10 Wild WWE Matches You Forgot Almost Happened
Crazy cancelled WWE matches for Steve Austin, Roman Reigns, Vince McMahon, Triple H and more.
It's always fun when WWE teases a match on TV that doesn't end up happening. Typically, there are two reasons for doing this. One, it gauges opinion from the audience and lets the company know whether or not booking the bout would be a good idea. Two, it was never the plan anyway so they're just playing around before getting to the real story.
Swerve tactics, bro.
Not all of the matches here had a graphic to go with them, but they were pondered behind the scenes in creative meetings or amongst wrestlers. Some were cancelled because workers walked out on them, others 'cause they'd have cost too much money to put together, and one was even scrapped due to Vince McMahon feeling it'd be too much for his audience.
You won't believe some of the stories behind these pitches. WWE's writers abandoned one seriously barmy plot in 2017 and went with a more standard match instead, which was definitely for the best. Do you remember the original Sister Abigail? How about Steve Austin's pencilled-in challenge for SummerSlam 1999?
Everyone from Austin and McMahon to Roman Reigns and Triple H is involved. Enjoy!
10. Umaga vs. Jackass (SummerSlam 2007)
WWE laid the groundwork for this by having some of the Jackass crew take a beating from Umaga on Raw in October 2006. Unfortunately, Steve-O and Chris Pontius laughed throughout the segment, which didn't go down well backstage. As legend has it, everyone agreed to ditch the idea until USA Network suggested using celebs to bolster ratings the next year.
Jackass were back in the mix just like that.
Plans were put in place for cast members to show up at the Great American Bash and build towards a SummerSlam handicap bout vs. Umaga. Shane McMahon was heavily involved in this, because he was a fan of the MTV show, but it was never meant to be. Umaga didn't get to wreck shop on Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville, Wee Man and pals again.
Instead, the then-Intercontinental Champ worked a three-way vs. Carlito and Mr. Kennedy on the tentpole pay-per-view. He still got paid, but there's no denying the Jackass segment would've been higher profile than a routine Triple Threat. WWE couldn't make it happen.