10 Times Wrestlers Got Standing Ovations In Defeat
2. Dustin Rhodes (AEW Double Or Nothing 2019)
Admittedly, the Las Vegas crowd at Double Or Nothing 2019 weren't just cheering Dustin Rhodes following his bloodbath with brother Cody, but it'd be unfair to assume that the loudest, throatiest roars weren't for the long-tenured industry icon rolling back the clock one last time.
As the two reconciled any remaining beef after the bell, the audience came unglued for the micro and macro stories at play - the two had always wanted a match they believed warranted a grand stage. It was something they wanted to do for their father, for each other and for the longest time, for Vince McMahon.
He passed. Over and over again he passed, to the extent that Cody went about building his own stage, making space for his brother, then spilling his blood all over it. Tears and claret soaked the heads of both men, including the the defeated Dustin.
It had taken just one white hot and red-drenched match for AEW's core philosophy to hold true in the face of contradiction. Wins and losses matter, but old fashioned good booking of both wrestlers earns plaudits for everybody.