10 WWE Superstars Who Won By Losing
8. The Rock (SummerSlam '98)
On the subject of genuine fan support, that's exactly what Rocky Maivia struggled with early in his career. At SummerSlam '98, he finally found it.
The Rock used the momentum from his epic SummerSlam Ladder Match against Triple H to ascend to the main event, whereas the match's winner would actually be set back in the fallout.
Hunter and Rock put on a classic that continued the Ladder Match legacy previously set by Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, but also established its own identity. Despite the popularity of Triple H and D-Generation X, chants of "Rocky, Rocky" were heard throughout Madison Square Garden. Although he lost the match, the support for Rocky was so strong that WWE was forced to position him as a babyface for the next several months.
With Triple H victorious at SummerSlam, many fans predicted his imminent rise to the main event, but that wouldn't arrive for another year. Following SummerSlam, Hunter dealt with a legitimate knee injury and was eventually stripped of the Intercontinental title. Meanwhile, The Rock became WWF Champion three months later, and headlined the next three WrestleManias.