10 Wrestling Matches Built Around Botches
5. Bruno Sammartino Vs. Stan Hansen (WWWF, June 25, 1976 At Shea Stadium)
The potato punch king himself, Stan Hansen, did even more damage than usual when he got in the ring with the iconic Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden. The ace of the then-WWWF was over three years (!) into his second run with the gold when he put it up for grabs against Hansen.
The future AJPW legend wound up dropping Sammartino directly on his head, fracturing his neck in the process. Despite the severity of the injury, Sammartino was back a mere two months later for a grudge match with the master of the lariat. The pair's Shea Stadium rematch was built entirely around Sammartino looking for payback for the neck injury.
The botch, presented in kayfabe as a very deliberate takedown from Hansen, gave Vince McMahon Sr. a big money angle to run with. Due to his poor state of health at the time, Sammartino could not deal out the usual grand scale, 60 minute grappling fests he was known for. Instead, they played more to Hansen's style and put on an angry, fast-paced brawl where an incensed Sammartino had the cowboy running for the hills.
As effective as the match and angle was, the botch ultimately took a severe toll on Sammartino's health. Exhausted from the work load and the chronic pain, Sammartino informed McMahon Sr. he couldn't go on and dropped the title to Superstar Billy Graham in April 1977, 12 months after the Hansen botch.