7 Times Wrestling Should Have Called An Audible
1. Kurt Angle - WWE SmackDown November 4, 2004
Kurt Angle in late 2004 fought Tough Enough hopeful Daniel Puder in a shoot match on SmackDown. The lowly status of his nobody opponent is why the segment made it to air; nobody counted on the extent to which MMA enthusiast Puder could hold his own. Angle wrestled him to the mat, but Puder caught him with a Kimura lock.
It was at this point Angle should have told Puder to relinquish the hold. His pride obscured common sense and his instincts to protect the business. He chose to remain locked into it, which rendered the aftermath ironic. Angle's reputation naturally took a hit - Puder was hardly a name in MMA circles - but the pain he endured was considerable. Many would not have been able to stand it.
In the end, the referee did call an audible - but by then, the damage to Angle's aura had been done. The quickness with which the referee counted the three, when Angle somehow rolled Puder onto his back, was transparent - as was the fact that Puder's shoulders weren't entirely pinned to the mat. The damage was temporary, at least; his incredible 2005, in which he wrestled one of the best matches in company history opposite Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21, cleansed him. Still, it remains an unenviable blot on his legitimate credentials as a hard man.
Good job he once bested Brock Lesnar in a backstage p*ssing contest.