10 Biggest Jobbers in WWE History

source// wwe.com

Professional wrestling is, at its heart, a story of winners and losers. For every groundbreaking, era-defining figure such as Steve Austin or John Cena, there lies a trail of victims in their wake. Most admittedly have had their moment in the sun – but what about the losers that never win?

As some of you might be aware, I’ve made quite a habit of losing challenges on our official YouTube channel (WhatCulture Wrestling). I know exactly what it means to be a jobber – it’s in my Twitter handle for goodness’ sake – so who better to guide you through the murky, depressing world of WWE’s most desperate losers?

Jobbers can take many forms, from the classic Hogan-fodder of the golden era to comedic modern-day superstars, none of whom could ever seem to buy a win. Sometimes unremarkable and generic, sometimes silly to the extreme, these wrestlers are all fine examples of what it means to be a jobber.

It’s time to give these fallen (or falling) heroes their moment of recognition. Here’s to the jobbers; may they continue to lose for our callous, sadistic entertainment.

10. Funaki

Let’s kick things off with an Attitude Era classic: Funaki.

Shoichi ‘Sho’ Funaki came to WWE in 1998 as part of the heel Kai En Tai stable (which would eventually become a tag team, as members were gradually released). An experienced worker with both shoot-style and lucha backgrounds, the Tokyo-born superstar may not have predicted a career as a jobber under Vince McMahon.

While he may have lost to just about everybody over the turn of the century, Funaki became a beloved figure for his comedic persona, and badly-dubbed yell of “Indeed!” whenever tag partner Taka Michinoku finished a promo.

His proudest moment came at Armageddon 2004, where he captured the Cruiserweight Championship from Spike Dudley, countering the Dudley Dog into a pinning predicament.

9. Tom Brandi

Tom Brandi didn’t enjoy a particularly long stint with WWF in the 90s, lasting just two years from 1996 to 1998. However, in that time he established himself as one of the most groundbreaking jobbers in history. Why? Because he was specifically called out for being a jobber on Raw.

While feuding with Marc Mero (over the services of valet Sable), Brandi – or ‘Salvatore Sincere’ – was explicitly referred to as a jobber, a pretty blatant example of fourth-wall breaking from the Marvellous One. Tom then wrestled under his own name, and actually picked up a victory over Mero (via countout), but achieved nothing of further note in WWF.

His last act of note was entering at number three in the 1998 Royal Rumble match, before being eliminated in just 12 seconds by Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie.

8. Damien Sandow

A more modern face, and certainly one of the more successful jobbers on this list, Damien Sandow is a former Money In The Bank holder. While this may indicate an astronomical level of success for a member of WWE’s lowercard, the sad fact is that Sandow’s run with the briefcase is the high point of a badly misused career – and ended in disaster itself.

History will remember Sandow as the second man to fail a cash-in – the other being John Cena, who hasn’t exactly suffered as a result. Damien, on the other hand, has definitely slumped since his brush with the main event scene in 2013.

Since then, despite entertaining crowds as ‘Damien Mizdow’ and turning face in the WrestleMania 31 pre-show, he’s been firmly relegated to jobber status. It’s now extremely rare to see Sandow on an episode of Raw or SmackDown – he appears to have been limited exclusively to dark matches and house shows.

It’s a great shame, as he’s one of the most comedically talented performers on the entire roster, whether performing as a heel or babyface.

7. Special Delivery Jones

When considering the classic jobbers of a bygone era, Special Deliver ‘S.D.’ Jones must be remembered as one of the greats. He worked for WWF throughout the 1980s, and his matches would often follow a specific pattern. A physically imposing babyface, he would flirt with victory several times during a bout, only to lose in the end (usually to a dastardly heel).

Jones is probably most famous for wrestling on the card of the inaugural WrestleMania – albeit in a diminished role, losing to King Kong Bundy in a matter of seconds. He also inducted Tony Atlas into the Hall of Fame in 2006.

A true company guy, and particularly talented at the art of getting heels over, Jones sadly passed away in 2008.

6. Heath Slater

Another member of the current roster, and perhaps the closest thing WWE has to a classic, old-school jobber in today’s era. With his cocky personality and (relatively) unremarkable physique, Slater is the archetypal heelish figure of fun.

Originally, Heath made his main roster debut as a member of Nexus, a key component of a revolutionary 2010 angle which seemed to ooze potential – at least until John Cena took it upon himself to outwit the stable at every turn.

