10 Wrestling Matches With The Most Unexpected Consequences
2. Booker T Vs Buff Bagwell - WWE Raw 02/07/2001
When Vince McMahon bought out World Championship Wrestling in 2001, everything changed.
Fans waited with baited breath to see what would become of the Georgia-based operation, though none of them could have predicted this.
McMahon's original plan was to run WCW as a separate show, maintaining its original roster, championships, and branding. He even considered giving it Raw's coveted Monday night TV slot.
Those plans crumbled to dust after one disastrous match on Raw in July 2001.
WWE tested the waters for a WCW show by having their world champion Booker T defend the belt against Buff Bagwell on an episode of Raw. Unfortunately, because WWE had done nothing but present WCW as a bunch of chumps since the buyout, the fans dumped on this match hard.
Who could have known?!
As a result, plans were radically changed. The idea of a split was nixed and so began the Invasion.
Whilst it could be argued that this segment was always doomed to fail, it's a lot harder to say that anyone could have foretold that this one poorly-received match could have ushered in the biggest missed opportunity in wrestling history.