Many wrestling fans like to think they’ve got the sport all figured out. Especially as the WWE has taken its sole spot at the top of the business in America, fans have used Internet resources to stay on top of the predictions and rumored plans for their favorite wrestlers.
But even with all that, there are still plenty of times when the results of a match are kept secret enough that fans are truly surprised. Here are 10 times when the finishe was truly shocking to fans in the arena and at home.
Sheamus wins MITB
Entering the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2015, Roman Reigns seemed like the favorite out of the field of six men – Reigns, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Neville, Dolph Ziggler and Sheamus. Orton, due to an extended feud with the Authority and champion Seth Rollins, also seemed likely, along with Kane or even Ziggler.
But Sheamus was almost an afterthought. He hadn’t really been involved in anything meaningful for a while other than being a bully to smaller wrestlers, and he didn’t really seem to fit in the story as the holder of the briefcase. Yet after Bray Wyatt cost Reigns the match, Sheamus went on to scale the ladder, get the contract and would later beat Reigns for the world title.
Fandango beats Jericho
In 2013, Chris Jericho was obviously beyond his prime, but he’s still one of the most respected and decorated wrestlers in WWE history. Fandango, meanwhile, had just made his main roster debut and hadn’t even had a match before his WrestleMania 29 tilt with Jericho.
The victory in a match largely dominated by Jericho was shocking. Fandango managed to roll Y2J up for the pin out of the Walls of Jericho, but he hasn’t been able to carry any momentum from that win into a meaningful run since.
Mysterio beats Nash
In 1999, Rey Mysterio and the former Latino World Order were locked in a feud with the NWO that resulted in Mysterio losing his mask, a disgrace among the Mexican wrestling community. That led to a match on Nitro between Mysterio and NWO juggernaut Kevin Nash.
Not only has Nash been a mega-star across multiple promotions, but he is nearly 7 feet tall, while Mysterio is listed at 5-foot-6. That didn’t prevent him from countering Nash’s trademark Jackknife Powerbomb for a roll-up pin and a surprising victory.
Ziggler wins Six-Pack Challenge
This one is incredibly recent, but it was also incredibly surprising. On the first SmackDown Live after the draft, Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan set up a Six-Pack Challenge to determine a No. 1 contender for Dean Ambrose’s WWE Championship.
Among the contenders were AJ Styles and John Cena, long rumored to be the top contenders for the SmackDown title since the split was announced. Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt were also in the match as mega heels that were seemingly perfect as counters to the ultra babyface Ambrose. Even Apollo Crews seemed to have great odds as the red-hot young superstar who won a battle royal earlier in the evening.
But the win went to Dolph Ziggler, who had been putting over younger talent recently, and he won with a superkick on Styles to complete the shocking finish.
Stewart helps Rollins
SummerSlam 2015 held several big-time matches, most notably a match between Undertaker and Brock Lesnar and a “winner takes all” match between World Champion Seth Rollins and United States Champion John Cena.
On top of that, celebrity wrestling fan Jon Stewart was the guest host, and he seemed excited to be there. But during the match between Cena and Rollins, he showed just where his loyalties stood. He attacked 15-time world champion Cena with a chair to help Rollins win and prevent Cena from tying Ric Flair’s championship record.
Yes-tleMania
For months before WrestleMania 30, the Authority had held Daniel Bryan back from winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship through dirty tactic after dirty tactic. He was left out of the Royal Rumble, but demanded a match against Triple H at the company’s biggest show for the right to enter the main event with Randy Orton and Batista.
Triple H gave in to the enormous fan pressure and granted the match, and Bryan delivered. He first beat Triple H, and later in WrestleMania, he knocked off both Orton and Batista to become the world champion.
Fingerpoke of Doom
January 4, 1999, is a date that people associated with WCW probably would like to do over. In addition to being the night Tony Schiavone caused a major shift in viewership by leaking that Mick Foley was set to win the WWF Championship, the main event of the night was an early nail in the company’s coffin.
Hulk Hogan, leader of NWO Hollywood, was set to face Wolfpac leader Kevin Nash in a world title match as major rivals. Instead, Nash went down to the “Fingerpoke of Doom,” a notorious swerve ending that enraged plenty of diehard fans of the company.
McMahon helps Austin
The rivalry between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Vince McMahon was a driving force in the Attitude Era and the Monday Night War. They seemingly hated each other, and their antics made for great television.
So that made the finish for WrestleMania X-Seven a true shocker. Austin won a No Disqualification Match agianst The Rock when McMahon came out to help him with a folding chair, and the two shook hands in a truly baffling sign of alliance.
Brock breaks the streak
The list of men the Undertaker beat during his WrestleMania undefeated streak is loaded with top talent – Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ric Flair, CM Punk and many more. So when Brock Lesnar lined up across from him at WrestleMania 30, he seemed likely the next victim.
But that isn’t what happened. Instead, Lesnar brutalized the Phenom and conquered his streak in a finish that left fans in utter disbelief. In fact, the result was so surprising that a recent conspiracy theory by Paul Heyman – claiming Lesnar decided to win on his own – doesn’t seem too crazy.
Arquette takes the belt
In 2000, WCW was fading fast and was on its last leg in the Monday Night War against the WWF. Talent like Chris Jericho had already made the jump, and the product was suffering. But if the “Fingerpoke of Doom” was one of the first nails in the coffin, the Thunder episode on April 26, 2000, was one of the final ones.
The main event was a tag team match between Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett and their opponents, WCW World Heavyweight Champion Diamond Dallas Page and actor David Arquette, star of WCW movie “Ready to Rumble.” The stipulation was that whoever got the winning pin would become champion, and that man was Arquette. Rumor has it that the actor, a true wrestling fan, didn’t want to be champion, but booker Vince Russo thought it was a great idea.
Instead, it was one of the last straws in sinking the company and solidifying WWF as the winners of the war.
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