The WORST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2025)

34. 1992 | A Very High-Profile Botch

Terri Runnels
WWE

You can’t botch the main event of WrestleMania and not walk away with Worst Moment. 

It’s crazy how narrative works. It’s almost enough to make you believe in fate, karma, or some otherworldly force. The WWF was in deep sh*t in 1992. The walls were closing in. Scandal was about to engulf the entire promotion. Was the main event of the biggest show of the year really going to go well?

Not at all. It was omni-botched to a hilarious extent. 

Papa Shango was meant to interfere in the match between Hulk Hogan and Sid Justice. He missed his cue, and what was so wonderful about this particular botch is that he looked tentative when making his belated entrance. He looked like he wasn’t sure where to go, like a new timid starter at the office working out which chair is theirs. Shango’s chair shouldn’t have been so difficult to spot, though. He had to go to the ring, which tends to be in the middle of every single arena since the dawn of time. Just in case this wasn’t obvious, there was a spotlight leading the way. Shango was meant to be a dark, mystical character, which this rather undermined. Shango missing his cue meant that Sid had to kick out of Hogan’s leg drop, which was funny. Absolutely less than ideal, but funny. 

Shango’s interference was neutralised by Ultimate Warrior, whose soccer mom haircut was so awful that a generation of kids didn’t even believe it was him. 

The layers to this farce were something else. This scene wasn’t just risible in and of itself; it led to the worst story of the year.

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!