10 Hyped Wrestling Rematches That Sucked
"Epic" wrestling rematches from WWE and beyond that got WAY too much hype.
It's the hype that kills you.
Some wrestling rematches can be awesome. Look at those back-to-back belters between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV and XXVI, for example. Or, for more repeat goodness, how about the big-boys-doing-big-power-moves magic Brock Lesnar and Goldberg pulled from... somewhere at 'Mania 33 after stinking up the joint 13 years earlier at XX?
Those are great examples of worthy reruns, but not every rematch works. Sometimes, wrestling tries a little too hard to cash in on what either definitely is or is perceived to be a hot issue, and the folks working the match just can't live up to the billing come bell time.
It's not challenging to see the logic in re-booking something, especially in the modern era; the people writing wrestling telly have a lot of programming to fill, and it makes sense that they'd try and get more bang for their buck from a certain feud before moving on.
The tricky thing is actually improving on the original. That hasn't been easy for wrestling over the years. Need some evidence? Try these follow-up wobblers on for size...
10. Braun Strowman Vs. Bray Wyatt
Where: WWE Extreme Rules 2020
Why It Sucked: The 'Wyatt Swamp Fight' nearly killed any excitement for more cinematic matches last summer.
WWE weirdly sandwiched an unwanted challenge for The Miz and John Morrison in at Backlash before returning to Braun Strowman's feud with Bray Wyatt. Oddly, their fairly tame effort at MITB before that was almost superior to this bells-and-whistles approach at 'The Horror Show At Extreme Rules'.
The production made the 'Swamp Fight' feel like a '90s episode of Goosebumps, and Braun's over-the-top facial expressions turned it into WWE's very own live action Scooby Doo - all one needed was Strowman to start saying things like, "Zoinks!" and "Jeepers!" for maximum banter.
Nothing about the brawl was satisfying. It was a misstep in a year seemingly obsessed with cinematics, and it shouldn't have headlined the pay-per-view. The fact WWE hyped this up as the second coming of 'Boneyard' pretty much says it all.