumo wrestlers over the years.
It’s unsure when his career will end, but the man is a definite future hall of fame, and despite his huge amount of losses, he deserves the recognition as one of the company’s best.
#3 SD Jones – 1136 losses
Special Delivery (SD) Jones is one of those names you might be familiar with if you were a fan of WWF in the 1980s. While most superstars on this list spent the majority of their careers as heels, SD was one of those rare WWE babyfaces that lost a lot more matches than he won. This is a pretty impressive statistic in itself, considering the WWE have historically preferred to put babyfaces over at the expense of their more villainous talents.
While Jones does appear on this rather unfortunate list, there were several noticeable moments throughout his career that he ought to look back on with pride. Jones once teamed with perhaps the biggest legend of WWF history in Andre the Giant and challenged for the WWF Tag Team Championships with his partner Tony Atlas. Sometimes a career can be made simply by who you team up with – just ask Marty Jannetty!
Jones also competed at the very first Wrestlemania against King Kong Bundy. In true ‘jobber’ fashion, this match ended in defeat for SD after just 9 seconds, which held the record for the fastest Wrestlemania match of all time until The Rock defeated Eric Rowan at Mania 32.
#4 Kane – 1171 losses (and counting)
While it is surprising to see The Big Red Machine appear on such a list, it’s worth remembering that Glen Jacobs’s career dates back further than the Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in 1997. There were several gimmicks given to Jacobs before he found the right one. Perhaps the most bizarre being Isaac Yankem, a scary dentist that was more concerned with extracting teeth than gaining pin falls victories.
Jacobs also played the more controversial role of ‘Fake Diesel’ after Kevin Nash and Scott Hall left for WCW in 1996. Again, this was not a gimmick the WWF were particularly interested in getting over, which might account for his high position on this list.
Despite Kane becoming a several-time world champion for the company, he was never really given that coveted ‘top spot’ as either a face or heel. Debuting in the mid-90s meant you had to compete against the most talented roster of all time, including Stone Cold, The Rock, HHH and Mankind. In any other era of WWF/E, a 7-foot tall monster, mentally and physically scarred by a fire he started as a child, might have seen far more victories.
There was always a sense with Kane that he should have perhaps won more often, particularly in the early stages of his career. His first proper feud as Kane came against his onscreen brother The Undertaker. With all of the dramatic build up to the rivalry, a lot of the steam would be sucked from it after Taker defeated his nemesis at the first time of asking at Wrestlemania 14.
Jacobs now pursues a political career and considering his level of intelligence; it might not be a bad thing for the country to see him on the winning side for a change.
#5 Baron Mikel Scicluna – 1192 losses
Very few of today’s wrestling fans will of heard much about ‘The Baron’ Mikel Scicluna, but in terms of WWE folklore, Scicluna certainly had his share of the limelight. The Baron used to wrestle for the company under its original name ‘The World Wide Wrestling Federation’ (WWWF) in a career that spanned 4 decades.
During this time, Scicluna spent most of his in-ring career as a heel, often using foreign objects to win matches, a practice that used to be far less common back in the 50s and 60s compared with today. This may well be the reason behind such a high number of losses, as the WWE have always been a company that prefers not to see cheaters prosper.
Scicluna was by no means a simple jobber. He would often compete against the likes of Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales for the WWWF Championship, although he would never actually get his hands on the title.
Again, fans today might be tempted to read too much into this, but one has to remember that these were the days in which successful title challenges were about as common as Brock Lesnar losses are today. Scicluna did achieve championship success by winning the WWWF United States Tag Team Championships, as well as a few world championship reigns in Australia.
One of the more infamous moments in Scicluna’s career came during a feud with Gorilla Monsoon. After The Baron decided to walk out of the match, taking a countout defeat in the process, Mohammed Ali would venture to the ring to challenge Gorilla in a boxer Vs. wrestler match-up. This was a promo stunt designed to build hype for Ali’s real life bout against Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki.
#6 Johnny Rodz – 1229 losses
Johnny Rodz’s impact on the wrestling business is a lot more significant than you initially might think. While he enjoyed a solid wrestling career with the WWWF back in the 60s and 70s, Rodz would eventually turn to management, being responsible for the success of some well-known names.
Rodz began wrestling for the WWWF as far back as 1965, earning the nickname ‘The Unpredictable One’. Throughout his time in the ring, he would help the likes of Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant get over by allowing them to defeat him. It must have been a win-win situation back in the 1970s, as even if you were portrayed as an enhancement talent, at least you would be helping to enhance some of the biggest legends the business has ever known.
Johnny Rodz began his own wrestling promotion known as ‘The World of Unpredictable Wrestling’, mainly designed to help newcomers learn the basics of the sport. So while you may never have heard of Rodz himself, you would no doubt be aware of some of the men who owe their careers to him. Amongst his alumni are stars such as Tazz, Matt Striker, Tommy Dreamer and ‘Big Cass’ Colin Cassady.
#7 Steve Lombardi (The Brooklyn Brawler) – 1339 losses
Steve Lombardi is a living example of why you don’t always have to be a multi-time world champion to be famous in the world of pro wrestling. Lombardi has endeared himself to many members of the WWE Universe over his long career, offering both humour and genuine storytelling along the way.
While Lombardi’s most famous gimmick ‘The Brooklyn Brawler’ is perhaps the first you remember him for, he also portrayed several other personas including Kim Chee, a manager of WWF legend Kamala, as well as Doink the Clown and Abe ‘Knuckleball’ Schwartz. Lombardi would appear periodically for the WWF, occasionally bringing back these well-loved characters, to compete against modern day stars, continuing to make them look good.
While The Brooklyn Brawler might have become a bit of a joke character over the years, there was a time when Lombardi’s career came very close to real success. His in-ring career began as a member of Bobby Heenan’s ‘Heenan Family’ stable, feuding against The Red Rooster. In 1997, Lombardi challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWF Championship, only losing as a result of interference from DX. If things had gone slightly differently, The Brooklyn Brawler might have been the Jinder Mahal of the early Attitude Era.
While the current relationship between Lombardi and the WWE has soured in recent years, you can always half expect the man to make the occasional appearance under one of the gimmicks he helped make famous. His last bout came against Ryback in 2015 – a match in which he lost, obviously.
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