10 Wrestling Matches That Collapsed In Front Of Everybody

3. D-Generation X Vs The Brothers Of Destruction (WWE Crown Jewel 2018)

Shawn Michaels Randy Orton
WWE.com

The Undertaker, Kane, Shawn Michaels and Triple H allegedly earned a awful lot of money to work one night in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel 2018, but the resultant outcome was proof when hardly any was needed that riches will always corrupt.

It would have presumably fallen to 'The Game' to keep a firm hand on the tiller in this one, but when he sustained a brutal injury early on, all bets were off. The Undertaker's aura was further stripped back after another clash that made him look long beyond his best before date. Kane had long sold himself out for kayfabe authority figures and IRL governmental gains, but was expected to still be the 'Big Red Machine' decades after such a thing could still instil fear.

And so it fell to Shawn Michaels to steer the ship. Unfortunately (and not unexpectedly), the one man who'd perhaps been retired too long to just snap back into action had been retired too long to just snap back into action.

These were not the four men that left the original Hell In A Cell match in 1997 having collectedly crafted one of the greatest moments in the history of the industry, nor even the three that ended an era at WrestleMania 28. These were the ageing exhausted versions doing something resembling their best to justify what made them such a draw to the Saudi Arabia Sports Authority in the first place.

Kane's mask and wig falling off was not part of the deal. Any deal.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett