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It's no secret that professional wrestling is a ruthless business. Not many are tough enough to keep up with the backstage politics as well as the impact this job takes on a wrestler's body. It becomes incredibly hard for a Superstar to survive in this business without becoming a part of the game and playing it to their advantage.
If wrestling history is any indication, there have been countless wrestlers who made it a point to utilize their stardom to advance their careers, no matter the cost. Be it Hulk Hogan's refusal to put over Bret Hart after WrestleMania 9, or the notorious stories involving The Kliq, there's no dearth of instances that leave a bad taste in a fan's mouth. Several Superstars have been genuinely hated by their peers for putting themselves above everyone else throughout their career.
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That's why it comes as a pleasant and wholesome surprise when one hears about a wrestler performing a selfless act. Let's take a look at 5 most selfless acts that we have witnessed over the years in professional wrestling.
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#5 JBL puts over Chavo Guerrero on the Eddie Guerrero tribute show
In November 2005, Eddie Guerrero passed away, leaving the wrestling world in utter shock and dismay. The following week, WWE held two tribute editions of Raw and SmackDown, where several wrestlers were seen breaking kayfabe on various occasions.
On the SmackDown tribute show, JBL lost a match to Chavo Guerrero. The Wrestling God was a major main event player at the time, while Chavo was a lower mid-carder at best. Despite Chavo repeatedly saying that JBL should go over, the on-screen villain didn't change his mind, and Chavo won the match that night.
#4 Bret Hart refuses a victory over The Rock
Soon after Bret Hart turned heel in one of the greatest matches in the history of WrestleMania, he was scheduled to compete in a match against the up and comer, The Rock. The initial plans were for Bret to defeat The Rock, but he had other things in mind.
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Reportedly, Bret Hart refused to take a victory over The Rock and win the Intercontinental Title in the process. He felt that it wouldn't help matters for the rookie, which didn't sit well with Triple H and Shawn Michaels backstage.
Eventually, The Rock ended up winning the match after Bret locked him in a Sharpshooter and didn't let go despite multiple warnings from the referee. The Rock went on to become a legit star and didn't forget how Michaels tried to jeopardize his career. This was reportedly the reason why he refused to compete against Michaels when the Heart Break Kid returned to WWE in 2002.
#3 The Undertaker agrees with Vince McMahon's decision to break the streak
As WrestleMania 30 drew closer, the original plans for The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar were for The Deadman to score a win over The Beast and advance his streak to 22-0. On the night of WrestleMania, Vince McMahon suddenly changed his mind and decided to finally put an end to The Undertaker's legendary streak. Vince's reason for the last-minute decision was that he didn't feel The Undertaker would be fit enough for another WrestleMania match, and wanted him to put over Lesnar on his way out.
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Reportedly, The Undertaker agreed with Vince McMahon's decision that was taken abruptly. He didn't have a problem doing the job after preserving the streak for around two decades. Lesnar seemed upset in a backstage area after defeating The Phenom. Vince's prediction proved to be false, as Undertaker went on to compete in several WrestleMania matches in the future.
#2 The Rock puts over Hurricane
When one talks about the most selfless Superstars in WWE history, The Rock's name has to be somewhere on the top of the list. The Brahma Bull has a history of being incredibly unselfish, and has almost always agreed to what Vince McMahon and WWE writers presented him with. This resulted in three straight WrestleMania losses for The Rock against Stone Cold Steve Austin (two times) and Triple H.
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On the road to WrestleMania, The Rock got into a short-lived feud with then WWE jobber, The Hurricane. The angle resulted in a bunch of hilarious segments between both Superstars, but the icing on the cake was a one-on-one match between the two.
As usual, The Rock had zero problems putting The Hurricane over, and the match ended when Austin interfered and Hurricane pinned The Rock in one of the biggest upsets in WWE history.
#1 Ric Flair refuses to headline WrestleMania 24
On the road to WrestleMania 24, Ric Flair got into a feud with Hall of Fame counterpart Shawn Michaels. The storyline began when Flair requested Michaels to compete against him at WrestleMania 24. Michaels refused, stating that he didn't want to be the one to retire Flair. Eventually, The Heart Break Kid agreed to the match, and the two legends went on to have a classic in front of a packed stadium.
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It was reported that Flair was asked to headline the show. The Hall of Famer refused to do the same and stated that the World Title match should always be the headliner of a PPV. The Undertaker defeated Edge to win the World Title in the final match of the show, and Flair got possibly the greatest sendoff in WWE history, the next night on Raw,
