Top 5 Jobbers in wrestling history

Jobbers, also known as enhancement talent, curtain jerkers or even ham and eggers, were once an intrinsic piece of the professional wrestling puzzle. Their job was to make their opponents look like a million dollars. This was usually accomplished by being an out of shape schlub in non-descript spandex who would routinely get roughed up by someone who had their own action figure.

After the Monday Night Wars decimated the talent pool, jobbers vanished in favor of more marketable superstars. For over 15 years, it seemed as if jobbers might never make their way back to the main stage. This summer, however, the WWE decided to split their already injury-plagued roster in half, giving hope to a new crop of hopeless underachievers.Enter James Ellsworth.

James Ellsworth is the right guy at the right time; the perfect jobber for the modern era. With the physique of a half-melted Ken doll, and a chin perfectly suited for a meme-crazed fanbase, James connects with fans on every level. Children can get behind his earnest, “any many with 2 hands,” underdog promos while the cynical internet wrestling community feels free to ironically love him for being the antithesis of Vince McMahon’s prototypical superstar.

With a number one selling t shirt and spot in Smackdown’s main event scene, Ellsworth could already be the most successful jobber of all time. However, when looking at the all-time greatest jobbers in wrestling history, success and jobbing do not go hand in hand. James has a lot of losing left to do if he ever wants to be considered among the best of the worst.

Here are history’s greatest losers! The top 5 jobbers in pro wrestling history.

5. The Gambler

If you were anything like me in the early 1990s, a blossoming social life didn’t get in the way of spending your weekends watching The Gambler become WCW Saturday Night’s greatest doormat. He amassed an impressive 0-21 record, putting over such legends as Norman Smiley, Ice Train and Scotty Riggs along the way. Sporting a shiny jacket and a deck of cards, the living embodiment of a Kenny Rogers song never quite knew when to walk away or when to run.

4. Villano V

In Mexico, the mask is a symbol of great pride for a professional wrestler. In the United States, it was simply a tool for hiding the shame and anguish of being a lifetime jobber. Villano the 5th came from a proud tradition of ambiguously evil luchadores. Whether it be in tag action or singles competition, Villano only managed a few victories while gracing Superstation TBS. It should be noted that Villano did main event a pay per view with Kevin Nash. Sure, it was a 60 man battle royal, but still.

3. The Brooklyn Brawler

Go up to any wrestling fan over the age of 30 and say the word jobber. Without fail, the first person that will materialize in their brains is the legendary Brooklyn Brawler. With a 93% career loss rate, it’s impossible not to include the man in the tattered jeans and ripped Yankees shirt when making a list of wrestling’s greatest losers. Throughout his legendary career, he racked up 283 losses! He would be higher on this list, but loses points for having his own theme song, a short run with Bobby Heenan as his manager and for having the audacity to actually win a match on pay per view.

2. Barry Horowitz

With a self-assuring pat on the back and smug look on his face, Barry Horowitz jobbed his way into the hearts and minds of every 80s wrestling fan. Barry had the unique ability to make fans want to see him lose despite already being 100% sure he would do just that. To the surprise and delight of the fans, Horowitz would eventually come out on the winning side, nabbing an unlikely televised victory over Bodydonna Skip on Monday Night RAW. Throughout his time in the WWF and WCW,  Barry boasted a 94% career losing percentage. 51 losses in the WCW and 279 times his shoulders stayed down for the 1-2-3 in a WWE ring. That, my friends, is jobbing worthy of a pat on the back.

1. Dusty Wolfe

Oh, what, did you forgot about Dusty Wolfe? Exactly! Like the Faceless Men in Game of Thrones, the best jobbers are no one! Resembling the generic blob of flesh you start with in every create-a-wrestler video game, Dusty Wolfe was the quintessential jobber of the late 80s and early 90s. Equipped with only a mullet and a low rent pair of tights, Dusty (or Dale as we has called when Dusty Rhodes entered the WWE) could make Virgil look like AJ Styles in the ring. You can have Goldberg’s 173 wins or Undertakers 21 straight Wrestlemanias. I’ll take Dusty Wolfe’s streak over those any day! 130 matches in the WWF, 6 in the WCW and Dusty finished every single one of them haplessly looking up at the lights. As a consolation for his years of losing, Dusty is one of 5 wrestlers in the U.S. licensed to use the Doink the Clown gimmick on the independent scene.