10 Big Wrestling Matches With Terrible Botched Finishes
Nothing ruins a good wrestling match like a poorly-timed screw-up.
Kevin Owens and AJ Styles didn't have a great night at Battleground.
Their United States Title bout was solid, but still fell short of expectations, and the messy finish certainly didn't help. 'The Phenomenal One' lost the belt via pinfall following a referee bump, with the internet was soon awash with speculation stating that AJ was supposed to kick out and eventually emerge victorious.
This would explain why the US Title was switched back to Styles on SmackDown two nights later, but suggestions of a botched finished have since been countered by new reports. Nonetheless, the talk has succeeded in dragging one of the worst WWE PPVs in recent memory further into the mire.
Few things spoil a match like a huge screw-up at the conclusion, and if Owens vs. Styles did indeed end on a giant error, it certainly isn't the first time this has happened. There's no such thing as a good botch, but they're particularly damaging when they happen during the finish, and tend to become the one thing the bout is remembered for.
From malfunctioning equipment to lapses in concentration, these examples prove that sometimes, no amount of meticulous planning can prevent a botched finish.
10. Dean Malenko Vs. Billy Kidman (WCW Souled Out 2000)
Dean Malenko was one of the finest technicians to ever grace the circle. Blessed with an insanely high ring IQ, he lacked size and charisma, but made up for it with flawless chain wrestling skills and fluidity, marking him as one of his generation's crispest performers.
You'd think that this would make 'The Man Of 1,000 Holds' immune to big botches, but apparently not. Malenko's bouts were usually scientific, precise, and defined by outstanding technique, but he totally flubbed his lines when he wrestled Billy Kidman in a catch-as-catch-can match at WCW Souled Out 2000.
The bout was supposed to be presented as a classic catch wrestling match, harking back to the days of Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch, allowing both men to showcase their grappling skills. It utilised an old ruleset stating, among other things, that a wrestler would lose if their feet touched the floor of the arena.
Unfortunately, Malenko totally forgot about the stipulation: he slid out of the ring just over two minutes into the match, and Kidman was awarded an accidental victory.
To compound the misery, this was Dean's last WCW bout before heading to WWE a few weeks later. Didn't exactly go out on a high, then...