10 Biggest WWE Pay-Per-View Disappointments

1. Shawn Michaels Vs Mr Perfect (SummerSlam '93)

Goldberg The Rock
WWE.com

The dearth of legitimate superstars and in-ring talent in 1993 forced several unusual creative decisions that would have previously been unthinkable in Vince McMahon's once-thriving organisation.

WWE had a potentially excellent match in the offing as SummerSlam approached, and with Lex Luger's bus tour failing to inspire, the quality of the contest basically had to be guaranteed in order to sell the required tickets and pay-per-view buys.

This was the case of the long-awaited meeting of Mr Perfect and Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels.

Since kicking off their rivalry with a spirited brawl at WrestleMania 9 earlier in the year, Perfect and Michaels had sniped at each other for months. With battle lines drawn emotionally, the company out-and-out promised a scientific masterpiece for the ages from the classy veteran and the emerging starlet.

It never happened.

Relying on a series of listless armbars, headlocks and takedowns, the match didn't get out of first gear, with both forcing some unusually clunky spots and neither having the wherewithal to turn the contest around.

The finish was equally poor, with Michaels' bodyguard Diesel running Perfect into the steel post outside the ring for a weak count-out victory for the champion.

It concluded a bewildering style clash that WWE never again revisited.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett