5 most brutal squash matches in WWE history
Squash matches used to be an essential part of the fabric of WWE. Weekly television shows like Superstars and Wrestling Challenge generally featured stars defeating enhancement talent to establish themselves, get their big moves over, and get fans invested in seeing matches between bigger names at house shows in their local markets, or at pay-per-view events.
Squash matches became less common coming out of the Monday Night War era as WWE felt compelled to book competitive matches that would draw ratings in order to beat back WCW’s Nitro direct challenge to their flagship show, Raw.
Squash matches didn’t go away, though, and particularly in recent years, they’ve enjoyed a bit of a resurgence not just on TV or the occasional PPV, but also in featured segments and even PPV main events. This article takes a look back at five of the most brutal squashes WWE has given us.
#5 Goldberg Vs. Brock Lesnar
After an absolute flop of a match at WrestleMania 20, there were quite a few questions surrounding Goldberg’s return to WWE in 2016. All the more so, there were questions about what would happen in a Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar encounter after Goldberg hadn’t been in a WWE ring for over twelve years, and was approaching fifty.
The answer? A squash match.
Lesnar had been one of WWE’s most dominant forces, who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania and mowed through most WWE talent put in front of him. While it was conceivable that Goldberg might beat him again, anyone beating Goldberg in a squash seemed absolutely absurd.
In a match that only lasted a minute and a half, Goldberg hit two spears and a Jackhammer to pick up the duke in quick, dominant fashion and set up an intriguing new program for Lesnar in the months to follow.