'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE shows are nearly always performed live. Even during the current pandemic, the company has found a way to ensure that their stars are able to perform in front of the live WWE Universe, normally in the form of The ThunderDome.
The fact that the company presents their shows live on a regular basis means that there is no room for error. More often than not, even the biggest stars fall victim to botches.
Wrestlers can perform their move-set over and over for many years and still have one bad match where botches occur. Whilst several botches are only small and are sometimes missed, there are others that cannot be overlooked and WWE Officials are forced to step in and take action.
The following list looks at just five times that WWE Superstars were punished for botches that they were part of on live TV.
#5. Mickie James gets reprimanded by WWE officials following sloppy match finish with Gail Kim
Mickie James is a sure-fire WWE Hall of Famer one day, but the former star has also had her fair share of botches over the years. These have included the interesting botches in her match against Trish Stratus at WrestleMania 22 and a match against Gail Kim on RAW which has been dubbed one of the worst women's matches of all time.
Kim and James' match was seemingly going in the right direction until Gail Kim legitimately injured herself when she missed a crossbody. This led to the star being unable to stand up and get into position for the DDT which should have finished the match.
The DDT was poor and James then had to go on to deliver a Mick Kick that completely missed and instead won the match with a forearm. The former Women's Champion was obviously annoyed with the way that the match ended. She was then reprimanded backstage by WWE officials.
It appears that officials were not impressed that James had reacted the way she had following the match. They were also annoyed she was unable to sell the match despite the botches since several stars would have been able to save the match despite the errors.
#4. The Miz receives a dressing down from Triple H after dropping R-Truth on WWE RAW
The Miz has been part of WWE's main roster now for more than 15 years. In that time, he has been able to prove that he can step into the ring with some of the biggest stars in the business.
Miz came to the company with no prior wrestling experience and has since shown vast improvement. This all could have all been taken away when he failed to catch R-Truth as part of a spot on Monday Night RAW back in 2012.
The two men were part of a six-pack challenge and when Truth delivered a flip dive out of the ring, The Miz failed to catch him. According to a report by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, The Miz then received quite the dressing down from Triple H backstage following the match. Meltzer revealed:
"HHH gave Miz a tongue lashing backstage about not catching him. Miz was a big favorite of management a year ago because his notoriety was such from 'Real World' that they got so much publicity when he won the title that nobody else in the company could have gotten."
Miz was told about the importance of protecting his opponents in matches and it appears that the star learned his lesson since he is now a two-time former WWE Champion.
#3. WWE referee is fined after botching WrestleMania 35 main event finish
WrestleMania 35 will always be remembered for the first-ever WWE women's main event match at the biggest show of the year. Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair collided in a triple threat match where both the SmackDown and RAW Women's Championships were on the line.
Becky Lynch's crowning achievement was somewhat overshadowed by a botch at the end of the match. It was made clear that Rousey's shoulders were not down but the official still counted the pin.
According to a report by Fightful, WWE referee Rod Zapata was summoned to Vince McMahon's office the following day and was fined an undisclosed amount of money for his part in the botch.
Reports have suggested that Vince McMahon expects referees to call matches as shoot fights and if there is a mistake then it's on the stars and not the officials. Whilst Zapata defended himself by stating that Rousey had a broken hand and couldn't continue, McMahon seemingly didn't agree and the official was punished.
#2. Kofi Kingston loses his WWE push after botching a finish with Randy Orton
It's one of WWE's most famous botches. It has been addressed and referenced on TV several times. It was also a botch that cost Kofi Kingston several years of build in his WWE career.
Back in 2009, Kingston was still an up-and-coming star in the company. He had recently stepped into a feud with Randy Orton. This feud culminated in a match on RAW back in 2010 which also included John Cena.
The match finish should have seen Kingston take a punt kick to the head, but Kingston decided to stand up. This meant that Orton was forced to deliver an RKO instead.
This led to Orton visibly becoming annoyed and calling Kingston stupid in the middle of the match.
Ahead of the match, Kingston was seen as a favorite for the Money in the Bank ladder match, but following the botched finish, the former Champion lost his push and went on to have very little TV time in the months that followed.
Luckily, Kingston was able to overcome this setback and is now a former WWE Champion.
#1. Mr. Kennedy is released from WWE following a botch against Randy Orton
Mr. Kennedy was perhaps punished more severely than any other star on this list when he was released from WWE following a botched move in a match on RAW.
Kennedy was part of a return match after months on the sidelines due to injury. The star was on the opposite side to Randy Orton and, mid-way through the match, he botched a back suplex on The Viper.
Orton was reportedly injured as part of the spot. This led to him going to WWE Officials after the match and reporting Kennedy for being unsafe in the ring. Kennedy later said:
“He literally blew up in front of all the talent including Vince and Stephanie and began to lecture me about how I had to be careful and his health was very important. It just doesn’t make sense to me…”
Just four days later, Kennedy was released from WWE, despite the fact that just a week earlier he was seen as a star with untapped potential on the Monday Night RAW brand. It's hard not to see the botch as the turning point of his career and the reason for his release.
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
