10 Most Embarrassing Wrestling Botches Of 2021 (So Far)

Io Shirai vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm

NXT Women’s Championship

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

In another case of the botch being outside of the performer’s control, Shirai, Martinez, and Storm managed to put on a solid triple threat displaying technical skill and at times sheer wincing brutality. However, as Toni attempted to take the match to the next level, clearing the announcer’s table, it collapsed under a phantom impact.

Reviewing fan footage, the collapse seems to occur from the announcer’s side when Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, and Beth Phoenix manoeuvre themselves out of the way.

It was a noticeable peek behind the curtain showing the inner workings of professional wrestling, but Storm to her credit recovered from the botch well, and the spot, while embarrassing, didn’t stilt the match too much. The person who most took the error to heart was the father of NXT, Triple H. During the post-event conference call, he addressed the botched spot:

“In that moment, there’s nothing for me than just hating the fact like ‘Ugh!’. There’s nothing you can do about it, but you feel terrible. You want to be able to give them everything that you can, and you want them to succeed, and you know what it’s like when that stuff happens. You hate it for them, but it is what it is, and they are pros, so you move on.”