Dean Ambrose / Jon Moxley – 895 Matches
The first recorded match of Jon Moxley was a tag team match against former WWE Tag Team Champions M&M on Velocity in 2006. Since then he worked in CZW, CHIKARA, WWE (jobber), IWA-MS, Dragon Gate USA, EVOLVE and FIP before signing with FCW in 2011. Ambrose continued to work in FCW, and sporadically in NXT (in dark matches) before debuting on the main roster with The Shield at the end of 2012.
Ambrose is one of the hardest working guys on the roster and has been since 2012. He’s wrestled hundreds of matches in a few years with some short breaks, but ultimately he shows resilience and a will to give back to wrestling.
“I owe pro wrestling. It’s the only reason I’m still alive, and it pisses me off, and it makes me sick, everybody else thinks wrestling owes them something. All the time, me me me, I should be champion, I should be a featured performer, I shouldn’t be paired with this guy in a team, I should get more mic time, I should get this, whatever.
I love pro wrestling, and I owe pro wrestling. It doesn’t owe me anything. Because it’s given me the only thing that makes me happy, the only high in this world that makes it worth getting up out of bed every day, and when it hits my bloodstream, and it courses through my veins, and explodes in my heart and the warm feeling coming over my brain, the whole world makes sense. And that’s what I owe pro wrestling.” – Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose)
AJ Styles – 987 Matches
AJ started his career wrestling in the NWA and WCW in 2000. and 2001. The landscape was changing, as the Monday Night Wars ended and WCW was bought out. AJ continued to work around the world in the WWF (as a jobber), APW, XWF, HWA, WWA, ECWA and ROH. He signed with NWA-TNA in 2002, and AJ excited audiences with thrilling matches in the X-Division and ROH. Not only that, but he worked in ZERO-ONE, IWA-MS, PWG, 1PW, and for a time he seemed to be everywhere.
Around 2008-2009, AJ ceased working in the indies and dedicated his time to TNA Wrestling. He worked in TNA til the end of 2013, and after a rewarding 11-year career as the promotions #1 star, AJ left and returned to ROH and Japan. Soon enough, he was the IWGP Heavyweight Champion (twice) in New Japan Pro Wrestling. His work in Japan intrigued WWE officials, and a short time later he debuted at the Royal Rumble this year. AJ is bound to be WWE Champion soon.
R Truth / Ron Killings / K-Kwik / K-Krush – 991 Matches
Truth has been wrestling since 2000. He started out as K-Krush in Memphis (MCW) til WWF picked him up and changed his name to K-Kwik. After a lackluster record (but much exposure as he was aligned with D-X), he jumped to NWA-TNA and changed his name back to K-Krush, then changed again to Ron Killings. The jump was the right choice as he beat Ken Shamrock (first world champion in TNA history) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.in 2002.
But the title win didn’t make his career; the stable 3LiveKru did. Killings joined BG James (Road Dogg) and Konnan to form the new stable, and they provided much entertainment for the Impact Zone. He soon started referring to himself as Ron “The Truth” Killings, which was later shortened to R-Truth in WWE. It seems like Truth isn’t retiring anytime soon, so expect him to reach the 1000 mark.
Jack Swagger / Jake Hager – 1000 Matches
He started his career as Jake Hager in Deep South Wrestling. Shortly after he was signed to OVW for a while, before moving to FCW. In 2008 he debuted as Jack Swagger in WWE ECW. He became ECW Champion in 2009, and World Heavyweight Champion in 2010. He didn’t see success again til 2012 when he defeated Zack Ryder for the United States title. He had a winning streak in 2013, including an Elimination Chamber win, but since then he’s continued to be used in the mid-card.
Sheamus O’Shaunessy – 1030 Matches
The number of matches is incorrect as he worked in Irish Whip Wrestling and British promotions like All Star Wrestling and Real Quality Wrestling. The first recorded match is his debut in FCW in October 2007. Almost two years later he debuted in WWE ECW as ‘Sheamus’. Since then he has wrestled hundreds of matches, won several World Championships, King of the Ring, the Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank. And he isn’t slowing down for anyone.
The Miz / Mike Mizanin – 1060 Matches
The Miz may be one of a few guys who worked their debut career match on a WWE PPV; he lost to Daniel Puder in a Dixie Dog Fight match at Armageddon 2004. He spent the following two years in DSW and FCW developing his character. He debuted on Smackdown in 2006, and in ten years has won many championships including the WWE Championship; much to the disdain of fans. He remains one of the most loathed acts in WWE. And he married Maryse .. which some would consider an achievement in its own right.
Seth Rollins / Tyler Black – 1069 Matches
The earliest recorded match is an IWA-MS/NWA match in 2005. He worked the indy scene for two years, which also included a TNA appearance (lost to LAX in a tag match), before debuting in Ring Of Honor. In December 2007, Tyler Black won his first major title, the ROH Tag belts with Jimmy Jacobs.
