10 Dumbest Ways WWE Wrestlers Lost Matches

3. Ooh, Me Bloody Foot's Stuck, Hang On

Dean Ambrose TLC 2014
WWE Network

Several institutional WWE problems converged to make AJ Styles look a right t*t at Backlash '17.

Heels cannot win cleanly, so that result was out of the question - but WWE needed some way of prolonging the rivalry. The churn doesn't move itself. Every major programme must last beyond one match. So, with these two policies in place, the agents on duty devised a f*ck finish that was f*cking stupid. Kevin Owens avoided AJ's Styles Clash through the announce table. In the process, that bumbling buffoon AJ managed to get his leg stuck. This also required Styles to fumble around for some cable, and wrap it around his own feet to sell the idea that he was unable to escape of his own free will...even though he used his own free will to screw himself. Now, that obviously wasn't the intention - we weren't meant to see through the smoke and mirrors - but what an unenviable task that must have been, even for a guy seasoned in TNA. WWE's refusal to allow heels clean victories doesn't merely undermine them; it undermines babyfaces, too.

Now, AJ Styles is bulletproof. Nobody remembers this b*llocks, the 'Kami' zingers, nor the losses to Baron Corbin, when they think of him. But WWE has invited the risk more often than you might remember.

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!