10 Great WWE Matches With One Notable Botch
A great wrestling match doesn't have to be perfect, as these ten bouts proved.
For as long people have enjoyed wrestling, cynics have enjoyed botches.
There is something oddly satisfying about seeing a wrestler - famous or otherwise - go to hit a move and completely mess it up. From the hilarious to the harrowing, the funny to the frightening, the humble botch has given wrestling fans plenty to talk about over the decades and they continue to entertain us well into the 21st Century.
In theory, a botch should ruin a match. It looks awful, completely disrupts the flow, and exposes that wrestling is all one big work. However, this is not always the case.
Sometimes a match is so good that not even a huge botch can ruin it. Some are even made great by said botch.
The following ten matches can all be considered great in one way or another and all contain at least one noticeable botch. Some of the botches on this list are among the most famous in WWE history.
This is an attempt to prove that great wrestlers can work through a botch to still produce a fine match. If you choose to view it that way, then please do so. Equally, if you're just looking to laugh at ten people hurting themselves, then that is also welcome.
Here's the lost, I mean, list...
10. Sami Zayn Vs. Kevin Owens (Battleground 2016)
The story of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is a long and often confusing one, but its given us some amazing matches.
From Ring Of Honor to NXT to the main roster, the former Mr. Steen and Señor Generico have been bitter rivals, best friends, and everything in between.
The last great match they had together came in 2016 at WWE's Battleground pay-per-view. Zayn had debuted on the main roster a few months prior, had unsuccessfully fought KO for his Intercontinental Championship, and had already lost to him at Payback.
The two put on a compelling match, one that was both athletically impressive and beautifully told. It ended when Zayn hit his trademark Helluva Kick on Owens, held him up, and then delivered a second, decisive kick to put his rival away for good. However, the match almost ended very differently.
Zayn countered an Owens' apron powerbomb attempt and tried to hit an Arabian Press onto Kevin outside of the ring. However, Zayn misjudged the bounce of the ropes and almost landed straight on his neck. Ironically, it was his kayfabe enemy, Owens, who actually saved him here.
This match was so good that very few people actually remember this botch, but things could have gone very badly had Owens and Zayn not been such great friends in real life.