SECOND FIDDLES | Wrestlers who were Second Place to Top Stars!

SECOND FIDDLES | Wrestlers who were Second Place to Top Stars!
While many wrestling companies throughout history have had several wrestlers who could be slotted into the role of top guy at any given time, in WWE the philosophy has always been to pick one person and place them above all else. That’s how we got figures such as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin, just as it's how we also got John Cena and Roman Reigns too. But what about the person who has to settle for second place behind them in the pecking order? Surely this must be frustrating. Well, while that might be true, it doesn’t make these performers any less great. But who are the biggest examples of this? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at today. So, join us today as we take a deep dive into Living in their Shadows: Wrestlers Who Played Second Fiddle to Top Stars.
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[@s4xtt]

Actually Rock and Austin were of equal status as top guy, in fact Heyman actually pointed out how their circumstances is a rare chance for wwe to have two top guys.Their second fiddle is actually Triple H

[@Tonyoung55]

Agreed

[@jpcarl]

I agree with you that they were both the faces. But every time you put Austin in the same conversation as Rock, you just can’t help know who the real top guy is. But you say rock was top guy over Austin, you already know that’s not true lol

[@Kirwin98]

Nah Like he said at first WWE (Vince) they always wanted one guy to be on top of the mountain, which was Austin but Rock was so polarising it seemed he was too and when Austin was gone he was

[@siclysatisfied]

​@jimjaspers3050 That's why Rock was "The People's Champion"... an extremely clever work around for someone who is as universally over as their main, "Top Guy".

[@ivanmendoza8457]

Oeoples champ vs the companys chamion...very true the second fuddle 109% was triple h

[@ecogreco]

One thing almost all of these "second fiddles" have in common is they have a much more rebellious edge to them compared to their top star counterparts. A better word for second fiddle is the alternate top face. While Hulk Hogan was the all American, Ultimate Warrior had the rebellious image of a rock star. While Stone Cold had the blue collar image fans could relate to while being the ideal outlaw face, The Rock was the ideal charismatic face. While John Cena was Goku and was more wholesome, Randy Orton was Vegeta where he had ruthlessness that John Cena lacked.

[@CarbonGod666]

No

[@ballsdeep5336]

Rock outlaw you lost everyone, they called rock blue chipper for a reason n austin was getting arrested all.the time etc if anyone was the rebellious one it was austin ffs

[@ecogreco]

@@ballsdeep5336 you misunderstood me. I didn't say all of the "second fiddles" were outlaws compared to their top name counterpart. I was just saying that they all had this quality or edge that their top name counterpart lacked.

[@kingabalos]

I agree. During the height of Punk's popularity it is actually pretty obvious he is the star the people wanted, they cheered him more than Cena.

[@zemox2534]

​@@ecogrecoTrue. Rock and Stone Cold may have been the top guys, but they didn't have the strong emotional connection Mick had with the fans. I cheered for Mick louder than Rock and Austin combined.

[@snowvalkyrie]

If anything, HHH would be Rock’s second fiddle.

[@Knee_Boy64]

It's hard to say that The Rock was playing Second Fiddle to Stone Cold. He held the company on his shoulders when Stone Cold was injured. I think it's fair to say that the two were top dogs in their own right, but I get the point.

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

I'd say from 2000 to 2002 Rock was unofficially the top guy. He was the one on the posters, on the TV chat shows, covers of video games... I'd say the Rock/Austin dynamic was blurry on who was the top guy.

[@AttainTheGrain]

@@andrewbarbarash3116That’s the point. Both have equal claims and earned the top spot. Made the on-screen product 10x better.

[@beagles1518]

I agree! The rock went on to become a mainstream movie star! The most successful crossover star ever!

[@johnnymason2460]

The Rock? Second fiddle? Nonsense! The Rock was a top guy and always will be in my eyes!

[@user-sf3ns6ed3g]

I feel like Rocky was pushed to replace Austin as the top guy from 2000-2002 but Hollywood came calling and they turned their attention to Lesnar

[@BreakerX42]

The 2nd placers actually might be better as they can be anywhere and be great. Seth went from the WWE title to the US title to the WHC and no one questioned it. He's great everywhere

[@mico5536]

That horrendous 2019 title run says otherwise.

[@ASirensFlame]

​@@mico5536blame creative Baron Corbin no

[@BruDia]

+ wasn't booed like Roman was😂 and now his Samoan cousin the Rock 😂 Samoans get booed nonetheless.

[@juanmarquez269]

I really don't know how Roman is going to stand without The Undisputed Title 🤔

[@robgbaby]

The Rock is the anomaly on this list. He was booked 2nd fiddle to Austin in 1999, but after Austin left for neck surgery he became #1 and when Austin returned they were booked relatively evenly. Had Rock not left to film "The Scorpion King" who knows how WM17 and the months to follow wouldve panned out.

[@LongLiveRockAnRoll]

Rock was probably drew more than anyone since Hogan, it's just that Austin drew even more than that.

