10 Awful Wrestling Matches That Stunk Up Arenas

6. Sabu Vs. The Sandman - ECW November To Remember 1997

Warrior Goldust II
WWE Network

"This is going to be a war", promised Joey Styles as Sandman made his inimitable entrance.

Sabu cut this short by nailing him with a plancha, causing his beer to fly over the audience. It was the high point of the match. Sabu was nothing if not inconsistent; his first attempt at his triple jump moonsault saw him smash painfully into the Sandman's knees with his own.

From there, the match, compromised by the bargain bin aesthetic of its cheap-looking, tiny ladders, fell apart even further. Even less money was spent on the tables. Sandman stalled for time in the early going, in setting up Sabu for a table spot, by lightly hitting it with the back of his head. This weak impact was enough to cause the furniture to break.

The next table spot would have been successful - the table didn't break merely by draping Sabu onto it - but Sandman missed him entirely, guillotine legdropping himself through it.

A spot match by definition is almost bereft of psychology - this clunker barely contained any spots, and it dragged for an interminable 20:55. It contained nothing but stalling between spots which were either clumsy or botched entirely.

As disgraceful as Sabu's modern Twitter patter.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!