10 WWE Superstars That Got Over In Losing Efforts
2. Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack
In 1996, Mick Foley debuted in the WWF as the deranged Mankind. Despite starting out high up the card with The Undertaker, followed by a brief feud with Shawn Michaels, Foley would primarily remain in the mid-card until 1998.
Having already gone through his Cactus Jack and Dude Love personas, Foley changed back into Mankind for his Hell In A Cell Match against The Undertaker at 1998's King Of The Ring.
Mankind's death-defying drop off the very top of the cage, followed by an equally-if-not-more dangerous fall through the top of the cage marked the match out as the most violent in WWF history. Foley earned the respect of everybody that evening, and certainly got Mr. McMahon's attention.
Not long after, Foley would become a staple in the WWE main-event scene, headlining multiple PPVs including WrestleMania 2000. His Survivor Series '98 and Royal Rumble '99 matches with The Rock for the WWE Championship, his Royal Rumble and No Way Out clashes with Triple H in 2000, and even his bouts against Austin as Dude Love in the Spring of '98 were all memorable, if not brutal matches that left fans talking about Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy despite Foley taking the loss.