[@JohnSmith-wo9qs]

Considering Vince had The Rock beat Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin, he was preparing him for a lengthy time as top guy.

[@Cobane823]

You sound like you got some sense lol unlike the rest of the marks in the comments 💯

[@makwabear4078]

Exactly. Austin turning heel at the time at 17 seemed like a bad idea, but business wise, it had to be done or you would of been looking at two of the biggest faces at WM17 and one would have to take the L. Rock leaving and Austin turning heel made the decision of Austin going over that much more easier.

[@JohnSmith-wo9qs]

@@makwabear4078 Nobody wanted Stone Cold to turn heel except him. He later admitted it was a bad idea.

[@ferox965]

The Rock IS the biggest crossover star in wrestling history. It's not arguable. Hogan was huge (i remember Hogan everywhere) the Rock became what Hogan didn't. A massive movie star.

[@Mega_Collosas]

austin didnt either with his condemned and expandable roles

[@pyocopyocoultra2047]

Who cares? When they were active Austin was the guy Rock was #2

[@stevegallo8483]

Agreed. Hogan made movies, but his movies never drew at the box office like the Rock's movies draw. The Rock is the biggest crossover star in wrestling history.

[@ferox965]

To the folks who didn't understand what I wrote, my comment was a direct response to a claim made in the video. The claim in the video was that the Rock was "arguably" biggest crossover star.

[@ferox965]

@@pyocopyocoultra2047 That has nothing to do with my comment.

[@triplehkingofkings5883]

Its interesting. Roman Reigns for sure is the top guy. But Seth Rollins has been the face of the flagship show raw for years now

[@quetzalcoa]

Is Raw still "the flagship show" or are both about equal now? I'd argue that smackdown has the better roster

[@AjMorganv16]

@@quetzalcoai think since roman win the universal title they have considered smackdown as the flagship shows but im not too sure

[@Bull_Moose_Lodge]

Rock and Austin could be 1 and 1A at any point on anyone's list

[@Fred_Die]

I'm probably biased but I always saw Rock and Austin as 1A and 1B. Sure Austin started out stronger but when we got to X7, you can't say they weren't equals. Like having 2 Hogan's or 2 Cena's (but better)

[@topdawg2916]

True in my opinion by wm 17 in my opinion the rock was the bigger mainstream star out of the two

[@savharris5702]

I honestly can't say that Rock was protected (for lack of a better word, at least) more than Austin. He (Rock) really only had the more high regard, outside of the ring.

[@dameTHEname]

I agree they where both #1's the WWE got extremely lucky to have both Rock & Austin at the same time.

[@leir2005]

I agree as well. To say that Rock was a second fiddle to Austin is a stretch. To me he’s the only one that was Austin‘s equal at the time.

[@DavidLee-iu7nd]

As much as I like both Austin & Rock , I feel they both could be considered #1 in their own way

[@heelgill]

In all of WWE's history, Randy Orton holds that candle greatly. I wouldn't veiew being second a bad thing, because it shows that WWE values you even if you're below the main top guy.

[@sajanaryal6932]

Cena was chosen to be the no.1 main eventer because his character was PG rated while Orton's character is darker and he doesn't suck up to the crowd. But Orton was as popular as Cena during 2009 to early 2012 and overall he has always been as valuable to the company as Cena.

[@mrbransformer4184]

Nah he was lame and his daddy got him to where he was.

[@2k_worldleague491]

​@@mrbransformer4184bro respell that whole thing😂

[@Marquesjones5]

The rock probably owns this crown. He was more like a 1a since Austin was out with injury and the whole taking his ball and going thing, but there’s never been a bigger second guy than that man

[@heelgill]

@@mrbransformer4184 Yet he proved he could hang and has outlasted a lot of his peers from that era. He caught on quickly to the theatrics of being a professional wrestler. Before his injury, he was in the mid-card with Riddle and of course unsurprisingly, he was still over. The dynamic between those two was great.

[@shawnmichaels568]

Seth, despite being second to fiddle to roman, He is just so damn entertaining that it doesn't matter that he is viewed little bit lower than the tribal cheif. He is the type of wrestler who you rely on to put on a show.

[@maricondones]

imo seth is way better than roman

[@jernigan007]

thats why seth got the new belt

[@britishblue4084]

​@@KrishanKumar-ec1chyes but seth didnt have what roman have,that is the charisma and star power that roman Have

[@captincyclone23]

Roman doesn’t have star power. It took him 6 years to get over. Seth Rollins is way more charismatic.

[@SunilDahariya-xp3zs]

​@@britishblue4084Roman is overpushed kid.

[@realcarljhonson]

There are Top guys, and There are Second Guys. But You can't ignore The guys ( like The undertaker, Brock lesnar, Goldberg ) who can defeat any top guy any day ❤

[@Sai-xf1eo]

Just remove Goldberg lol.

[@animal_watcher775]

​@@Sai-xf1eowhy?

