5 Botches that made WWE storylines even better

One of the most surprising things that casual WWE fans might not know is that the storyline developments we see on Raw and SmackDown Live are often decided upon at the last minute before shows take place.

For example, it was reported after the August 6, 2019 episode of SmackDown Live that Vince McMahon rewrote the entire script just two hours before it was due to go live – something that is not uncommon in modern-day WWE.

As well as last-minute changes to shows, WWE’s decision-makers have been known to drastically alter the direction of storylines after accidental botches left them with no choice but to highlight the incidents on television.

When that has happened in the past (e.g. Superstars suffering long-term injuries as a result of a botch), it often leads to the storyline coming to an abrupt end. However, there have also been occasions when storylines have improved after a Superstar inadvertently changed the script by making a mistake.

In this article, let’s take a look at five examples when a botch made a WWE storyline even better.

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#5 Sasha Banks hits Becky Lynch in the head with a chair

After four months of cryptic tweets and uncertainty surrounding her future, Sasha Banks returned to WWE on the Raw after SummerSlam 2019 by attacking Natalya and turning heel.

Becky Lynch ran down to the ring in an attempt to stop the attack, but she ended up receiving multiple steel chair shots to the back from her fellow ‘Horsewoman’.

Following the show, much of the talk surrounded one particular chair shot, which saw Banks accidentally catch her rival on the back of her head – a move that has been banned in WWE for over a decade.

Lynch even alluded to the mistake on Twitter by posting a three-second clip of the chair shot, accompanied by a caption saying that “receipts are coming” for what Banks did to her.

Let the games begin. #ReceiptsAreComing pic.twitter.com/v96CLgTIM2

— The Man (@BeckyLynchWWE) August 13, 2019

The story of “The Boss” returning was already strong enough to warrant plenty of television time, but the inadvertent chair shot to Lynch’s head helped further cement her new status as one of the top heels in the women’s division.

#4 Randy Orton injures Ali, leading to 'KofiMania'

The six-man WWE Championship match at Elimination Chamber 2019 was originally supposed to see Daniel Bryan defend his title against Ali, Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, Jeff Hardy and AJ Styles.

However, 12 days before the PPV, Orton stomped on Ali’s eye during a match on SmackDown Live, forcing WWE to replace the former 205 Live Superstar at Elimination Chamber with Kofi Kingston.

The following week, the New Day member lasted over 60 minutes in a gauntlet match on the go-home episode of SmackDown Live before Elimination Chamber, while he came agonisingly close to winning the WWE Championship from Bryan inside the steel structure.

Fast forward to WrestleMania and the ‘KofiMania’ phenomenon had become one of the most popular things in all of WWE, with fans desperate to see Kingston fulfil his 11-year dream of becoming WWE Champion.

In the end, he defeated Bryan in what was widely considered the best match of the PPV, but the moment likely would not have happened if Orton did not injure Ali.

#3 Kofi Kingston receives an unplanned RKO

Sticking with Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston, much of the build-up to their WWE Championship encounter at the 2019 SummerSlam pay-per-view revolved around a certain incident which took place during a match on Raw in January 2010.

The match in question was a Triple Threat between Orton, Kingston and John Cena, with the winner going on to face Sheamus for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble.

It had been agreed, at least to Orton’s knowledge, that “The Viper” would pick up the victory after connecting with a punt kick on Kingston. But, for whatever reason, Kingston thought he was supposed to lose via an RKO, so he kept getting back to his feet from a punt-kick position to receive the move.

This angered Orton, who struck a somewhat reckless RKO before repeatedly shouting “Stupid! Stupid!” at his opponent. He then told higher-ups in WWE that Kingston was not ready to be in the main-event scene, hence why his ‘push’ soon ended.

At the time, Kingston’s mistake seemed like it would haunt him for the rest of his career, but that particular incident ended up being the catalyst for one of the hottest rivalries heading into SummerSlam 2019.

#2 Seth Rollins breaks John Cena’s nose

One of the featured encounters at SummerSlam 2015 saw WWE Champion Seth Rollins face United States Champion John Cena in a Title vs. Title match.

The match itself was very memorable, as TV personality and SummerSlam host Jon Stewart shockingly interfered to help Rollins win, while the build-up was also noteworthy due to an incident which happened on the July 27 episode of Raw.

Towards the end of a United States Championship match between Rollins and Cena, the former Shield member’s knee caught his opponent directly in the face.

In what has turned out to be one of the most famous WWE botches of the decade, Cena broke his nose but was still able to participate at SummerSlam four weeks later.

As for the storyline, the injury ended up becoming the main talking point in the rivalry ahead of SummerSlam, with Rollins mocking Cena’s nose in pictures on the big screen on Raw.

#1 Nia Jax punches Becky Lynch in the face

When SmackDown Live’s women invaded Raw six days before Survivor Series 2018, nobody could have predicted the events that would unfold over the subsequent five months.

Originally, Becky Lynch was supposed to face Ronda Rousey in a Champion vs. Champion match at the PPV, while Charlotte Flair was expected to take on Rousey in a one-on-one match in the main event of WrestleMania 35.

However, the invasion on Raw would go on to change everything, as Nia Jax broke Lynch’s nose with a single punch during the brawl, prompting WWE to go ahead with the Rousey vs. Flair match at Survivor Series.

If Lynch had faced Rousey in November 2018, there is a good chance that the Rousey vs. Flair plan would have stayed the same, meaning that “The Man” would never have gone on to main-event WrestleMania.

But, thankfully for Lynch, Jax’s botch inadvertently became one of the best things that happened to her career, as she ended up defeating both Rousey and Flair at WWE’s biggest show of the year to win the Raw and SmackDown Women’s titles.