7 WWE WrestleMania Endings That Were Botched

4. WrestleMania VI

The Ultimate Warrior WrestleMania VI
WWE.com

This one admittedly stretches the whole "botch" thing a little, but it's worth examination.

WrestleMania VI was supposed to be the dawn of a new era for the WWF. Hulk Hogan was old hat (he scuttled off into the sunset for a short while after this) and The Ultimate Warrior was a bold new replacement who would lead the company through the 1990s. The 'Ultimate Challenge' main event was painstakingly booked to reflect that Warrior was superior to his predecessor.

Come the end of the 'Title vs. Title' blockbuster, however, Hulk powered out of Warrior's match-winning pin right as the referee's hand slapped the mat for three. This one-man protest was an act of self-preservation from one of the savviest politicians in the industry, and it was Hogan's way of reminding everyone that he almost, almost kicked out.

Perhaps this was all part of the story and agents were keeping things open for a rematch. Perhaps. Cynics might lean towards Hogan pulling a quick ad-lib to tarnish Warrior's otherwise-definitive win, and maintain his own stranglehold on fan hearts, instead.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.