5 WWE Superstars who benefited from losing a match

Pro Wrestling is a predetermined sport, and this fact isn't exactly a secret in today's age where kayfabe is a thing of the past. There was a time back in the 70s and 80s when WWE and other major promotions used to go to great lengths to keep kayfabe alive. It was an age when fans used to believe that WWE contests were legit matches, thus making the wins/losses mean a lot for them.

Today, fans are aware that a promotion determines beforehand who's going to win or lose a match. The wins still matter for a WWE Superstar, as coming out on top regularly eventually leads to a main-event run, and the perks that come with it. Even though the sport is predetermined, no Superstar wants to lose a match, and harm their position on the roster.

Interestingly, there have been instances in WWE history where losing a match proved to be beneficial for a Superstar in the long run. We'll list five such instances below.

#5 Randy Orton (vs. Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2016)

The 2017 Royal Rumble match saw WWE veteran Randy Orton winning the free-for-all, for the second time in his career. Orton had previously won the match in 2009, thus bagging a shot at Triple H's WWE title at WrestleMania 25. This time around as well, Orton went on to compete for the WWE title at The Show of Shows and defeated Bray Wyatt to win the belt.

The rumored reason for Orton's push was that Vince McMahon was very pleased with him for taking the beating of a lifetime at the hands of Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2016. Vince particularly liked how Orton did the job like a pro and didn't complain one bit.

This was the WWE Chairman's way of rewarding Orton, after what he went through at The Biggest Party of the Summer. Orton lost to Lesnar in an almost one-sided contest and was left in a pool of his blood when Lesnar was done with him. In the long run, though, the loss only benefited him and he received a mega push on the road to WrestleMania.