[@brolysupersaiyan1634]

​@@animal_watcher775He is not on the level of these top star

[@1stcommander303]

goldberg sucks.

[@Joe_Parmesan]

@@animal_watcher775 I don't understand either. Goldberg did exactly that

[@santoscruz4715]

Till this day Seth is still playing second behind cody now 😂😂

[@stingrey1571]

rock and austin were basically the magic/bird of the wwf. i believe both were no.1s. austin was the top guy from 1998-2002. rock was the top guy from 2000-2002.

[@ifymaj]

Magic/Bird is the perfect comparison in my opinion.

[@anonamatron]

Except the Rock sucked. I know he's popular but I still don't see what people see in him. He's awful on the mic. He just repeats catchphrases and most of them aren't very clever. His moves are stupid. What's the point? I think they did indeed have him on the level of Austin though, if not higher.

[@ozdaartist3106]

Roman has two number 2 stars in his area Rollins and Cody.

[@Cobane823]

@@anonamatron what a mark 😂😭

[@Cobane823]

@@KrishanKumar-ec1ch correct lol literally the greatest stickman in the history of the business….a wise man told me don’t argue with fools lol … don’t entertain jarbronis like @anonmatron… obviously he doesn’t “Get it” 😂😂😂🤣🤣😭😂😂

[@izumolee6714]

For some reason Bret's run as the 'top guy' it really never felt he was THE guy during that time. It always felt that he was just a place holder champion until Vince found a guy he preferred. Every time Vince saw another big wrestler Bret would drop the belt to him be it Diesel, Yokozuna or if Lex didn't underperform he would've gotten a title run. Heck even Hogan took the spotlight away from Bret when he had no need to win the belt. We could see it when Bret was dropped to mid-card status during his feud with Jerry Lawler.

[@marcuspowell4343]

Same with HHH in his reign of terror. Lesnar was there but not long enough

[@ZDogg89]

Everyone played second fiddle to Cena. But leaving HHH out is a damn shame. He was the ultimate second fiddler.

[@MistahJay7]

🤡

[@WIBYTIEDH]

Rollins is a modern day Shawn Michaels. So even though he may never be the face of the company, he'll be more remembered in the long run

[@9nineM4rc377us]

No

[@WIBYTIEDH]

@@9nineM4rc377us yes

[@thebrave354]

More like modern day Edge .

[@edonktv2167]

HM:Batista was the number 2 guy behind cena for half of the ruthless aggression era. He was the #1 guy on smack down. He also has a lot of connection to cena(last 2 in the 2005 royal rumble and they won their 1st world titles on the same night)

[@nightpop6309]

Batista was great but never better upper Cena, Edgez Orton and HHH

[@Mega_Collosas]

​@@nightpop6309batista is actually more popular than those guys..there is a reason he was face of SmackDown and was pushed like cena

[@nightpop6309]

@@Mega_Collosas I never said popular, I said better

[@Mega_Collosas]

@@nightpop6309 better how?batista is a better guy cuz he showed hes a better performer by his massive outside wwe success..if it workrate youre referring too ..no one cares bout that

[@nightpop6309]

@@Mega_Collosas I loathe talking to close-minded, biased, individuals, let's stop this pointless conversation!

[@saltyXoloco]

CM Punk was so huge I was bullied for still watching wrestling in middle school especially because of the pg era but cm punk got so big the kids who teased me started asking me questions about cm punk. They stopped bullying me because CMPunk made wrestling amazing again.

[@topdawg2916]

Cm punk wasn’t huge

[@JesusMartinez-wf1cj]

​@@topdawg2916He made wrestling interesting again

[@jordannewsom3606]

Punk had one good run, then faded into obscurity. So overrated

[@JesusMartinez-wf1cj]

@@jordannewsom3606 Ur Opinion is ur own 😉

[@topdawg2916]

@@JesusMartinez-wf1cjbarely

[@jaxonjaxoff3291]

You skipped, Roddy Piper (to Hulk Hogan), Shawn Michaels (to Bret Hart), Kurt Angle (to Brock Lesnar), AJ Styles (to Roman Reigns)

[@MistahJay7]

Shawn second to Bret? 😂💀

[@animal_watcher775]

​@@MistahJay7😂😂😂😂

[@Strap_0n]

@@MistahJay7 ik im 6 months late but yes for quite a while bret was the biggest and had the best matches by 1997 shawn was above

[@RomaroBrandon]

Honorable Mention: Dean Ambrose who was the second fiddle to Seth Rollins from June 2014-November 2015 and the second fiddle to Roman Reigns from November 2015-WrestleMania 32.

[@TheONE-ll6lb]

True Roman co*k was sucked Vince and now Triple H is doing the same with his pet project Seth Rollins 😂😂

[@TopBasher]

Out of all of them Dean was my favorite

[@babarazamsucks]

@@TopBasherSame with me.

