10 Wrestling Matches Neither Wrestler Could Afford To Lose

No time for losers.

Daniel Bryan Roman Reigns

Unless you're purposefully failing a match in WWE 2K to your child in hopes of making them feel good about themselves, losing sucks.

There's no getting around it, and things are even worse when you absolutely know you cannot afford that crushing loss. It's the same in pro wrestling, but not because title shots are up for grabs or there's kayfabe hatred between characters. No, it's the same 'cause these are real people with real egos behind the scenes, and nobody likes looking like a loser.

Not every single match on this list had a definitive outcome, but there was often a typically happy ending after they were done. One person raised their hands, flashed a smile and looked like the best, and the other sulked, looked like a beaten warrior and lived to fight another day. Lord only knows what that did to fragile egos backstage.

By booking most of these bouts, companies backed themselves awkwardly into a corner, realised they'd done so too late, probably let out a quick, "Aw sh*t" and then had to make the best of it...

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.