7. The Great Mickie James/Gail Kim Botchfest Of 2009
This messed-up ending to a classic encounter is notable for existing in two basic forms online one, like this, that includes the missed crossbody from the second turnbuckle, and one that kicks off straight after it. The latter video makes it seem as if James and Kim are contestants on Diva Search, incapable of setting up or executing moves correctly, or the transitions between them. We see an attempted DDT in which James goes down but Kim stays upright until collapsing under James weight (while commentator Jerry Lawler covers for the audience at home by displaying surprise at Kim blocking the move). We then see Kim stand back upright, James execute a high kick that whistles past Kims face to no reaction, followed by a swift forearm to knock her down for the pin. As experienced viewers can tell, and as the video that includes the crossbody makes clear, Kim was knocked loopy upon landing and was barely conscious for the remainder of the match, hence the botched DDT and the botched selljob for the kick. Scuttlebutt (like gossip after a can of spinach) says that James got it in the neck from road agents after the match for expressing her frustration in the ring at the screwed-up finish, as well as for improvising a listless forearm smash to bring in the pin. Luckily Kim recovered in full shortly afterwards.
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