[@brightblackgrouse6236]

@@TopBasher He was my favorite during his US title reign but Rollins became and still is my favorite after his return in 2016.

[@ahmadceasar5484]

I always like Seth his hybrid high flying and technical style has always been my favorite style to watch

[@BadAssMacmillan]

The idea that The Rock only became number 1 after Austin left is pure revisionist history. The Rock was already rivalling Austin’s popularity in mid 1999 (he was getting crowd pops even as a heel in early 1999). In 1999, WWF named an entire show and video games series based on The Rock’s catchphrases (Smackdown). Rock and Austin even appeared together at the Emmy awards that year. They were the poster boys for the WWF at that time and both were the faces of the company. By late 1999, they were pretty much neck to neck (before Austin left). This proves that even If Austin never left, They would both share the number 1 spot and The Rock would eventually surpass Austin in the year 2000 and onwards.

[@Joe_Parmesan]

Definitely true. I think it is pretty apparent that if you asked people to say who defined the Attitude Era, most would likely say Austin. However, The Rock ascended to a level where he wasn't second fiddle anymore, for all of the reasons you stated.

[@pepito2847]

Well actually WWE really tried to give Rollins a main guy push in 2019 But due to a number of factors such as poor feuds with Baron Corbin and some comments Seth made on Twitter about the pay of other wrestlers from other promotions Fans weren’t into him as much as they were initially

[@Kalel2.0]

Plus his WWE championship run in 2015 didn't draw but despite that I think it's a combination of inconsistent and thoughtless booking and Seths immaturity at the time

[@terrancecarmichael619]

@@Kalel2.0Seth was only 29 at the time so it was definitely a tough role he had to adjust to.

[@jordannewsom3606]

​​@@terrancecarmichael619Cena was 28-29 when he was becoming the top guy

[@anonymousnobody326]

"Well ackchyually."

[@blank5768]

The fiend feud didn't help either

[@kyletangen9446]

The Rock was second fiddle to Austin? I am pretty sure that the Rock and Stone Cold were both the top guy back then.

[@senor_alikz]

That John Cena part couldn’t be more true. I was in high school when they started pushing Cena heavy and I used to despise him cause they made him out to be Superman but my sister, which was like 5 or 6 at the time, loved him because they turned him into Superman

[@animal_watcher775]

My sister also loved him😂😂😂

[@Horrorflicksnchill]

The top guy is the sports entertainer. The second fiddle is the pro wrestler.

[@Elishhh-yo6bw]

Fax

[@snowvalkyrie]

Like The Rock, Savage was no second fiddle. Savage was in a different class than Hogan. Remember the Savage wedding? Not a dry eye in the stadium! Hogan never made the crowd cry, but Savage sure did!

[@decepticonxhunter4850]

Hogan's role was to be the ultimate white meat babyface, not make ppl cry. The reason that ppl cried with Savage's wedding is because of the times where he was abusive towards Liz. They were crying more for Liz than they were for Savage.

[@Director2024]

Vince said that when Macho was WWF Champion the first time, they didn’t miss a beat.

[@rabidsalvation9021]

Randy was still being cheered at Wrestlemania 5 during his match with Hogan, and it to me the beginning of Hogan's popularity waning.

[@thatsbetter]

Seth was considered as a main guy in company from 2015-2019, so how can you tell that he is second fiddle...

[@Osman-kv1vw]

😂 he wasn't Roman was the one main wm have big feuds and have more an impact

[@thatsbetter]

@@Osman-kv1vw Roman was main by WWE not by fans and public, nobody gave a sh1t about Roman

[@Osman-kv1vw]

@thatsbetter so john cena wasn't liked by the fans, but Randy was more naturally liked but fans Yet he was the bigger star than randy You gotta deal with it the fact is seth was never or is never better than roman Even I myself don't like roman yet hes a bigger star than seth, even cody is surpassing seth

[@thatsbetter]

@@Osman-kv1vw no, John was loved by kids in that period, John won more then 10 titles that time, Roman won 3 titles, Seth didnt main evented every show in 2017-2018 but he was still on top, while everybody forgot about Roman until he won Universal Title against Brock 😂 You compared John and Randy to Roman and Seth... 😂

[@Osman-kv1vw]

@thatsbetter no I mean randy was clearly more over than cena overall yet was he the top guy Same with seth Hate it or not seth isn't even the second top guy he's the third now behind cody

[@monsterzinc9423]

I think the rock and Austin are tied…yes Austin’s star power started a tad earlier but when the rock blew up they were both the face of the company and I don’t mean heel/face I mean the poster boys for wwe they were so intertwined with each other that you couldn’t see one over the other in my opinion

[@nakathegreat9548]

You missed Batista from 2005-2009. John cena was number 1A and Bastia was 1B.

[@mikehailprod6756]

The Rock being second fiddle is probably the wrong part of this video. They both carried the Wwe in unique ways and when Austin left it didn’t feel like much of an absence with The Rock there. There’s a reason why alot of people put both him and Austin on mt Rushmore of the Wwe at the same time. 2nd fiddle would probably be mankind or triple h.

