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.
#4 Chris Jericho
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.