100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
59. Brock Lesnar Recovers From Disaster (WrestleMania XIX)
Kurt Angle had nerves of steel to lay flat out watching muscle mountain Brock Lesnar come spinning towards him at WrestleMania XIX. Then, disaster struck. Brock's shooting star press attempt went wrong, and the 'Next Big Thing' landed smack bang on his head and neck. On commentary, Michael Cole tried to cover for the botch by claiming Angle rolled out of the way.
That wasn't true, but the spot still looked spectacular nonetheless. Seattle reacted with the kind of oomph would one expect upon seeing a man the size of Lesnar pulling out such an aerial move. Brock had performed the shooting star successfully before, but he was warned against trying it in the main event of 'Mania without even rehearsing the thing earlier in the day. Lesnar thought it'd be fine.
He was wrong.
So, why is this mistake on a list called '100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments'? Not only did it still look impressive, but there were a few other things at play: Brock suffered a concussion after nearly crushing himself under his own weight, and Kurt went into this match rehabbing a broken neck. This is exactly what people mean when they say pro wrestlers have to be crazy to do what they do.
Somehow, Lesnar managed to recover in time to snatch an F5 and put Angle away for the three count. His botch became legendary, but everybody was most impressed by the way Brock shook disaster off and managed to finish the match anyway. Photos catching him mid rotation are downright scary to see now.