10 WWE Matches That Were Spoiled Before They Happened
6. Triple H Vs Batista (WrestleMania 35)
Back once again with his ill behaviour, it's Triple H, telegraphing the end of his plodding WrestleMania effort with Batista if not just how f*cking long he'd insist on it going on the night itself.
A brilliantly-produced beatdown of Ric Flair on his 70th birthday by Big Dave had set the contest up, but retrospective reflection will surely position that moment as the peak of the angle. Their back-and-forths on Raw were memed into oblivion, whilst the match itself was famous more for Batista's wide-eyed fear of having his nose ring ripped out - but none of it mattered because Triple H had needlessly promised to retire if he lost.
It was utterly impossible to believe he was losing a match he otherwise would have potentially struggled to win - not least when the company made absolutely no effort to tease his potential exits with the sort of video packages used for his 2002 and 2007 returns. On the same show as Kurt Angle's legitimate WWE in-ring exit, it was an absurd request to make of the audience's suspension of disbelief when they were already being asked to receive a slow-motion war several hours deep into a bloated card.