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WWE produces over seven hours of in-ring programming every week, so it is no surprise that some of the matches we see on a weekly basis occasionally feature botches.
In 2019, for example, The Undertaker defeated Goldberg in the main event of Super ShowDown in a match that will forever be remembered for the botches that took place during the nine-minute encounter.
That match still went on to have the correct outcome, with The Undertaker pinning Goldberg after a chokeslam, but there have been lots of times throughout WWE history when a botch has taken place at the end of a match, causing confusion and, in extreme cases, the wrong person to win.
In this article, let’s take a look at 10 WWE matches that had a botched finish.
#10 Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles (WWE Battleground 2017)
Kevin Owens won the United States Championship from AJ Styles at the 2017 Battleground pay-per-view after reversing a submission into a pinfall.
It was clear from everybody's reactions that there had been a botch, with referee Brian Nguyen deeming that Styles – the person who was supposed to win the match – had his shoulders on the mat whilst applying the submission.
Chris Jericho returned two nights later on SmackDown and lost via pinfall to Styles in a Triple Threat match against both Superstars, meaning “The Phenomenal One” regained his title to get the storyline back on track.
#9 Shawn Michaels vs. Vader (WWE SummerSlam 1996)
Vader was originally supposed to win the WWE Championship from Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1996 before dropping it back to his rival at the 1997 Royal Rumble.
However, the first match in the three-match series between the two men was full of miscommunications and uncoordinated moments, including a spot where Michaels kicked Vader in the head after the challenger did not move out of the way of an elbow drop.
Another botch at the end of the match saw Vader keep his shoulders on the mat when he was supposed to kick out of a Sweet Chin Music. This led the referee, who knew the finish, to only count to two, allowing the match to continue. Moments later, Michaels landed a moonsault on his standing opponent to pick up the win.
After “The Heartbreak Kid” complained to WWE management about the SummerSlam encounter, Vader was replaced in the storyline by Sycho Sid.
#8 Hardcore Battle Royal (WWE WrestleMania 2000)
The Hardcore Championship changed hands 11 times in a 15-minute Hardcore Battle Royal at WWE WrestleMania 2000, but the final title change was not originally planned.
In the closing seconds of the match, Hardcore Holly defeated his storyline cousin, Crash Holly, to win the title. However, he was supposed to start the pinfall a couple of seconds later, meaning Crash would have retained in a chaotic finish.
Much like the Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles situation, WWE switched the title back to Crash one night later on RAW.
#7 The Rock vs. Kurt Angle (WWE No Way Out 2001)
As you can see from the 01:30 mark of the video above, The Rock looked certain to win the WWE Championship from Kurt Angle at No Way Out 2001 after hitting him with his trusty Rock Bottom finisher.
Unfortunately, referee Earl Hebner did not think the match was going to end in that moment, so he stopped his pinfall count just before the 3-count, even though Angle clearly did not kick out.
The Rock followed up with a second Rock Bottom and shouted something in the direction of Hebner, who counted to three.
Angle later said in a Facebook Q&A that Hebner is “a professional, exceptional referee”, but he had “a very bad day” at No Way Out.
#6 Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena (WWE RAW)
One of the most famous botched finishes in WWE history came on a January 2010 episode of RAW when Kofi Kingston was supposed to stay on the mat and receive a punt kick to the head from Randy Orton.
The future New Day member kept getting back to his feet, resulting in Orton hitting a forceful RKO before repeatedly shouting “Stupid! Stupid!” at his opponent.
Rumors circulated that Orton complained to WWE’s higher-ups about Kingston botching the finish, causing his push to come to an abrupt end.
Nine years later, WWE used the real-life situation as part of a storyline when Orton challenged Kingston for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam and Clash of Champions 2019.
#5 Fandango vs. Kofi Kingston (WWE Main Event)
Four months after his huge win over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 29, Fandango was supposed to defeat Kofi Kingston in a relatively meaningless match on an episode of Main Event.
However, the referee spotted that Summer Rae – Fandango’s valet – grabbed Kingston’s foot during the match, so he awarded the victory to Kingston via disqualification.
Summer revealed on NotSam Wrestling that Vince McMahon “loved” the finish, but she was unaware whether he knew that there had even been a botch.
#4 Chad Gable vs. Jack Gallagher (WWE 205 Live)
Chad Gable and Jack Gallagher were in the process of competing in one of the best matches in WWE 205 Live history when Gallagher attempted to get back into the ring to avoid being counted out.
Sadly for the Brit, he stumbled as he tried to break the 10-count, meaning the referee had little choice but to award the victory to Gable.
As you can see in the video above, it was clear from everybody’s reaction – Gable, Gallagher, and even the announcers – that the finish had not gone to plan.
#3 Divas Battle Royal (WWE RAW)
Kaitlyn won a Divas Battle Royal on an August 2012 episode of WWE RAW to become the new #1 contender for the Divas Championship.
The finish came when she clotheslined Eve Torres – the person who was due to win – over the top rope, right in front of then-Divas Champion Layla at the announce desk.
Kaitlyn revealed in an interview with Ring The Belle that Vince McMahon “laughed hysterically” about the situation when she returned to the backstage area.
#2 WWE Royal Rumble 2005
In January 2005, the two remaining participants in the WWE Royal Rumble – Batista and John Cena – touched the ringside floor at the same time after Cena sent his rival over the top rope with a headscissors takedown.
This incident caused one of the most famous injuries in WWE history, as Vince McMahon marched down to ringside and tore both of his quads before restarting the match.
Batista then eliminated Cena to win the Royal Rumble for the first time in his WWE career, but the match is best remembered for McMahon’s unfortunate injury.
#1 WWE WrestleMania 35 main event
Becky Lynch defeated Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair to win the RAW Women’s Championship and SmackDown Women’s Championship in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 35.
While the Triple Threat will always be remembered for being the first women’s main event in WrestleMania history, it will also be included in lists such as this due to the finish involving Lynch and Rousey.
The end of the match saw “The Man” get a 3-count on Rousey with a crucifix pinfall, but WWE's replays showed that “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” had one shoulder up.
Sportskeeda’s Tom Colohue reported that the original finish was supposed to see Flair tap out to Lynch, while Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp said Rousey “wasn’t happy” after the show and she thought the early finish made her look bad.
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