5 big losses that led to legendary pushes

#2 Becky Lynch, 2019

Becky and Ronda

The entirety of Becky Lynch's main roster career saw her donning the persona of a lovable babyface. At SummerSlam 2018, she lost a SmackDown Live Women's Title Triple Threat Match to Charlotte Flair. Immediately after, Lynch turned heel by attacking Flair, but the reception she received was far from negative. The fans had been behind Becky for a long time now, and the heel turn didn't stop them from cheering for her.

Over the course of the next several months, Lynch turned into a ruthless anti-hero, calling herself "The Man". Her popularity surged with each passing month, and WWE gave her the honor of becoming the winner of the first-ever Women's main event in WrestleMania history. Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to bag the Raw and SmackDown Live Women's titles.

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#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin, 1997

Austin

Although The Rattlesnake's main event push had already begun in 1996 when he won the King of the Ring tournament, he wasn't inserted into the title picture by the time WrestleMania 13 rolled around. This was the moment that cemented him as a mega babyface and kicked off a push that culminated at next year's WrestleMania. Austin battled Bret "The Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania 13, in what many consider as one of the greatest matches in WWE history. The hard-fought brawl resulted in Hart turning into a dastardly villain, while Austin became a fighting hero. WWE knew at that point, judging by the fan reaction, that Austin was the one.

The visual of Austin screaming at the top his lungs, while Hart locked in the Sharpshooter on the bloodied Rattlesnake, has turned into an iconic image over the years. This loss kicked off a mega push, with Austin scratching and clawing his way to the main event over the course of the next one year. He won the Royal Rumble in 1998, and went on to defeat Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14 to win his first WWE title.