7 Awesome Wrestling Matches (That The Critics Hated)

2. Jake Roberts Vs. Rick Martel - WWF WrestleMania VII

Three Stars
WWE

Dave Meltzer "awarded" this match with the dreaded 'DUD' rating. He credited both men for working within the confines of the unique Blindfold stipulation, but wrote that "as a wrestling match, this would have been negative as many stars as are in the Texas sky."

Meltzer also deflects criticisms of certain promotions lacking "psychology" with a quite reasonable statement: the best wrestling psychologists understand and play to their specific audiences to seek the maximum reaction.

Jake Roberts was one of the best wrestling psychologists. He knew that his young, innocent fans wanted him to seek retribution against Rick Martel at any cost. Those fans were haunted by the grotesque sight of Roberts' left eye, peeled back white by Martel's cologne. It wasn't, obviously; he wore white contact lens to put the bit over. We weren't to know.

Roberts did nothing, barely a thing, except reach out and feel for his opponent. The genius of it is that he compelled the crowd to direct him towards Martel's richly-deserved reckoning. It was pure manipulation in the best possible way, and when he finally located and DDT'd Martel, the place went nuts. It was hokey, it was overlong, they definitely could have wrestled a better wrestling match - but it was incredibly effective. They understood and played to their specific audience, and received the maximum reaction.

In a week in which Hiromu Takahashi broke his neck in the grim, inevitable conclusion of his ultra-reckless style, the genius of this sort of match - with some irony - becomes all the more illuminated.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!