One loss will not kill a career, but it’s all about how it’s executed and how that wrestler bounces back.
For many years, John Cena was WWE’s biggest cash cow because no one else was remotely close to matching his metrics in terms of merchandise, popularity and the like. Certain Superstars had the potential to, but they were booked in such a way that depicted them as being inferior to the all mighty Cena.
He’s had his fair share of matches in which he had nothing to gain from winning but was booked to go over anyway, doing damage to his opponent in the process. Nexus at SummerSlam 2010 is a memorable example (the group’s momentum peaked that night and never recovered), and Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 30 is another.
Of course, Wyatt went on to have a Hall of Fame-worthy career in WWE, but it took him years to cement his spot at an elite level. His first loss to Cena, as well as subsequent defeats to Undertaker, Randy Orton and others, portrayed him as being a notch below those perennial main eventers. It was his connection with the crowd and character work that made him an exception to the ideology surrounding wins and losses.
LA Knight didn’t start winning meaningful matches until SummerSlam, and although he was already a huge fan favorite prior to that, his hot streak would have been short-lived if he hadn’t started delivering and living up to the hype.
With enough shortcomings, a wrestler will enter “damaged goods” territory and lose the opportunity to convince fans they’re worthy of winning.
Source : Bleacher Report