10 Terrible Wrestling Moments (Saved With One Genius Fix)

9. The WWE Scramble Match Genre

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WWE

The terrible moment:

"Terrible" is probably a bit strong; perhaps "flawed" is a better word.

"Interim Champion The Brian Kendrick" lives on in the niche wrestling lexicon, and would make for an amusing Twitter handle, but with all due respect to an excellent and underrated performer, that sequence of words hardly sings with the same gravitas as "Both feet must touch the floor". Like the Royal Rumble, the Championship Scramble was a Pat Patterson creation, but his usual genius deserted him here. Two men started the match, in which the last to win a fall would emerge with the title, after which three followed in five minute intervals. They were announced prior to it, removing any drama, and the crucial tone-setting first five minutes were largely pointless.

The genius fix:

The major irony about WWE, with its insistence that they "make movies," is that they are legitimately brilliant at promoting ballistic Fatal 5-Way spot-fests.

Vengeance: Night of Champions, Extreme Rules 2017, Day 1: this mad sub-genre is a guaranteed banger, and could inform a Scramble that might yet be saved. What if five men start, go hell for leather for half an hour, and shoot dopamine into fan's faces with relentless double-barrel barrages of near-falls and actual falls?

What if WWE finally just admits it is better at breaking a barricade than telling a story?

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!