10 WWE Matches That Were Spoiled Before They Happened

Never in doubt...

Finn Balor Andrade
WWE

We, the always-wrong wrestling media, make the point of keeping a hand in the predictions game no matter how often a bunch of relatively educated guesses are swept aside by Sports Entertainment surprises. Pro wrestling booking is supposed to shock and delight in equal measure, with twists a reasoned expectation on a regular basis in order to furnish matches and storylines with satisfying conclusions.

The game shouldn't be up before the bell rings.

There are cases where it's absolutely vital the company deliver what they're theoretically promising - Lars Sullivan can't be booked against Kalisto and lose, nor would anybody want to see it. The Undertaker scared Shawn Michaels straight in 1998 not just to make a point to 'The Heartbreak Kid', but for the future of the entire company. Triple H had to lose to Booker T at WrestleMania XIX after all that bigotry and-

Anyhow, regardless of how obvious a result may be, it doesn't mean the organisation shouldn't try to find a way to make it seem a faint possibility - it's a failure of the promotion if they don't. Amidst changes so profound that the company doesn't even look like the one it used to, one of WWE's key tenets remains in tact - promote. Promote potential. Promote possibility. Promote promise, if it's required. Don't, as with the matches below, promote frustrating inevitability and give away the ending before it's even begun...

10. The Undertaker Vs Mark Henry (WrestleMania 22)

Finn Balor Andrade
WWE

Few believed Brock Lesnar could beat The Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak right up until the point he actually did. Treat yourself to the footage for the millionth time and consider how the crowd might have looked had they been frenzied over a finisher by Shawn Michaels, Triple H, or even a young Randy Orton firing off one of his most important ever RKOs at that point.

These were false finishes that temporarily allowed the audience to forget the near-impossible feat that faced Undertaker's foes. Brock's third F5 - despite WrestleMania's once-protected own three finisher rule - wasn't considered a death blow until 'The Deadman' stayed down.

Contrast that shock with the level of interest in the total formality that took place in 2006.

Mark Henry hadn't yet earned the good graces of the wider wrestling populace with his "Hall Of Pain" schtick. Undertaker hadn't yet evolved into the Superstar superworker he became just one year later. WWE hadn't yet tried to come up with something - anything - between them that signposted anything but another victory for the WrestleMania legend. Yet, for nearly 10 minutes, the audience were asked to believe the absolute f*cking impossible, and weren't even fed a pinfall for a payoff.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett