10 Wrestling Matches That Did Not Go To Plan
Just because it's pre-determined doesn't mean wrestling is completely predictable.
In the old days, wrestlers wouldn't spend hours meticulously putting together a contest, ensuring each beat was hit at a specific moment in their allotted match time. Instead, these masterful stars would often call their entire bout on the fly and play off whatever reaction they were getting from the crowd in that building.
In this day and age, however, a lot of the matches we see on television are thoroughly planned out in order to make sure things go off without a hitch. That doesn't necessarily mean that things always go according to plan, though.
Time and time again we've seen a match flipped on its head due to an unforeseen circumstance. Be that a botched pinfall, spectacular accidental bump or just hilariously bad timing, when these unexpected incidents/blunders become a reality it usually leaves fans around the world questioning if what they've just seen should have actually happened.
It's always a good thing to be prepared. Yet, if wrestling has taught us one thing, it's that anything can happen once you step in-between the ropes and even the best-laid plans of mice and McMahon often go awry.
10. Neville Goes Down Injured On Raw (2016)
During a run-of-the-mill Monday Night Raw showdown back in 2016, Chris Jericho and Neville were involved in what has now become a fairly memorable moment of improvisation.
Neville uncharacteristically botched a rather simple baseball slide through 'Y2J's legs and broke his ankle, before trying to soldier on. Yet, Jericho quickly sensed that the match could no longer play out as originally planned.
After trying to forcefully roll-up Neville so that his colleague could receive the medical attention he required, Jericho was visually p*ssed when Charles Robinson failed to finish the three-count. The seasoned veteran then proceeded to shove and berate the ref, which then gave the official no choice but to end the match as a DQ victory for Neville.
In mixing his genuine frustration with an understanding of what needed to be done in order to get Neville backstage as soon as possible, Jericho managed to salvage the situation.
It may not have been as smooth an ending to a WWE match as we're ever likely to see, but it definitely helped keep Neville from further injuring his already pulverised ankle.
Also, it's always entertaining to see Jericho petulantly screaming in a ref's face, whether he's trying to aid a co-worker or just getting over how much of a d*ck he is.