5 Worst Wrestling Matches Of 1990
It is human nature to remember bad things more than good things. We tend to focus more on negative events than we do positive ones, simply because that negativity has a greater impact on our minds. The same holds true in wrestling. There is much more and fiercer debate on which matches are the worst than discussions on which are the best.
After all, if you’re looking at which matches are the best, at least those matches are ‘in good company’, in that they’re highly-regarded among fans. But no one wants to be in the discussion for worst wrestling match, which causes people to try and defend a bad match if they feel like it has some kind of justification for not being so bad.
For these lists, we’ll be looking at the five worst matches of every year, beginning in 1990. As criteria, we’re not only looking at matches that have poor in-ring action, but also ones that either failed to live up to the hype, suffered from bad creative direction, or were made worse by a negative crowd reaction.
However, there are some matches that might fit those criteria yet shouldn’t be considered ‘the worst matches’. Squash matches featuring obvious jobbers/enhancement talent that are inherently designed to be one-sided won’t be counted. But any match featuring established and popular talent being thrust into a ‘jobber’s’ position will be counted.
We’re also counting matches involving non-wrestlers like managers, because those tend to get a lot of hype around them, only to disappoint on execution.
5. Randy Savage vs. Dusty Rhodes – SummerSlam 1990
SummerSlam 1990 had many bad matches on it, but none of them were as disappointing as this one. Randy Savage was an amazing wrestler and Dusty Rhodes was a master at controlling crowds. Both of them also had one thing in common: they oozed charisma and could control an audience with little effort.
That’s why this match was so underwhelming. Lasting barely over two minutes in length, the match had little action and the finish came after Savage hit Rhodes in the back of the head with his then-manager Sherri’s purse. Yes, Dusty Rhodes, one of the icons of the NWA and southern wrestling for years, lost because of a woman’s purse.
It screams of attempts to discredit and embarrass Rhodes by WWE’s top brass, and was an enormous misuse of both Rhodes’ and Savage’s talents. While Rhodes was past his prime here, he clearly deserved better than this disappointment of a contest.