5 most brutal squash matches in WWE history

Squash matches used to be an essential part of the fabric of WWE. Weekly television shows like Superstars and Wrestling Challenge generally featured stars defeating enhancement talent to establish themselves, get their big moves over, and get fans invested in seeing matches between bigger names at house shows in their local markets, or at pay-per-view events.

Squash matches became less common coming out of the Monday Night War era as WWE felt compelled to book competitive matches that would draw ratings in order to beat back WCW’s Nitro direct challenge to their flagship show, Raw.

Squash matches didn’t go away, though, and particularly in recent years, they’ve enjoyed a bit of a resurgence not just on TV or the occasional PPV, but also in featured segments and even PPV main events. This article takes a look back at five of the most brutal squashes WWE has given us.

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#5 Goldberg Vs. Brock Lesnar

Goldberg squashed Lesnar in shocking fashion at Survivor Series 2016.

After an absolute flop of a match at WrestleMania 20, there were quite a few questions surrounding Goldberg’s return to WWE in 2016. All the more so, there were questions about what would happen in a Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar encounter after Goldberg hadn’t been in a WWE ring for over twelve years, and was approaching fifty.

The answer? A squash match.

Lesnar had been one of WWE’s most dominant forces, who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania and mowed through most WWE talent put in front of him. While it was conceivable that Goldberg might beat him again, anyone beating Goldberg in a squash seemed absolutely absurd.

In a match that only lasted a minute and a half, Goldberg hit two spears and a Jackhammer to pick up the duke in quick, dominant fashion and set up an intriguing new program for Lesnar in the months to follow.

#4 The Rock Vs. Erick Rowan

The Rock dominated at WrestleMania 32.

The Rock wasn’t scheduled to appear at WrestleMania 32. In a surprise twist of events, however, he found himself not only present but engaged in a verbal confrontation with Bray Wyatt and his cronies in the late stages of the show. The promo segment culminated in The Rock facing off with a member of the Wyatt Family in an impromptu match.

That The Rock would work an unadvertised match was surprising, and that Erick Rowan would be the Wyatt who faced him didn’t really add up. It all made more sense, however, once the bell had rung and Rock immediately planted Rowan with a Rock Bottom for the pin. At least WWE wasn’t doing much with Rowan anyway, so there wasn’t much to lose, but the brutally fast squash underscored that WWE really wasn’t taking the guy seriously.

The six-second long match at least was able to Rowan in the history books for being part of the shortest match at WrestleMania to date.

#3 Chyna Vs. Ivory

Chyna made short work of Ivory at WrestleMania 17.

2001 saw Chyna transition from wrestling men to, for the first time, joining WWE’s women’s division. The storyline building to this transition saw Chyna run afoul of the Right to Censor heel faction, culminating in the group kayfabe injuring The Ninth Wonder of the World’s neck.

In the follow-up, Chyna tried to fight back, and looked to dominate Right to Censor’s Women’s Champion at the Royal Rumble, only for Chyna’s neck to give out and for her to collapse, allowing Ivory to pick up the pinfall.

A rematch at WrestleMania 17 carried with it questions as to whether Chyna’s neck would give out again, or if she really would give Ivory and her running buddies their proper comeuppance. The result? Chyna not only won but did so in dominant fashion, completely overpowering Ivory before finishing her off with a press slam and a nonchalant pin. Chyna looked to be future of the division and did reign for a few months before leaving WWE.

#2 The Big Show Vs. The Straight Edge Society

For as imposing at CM Punk's Straight Edge Society was, they were no match for The Big Show.

There was a time when The Straight Edge Society was the hottest faction in WWE. CM Punk worked fans into a fervour with his cult-like tendencies, and the mismatched collection of talent behind him, including Luke Gallows, Joseph Mercury, and Serena offered undertones of Raven’s Flock, with a bit of extra WWE polish.

The draw lost momentum as it went, though, starting when Punk lost his program to Rey Mysterio. Things went from bad to worse for the unit when they got mixed up with The Big Show. In the broader scheme of WWE history, Punk and Show stand on similar footing as stars. Punk was a brighter star at his peak, but couldn’t compete with Show’s longevity. In this particular outing, however, Show was firmly in control.

The Straight Edge Society vs. Big Show program came to a head at SummerSlam 2010 in a three-on-one handicap match. The numbers game might have allowed Punk and company to heelishly get the win while protecting the giant. As things played out, however, The Big Show was absolutely dominating, crushing all three opponents to effectively end the stable as a credible threat.

#1 Brock Lesnar Vs. John Cena

Brock Lesnar was unstoppable at SummerSlam 2014.

After a decade as the face of WWE, John Cena was as about as well established of a star as anyone had ever been in WWE, not to mention the reigning WWE Champion. Moreover, he was known for winning big matches and often beating the odds, including pinning Brock Lesnar in the Beast Incarnate’s comeback match to WWE after fighting for UFC.

Heading into SummerSlam 2014, Lesnar had a lot of momentum and was the odds-on favourite. But was WWE going to book this part-time talent to defeat their marquee star for their top title?

Not only did Lesnar pick up the clean win, but also debuted his Suplex City offence as he took Cena for a ride with sixteen suplexes. Sure Cena had glimmers of hope, like briefly applying his STF submission hold, but Lesnar was never in any real jeopardy, overpowering Cena at every turn before finishing him off with an F5 for one of the most shocking and most brutal squash matches of all time.