10 Wrestling "Botches" That Were Totally Intentional

6. Sabu Botches For A Laugh

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The suicidal, homicidal, genocidal, smart-mark-working, death-defying maniac!

All wrestlers are workers, whether you care to admit that or not. The nice guy wholesome babyfaces like sh*tty tweets, the wrestlers are more interested in your disposable income than your earnest paragraphs of support, and the six degrees of separation between your favourite, innocent wrestler and an abuser means that absolutely deplorable, unpunished behaviour is tolerated, even indirectly. They know. We're all getting worked, all of the time, and it's so depressing to think about.

Some works are good, obviously. You want to convince the audience that you're totally f*cked because the comeback is so much more awesome.

Some works are bad, obviously. The more a wrestler insists that they hate their rival in "real life," the more you can picture the pair of them exchanging cry-laugh emojis in their DMs.

Some works are wildly counterproductive and are done purely for "the banter".

At least if you're Sabu.

According to Lance Storm, when the two men were putting together a match in ECW, Sabu pitched a spot in which they'd f*ck up a counter and fall in an awkward collision to the mat.

Sabu wanted to hear the "You f*cked up" chant knowing that he hadn't, to convince the fans they weren't as "smart" as they thought. The net result: the fans thought Sabu was sloppy, a reputation that didn't do his mainstream prospects much good.

Who's the idiot here?

 
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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!