10 Times Stipulations Ruined Wrestling Matches
9. Billy Kidman Vs. Dean Malenko - WCW Souled Out 2000 (Catch As Catch Can)
Vince Russo, untethered by Vince McMahon's strict regulation, let loose his raging id all over WCW at the turn of the millennium - that it died just over a year later is no coincidence.
His decision to open the Souled Out 2000 pay-per-view with a hot opener between cruiserweights Dean Malenko and Billy Kidman would have been a sound one - it promised fast-paced action, designed to warm up and unglue the crowd - but in Russo's hands, he contrived to ruin it. The rules were simple, but so regressive - it felt like a rib at the expense of WCW's traditional, technically-minded fanbase - that it was little wonder that even mechanical wizard and veteran pro Malenko unintentionally lost his Catch As Catch Can match with Billy Kidman.
The rules stipulated that both men were confined to the ring - but it defied all advancements of ring psychology developed over the previous thirty years that, to Malenko, taking a heat-seeking breather to the outside after two minutes was as natural as ensnaring an opponent in a headscissors.
"The match is over, isn't it?" Tony Schiavone on commentary. He wasn't sure, either.