Since then, Slater has found himself in a variety of lowercard storylines – none of which caused him to win many matches. He was a member of the disastrous ‘Corre’ faction, led the JOB Squad-esque ‘Three Man Band’, and lost to a conveyor belt of returning legends including Bob Backlund, Road Warrior Animal, Lita, Rikishi, and Scotty 2 Hotty.

5. Rene Goulet

Rene Goulet isn’t one of the most instantly recognisable names linked to WWE, but he’s deeply entrenched in the company’s history. He helped blood several rookies who would go on to become legends of the business, including Ric Flair and The Iron Sheikh. He was also in the first WWF match ever to be televised on the USA Network, squaring off against Tito Santana.

Crucially, he was also perhaps the first true WWF jobber, often selected to put over midcard talents due to his incredibly safe, dependable style in the ring.

Although now retired (understandably so, at the age of 83), Goulet continued to work for WWF late into the 90s, acting as a road agent. He could often be seen as one of the crowd of officials breaking up ringside brawls.

4. Gillberg

Oh Gillberg. Gillberg, Gillberg, Gillberg.

For a man whose gimmick centred entirely around lampooning a much more over star, Duane Gill really did alright for himself. The Maryland native is still fondly remembered as one of the most beloved comedy jobbers in WWE history, and regularly drew sarcastic chants of “Gillberg! Gillberg!” during his Attitude Era heyday.

Amazingly, WWE brought Gill back to appear in a segment with the real Goldberg during the latter’s run with the company. Needless to say, it didn’t end well for the jobber – although he did make his escape with a little help from The Rock.

Gillberg actually won a title in 1998, defeating Christian on Raw to lift the Light Heavyweight Championship. Remarkably, he held onto the belt for almost 2 years, through the ingenious tactic of almost never defending it. He eventually was forced to, and lost to Essa Rios in short order.

3. Barry Horowitz

In terms of longevity and consistency as a jobber, one needs to look no further than Barry Horowitz. Whether under his own name, or as the masked ‘Red Knight’, Horowitz made a living out of making other wrestlers look good. Primarily a heel, he lost to a variety of up-and-coming babyfaces during the ‘New Generation’ era, and is one of the more familiar lowercard figures from the early days of Monday Night Raw.

Horowitz actually scored a big (and unlikely) victory in 1995, pinning Skip of the Bodydonnas (aka Chris Candido). The win was made even more memorable by the legendary commentary of Jim Ross, who repeatedly yelled “Horowitz wins!” as Barry celebrated in shock.

Horowitz even won a rematch at SummerSlam, but would remain with WWF for just two more years. He crossed the divide and joined WCW, where he stayed for three years before returning to the independent scene.

Bizarrely, rapper Action Bronson released a 2011 track named after the jobber, including the lyric ‘It’s Barry Horowitz rap / I pat myself on the back’.

2. ‘Iron’ Mike Sharpe

‘Iron’ Mike Sharpe didn’t actually begin his WWF career as a jobber, but as a dangerous heel midcarder on the receiving end of a serious push. ‘Canada’s Greatest Athlete’ used heelish tactics (and the help of manager Lou Albano) to defeat several babyfaces en route to a title shot against WWF Champion Bob Backlund, but lost the match. A favourite move of his was to deliver a sharp blow with a cast on his right arm, an implement thought to be concealing a foreign object.

After losing to Backlund, Sharpe became one of the most renowned, beloved jobbers in wrestling history. Primarily a heel, he put over his fellow roster members for over a decade, and even tagged with Hulk Hogan during a tour of Japan – where the Hulkster was regarded as a heel.

Sharpe sadly died earlier this year, but will be remembered as one of the most selfless, long-serving members of the WWF locker room.

1. The Brooklyn Brawler

Of course, there could only be one. Steve Lombardi, also known as the Brooklyn Brawler, has become synonymous with the very concept of jobbing, and even turned it into something of an art form. The New Yorkian (actually born in Detroit) worked with WWE infour separate decades, and didn’t win a whole lot of matches during the time…

Lombardi finally left the company in recent years, having been an employee of the company for over 30 years! During that time, he fulfilled an incredible variety of roles (both off and on camera), often even filling in as Kim Chee – Kamala’s handler – and Doink The Clown.

Despite losing almost every match he was a part of, the Brawler actually holds a pinfall victory over Triple H to his name – scoring the win over The Game during a televised handicap match on SmackDown – a match also featuring Funaki and Taka Michinoku.