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The wrestling world has experienced its fair share of botches over the years, and WWE is no exception. There have been plenty of memorable and infamous botches that have taken place that was intended to create moments that would last a lifetime had they gone in the right direction.
Well, perhaps they were half right, as the moments created have stood the test of time but not for the right reasons.
These crazy accidents and mistakes made us cringe and even burst out in laughter. Today, we talk about five of the most infamous botches in WWE history. Please sit back, relax, and try not to fall out of your seat as we look at some of these classic botches.
#5 Joey Mercury Shatters His Nose
In 2006, Joey Mercury was a member of the team known as “MNM,” alongside Johnny Nitro (who would later become John Morrison) and Melina. The duo would challenge The Hardy Boyz, Paul London and Brian Kendrick, and William Regal and Dave Taylor in a Fatal 4-Way Ladder Match at Armageddon 2006.
The match was going well until a spot with Jeff Hardy coming off the top rope to deliver a Guillotine Legdrop, which caused the ladder to kick back and hit both Nitro and Mercury.
However, Mercury was a little too close to the ladder and had no time to block or react to the spot, causing the back end of the ladder to snap back like a seesaw, smashing him in the face.
You can watch the clip by clicking here.
Joey Mercury was busted wide open, suffering a broken nose and orbital bone. Mercury would receive at least thirty stitches before returning to finish the match.
He would only be out for a few weeks before returning with a protective facemask to continue the injury angle.
#4 Royal Rumble 2005 Finish
The finish of the 2005 Royal Rumble match was supposed to have Batista winning the match by eliminating John Cena.
However, when Batista went to Power Bomb Cena out of the ring, the momentum carried both wrestlers over the top rope and hit the floor simultaneously. At first, many fans felt this was part of the angle, but we were clearly wrong.
Moments later, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon comes storming out of the Gorilla Position. He was obviously very upset at what happened and charged down to ringside to make the audible call himself.
When McMahon went to slide into the ring, he managed to tear both quadricep muscles at the same time. Vince screamed at the officials as they restarted the match and redid the finish, with Batista winning the match as originally planned.
#3 Brock Lesnar Misses A Shooting Star Press
Brock Lesnar challenged Kurt Angle at WrestleMania XIX for the WWE Championship. The match itself was amazing, as one could expect from two of the greatest WWE Superstars in history.
However, towards the end of the match, Lesnar was set to attempt a Shooting Star Press from the top rope, a move that Lesnar had done in the past during his OVW days off and on.
Due to the match's wear and tear, Lesnar could not get the full rotation on the Shooting Star Press, causing him to crash headfirst into the mat, nearly breaking his neck. Thankfully, Lesnar was okay and continued with the match. He would go on to defeat Angle with the F-5 to become the new WWE Champion.
The match between Lesnar and Angle will go down in history as one of the best in WrestleMania history but will always be remembered for this infamous botch.
#2 Titus O’Neil Slides into The WWE History Books
At the WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event in 2018, WWE held a special 50-man Royal Rumble match in Saudi Arabia.
Titus O’Neil entered the match at #39, and he was on his way down to ringside, running at full speed, which is when he tripped over his own feet and literally went sliding under the ring.
The “Titus Slide” was played repeatedly as the announced team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Byron Saxton were beside themselves with laughter.
#1 “Stone Cold” Steve Austin Breaks His Neck
We finish the list off with the most infamous botch in WWE history. Back in 1997, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wrestled the late Owen Hart at SummerSlam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
In the latter part of the match, Owen executed a Piledriver on Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake was unable to protect himself and landed flush on his head, breaking his neck and causing temporary paralysis.
After a few moments had passed, Austin was able to regain feeling in his arms to manage a rollup on Owen to get the pinfall victory.
Austin was out of action for several months, and the impact of this injury would take years off Austin’s in-ring career and force him to change up his wrestling style for the remainder of his career, as he was unable to wrestle the same technical style as he had done prior to this match taking place.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
