Botches that actually improved matches

[Just call me Dan 0]

I was watching an episode of Nitro on this week's 24/7 offering and Malenko/Finlay were working a short TV match. Malenko went for a powerbomb and got Dave about 3/4 up and then placed him back down, then Finlay grabbed a single leg and they proceeded just fine.

 

Got me thinking about matches where this thing happened and it didn't disrupt the flow or even HELPED things (like Flair/HBK WM 24 when Michaels hit the table all wrong).

 

What stands out to you when this question is posed?

[King Cucaracha 0]

Perfect timing.

 

Nasty Boys versus Cactus and Maxx Payne, Superbrawl IV. Knobbs gets utterly destroyed by taking a belly to belly suplex chest first. Sure it didn't feel great for Knobbs, but it added to the crazy feel of the match they were going for.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

MITB qualifier a couple years ago where Shelton slipped off the top rope and Jeff Hardy went for a quick pin, nearly winning the match.

[The Buzz 0]

Not sure if it was intentional or not because I've seen him do it one other time years earlier. Sting went for a leapfrog and Jarrett just plows right into his groin. Added to match somewhat as a way to get Jarrett control. I'd say it was planned, but it just looked awkward.

[Jingus 0]

The first one that comes to mind was that RVD/Holly match where Bob's back got carved open by a piece of table. Bob ludicrously continuing the match, even taking bumps on the cut, was so masochistic that it brought the whole thing to another level. How many freaking Hardcore Holly matches have gotten the audience to chant his name and applaud him after it's over?

[fazzle 0]

not to mention that at this point the crowd was still an "ECW" crowd that was shitting all over him, and anything else that felt WWE-ish.

[Steve J. Rogers 0]

Curt Henning causing Flair to bleed hardway bad at the end of the nWo/Horsemen War Games match helped make the turn more effective and gave a great intro shot of Flair on a hospital bed all stitched up the next night on Nitro.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Sid nearly killing Brian Pillman at Wrestlewar 1991. One of the reasons why Wargames is so legendary these days is because of that.

[DrVenkman PhD 0]

The announce table collapsing and Kurt Angle hitting his face on the floor during the SummerSlam 2000 match really added to the injury storyline the match was going to use anyway. It created a legit "is this for real?" when Kurt had to leave and there was a lot of a drama in concussed Kurt fighting back when he returned.

 

Of course, he was hurt and did have a concussion and the whole thing totally sucked for Kurt, I suspect, but for storytelling purposes, great TV.

[Beto Chavez 0]

Angle / Lesnar - WM XIX. Although it would've been awesome for Brock to have landed on Kurt, the sick looking botch made the match memorable (aka another Wrestlemania Moment!) and it added story to their feud later on in 2003.

[Chazz 0]

There was some match in Japan I watched on youtube a few years back. I think one of the participants was Jushin Liger, but I'm not sure. Anyways, one of the wrestlers went to do a springboard something or other, slipped on the top rope and fell flat on his face. Without misssing a beat, the other wrestler pointed and laughed at the guy, then proceeded to hit a low dropkick right to his face. I thought it was awesome.

[Jingus 0]

Yeah, that was Great Sasuke vs Jushin Liger in the 1994 J-Cup tournament. Sasuke goes for a springboard but falls and faceplants. Liger instantly does this hilarious sarcastic clapping for the fuckup.

[DangerousDamon 0]

-BJ Whitmer's powerbomb o doom on Jimmy Jacobs at the 1st Dragon Gate Challenge. They pretty much based the whole feud around that moment.

-Tyler Black breaking the ring with Bryan Danielson's body during a Corner Powerbomb spot at New Horizons.

[Richard 0]

Foley falling through the cage at Kotr '98.

[BorneAgain 0]

Though it sucked not seeing a big Five Star Frog Splash, RVD falling off the ladder in his match against Eddie on Raw really did put over how risky the gimmick could be.

[Enigma 0]

Chris Benoit going too far through the ropes onto Booker and crashing into the Smackdown table.

[tekcop 0]

Mickie and Trish fucking up the Stratusfaction(?) at Wrestlemania 22 definitely worked well with Mickie's leg work on Trish throughout the match. I was upset when I found out that WWE cut it out of the DVD release.

[Eugenius 0]

Vince McMahon's falling off the steel cage, landing ass-first through the announce table, and almost getting split in half in the process at St. Valentine's Day Massacre 1999. Combined with the rest of the drama of the match, this added to the realization that-- "shit, Austin is really fucking destroying this 50-something year old man."

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

How about the Shane Mac/Kurt Angle street fight at KOTR 2000 with the gimmicked set that didn't break? Shane took some absolutely sick bumps as a result.

