13 Ups And 23 Downs For WWE In 2020

17. Throwing Down The Gauntlet

WWE Super ShowDown 2020 The Undertaker AJ Styles
WWE.com

Back in the days when fans were allowed at wrestling events, tens of thousands of Saudi Arabians (and many more wrestling fans around the world) got to witness an embarrassment of a match, all for a “prestigious” trophy: the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match.

The idea of a crappy gimmick match during these Saudi shows was not a new one, but this gauntlet match was probably worse than the Greatest Royal Rumble or the Best in the World Tournament. Put it this way: R-Truth “won” three bouts in a row, rolling up Bobby Lashley, falling on Andrade after they headbutted each other, and winning via DQ against Erick Rowan. This allowed AJ Styles to pick the bones and beat Truth, setting up a Styles/Rey Mysterio final.

But the OC beat up Mysterio, leading to a presumed forfeit for Rey. However, the Undertaker took his place and spiked Styles in minutes to win the “prestigious” tournament. All of that really happened. It was awful and insulting to fans.

It also was a funny way to give new meaning to the word “prestigious.”

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.