10 Classic Wrestling Matches You Didn't Know Bombed

1. The Four-Man WWF Undisputed Title Tournament - WWF Vengeance 2001

Elimination Chamber Triple H
WWE

'Bombed' is obviously used relatively - Vince McMahon would have been delighted with 315,000 for a B-show in subsequent years - but Vengeance 2001 was only a B-show in name; in stakes, star power and drama, this was an A-show that drew the worst buy rate of the year, trailing even No Mercy and the random quality of its Steve Austin Vs. Kurt Angle Vs. Rob Van Dam main event.

Again, and this runs contrary to anecdotal talk in the wrestling community, and various dramatic principles tied to the thrill of permutations in real sports: wrestling fans do not gravitate towards tournaments in significant number, which might explain that totally bizarre, very temporary decision of Vince McMahon's to rename them "eliminators" in WWE canon.

There's brackets. There are eight men. The winners advance. It is obviously a f*cking tournament. But if we don't call it a tournament, you idiots might not figure it out!

Chris Jericho famously defeated the Rock and Steve Austin on the same night, in what was an audacious booking decision and a night for the history geeks, as the WWF and WCW Title histories were absorbed as one ultimate prize of daunting, immaculate prestige.

But tournament apathy + "Lads the Fed has absolutely f*cked this Invasion" fatigue = bad, bad number.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!