10 Wrestling Matches Built Around Botches
3. Sami Callihan Vs. Eddie Edwards (Impact Wrestling- June 7, 2018)
The baseball shot heard around the world led to a rebirth of sorts for Eddie Edwards. Known for his technically sound, hard-hitting bouts with the likes of American Wolves partner Davey Richards, Bobby Lashley and Naomichi Marufuji, the talented, if slightly bland, Edwards found a new side of himself in 2018.
During a post-match brawl, Sami Callihan placed a chair by Edwards' head before hitting it with his baseball bat. What no one had prepared for was the bat bouncing off the chair and into Edwards' face. The force of the rebound shot broke Edwards' nose and orbital bone with many saying he was lucky the damage wasn't even worse.
Despite reportedly feeling terrible about the botch in reality, Callihan used it to his advantage on screen for maximum heel heat. Edwards, meanwhile, used the setback as a creative opportunity to reboot his image. Returning to TV as a dangerous, hardcore brawler, Edwards ultimately won the feud with Callihan, defeating him both at House of Hardcore and in an unsanctioned bout on Impact.
The unsanctioned match proved an effective climax to a blood feud born of an all too real disaster. With the implication that the facial injuries had driven him to madness fresh in everyone's heads, Edwards was booked to attempt a murder on Callihan before cooler heads intervened. An incredibly dark moment for Impact, the feud remains a talked about fan favourite to this day.