The ‘botch’ is a common trend in the WWE, as this is live action. Just like you might occasionally see a professional actor flub a line on a Broadway stage, the WWE’s best have had moments where things don’t go according to plan either.
Some botches can result in disastrous outcomes, but others can elevate a match, either in a comical, dramatic, or visceral moment that makes you mouth the words ‘oh my god’.
We’re going to take a look at some botches that elevated the matches or the moments they took place they took place in to legendary status.
10The Shockmaster Debuts
He Will Shock the World
Ah, the Shockmaster, what a creation. What an idea. This disaster of a character managed to make his debut in a room full of some of the biggest wrestlers of all time, such as Sting, Booker T, and Ric Flair, and yet, he stole the show.
Now, he didn’t steal the show because he was magnetic, an amazing talker, or because they looked great.He stole the show because he tripped over himself and fell through a wall.
As if that car crash isn’t enough, he then delivers a promo in a glitter-covered Stormtrooper helmet with a voice that can only be described as a seductive Cookie Monster.
The match that would take place in the following Fall Brawl did, in fact, feature that glittery Stormtrooper himself. The whole time, the announcers tried building this clearly doomed character, and it made the entire thing so damn funny to watch.
The craziest part is that he didn’t even wrestle in the helmet; he just put on a construction shirt and some jeans. But, most egregious of all, they actually booked him to win the match. It’s a wild moment in booking history that you will likely never see happen again.
8Shane O’Mac Pays Homage to His Father
Like Father, Like Son.
WrestleMania 39 was wild for many reasons, but one of the craziest moments was highly unplanned. The Miz and Snoop Dogg were hosting, and all of a sudden, we got a Shane McMahon appearance, and a huge pop, which led to a match breaking out.
It was never going to be a 5-star match, but it was always going to be fun. I’m sure what was planned would have been a laugh, but arguably, what we got was even better.
Shane goes for a leapfrog and overshoots it a bit, landing awkwardly and immediately tearing his quad. This led to a quick panic in the ring as nobody knew where to go.
This can happen on a random RAW or SmackDown, but this is WrestleMania. Amazingly, the Miz and Snoop Dogg pivoted, and Snoop Dogg laid a punch into the Miz that didn’t look remotely fake.
Hard to know who called what there, but the moment was shocking and got a massive pop from the crowd, turning a disaster into something that at least ended in a fun moment.
7Titus Slips
A Terrible Match Takes a Hilarious Turn
The Greatest Royal Rumble was a terrible event that was bloated in all the worst ways and, while the WWE was trying to make the event as grand as possible, it was way overbooked, and it ended up just feeling unnecessary.
Thankfully, we have one highlight from the bout. After his number was called,Titus O’Neil sprinted down the entrance ramp and managed to slip and fall, somehow sliding completely under the ring.
We weren’t sure what happened at first, but Corey Graves, on commentary, was unable to hide his laughter, which grew infectious as the entire commentary team erupted upon seeing the replay.
They literally could not hold it together from that point on throughout the match. Corey especially was just dying at the fact that it happened.
While the match itself was pretty awful, the energy that this moment brought to it, even if it was just for comedic relief, will make this match something to look back fondly on, even if it’s for all the wrong reasons.
6Brock’s Shooting Star Botch
An Unreal Mistake
Brock Lesnar is one of the biggest attractions in WWE history, but many only know him from his second run with the company, where he was a ground-focused brawler.
In his first run, this guy could do it all, or at least he believed he could. This hubris was never more on show than during his WrestleMania bout with Kurt Angle for the championship.
The nearly 300-pound monstrosity went up to the top rope andtried to deliver a Shooting Star Pressto a downed Angle and landed right on his head.
The move sent gasps throughout the audience, and, honestly, watching it live, you’d think Lesnar had a broken neck at the very least.
Fortunately for him, his absurdly strong neck softened the blow, and he got up and finished the match with an F5 after it and barely missed any time off.
Had he delivered the move cleanly, it would’ve been an incredible moment, but something about the botch makes it stand out as a “tried to fly too close to the sun” moment. The fact that he took that horrific bump and got up to finish the job makes this match all the more iconic.
5Undertaker Takes Flight
The Highlight Of The Greatest Match of All Time
The best match of all time, in many fans' eyes, was Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25. The Icon vs. The Phenom. It was perfect in many ways, and the one way it wasn’t perfect is perhaps what makes it so amazing to witness.
That imperfect moment comes when Undertaker performs a diving flip over the top rope. The plan was for the camera operator, who happened to be Jimmy Snuka’s son, to catch The Undertaker as he dove through the air.
