10 Wrestlers Who Couldn't Hide Their Anger At A Botch

When the red mist isn't a blade job - starring Trish Stratus, CM Punk and The Rock...

Trish Stratus Thumb
WWE

Big E is an example to us all. If we all had a tenth of his attitude, genuinely, the world itself would be better off.

On SmackDown two weeks back, he was dropped directly on his head when Ridge Holland botched an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. He suffered a broken neck in the process. Facing a prolonged spell on the shelf, with one medical specialist theorising that his career might even be over, the man didn't express a note of bitterness. He provided concerned fans with an update on his health the second he felt physically able to do so, expressed his thanks that so many within and outside of the business had checked up on him, and subsequently recorded a video saying that he didn't have much to do. Instead of expressing bitterness or rage, Big E expressed gratitude. At most, he expressed boredom.

He didn't fire direct shots at Holland. He didn't go the passive aggressive route. He didn't encourage a pile-on in any way. He realised that he had experienced a scary near-miss, and was grateful that it wasn't as bad as it very nearly could have been.

He did not call Ridge Holland "f*cking stupid" or a "dumb sh*t"...

10. Shawn Michaels Has Big Balls, You Have To Give Him That

Trish Stratus Thumb
WWE

Shawn Michaels wasn't a pro wrestling hard man. He was a sexy boy.

He was famously beaten up by eight marines. It took several trained killers, per WWE lore, just to put him away. In reality, only one man subdued and put him down, though an addled Michaels was in no condition to defend himself. You'd think that this experience might have encouraged him to think better of running his mouth into trouble, but it didn't. The extent to which Michaels, suffering from the disease of addiction, is a sympathetic character is subjective. He battled something that stings with a sad familiarity to many. His treatment of Vader at SummerSlam 1996 however was unjustified.

Midway through a match that couldn't quite explore a thrilling dynamic to its fullest, given Shawn's reluctance to endure the full Vader experience, Vader failed to recall a spot and lay on the mat instead of rolling away from Shawn's diving top-rope elbow. Unwilling to waste a two-count, Shawn adjusted his body mid-flight, landed on his feet, and stamped on Vader's head, treating it like a piece of dog sh*t that had the temerity to find its way onto his shoe. "Move, dumb sh*t" is how Jim Cornette recounted the story.

Vader, aware of Shawn's influence and toxic means of wielding it, thought better of issuing a receipt.

Just as well.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!