4 WWE Superstars who refused to win a match

While the main focus of WWE fans will always be on the modern-day product, it’s interesting to look back at past booking decisions to see how and why the outcomes of matches were put together by the writing team and, occasionally, even by the performers themselves.

For example, we recently counted down the top five moments where WWE Superstars refused to lose against a fellow competitor, with surprise names including Rey Mysterio and Dean Ambrose appearing on the list for very different reasons.

Speaking up about a questionable match finish when you’re booked to lose is understandable in some cases, but have you ever heard about Superstars trying to change an outcome so that they actually end up losing?

In this article, let’s take an alternative look at match finishes by delving into the archives to bring you four WWE Superstars who did the unthinkable and refused to win against a certain opponent.

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#4 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho changed the finish to a live event match

At WrestleMania XXV, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat competed in his first WWE match in 18 years when he teamed up with Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper in a three-on-one losing effort against Chris Jericho.

The then-56-year-old made such a great impression on his comeback that he went on to face Jericho again the following month in a singles match at Backlash, while he competed in several matches against the likes of Sheamus and Drew McIntyre at live events.

During this time, Steamboat was supposed to lose against Jericho in an untelevised match in South Carolina – one of Steamboat’s old NWA stomping grounds – but Y2J refused to defeat the veteran after hearing the electric reaction of the crowd.

Instead, as Jericho revealed in his book ‘The Best In The World At What I Have No Idea’, he told Steamboat to kick out of the Codebreaker and defeat him via a roll-up, just like “The Dragon” did in his famous WrestleMania III match against Randy Savage.

#3 Curt Hawkins

Curt Hawkins was due to lose against Heath Slater

Curt Hawkins has lost an unprecedented 217 matches in a row, so you’d think WWE is planning long-term and building up to him eventually ending the streak in a high-profile match one day, right?

Wrong! It appears that isn’t the case at all, as the company actually booked him to win a match earlier this year against Heath Slater on an episode of Main Event.

Needless to say, that would have been a terrible booking decision for Hawkins, and the serial loser revealed recently on The Sam Roberts Wrestling Podcast that WWE agreed to have him lose the match after he explained the importance of his winless run.

#2 JBL

JBL had a memorable feud with Eddie Guerrero

Chavo Guerrero paid respect to Eddie Guerrero by competing in a match on a tribute episode of SmackDown for his uncle on 13 November 2005.

Speaking on Bischoff on Wrestling in 2016, Chavo said former WWE champion JBL offered to lose clean in the middle of the ring against him on the episode, to which Chavo replied, “No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not.”

JBL was adamant that Chavo should get the win and refused to defeat him on such an emotional night for the Guerrero family, so the former Cruiserweight champion picked up the victory after an eight-minute match.

#1 Bret Hart

Bret Hart vs. The Rock only happened one time

One week after Bret Hart turned heel against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13, he was reportedly due to defeat The Rock on a March 1997 episode of Raw to win the Intercontinental Championship.

However, according to the Wrestling Observer, Bret did not like the idea of defeating the up-and-comer for the title and did not agree to the outcome of the match – something that reportedly upset Shawn Michaels and Triple H backstage.

In the end, the match did take place but it resulted in a disqualification victory for The Rock after Bret refused to let go of the sharpshooter on the ring post.