10 Classic Wrestling Matches You Didn't Know Bombed

4. The Rock Vs. Steve Austin - WWE WrestleMania XIX

Elimination Chamber Triple H
WWE

WrestleMania XIX is comfortably among the top five events in its history - many have it as #2 behind the immortal X-Seven - but it tanked at the box office despite its incredible card.

The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan - the three biggest draws in WWE history - each wrestled in a major, promoted attraction match, unlike X8 the prior year, on which Austin's match with Scott Hall was built and received as inessential, supplemental midcard fare.

The build was incredible, too.

The Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels story was so well done that it had to be penned by Vince McMahon's pool in 1988. The Rock glowed with so much villainous charisma that you could see him ascend to Hollywood, with a sh*t-eating grin, before your very eyes. Triple H Vs. Booker T was less "incredible" and more "worst thing company has ever done, absolutely f*ck Triple H then, now, forever" - but most everything else was cooking.

The blame for that astonishing 560,000 number - the worst since 1997 and a number 'Mania never again plunged to before the advent of the Network - was placed on Hogan's programme with Vince McMahon, the meta quality and disproportionate promotion of which obscured the timeless good guy versus bad guy in epic encounter formula that ordinarily sells the public on a fight.

Too much coverage was dedicated to the right ga-feud at the wrong-right time.

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!