[Jingus 0]

I'm not sure if that glass was gimmicked. If it was, whoever gimmicked it needed to give the WWE their money back. It didn't break quite like fake glass usually does. Both guys were absolutely cut to ribbons and bleeding all over after they went through it.

 

Mickie and Trish fucking up the Stratusfaction(?) at Wrestlemania 22 definitely worked well with Mickie's leg work on Trish throughout the match. I was upset when I found out that WWE cut it out of the DVD release.

I think it did hurt that match in one aspect; the crowd simply didn't buy the following Mick Kick as a finisher. There was kind of a "what the fuck, it's over?" vibe when she got the three count.

[zappafrank 0]

Angle / Lesnar - WM XIX. Although it would've been awesome for Brock to have landed on Kurt, the sick looking botch made the match memorable (aka another Wrestlemania Moment!) and it added story to their feud later on in 2003.

 

I have to disagree here. I remember that when Brock faced Big Show at the prior Survivor Series, I was thinking it would be then when he would bust out the SSP, with Big Show being so heavy to get into position for the F5. But it was also around that time when I started saying to my friends, "Angle/Brock is the WM money match, just watch."

 

So when the match did happen, it was all kinds of epic in my opinion. We all knew Brock could hit the SSP (there had been footage floating around of him in OVW nailing it), so when he went up at the end for the coup d'grace, it should have been a moment for the ages. Instead, it came across as someone who was trying something he couldn't do, and it really deflated the whole aura of the match. We all know it's worked, but when a move that's so contrived doesn't deliver, it kind of shatters the illusion.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Mickie and Trish fucking up the Stratusfaction(?) at Wrestlemania 22 definitely worked well with Mickie's leg work on Trish throughout the match. I was upset when I found out that WWE cut it out of the DVD release.

 

It led to Mickey's pantomiming of oral sex seconds later - maybe the hottest thing I've ever seen in my life. That improved the match, though it, too, was cut from the DVD release.

[George_South 0]

1987 War Games/Match Beyond. The Road Warriors hit the Doomsday Device on J.J. Dillon, who backflipped and landed awkwardly on his shoulder, separating it. Dillon surrendered moments later, but the legit injury definitely enhanced the match. Dillon wore a brace for the remainder of the summer tour.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Angle / Lesnar - WM XIX. Although it would've been awesome for Brock to have landed on Kurt, the sick looking botch made the match memorable (aka another Wrestlemania Moment!) and it added story to their feud later on in 2003.

 

I have to disagree here. I remember that when Brock faced Big Show at the prior Survivor Series, I was thinking it would be then when he would bust out the SSP, with Big Show being so heavy to get into position for the F5. But it was also around that time when I started saying to my friends, "Angle/Brock is the WM money match, just watch."

 

So when the match did happen, it was all kinds of epic in my opinion. We all knew Brock could hit the SSP (there had been footage floating around of him in OVW nailing it), so when he went up at the end for the coup d'grace, it should have been a moment for the ages. Instead, it came across as someone who was trying something he couldn't do, and it really deflated the whole aura of the match. We all know it's worked, but when a move that's so contrived doesn't deliver, it kind of shatters the illusion.

 

I agree completely. If Lesnar hit that SSP that would have been an epic match. That botch ruined the match. If he hit the move in the wwe before, then the botch might have added to the match.

[eiker_ir 0]

 

 

At Rising Above 2007 Austin Aries pushing Nigel against the guardrail almost destroying his eye and giving him a concussion. It pretty much made the match a classic.

 

 

 

 

[Youth N Asia 0]

Sid nearly killing Brian Pillman at Wrestlewar 1991. One of the reasons why Wargames is so legendary these days is because of that.

 

Sid was soooo bad about being caught on camera talking over spots and such in that match

[jericho4life 0]

The announce table collapsing and Kurt Angle hitting his face on the floor during the SummerSlam 2000 match really added to the injury storyline the match was going to use anyway. It created a legit "is this for real?" when Kurt had to leave and there was a lot of a drama in concussed Kurt fighting back when he returned.

 

Of course, he was hurt and did have a concussion and the whole thing totally sucked for Kurt, I suspect, but for storytelling purposes, great TV.

 

I remember watching this live and there was definitely a "was that legit?" feel, although seeing the Rock and HHH improvise outside the ring for a bit made me believe that was not part of the plan.

[The Buzz 0]

I always thought the SSP helped the match and how they recovered from it. It made Brock look like even more of a badass mofo who wanted the belt regardless of the consequences. In real fights not everything ends up perfect, and that's lost in translation a lot of times in pro-wrestling. People expect moves to land crisp and perfectly every time, and while botches can be dangerous, they do add a sense of realism to the match for me.