20 WWE Superstars With Most PPV/PLE Defeats

WWE is no stranger to long-tenured wrestlers throughout its history, the longest being The Undertaker, who competed from 1990 to 2020. As an active wrestler, Triple H spent 25 years in the squared circle, including his time as Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Kane went from 1997 to 2021 (though Glenn Jacobs debuted as Isaac Yankem in 1995).

Of the current roster, John Cena and Randy Orton are the flag bearers, both debuting in 2002. They have now amassed a combined 66 years in the WWE, though, the latter has been full-time since his first match against Hardcore Holly, whereas the former has taken several breaks for Hollywood.

However, as legendary as these men are, there is a downside to having been in the company for so long. That is, that a lot of them appear in the top 20 Superstars to have lost the most times in PPV/PLEs, according to wrestlingdata.com.

10

John Cena

Losses: 71

Cena’s intermittent appearances since 2017 have potentially saved him a lot more losses and a spot further up the list, though, his 14 years as a full-timer involved enough defeats to put him 10th.

On the PPV/PLE stage, Cena is best known for his WrestleMania tussles with The Rock; the first at WrestleMania 28 earned one of the 17-time champ’s 71 losses on the big stage. Most of his losses on such an occasion came courtesy of Randy Orton, as since their duel debut their careers have been intertwined with each other, most recently at 2025’s Backlash. His contemporaries when at a paid event also include Edge, Batista, Shawn Michaels, and The Undertaker, who pinned Cena in under five minutes in their WrestleMania 34 squash match.

9

Rey Mysterio

Losses: 72

The biggest little man in the history of sports entertainment debuted in 2002 after the collapse of WCW. Mysterio’s size has been a contributing factor to defeat 72 times.

He is best known for his high-profile rivalry with Eddie Guerrero, which included a match for the custody of his son, Dominik, in a ladder match at SummerSlam 2005. The two-time world heavyweight champion’s most consistent opponents on PPV/PLE are those of Kurt Angle and former friend and foe, Batista. Other foes include: The Undertaker, Kane, Cody Rhodes, R Truth, and Chris Jericho.

8

Kofi Kingston

Losses: 78

A 17-year veteran who has suffered 78 losses on PPV, Kingston is an exception as many of those shortcomings have come in tag team matches, but he has also had his fair share of singles matches that haven’t gone his way.

In singles competition, he lost to the likes of Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, and Dolph Ziggler. Such losses made Kingston’s 2019 run, which culminated in him becoming WWE Champion after defeating Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35, all the more satisfying.

7

Dolph Ziggler

Losses: 82

The Show-Off has had plenty of rivalries that have had their blow off at a marquee event. All credit to Ziggler, many have been for a mid-card championship, like the Intercontinental or United States Championship.

Though he has come up short to the likes of Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, and Seth Rollins on the same stage, Ziggler should be held in high regard as a PPV and PLE specialist, given the amount of such he has appeared at.

6

Triple H

Losses: 83

The reason for the legendary Triple H being so high on the list can be somewhat pointed to his 10-14 record at WrestleMania, three of which were to The Undertaker.

HHH competed in 105 title matches on the biggest stages, and though he became a 14-time champion, he was defeated by the likes of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Shawn Michaels, Daniel Bryan, The Rock, and Batista in front of the big crowds.

5

The Big Show

Losses: 88

In his 143 matches, The Big Show has been defeated a fair few times on such occasions, by the likes of John Cena, The Undertaker, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar.

Though he only came out on the right side of PPV/PLE’s 52 times, Big Show can take pride in the fact that the matches he did lose and those who did best him were of the highest calibre, having also had a number of title matches himself.

4

Chris Jericho

Losses: 88

Also stuck on 88 losses is multiple-time champion Chris Jericho, who has had loads of high-profile rivalries that resulted in a match at a big event.

These include Shawn Michaels, Edge, The Undertaker, John Cena, AJ Styles, and Kevin Owens. His championship matches totalled 43, but 24 of his total number of defeats came in such tussles. He also holds a negative WrestleMania record of 5-8.

3

The Miz

Losses: 97

A wildcard entry for many, The Miz has been a part of WWE since 2006, and has competed in 148 PPV/PLE matches. The Intercontinental Championship scene was his kingdom for a number of years, and for a period of time in 2010-11 it was the main event scene.

Many of his PPV/PLE losses have come as a result of him losing those titles. At 2011’s Extreme Rules, he lost the WWE title in a steel cage match, which also involved John Morrison, to John Cena. At WrestleMania 34, in a triple threat match also with Finn Balor, he lost the Intercontinental title to Seth Rollins.

2

Randy Orton

Losses: 108

Given he has been a constant full-time competitor, it’s no surprise to see The Viper so high on the list, accumulating 108 losses in his 23 years with the company.

His list of conquerors includes a who’s who of legendary Superstars; The Undertaker, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, Rey Mysterio, and Kane to name a few, and even one to Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam 2006.

The 14-time champion has had over 170 matches at a PPV or PLE, with over 40 main events and holds a WrestleMania record of 8-11, contributing to his loss tally.

1

Kane

Losses: 110

The total number of PPV/PLE matches for The Big Red Machine is 187, also with a WrestleMania record of 8-1, many of which have been with his kayfabe brother, The Undertaker. The first came in Kane’s first appearance at Bad Blood 1997 and also included WrestleMania 14 and 20, along with Hell in a Cell 2010. Out of those tussles, the tally is 2-1 to The Deadman.

The Devil’s Favourite Demon, though not best known for them, can also say that he has been in a respectable number of PPV/PLE title matches, and a vast majority of those he has tasted defeat against have a claim to be on the Mount Rushmore of WWE.