10 WWE matches that had a botched finish
WWE produces over seven hours of in-ring programming every week, so it is no surprise that some of the matches we see on a weekly basis occasionally feature botches.
In 2019, for example, The Undertaker defeated Goldberg in the main event of Super ShowDown in a match that will forever be remembered for the botches that took place during the nine-minute encounter.
That match still went on to have the correct outcome, with The Undertaker pinning Goldberg after a chokeslam, but there have been lots of times throughout WWE history when a botch has taken place at the end of a match, causing confusion and, in extreme cases, the wrong person to win.
In this article, let’s take a look at 10 WWE matches that had a botched finish.
#10 Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles (WWE Battleground 2017)
Kevin Owens won the United States Championship from AJ Styles at the 2017 Battleground pay-per-view after reversing a submission into a pinfall.
It was clear from everybody's reactions that there had been a botch, with referee Brian Nguyen deeming that Styles – the person who was supposed to win the match – had his shoulders on the mat whilst applying the submission.
Chris Jericho returned two nights later on SmackDown and lost via pinfall to Styles in a Triple Threat match against both Superstars, meaning “The Phenomenal One” regained his title to get the storyline back on track.
#9 Shawn Michaels vs. Vader (WWE SummerSlam 1996)
Vader was originally supposed to win the WWE Championship from Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1996 before dropping it back to his rival at the 1997 Royal Rumble.
However, the first match in the three-match series between the two men was full of miscommunications and uncoordinated moments, including a spot where Michaels kicked Vader in the head after the challenger did not move out of the way of an elbow drop.
Another botch at the end of the match saw Vader keep his shoulders on the mat when he was supposed to kick out of a Sweet Chin Music. This led the referee, who knew the finish, to only count to two, allowing the match to continue. Moments later, Michaels landed a moonsault on his standing opponent to pick up the win.
After “The Heartbreak Kid” complained to WWE management about the SummerSlam encounter, Vader was replaced in the storyline by Sycho Sid.