10 Big Wrestling Matches With Terrible Botched Finishes
9. Hulk Hogan Vs. Sting (WCW Starrcade 1997)
Billed as 'The Match Of The Century,' Hulk Hogan vs. Sting at Starrcade 1997 was supposed to be the grandest WCW bout of all time. It was the head of the New World Order against the group's biggest foe, and it would represent the culmination of 18 months worth of storytelling, with 'Crow' Sting finally scoring a big, decisive victory over the group that had consumed his home company.
What transpired was a complete embarrassment. The proposed finish was supposed to see crooked official Nick Patrick award Hulk a fast count victory, prompting special enforcer Bret Hart to restart the match before Sting eventually triumphed. Sadly, Patrick gave a legitimate, mid-paced three-count. 'The Hitman' had no choice but to run with the script, but viewers were left bewildered when the match resumed, as there was nothing wrong with the official's count.
Sting won via submission, but the botch sucked the life out of it. His big victory was tarnished, and the crowd were too confused as to why Hart had intervened on a perfectly good count. A theory soon emerged, suggesting that Hogan deliberately sabotaged the finish because he knew he wasn't going over, though this was never proven.