10 Times Great Wrestling Was Ruined By Bad Writing

5. Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose (WWE Hell In A Cell 2014)

seth rollins dean ambrose
WWE.com

It would have been just as easy to list the infuriating Dusty Finish from Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose’s Elimination Chamber 2015 clash here, but Hell In A Cell 2014 has it trumped in terms of pure stupidity. This is one of the worst booked finishes in WWE history, and took a great deal of steam out of what was once a bitter blood feud.

Ambrose felt genuinely dangerous in the aftermath of Rollins’ Shield betrayal. The duo had spent the past couple of months warring back and forth, and after having his head driven through a pile of cinderblocks on Raw, Ambrose was out for blood. Their Hell In A Cell match should have been brutal, bloody, and uncompromising, but it lasted for less than 15 minutes, and the downfall started through a pontless stretcher spot.

Moments like this always kill a match’s momentum, and this one was no different. Ambrose and Rollins eventually rolled off their respective stretchers, but Kane interfered with a fire extinguisher shortly after. That’s when things got really dumb.

Just as Ambrose looked close to victory, the lights went out, and Bray Wyatt’s lantern materialised in the middle of the ring. A hologram projected from it, sending Ambrose into a trance and allowing Bray Wyatt to attack. Rollins won as a direct result, and Hell In A Cell closed with a scene resembling something out of a rejected Scooby Doo script.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.