[@Blood-zz2kt]

I would also consider aj the top guy from mid 2016 to 2018

[@rkovsstunner9906]

@@Blood-zz2ktno it’s Roman Brock randy or Seth even charottle was bigger star

[@Blood-zz2kt]

@@rkovsstunner9906 no lmao Roman was the United States champion if I remember correctly womens wrestlers have never been the face of wwe aj styles was the face of smack down which was the better show and he was wwe champion

[@rkovsstunner9906]

@@Blood-zz2kt so sheamus has been Wwe champion was he the second top guy no Been champion doesn’t make u a top guy Swagger khail dolph are good examples

[@Blood-zz2kt]

@@rkovsstunner9906 none of them are even comparable to aj styles stop it get some help

[@silvermenyi8423]

This kid actually skipped the Shawn and Bret days.. wow.. 😮😮😮

[@Keelyn1984]

This would be the most controversial pair on the list. More than Austin/Rock. Who would you place over the other? Both Michaels and Hart have huge fan bases and imho there was no clear #1. Maybe a slight lean towards Michaels. I guess they tried to dodge a bullet by not mentioning these two

[@BAztid]

@@Keelyn1984 A lean toward Michaels? No way, you're revising history. Shawn was midcard for most of Bret's main event run.

[@joshuawainaina8103]

I feel they had a more equal rivalry once Shawn was a main eventer

[@BAztid]

@KrishanKumar-ec1ch Shawn was *not* number one during his second run. He was support to Austin, Lesnar and Cena. Michaels marks need to learn to stop revising history.

[@dumisatonyjohnson8145]

Bret was a top guy in late 1992/early 1993 as well as 1994 Both instances he was WWF Champion

[@ashtonkusher433]

Rock and Austin was 1A and 1B

[@riley_nunez]

Edge was the 3rd guy after Orton, CM Punk became the 3rd guy after Edge was medically retired. In Cena's early days as the face Batista was the number 2, as Batista got older Orton became the undesputed number and has been ever since.

[@IggyStardust1967]

OH! EMM! GEE!!! You actually went all the way back to the WWWF days. Man.... Zbyszko turning heel was my first REAL experience with that happening. I remember watching it on TV, that huge red "X" with the word "CENSORED" across it, because Bruno was literally POURING blood out of his head, screaming "WHY?!" the whole time. I sat there with my mouth hanging open, not really believing that Larry had turned on him like that. I mean, I was young at the time... so to me, it was all very real.

[@nept1974]

The madness will always be stronger than the mania, Oh Yeah, dig it

[@ktapreswreckd921v9]

😂 Lol.The madness and the Mania.

[@Director2024]

1a and 1b.

[@senorbusyman]

The Rock wasnt second fiddle! I find Rock tied with Austin as both top guys! Rock carried WWF on his back in 2000 & in 2001 during the Invasion. Triple H was 2nd fiddle to BOTH Rock & Austin

[@animal_watcher775]

He was 2nd fiddle from 1998-99

[@charliequirk7046]

The undertaker should be considered as the best 2nd star ,he did it in so many eras

[@kyriebest1574]

Lol yes and no he was treated more as a special attraction from day 1. He came and went as he pleased and we were just lucky if he appeared lol. He would always take long hiatuses from the ring.

[@rumblebird9888]

Nah Undertaker was more of a mainstay

[@Ghidorah_Stan64]

His position was more unique too. Usually when the average wrestler would face the top guy everyone knew who’d win. But Takers was something we’ve never seen before, he wasn’t the first or second guy in the company. But he was something who everyone knew would thrash the top superstars like nothing.

[@sedrickgipson8088]

I think the rock shared that top spot with Austin

[@rchopra535]

CM punk being number 2 was the whole core of the pipebomb. And he was right he should have been the top act and not be facing Kevin Nash 😢

[@petersonofleo11]

Ratings were lower in the Summer of Punk than the Cena vs R Truth feud that year. Summerslam 2011 with CM Punk main eventing got historically bad ppv buy rates for a Summerslam and that was when Summer of Punk was supposedely the hottest thing in wrestling. Summer of Punk only got popular with the IWC but the casuals were not interested. The casuals watch wrestling to see larger than life characters go against each other and lose interest when a character breaks kayfabe every single week.

[@andersonweir11]

Thank you only because of cena and spoken the truth

[@JesusMartinez-wf1cj]

​@@andersonweir11You know Cena praise Cm punk right?

[@jordannewsom3606]

​@@JesusMartinez-wf1cj Yeah for that specific run

[@nathansilva8141]

I'm surprised Triple H wasn't here. He played second fiddle during both Attitude and Ruthless Aggression Era.

[@snowvalkyrie]

The Rock is no second fiddle. As to him losing to Austin a lot, he was mostly a heal when Austin was a face. The face usually wins in wrestling PPV. Send the fans home happy was Vince's motto. That means The Rock must lose. The Rock is on equal footing as Austin in my opinion.

