10 Times Wrestlers Got Standing Ovations In Defeat
8. Andre The Giant (WWE WrestleMania VI)
There's not enough of this sort of thing anymore, and never has WWE needed to show its earnest side more.
Andre The Giant was a beloved cultural icon beyond the company by the time he wrestled his last match for Vince McMahon at WrestleMania VI, and it was thus decided that he'd be allowed to turn on the evil Heenan Family for the grandest possible send-off.
It was respectful of the Giant's legacy, and all in a further effort to put over new tag team Champions Demolition as part of his departure.
If anything, the reverence the booking shows towards legendary figures today borders on the counterproductive - Attitude Era stars squash the regulars with frustrating ease, whilst the Ruthless Aggression lot have returned in such numbers that one's the WWE Champion of this writing, another won the Royal Rumble, and the principal Talent Relations boss of the era has just been reinstalled in the role.
One feels - as with Bobby Heenan and Haku on that fateful night in Toronto - Andre would have had more than a strong word with the company for such sh*tty and dated thinking.