Well, that is easier said than done. You try walking in front of a 300-pound monster flying at you, full speed. With that in mind, Sim Snuka was a bit slow, and the result was Taker basically landing on his head.
It looked like he had broken his neck or was out of commission, but Taker is tougher than that. After the wreckage settled, the match went on, which confirmed that we were, in fact, watching a phenom.
4Shane Doesn’t Go Through the Glass
Toughness Personified
Shane McMahon may be the toughest ever to lace’em up. That’s considering he wasn’t a bodybuilder, not nearly in the same shape as most wrestlers, and yet, he was willing to take literally any bump you can think of.
One of those bumps was having Kurt Angle launch him through the glass during their match at King of the Ring in 2001. The spot was to have Angle belly to belly suplex Shane through the glass, which would eventually happen.
What happened first, though, was that Shane would get suplexed into the glass, and, instead of it breaking, it stood strong, and he fell directly on his head, concussing him immediately.
It isbrutal to watch, but Shane, being the warrior that he is, pops right back up and tells Angle to do it again.He goes through the glass the second time, and it’s just an insane sequence to witness.While the spot is memorable on its own, the fact that Shane went through with the first botch and continued with the match just to give the fans what they wantedis a tribute to what this man was willing to do for the business.
3Nia Accidentally Creates The Man
Big Time Becks Comes Into Her Own
At first, Becky Lynch was sort of the forgotten woman of the four horsewomen of the WWE. Charlotte was winning titles left and right, Sasha Banks was winning and being promoted as a huge star, and everyone loved Bailey and her merch. But what about Becky?
Well, it took a while, but thanks to the reckless Nia Jaxfull-on punching her in the faceduring a wild in-ring scrum at the end of a RAW show, Becky broke her face, giving birth to the character of “The Man”.
It was a complete change for Becky, who now has the iconic bloodied look in SmackDown blue. Her becoming “The Man” not only skyrocketed her career but also massively boosted an ailing WWE.
There was a serious lull in 2018, and the WWE needed a star. Not only did they get one in the form of “The Man,” Becky Lynch, but they also got one of the biggest stars the company had seen in years.
She got so big from this botch that she ended up on the cover of WWE 2K alongside Roman Reigns, which shows just how grand of a transformation she took.
Until Rhea Ripley showed up, Becky in her “The Man” phase was as over as any woman has ever been in the WWE.
2The Cell Breaks
Mick Foley Flirts With Disaster
Mankind vs Undertaker in Hell in a Cell is a match that will live forever as one of the most iconic and will most certainly be put into the WWE Hall of Fame at some point.
The biggest spectacle of the night was the pre-planned one: Mankind being thrown off the top of the cell. Mankind crashed through the table from an unbelievable height, and the crowd was in awe.
He was stretchered off and yet, somehow, returned once again. Not only did he return, but he climbed back up the cage to get some more.
Now, this is where things went wrong. Undertaker was supposed to deliver a chokeslam on the cage, but the cage was not, by any means, supposed to break.
But that’s exactly what happened, andMick Foleyplummeted to the center of the ring. It’s one of the most horrific bumps in WWE history, and the Undertaker’s looksaid it all.
Yet somehow, he gets up again to be chokeslammed onto thumbtacks before he’s finally pinned. That first bump was unreal, but the second one sent this match into the stratosphere in terms of must-watch history when it comes to the WWE.
1Cena and Batista Fall Down
The Perfect Accident
When two of the biggest stars of your era go over the top to end a Royal Rumble and the crowd goes nuts, you know you’re doing something right.
Except, when it came to the 2005 rumble, it was all wrong. The plan was for Cena to go over the top and for Big Dave to get the win and title shot at WrestleMania.
But the spot went haywire, with Batista losing balance, resulting in both Cena and Batista going tumbling over the top rope.
This would’ve been a disaster, but somehow,both wrestlers hit the ground at the exact same time. Instant replay couldn’t even figure it out, and that’s when this botch went from epic to legendary.
Out comes a furious Vince McMahon, screaming about God knows what, on his way to the ring, and then storms in and immediately tears both quads. How? We have no clue, but it forced him to sit down, yelling at both Cena and Batista, and it’s one of the most surreal sequences you can have in wrestling.
The Royal Rumble got restarted, and Batista proceeded to throw Cena over the ropes for the win. Which got a decent pop, but I can’t help but feel that without this jeopardy, this Rumble wouldn’t have been quite as iconic as it is.