[@jmurdock8303]

I don't think Austin was as big as Rock when he got back. Rock popped the biggest rating on Raw I don't even think Austin was as big as he once was when he returmed

[@jaxonjaxoff3291]

Seth Rollins was fine at first but his current gimmick is Fran Drescher with a beard.

[@MR_DUALITY]

If you stayed the same then people would say he became boring

[@Dr_1212]

Not that vince is a top star but now i think i.m in charge H is still Second fiddle to vince 😂

[@shawnmichaels568]

I feel like it's the fact that Roman was getting pushed around 2015 - 2019, that made him a bigger star than Seth. You can feel his presence when he makes his entrance, While seth being clearly a better performer and master of character reinvention, Roman is definitely a bigger wrestler.

[@erikmartinez8814]

@ivanrenard3153and they chose right , him main eventing shows is the right call

[@jmurdock8303]

That's true he was a bigger star when Seth held the title

[@jmurdock8303]

​@ivanrenard3153Hmmmm Tell that to Cesaro and Micheal McGillicuddy

[@jmurdock8303]

@ivanrenard3153 obviously that went above your head. Heyman managed them and it went nowhere

[@animal_watcher775]

​​@@jmurdock8303eyman never properly managed cesaro..he talked about Lesnar while managing cesaro 😂😂😂

[@Karabo_Haru]

Andy you made a mistake at the thumbnail. In the photo, you wrote fiddles with 3 D's.

[@metalanarchy5186]

Randy Savage didn't overshadow Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 3 he had the better match but Hogan Had the way bigger moment in Wrestling history and Savage wasn't going to be in 2nd place after that it was supposed to be Ricky the dragon Steamboat but he got punishment for wanting time off

[@jdfromnyisgod1789]

So informative I love you andy

[@shawnmichaels568]

13:03 the Rated R Suuuuperstar!

[@SShaBazzz]

I would disagree with the Seth take. Reason being, he is actually by many fans of WWE considered the ACE of WWE. I've never actually seen such an even split between superstars. Seth and Roman have both carried the company until now. It's many fans who just tune in to see Seth. It wasn't like that with any other on the list. Hulk was clearly the guy, Austin could be argued like how Seth and Roman are, John Cena clearly the guy. But Seth and Roman,l not so much. It's why Seth hasn't ever challenged Roman for his championships. It's like they were doing two different career paths and two different objectives.

[@xernv2630]

Rock was NOT a second fiddle star bud, they both were number 1 and it was clear neither of them topped the other in terms of success. HHH was more behind the 2 of them

[@robertlogan5354]

much respect to you for saying 'solid number two' repeatedly without cracking.

[@kingofnewyork8818]

To call The Rock 2 is crazy I think you can easily call the BOTH 1 and argue it any way you like

[@mateomendez9271]

I’m biased but Randy is awesome. I always thought he was better than Cena but just doesn’t have the face of the company look. He w Always looked like a villain. Which in my eyes held him back from being a top guy.

[@azazelcaos]

orton is simply boring as a champ

[@bobbygermain9635]

When I see a new video from wrestling with Andy I click

[@JordanandTylerDAD]

Awesome video Andy

[@AustrALIEN666]

I'd love to see something about the oddities and insane clown posse in the WWF and WCW

[@Mariolira10]

The bloodline storyline has kept the rival chief character strong without it it would’ve been done with. Seth needs to be the tile guy

[@sean24833]

I never viewed the rock as second fiddle he never felt like number 2. It aways seemed to me there was two number 1 like batman and superman

[@I....l....I]

Facts Rock carried himself like he was number 0 🤣🤣

[@ruffin207]

Ehh for Cena i say Batista played more of second fiddle to him than Edge.

[@michaelvazquez7851]

Thanks Wrestle With Andy

[@BoereViking]

Savage > Hogan Change my mind!!

[@BlackenedLiam]

Correct

[@Miracle-lg7fr]

Saying The Rock was "clearly 2nd behind Austin" because he won 1 singles match out of 10 against Austin is one of the stupidest mark takes I've ever heard lol

[@SpaceViking2000]

Seth seems like a company guy, but he also seems to be one bad day away from becoming CM Punk 2.0. You can tell that he doesn’t want to settle for second place. As he shouldn’t, but WWE’s 8 something year investment on Roman has finally paid off.

[@SRC267]

11:33 for the epic stunner

[@hacksaw24]

I'd say Batista was Cena's #2 in RA over Edge, and where were Bret and Shawn

[@evanhammond7305]

Saying rock was second fiddle is like Saying HBK to is second to The Hitman

[@tejaswinithukral6534]

The only second guy in this list who was the closest No.1 Guy was The Rock

[@Director2024]

Macho was pretty close.

