10 Wrestling Matches That Pissed You Off Straight Away

5. Extreme Elimination Chamber (ECW December To Dismember)

Britt Baker Big Swole
WWE

The December To December 2006 pay-per-view used to be the go-to event that could show any fan what the very worst of pro wrestling could be capable of before WWE entered this particularly putrid era of experimenting with the very form of the thing they're supposed to be the market leader in.

But when legendary snake oil salesmen Paul Heyman could flog this sh*t in a promo just before the bell rang, you knew the wrestlers were doomed.

Bobby Lashley was the eventual winner, and his victory was not received as WWE would have liked. But the start barely matters compared to what went down at the beginning. Sentimental favourites CM Punk and Rob Van Dam were the last two hopes for an audience that had endured a rotten evening's entertainment, reduced in their number by one when Sabu was kayfabe injured on the night and replaced by Bob Holly. Naturally, to ensure there was absolutely nothing to enjoy about this thing, Punk was eliminated by first by Van Dam himself before the 'Whole F'N Show' was easily dispatched by Test.

The rationale was to get them gone so big Bobby could have his moments, but Vince McMahon - as with today's product - forgets that fans can remember things that only just happened moments ago. Most things in wrestling age well eventually, but it's been 15 years and we're all still waiting for this stale old cheese to mature.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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