After winning more tag titles, he wrestled in ROH’s mid-card til a major breakthrough came in 2010, a victory over Austin Aries for the ROH World Championship. He lost the title a few months later to Roderick Strong, as he signed a development contract with WWE and started wrestling for FCW. Like ROH, Rollins became a Heavyweight and Tag Team champion in FCW. He was also crowned the first NXT Champion in 2012.
And we know the rest. Rollins debuted as “The Architect” of The Shield and became one of the most hated (yet missed) WWE Champions of recent times. He’s going to get the big return pop, without a doubt.
Kofi Kingston – 1078 Matches
Before signing with WWE, Kofi worked in the independent scene in promotions like Chaotic Wrestling. He was soon signed to a development contract the same year to DSW, FCW and OVW. He stayed in development for two years til debuting on WWE ECW (similar path to Swagger and Sheamus) in 2008. Kingston is a workhorse, and he rarely takes time off with injuries. Like others he has accumulated an impressive number of matches, which is largely down to the full-time WWE schedule.
Stardust / Cody Rhodes – 1120 Matches
Cody started his career in OVW in 2006. He didn’t stay there very long as he was called up to the main roster to face Randy Orton in 2007. Since then he’s been a constant on the roster in some form, and while he has yet to find the same magic as his brother and father (in sheer popularity), he has time to carve a legacy the family can be proud of. It’s ironic to note that Cody has worked more matches in his career than Goldust and Dusty Rhodes.
Randy Orton – 1126 Matches
Unlike Cody, Randy has surpassed his father in every way. He started his career in OVW in 2000, and remained there til his Smackdown debut in 2002. It wasn’t long after he was thrust in to a WWE title match with The Undertaker on Smackdown, and a jump to Raw ensured he would join Evolution. His career is well-documented, and is Hall Of Fame worthy. The real question is, does Randy have a place in the “New Era” when he returns?
Dolph Ziggler / Nick Nemeth – 1201 Matches
Ziggler is yet another guy to work through the development system in OVW, where he spent two years. As some may fondly (sarcasm) remember, he debuted as one of The Spirit Squad going under the ring name ‘Nicky’. Just like Swagger, Ziggler has spent much of his career as a mid-card guy who won the World Heavyweight Championship once with Money in the Bank.
He’s one of the best at selling and making guys look good, so it makes sense WWE has kept him around as a glorified jobber to the stars. Keep trying to break through that glass ceiling Dolph.
John Cena / The Prototype – 1220 Matches
Cena started his wrestling career in the indies for a couple of matches in 2001 before signing with OVW. Going under the name The Prototype, he won the OVW Southern tag titles with Rico. In 2002 he defeated Leviathan (aka Batista) for the OVW Heavyweight title. He lost the title to Nova as WWE wanted to bring him up right away, and a few weeks later he made his Smackdown debut against Kurt Angle.
And since then he’s wrestled over 1000 matches in 13 years, and dominated WWE for most of it. He’s like Marmite, you either love him, or you hate him. But either way, his passion is unparalleled, and injuries don’t keep him away for long.
D-Von (Devon) Dudley / Reverend Devon / Brother Devon / A-Train – 1266 Matches
The earliest recorded match in his career was a tag title match against The Eliminators on a ECW show in 1996, going under the name “A-Train”. A month later he started wrestling as D-Von Dudley in a tag team with Buh Buh Ray Dudley. And from there they went on to become the most decorated tag team in professional wrestling history. Over 20 years in the business, and D-Von can say he is one of the most accomplished and experienced.
Shinsuke Nakamura – 1293 Matches
Nakamura is one of the hottest prospects in WWE today as he steals the show every week on NXT. This is a guy who wrestled exclusively for New Japan from 2002-2014. He debuted in America at ROH/NJPW War Of The Worlds 2014 where he defeated Kevin Steen. ROH and NJPW kept the cross-promotion going, so Nakamura continued to wrestle in America.
After winning everything in NJPW, Nakamura decided it was time to seek new horizons and signed a contract with WWE. This was huge as Nakamura was one of New Japan’s biggest stars, and WWE has rarely used Japanese stars well in the past. His style and gimmick is heavily influenced on pop legends Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson, so with his natural charisma and mannerisms, he may become the biggest Japanese star in WWE history. Let’s wait and see.
(Antonio) Cesaro / Claudio Castagnoli / Swiss Chocolate Ice Cream – 1361 Matches
Cesaro took the indy route like others on the list, wrestling for IWA-MS, CHIKARA, CZW and PWG since 2002. His biggest success was in Ring Of Honor as one-half of the tag team ‘Kings Of Wrestling ‘ with Chris Hero. They won many tag team titles together. and at one point were considered one of the best teams in the world. After the team split, Castagnoli divided his work across the indy scene and Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan.
In 2011, he signed a development contract with WWE and debuted in FCW. He wasn’t there long as Antonio Cesaro debuted on Smackdown in 2012, defeating Tyson Kidd. And like others on the list, while Cesaro has seen success, he’s had lengthy stints of mediocrity which many fans have grown to resent as they see a lot more in him than the WWE brass. Will Cesaro ever break through and become a World Heavyweight Champion?
Hideo Itami / KENTA / Kenta Kobayashi – 1387 Matches
Kenta has had a lengthy career spanning back to his AJPW days in 2000. He signed with Pro Wrestling NOAH later that year, and became a mainstay for many years. In 2005 he made his debut in ROH (and America) by defending his GHC title against Low-Ki. His wrestling style inspired others such as Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and AJ Lee.
In 2014 WWE made the big announcement they had signed KENTA to a new contract, and he soon debuted on NXT as Hideo Itami. In April 2015, Hideo suffered from a legit shoulder injury and needed surgery. He was scheduled to be back in six months, but in January it was announced he had complications and was not scheduled back anytime soon.
Itami remains one of the most exciting talent in NXT, and his career will surely move forward if he recovers. All we can do is hope the complications don’t lead to an early retirement, because there’s many dream matches to be had. Itami vs. Nakamura anyone?
Chris Jericho / Super Liger / Lion Do / Lionheart / Corazon de Leon – 1391 Matches
Jericho doesn’t need much explanation. He’s been wrestling since 1990, and when you look at his record you will see he never gets injured. Y2J has taken breaks to pursue other projects, but when he’s back in the game he works all the live events and is generous in putting guys over. He’s a consummate professional, and exceptionally reliable. And that’s why he’s the ‘Best In the World At What He Does’.
Bubba Ray Dudley / Bully Ray / Brother Ray – 1411 Matches
Very similar explanation to D-Von, except Bubba has been more successful as a singles wrestler as he held the TNA World title twice. Bubba’s been working full-time since debuting in ECW in 1995. He’s another veteran who’s rarely seen on the sidelines, and is used because he knows how to draw heat, and he certainly knows how to put guys through tables. But will The Dudleys survive the New Era? Hard to say.
Big Show / Paul Wight / The Giant – 1558 Matches
Big Show is another who made their professional debut on a PPV. The Giant fought Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Championship at Halloween Havoc 1995; and won by DQ. Six months later he beat Ric Flair to claim the WCW title for the first time, and in 1996 he defeated Hogan for the title at Hog Wild.
Despite his young age and lack of experience, he picked it up (how to work) quickly and WCW had faith in his natural ability. The Giant worked in WCW til 1999, and after stating to WCW management he wasn’t happy making a fraction the other guys were making, he left the promotion and signed with WWF.
The rest is history. Big Show became a mainstay, and has worked on hundreds of cards since his memorable jump in 1999. He remains one of a select few (on the current roster) who never worked in a development territory or independent promotion before debuting on a major show. He might be in the twilight of his career, and with crowds chanting “please retire” combined with the ‘New Era’, I wouldn’t be surprised if he retires in the next year or two.
Kane / Diesel II / Isaac Yankem, DDS / Unabom – 1659 Matches
Kane’s total matches may not be accurate as he wrestled under the names Angus King (1992) in CSWA, Doomsday in USWA, and The Christmas Creature in SMW before his first recorded match (under the name Unabom) in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1995. Later that year he debuted at WWF Summerslam under the new gimmick Isaac Yanken DDS, against Bret Hart.
After a lackluster run as a dentist, WWF decided to repackage him as Diesel II after Kevin Nash & Scott Hall left for WCW. He had a short, yet successful run as Diesel II before disappearing completely following Royal Rumble 1997. Ten months later his career took off as he was repackaged as The Undertaker’s brother Kane, and we all remember his debut at Badd Blood 1997 in a Hell in a Cell.
And since then Kane has remained the most booked WWE wrestler of all time. He holds the record for working the most matches in WWE, and at the age of 49, we can only speculate how many cards he has left. With the New Era kicking off, and the heavy emphasis on new stars, veterans like Kane and Big Show have been sidelined, and there’s no telling when they’ll return, or if they will return at all.
And I’m happy to say you have reached the conclusion. When you take a look at the database the site has compiled, it shows how frequently WWE superstars are working, and for years the pace has been considerably high. When wrestler’s have to work as much as they do, not only are they prone to repetition, they become susceptible to making mistakes and causing injuries.
I can imagine some of the guys running on auto-pilot, as they’ve worked so many matches it becomes second nature. It’s like .. if you’ve seen one Big Show/Kane match, you’ve seen them all. It’s difficult for wrestlers to stay motivated when they wrestle so often, and it’s even harder to break habits of a lifetime and keep it fresh. Also they wrestle ‘safe’ because they know it’s about longevity, and not about going overboard for the sake of the match.
This is why WWE restricts risky moves, and discourages stiff strikes and dangerous spots. It’s easy to say they need to wrestle less, but we know WWE is about bringing it all the time, and there’s no down period. It’s all about the money at the end of the day, and that’s not going to change. So on that note, I’m clocking out for the night, I’m checking out of the building, and thanks for reading as always!
