WWE used to show a disclaimer on their television shows telling fans not to try the moves they see on the small screen or in the arenas because the performers were trained professionals.
Yes, wrestling is scripted. Wins and losses are determined and yes, the promos are mainly written for Superstars to learn and memorize. But the reality – yes I said that magical word – is not everything works out according to plan, and in some cases, these men and women get hurt. Some of these accidents are devastating. Some are minor and the show goes on.
I’ll never forget being a child and watching a young King Kong Bundy drop Eric Embry on his head in a match in Florida. It looked planned, but in reality, the massive Bundy did not adjust his weight properly. Embry was motionless and I was shaking from the fear of someone being hurt.
I’ve learned over the years not everything we see is a work, not everything we hope is going to happen does. These “botches” as they are called, are costly.
Undertaker’s face plant at WrestleMania 25
The Undertaker is known as one of the most respected performers in WWE’s locker room. A man who never breaks character (unless you are Ric Flair and you are retiring on Raw). For a man who is 6’10” and 300-pounds, there is an agility about him that is scary, even at 51 years old.
In ‘Taker’s match against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25, we saw how agile he truly can be as he leapt over the top rope to attack Shawn Michaels. It appears he misjudged taking to the air and distance, landing on his head and neck. Luckily, he lived through the mishap and defeated the Heartbreak Kid.
CM Punk botches GTS on Kane
We all know Kane is a large dude and one of the toughest and safest wrestlers on WWE’s roster. Sometimes, things don’t work out as in the case of CM Punk and his finisher GTS on the Big Red Machine.
It appears it is Kane who has the issue – not the former WWE World Champion and Paul Heyman protégé. Punk gets the big guy up over his shoulders but Kane shifts his weight, causing him to land even before the move is complete.
The worst chokeslam in WWE history
Here we go once again with The Undertaker, this time is doing what he does best against Hulk Hogan – which is inflicting pain and agony.
Besides the Tombstone Piledriver, Undertaker’s Chokeslam is brutal enough to end matches with almost any opponent. Here, however, the Deadman attempts to pick up the immortal Hulk Hogan and cannot quite execute the move like he normally does.
Still, the damage is done and ‘Taker wins the match.
Tensai and Ryback
We could probably make a full top 10 list with Ryback as the poster child for botched moves. This one, however, shows how green the Big Guy was when he first started out in this business.
Ryback is a big, powerful wrestler, but Tensai is bigger, if you can believe that. In trying to secure the win, Ryback cannot successfully lift the international star over his head to finish him off and makes a poor attempt to recover and lift Tensai once more, basically forgets about it and clotheslines his opponent for the win.
John Cena wins the 2012 Money in the Bank match
The only thing that makes this redeemable is the fact that he takes the briefcase he won, challenges CM Punk to a match two weeks after he wins and loses the match.
Yes, some Superstars not named Damien Sandow lose their briefcases that quickly.
It was reported that Big Show was supposed to win the match, to be the one to cash in, but through circumstances, Cena captured the briefcase. When you look at the footage, it is a complete surprise to Cena that he takes the golden ticket off the latch in the first place. I wonder what would have happened had he not won. I’m sure Big Show thinks the same thing.
Brock Lesnar fails at the Shooting Star Press
Even the notion of Brock Lesnar attempting something this high risk is must see television. The fact he attempted this in a match with Kurt Angle only proves how solid these two were in the ring.
Oh, it’s true.
In his WrestleMania debut, Lesnar faced the Olympic Gold Medalist for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIX and attempted the move he used to perform in training.
Major fail. When he made the move, Lesnar was too far away in the ring and Lesnar lands on his head, suffers a concussion and is able to finish out the match and wins gold. Unbelievable.
Sin Cara misses the mark
One of the greatest thing about Luchadores is their high-flying antics. In this case, being an acrobat sometimes has its misfortune.
While he was a huge star in his native Mexico, he could not get through a match without missing some mark. This one is a prime example. The madness began though on the post WrestleMania XXVII Raw by interrupting Sheamus’s beat down of Daniel Bryan. Cara shocked Sheamus, ran to the ring, jumped and… tripped over the top rope.
He was eventually released in 2014 and replaced with another performer.
Owen Hart Tombstone Piledriver fail on Steve Austin
The Hart-Austin feud is what made Stone Cold a legend in WWE. Even with the greatness the late Owen Hart showed as a technician in the ring, there were times when even one of the greatest failed with a move or two.
It was 1997 and Austin beat Hart to win the Intercontinental Title. But the events of the match set off a chain reaction of sorts for the Texas Rattlesnake. Hart was supposed to hit Austin with a tombstone pile driver but he placed the Rattlesnake’s head too far below his leg and dropped him right on top of his head. The move gave Austin a bruised spinal cord and led to other neck problems for Austin, which lead to an early retirement from the business.
The Story of Droz
Was there a bigger in-ring blunder than Darren Drozdov being paralyzed by a power bomb from D-Lo Brown?
Rather than landing flat on his back, Drozdov was dumped on the back of head due to the awkward grip of the botch and because of the move, was left a quadriplegic. It is haunting and you cannot find a single video of this event.
The fact “Droz” was on part of the WWE machine from 1998 and 1999 proves he was a talent that never had an opportunity to show how solid he could be.
Brown’s career in WWE spanned from 1997-2003. He held the WWF Intercontinental Championship once and the WWF European Championship four times.
