6 Times Wrestlers Lost A Match In Order To Move Up The Card
Lose the battle, win the war.
The professional wrestling food chain is an interesting thing to explore. Those at the top are somewhat untouchable for sure, but the middle parts of the chain are remarkably fluid. Wins and losses come to mean very little in the grand scheme of things as forward momentum means more than a tick in the requisite column, and wrestling is unique in that sometimes it makes sense for one guy to come out on the losing end of a battle in order to bypass their victorious opponent on this ladder.
Once upon a time the man in possession of the Intercontinental Championship was considered to be in line for the top table, and sometimes it was required to remove this title from the individual in order to free the wrestler up for a shot at the big time. As such a man or woman can find themselves on the losing end of a feud but subsequently see their position improve. This is the nature of secondary championships.
Sometimes in life you need to take one step back to take two steps forward; winning isn't everything.
6. Diesel - SummerSlam & Survivor Series '94
1994 was a tumultuous year for the then-WWF. The company was losing its biggest names in the wake of a steroid scandal that 'shocked' the wrestling world, and it was time for a New Generation to step up to the plate. Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, and others became the focal point of the show, but Vince McMahon's eyes were still scanning the horizon for a larger than life character on whom to hang his hat.
Step forward Big Daddy Cool.
Diesel had one heck of a push upon entering the WWF and was clearly earmarked for the main event. Going into SummerSlam '94, Big Sexy held both the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship (alongside Michaels), a man covered in gold and with even more to come.
Before he could win the big one, he had to drop the two smaller ones, and the first to be shed was at SummerSlam that year. Razor Ramon was the beneficiary, winning the Intercontinental Championship after Michaels blasted his own partner with some Sweet Chin Music.
At Survivor Series, Diesel would benefit in defeat once more as his entire team got counted out of their elimination match attempting to stop Big Daddy Cool from beating the tar out of co-captain Michaels. This was the final step on the road to Diesel's coronation as the top face in the company, and three days later he was WWF Champion.