[@DieFrauAmHerd]

Ask Steve if he felt like Number one to Rock. As far as Steves Quotes go, he was pretty scared his spot was gone in 2000, he said himself that between him, Rock, HHH, Undertaker and all the other Rising Stars, he felt like everybody had to fight for the Top Spot thats what makes the Attitude Era really so Great, everybody gave it all to be at the top and it felt like everybody can make it. In the Super Cena era everybody knew they couldnt top Cena, so they didnt even try that hard, except for maybe Punk and the established.

[@rkovsstunner9906]

Randy edge Rey taker?

[@DieFrauAmHerd]

@@rkovsstunner9906 they are the established (its not a faction i mean the guys who were at the top before already)

[@rkovsstunner9906]

@@DieFrauAmHerd they wasn’t established beside taker Rey had his break out year in 2005 Randy in 2009 Edge 2007

[@DieFrauAmHerd]

@@rkovsstunner9906 And when was the Super Cena era i was reffering too? Certainly not before 2010, sure Cena was Rising since 2006 but even then Rey was already established, after Eddies death for sure, and Randy was in the Main Event Scene, if only briefly, before Cena, Edge is the only one i can agree on getting to the top as a singles guy, with Cena side by side since they really got to be top guys around 07 as you said, but again as singles guy, edge as TT champ multiple times, even tho WWE doesnt acknowledge those titles as big ones, is responsible for more noteable and industry changing things at this point in his career than cena ever will be, TLC, Ladders, Triple Tag Team Matches. Sure Cena accomplish a lot but he only worked, got titles but Edge with Christian and the Boyz, both dudley and hardy, made history.

[@paulcowlishaw]

Seth Freakin Rollins. But I think he's the bigger star.

[@TopBasher]

Roamn and Seth is like Stone cold and The Rock

[@animal_watcher775]

​@@TopBasherno

[@TopBasher]

@@animal_watcher775 yes they are as in Stone cold was the main guy but the Rock could easily be the main guy , Roman is the main Guy and Seth could easily be the main guy too that’s what I meant

[@tyreepowell8367]

I Love Your Video 📸 Wrestle With Andy And Keep Up The Good Work 👍

[@wayneblackney6009]

And during the late 90s 2000s and 2010s everyone were second fiddles to the GOAT The Undertaker

[@user-kf4hf8st1k]

Great video as always! 👍

[@StreetCammo]

Calling the Rock 2nd fiddle to anybody is asinine.

[@user-ue6wv8ho8i]

On that thumbnail Imagine a fatal 5 way between those 5 wrestlers at Wrestlemania It would be on fire...!!!!

[@animal_watcher775]

Warrior or rock wins

[@aaronsugar7228]

In the early 80's the only one who could pop a crowd more than Snuka was Andre (when he came to town). Backlund was good - and was probably the last WWF/E champion that truly had to be able to hold his won should someone try to go into business for themselves - but he didn't really wrestle on TV back in those days. Not knowing the full scope of the off screen issues back then, we were surprised he didn't get a brief IC title run.

[@johnm.castillo3163]

Triple H wasn't so much a second fiddle to anyone but I feel like hes never necessarily been at the top, and that's okay. He's always played a more supportive role and what I've heard from other wrestlers is how he'd wanted to be like the rock or stone cold. It's just how the business is. As for Randy Orton. He's more like an Undertaker or Brock Lesnar type. Not at the top but in a league of their own with interesting storylines. Ivory said it best how it's a variety show. It's different guys with different frames, personalities, etc. That's what makes it so awesome.

[@tmage23]

Cornette on Triple H: "The guy that worked with the guy that drew money."

[@WR288]

Triple H literally had a multi year run as the top guy while being a heel. It’s called the ‘REIGN of terror’ for a reason.

[@lancethefilmguy9392]

Just like Randy Orton, he was the #3 guy

[@madnomad3861]

@@tmage23 that can be said literally about anyone not named Hogan, Rock, Austin or Cena

[@tmage23]

@@madnomad3861 Val Venis vs Austin wouldn't draw anywhere near Triple H vs Austin. He's not a top guy (without his political machinations and marrying the boss's daughter) but he's just below that level.

[@savagebeast4063]

The rock was second fiddle to Austin in 1998 and maybe 1999 but in the year 2000 the rock was number 1 Austin even said it on his dvd that the reason he turned heel after wrestlemania 17 was because the rock was doing good as the number 1 guy, and in 2002 Austin left the company because he didn't have a wrestlemania match with hogan but the rock did and he was going to lose to brock lesnar on raw while the rock went on to mainevent summerslam with brock in possibly the greatest summerslam ever, and when the rock matches with hogan and Austin the year prior it was one of the greatest wrestlemanias ever with wm 17 and 18, and when rock left the fans wanted to to see john cena vs the rock and not Austin and wm 28 and 29 were the biggest box office wrestlemanias ever and its the rock vs roman that the fans want to see not Austin vs roman so i think the rock surpassed stonecold from 2000 and on

[@animal_watcher775]

Not surpassed they were equal in early 2000s

[@jipsumies3435]

Paul Bearer needs documentary like this!!!

