10 Times Wrestlers Got Standing Ovations In Defeat

9. The Undertaker (WWE WrestleMania XXX)

Shinsuke Nakamura Sami Zayn
WWE.com

What else was there to do but applaud The Undertaker as he rose slowly to his feet following the defeat nobody thought they'd ever see?

'The Deadman' was down for so long after Brock Lesnar's match-winning F5 that everybody got all the time they needed to express every other action before breaking into stunned applause. Michael Cole was there with one of his best ever calls, Paul Heyman magnified the moment with unreal aplomb whilst Kevin Dunn luxuriated in finding fan reactions - each one more mesmerising than the last.

By the time the now-defeated company cornerstone was able to steady himself, so too were the thousands in attendance. Those that hadn't yet sprung up in shock now did in respect, along with the line of announcers at the various ringside desks.

It felt, rather fittingly as though he was being given a guard of honour by 80,000 people. And they'd all waited until he needed it the most.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett