The WORST Wrestling Story Every Year (1989-2025)

1994 - Doink Vs. Jerry Lawler

Jerry Lawler Survivor Series 1994
WWE

How did the WWF book this and the Bret Vs. Owen Hart feud in the same year?

Bret Vs. Owen was a masterclass - incredibly sophisticated by Vince McMahon’s standards (naturally, Vince had to be persuaded by Bret and Bruce Prichard that brothers do in fact fight). It was the most believable conflict in WWE to that point, and perhaps ever; Owen had a right to feel held down, because Bret could have just tagged him at Royal Rumble 1994, but Bret had a right to protect his younger brother because he truly loved him and boasted significantly more big match experience.

God, the frisson of it all, the exquisite technicality boiling over at WrestleMania. It was amazing.

Jerry Lawler Vs. Doink, conversely, was the least sophisticated material of the year. Doink was by this point a terrible, shoot babyface clown, removed entirely from the brilliantly unsettling sad sack loser portrayed by Matt Borne. This was an embarrassing, brutally unfunny prank-based storyline. You were meant to point and laugh at Lawler getting a taste of his own medicine, for his roast comedy insults, but there was no relief because Doink was a preschool kids’ TV show character. Their only value is in hypnotising a restless child and granting an exhausted parent a moment’s rest. Doink, looking at WWF business, couldn’t even do that.

This led to a terrible match, a Worst of the Decade contender, at Survivor Series 1994 - in which the side-splitting punchline was watching little people get tripped over.

The Undertaker Vs. Undertaker feud was dire, but this was produced for three year-olds.

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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!