[@geoffchurchill5492]

Ron Killings and AJ Styles having to wait their turn in tna for Jeff Jarrett to realise he wasn't the biggest star...

[@DavidLee-iu7nd]

For me, I was never a fan of either Hogan or Cena

[@savharris5702]

This was a pretty thoughtful topic, actually. There has always been slight degrees of separation. Even amongst the Creme De La Creme.

[@johnx295]

Seth is now the number three guy now that Cody is back. Cody is definitely more over and is being pushed as the much bigger star with the more important match/storylines.

[@LeendaDeborah2005]

He’s now the guy. The number one guy

[@JohnRigby5011]

Chris Jericho in the early mid 2000's/2010's, Undertaker at many times in his long career, Kurt Angle at times, Eddie Guerrero, There's so many

[@thelastquincy1457]

I gotta say your wrong about saying The Rock was playing second fiddle. When it comes to the attitude era people think of The Rock just as much as they think of Austin. It was far more of a 1A and 1B situation, and not a number 1 guy and the number 2 guy like you are saying.

[@broswhothinknetwork1067]

Austin at first was 1 but once he got injured it was rocks game with triple h 2

[@BadAssMacmillan]

Rock was already equal to Austin in late 1999 (before Austin left due to his injury).

[@Keanu_Bryant]

Seth in ring skills are at the absolute top of the wrestlers business

[@frayhua9716]

Second Fiddles is like being a sidekick for top stars but there's others Shawn Michaels,Jay Lethal,Ric Flair,Scott Hall,Jeff Jarrett,Brian Pillman,Booker T.,Dave Bautista,Brutus Beefcake aka Brother Bruti,Jon Moxley,Chris Benoit,Lex Luger,Bayley,Chyna,Shawn Waltman,Sasha Banks,Big Time Becks,Mr.T,Eric Bischoff,British Bulldog,Randy Orton,Sting and Mickie James.

[@idatemorino]

Can’t agree with the inclusion of the Rock here. I get the thought process but the one through-line that exists here for the rest of the folks on the list is that Rock actually held the top spot in moments when Austin was on the roster. Does no one remember Austin opening wrestlemania 18 while the rock main evented it? Oh.

[@jerodgraham6623]

Rock/Hogan was not the main event of WM 18. It should have been, but it wasn’t. Also, the only reason it wasn’t Austin facing Hogan was there was legitimate heat between them, otherwise it would absolutely have been Rock that was jerking the curtain with Hall or Nash.

[@jeevanpb3479]

Stupid take.you fool .first of all vince trash booking.second world heavy weight chamoionship prioritises more for vince and at the time ut had the weightage than any match at annual flagship event (wm).thats why jericho .hhh match was main Event​@@jerodgraham6623

[@Homer910]

There won't never be a Austin/Rock pairing

[@animal_watcher775]

Hogan/warrior?

[@Homer910]

@@animal_watcher775 yeah, but Warrior wasn't at the Level Hogan was. Not even close

[@fungames821]

Cena/orton

[@civildiscourse7626]

@@fungames821cena was clear no1

[@fungames821]

@@civildiscourse7626 austin was clear no1

[@liloiax22]

Hey bro(my b, idk your name) ...how the hell do you keep uploading videos on a consistent basis but have them all hit my personal mark of approval. haha

[@dannyrivera8300]

Rock and Austin Were 1A& 1B they pushed each other to become great and both are certified living legends

[@tinotica]

Even though he is number 2 behind Roman, Rollins still remains undefeated in ppv and televised title matches against Roman

[@mateol970865]

Seth Rollins was put in an impossible situation where he was pushed as top guy, but the office rushed into giving The Fiend the title when he was just a passing fad. Bray Wyatt takes chicken salad and turns it into chicken shit, so much so that he killed seth rollins' stock for a while. Glad to see Rollins pick it back up, be world champion, and still have time to be considered the top guy alongside Cody whenever Reigns goes towards hollywood

[@mateol970865]

@ivanrenard3153 oh baby, one day you’ll realize that bray Wyatt’s shitty and nonsensical characters hurt every single person he worked with. He’s into doing business for himself. Only guys to come out unscathed of a bray Wyatt program were cena, taker, and LA knight. Everyone else lost credibility and stock.

[@noni1292]

As I’m watching this I am just now realizing all my favorites were second fiddles….. They were the top stars to me Damnit!

[@heyrandy3323]

Honorable mention: Vegita

[@animal_watcher775]

Vegeta>>goku

[@kingabalos]

In the mid 90s the second top guy role would have to be Shawn Michaels, who nipped on the heels of Bret Hart, the face of the company. But Shawn soon took over, same way Rock did when Austin had to vacate the spot.

[@Director2024]

You mean 90’s….

[@kingabalos]

@@Director2024 Yes, editing comment. Thanks man