The Most Devastating Losses in WWE WrestleMania History

Any show the magnitude of WWE's WrestleMania is destined to feature the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, including losses on the grand stage.

Some defeats throughout the four-decade history of The Showcase of the Immortals have barely affected company stars and are mere bumps on the road in their journeys.

For others, though, defeats at 'Mania have stunted growth, adversely affected legacies or served as the end of championship aspirations.

In preparation for the likelihood someone on the WrestleMania 41 card may well endure a crushing defeat in Las Vegas on April 19-20, relive these most devastating losses from past events.

Yokozuna (WrestleMania 9)

WrestleMania 9 should have marked the beginning of a new era in WWE as the company moved beyond Hulk Hogan and into the New Generation.

Instead, The Hulkster emerged from a year-long "retirement" to ensure the show he had headlined through its first eight years again concluded with Hulkamania running wild.

Or something like that.

Not content with losing his tag team title opportunity with partner Brutus Beefcake by disqualification to Money Inc., Hogan emerged from the locker room moments after Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart to capture the WWE Championship.

The evil Mr. Fuji inexplicably issued a challenge to Hogan for a title match, then proceeded to accidentally throw salt in his charge's eyes, allowing The Hulkster to drop Yokozuna, deliver the big leg drop and score the win.

Hogan posed, and WWE delayed its foray in to the future. "The New Generation" initiative would be set back for months, and not a single person involved not wearing red and yellow benefited whatsoever from the massive ego stroke that concluded the 1993 edition of The Show of Shows.

Least of all Yokozuna, who looked like a fool for tempting fate after having just won a grueling match with Hart and opening the door for Hogan to win the gold in the first place.

Lex Luger, WrestleMania X

When Lex Luger landed on the USS Intrepid on July 4, 1993 and slammed Yokozuna, many thought Vince McMahon had discovered the next monster babyface to replace Hogan.

By January 1994, The Star-Spangled Superstar had cooled off significantly, leading McMahon to book an unprecedented tie finish to that year's Royal Rumble, which Luger split with Bret Hart.

On the road to WrestleMania X two months later, it was apparent that the experiment had failed, thanks to a combination of things including a lack of buy-in from the performer, questionable booking and fans who simply preferred The Hitman.

On the grandest stage in pro wrestling, Luger's run as a legitimate main event attraction in WWE came to a screeching halt when he lost his latest opportunity to dethrone Yokozuna via disqualification after putting his hands on special referee (and longtime rival) Mr. Perfect.

It would be his final WrestleMania appearance and the last high-profile, main event of significance Luger would wrestle for the company before jumping back to WCW in September 1995.

Bret Hart (WrestleMania 12)

Imagine spending months training for a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match against one of the premier athletes in professional wrestling, tying with that opponent after an hour and thinking you have managed to successfully defend your WWE title, only for the resident authority figure to announce a previously unmentioned "sudden death overtime" period.

That was the scenario Bret Hart found himself in at WrestleMania 12, when he was summoned back to the squared circle for the conclusion of his match with Shawn Michaels. Moments later, he was blasted by Sweet Chin Music and a boyhood dream came true for The Heartbreak Kid.

Upon returning from a months-long hiatus, The Hitman would take on a different personality than the one fans knew and loved before. He was bitter and complained, whined, and moaned about perceived injustice, drawing boos for the first time in nearly a decade.

It would be the beginning of a heel turn that would culminate at WrestleMania 13 and define his final year with WWE, during which real-life animosity with Michaels would dominate on and off screen.

Booker T (WrestleMania 19)

The single worst build to any match in WrestleMania history occurred in 2003, when thinly veiled racism was injected into the World Heavyweight Championship feud between Triple H and Booker T.

The Game claimed "people like" Booker T don't win world championships and fans immediately criticized the creative direction of the rivalry.

The company responded by backing off that element of the story, but the damage had been done. However, on the back of that foundation, the five-time WCW champion seemed destined to score his biggest win in WWE on the grandest stage.

Right? No.

A stunned Triple H delivered a Pedigree to his challenger, then proceeded to spend a minute or two crawling across the ring before draping his arm over Booker and scoring the pinfall victory.

It was an unsatisfying outcome that left fans scratching their heads and wondering what the intent of the original emphasis for the feud was the first place.

Worse yet, it would take Booker three years to recover from the horrible booking as he did not consistently return to the title picture until 2006, when he adopted the King Booker character and became the centerpiece of SmackDown.

The Undertaker (WrestleMania 30)

In 21 WrestleMania appearances, The Undertaker defeated some of the biggest, most recognizable names in professional wrestling while accumulating the greatest streak in the event's history.

Each year, fans would tune in to watch The Deadman confront another industry giant before defeating him and adding to his unbeaten run at The Showcase of the Immortals.

By 2014, it was as big a draw as the main event, with fans tuning in each year to see whose name would be added to his unblemished record.

Most expected Brock Lesnar to become the latest victim of The Phenom, succumbing to Hell's Gate, The Last Ride or the Tombstone piledriver, just as Kane, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and CM Punk had before him.

Instead, Lesnar punished his opponent throughout the match and ultimately delivered the F-5 to put an end to the most impressive undefeated sequence in WWE history.

As graphics sporting "21-1" went up around the Superdome in New Orleans, the reality set in among fans, some of whom were left jaws agape and stunned by what had just happened.

Considering Lesnar could have lost and bounced back immediately as a legitimate WWE title contender, there was no reason for him to be the guy to defeat Undertaker and nothing that followed justified The Beast Incarnate being the Superstar to earn that honor instead of someone like Roman Reigns, who squared off with The Deadman two years later on the grand stage.

A questionable loss that ultimately stripped away from Undertaker one of the last great character elements left in professional wrestling at the time.

Asuka (WrestleMania 34)

For 914 days, Asuka was undefeated in the rings of WWE. Whether NXT or the main roster, she beat everyone put in front of her and became the standard-bearer for the developmental brand.

The Empress of Tomorrow then won the inaugural women's Royal Rumble match in January 2018.

That victory earned her a shot at Charlotte Flair and the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 34, in a match most assumed would be another coronation for Asuka.

That was not the case, much to the chagrin of the audience.

Not only did Asuka lose the match, but she also submitted to The Queen's Figure Eight, then put her over in a post-match show of respect.

The match halted any momentum The Empress had on the main roster and severely affected the aura that accompanied her since her NXT debut. All so that Flair could garner another high-profile WrestleMania win that she did not need.

Another needlessly ended streak.

Cody Rhodes (WrestleMania 39)

When Cody Rhodes returned from injury in 2023 and won the men's Royal Rumble match, he became an overwhelming favorite to defeat Roman Reigns and end his lengthy run as undisputed WWE universal champion.

Entering WrestleMania 39, it felt very much like WWE was gearing up for a changing of the guard and the show in Los Angeles would be the coronation of The American Nightmare as the new face of the company.

His friends and family were there to witness the moment, seated ringside as he made his way to the squared circle amid pomp and circumstance befitting a world champion.

Then, late in the battle with The Tribal Chief, Solo SIkoa appeared, struck Rhodes in the throat with the Samoan Spike, and Reigns won the match.

Shock set in as The Tribal Chief made his way up the ramp and Rhodes sat in disbelief in the middle of the ring, his moment ruined and story unfinished.

The internet roared in disapproval of the decision and fans inside SoFi Stadium were left dismayed.

It was a devastating loss for the second-generation wrestler, his family, friends and fans.

Luckily, WWE rectified the situation the following year and continued one of the hottest runs in company history, meaning the disappointing defeat actually worked on this rare occasion.