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- WWE has shown in recent times that they haven't learned their lesson with poor booking finishes. Roman Reigns' legendary World Championship run hit a major snag a WrestleMania 39 as he faced Cody Rhodes in the main event of Night 2. While the match as a whole was an incredible piece of in-ring storytelling, the ending fell completely flat as Solo Sikoa ran in for a typical interference assist to help Reigns retain, a finish that had already been used in multiple title defenses in the past.
The history of WWE is full of great matches. If one looks on Cagematch.net, there are nearly 600 bouts that fans have rated an 8.0 or above. But what makes a great match? Besides in-ring performance, one important element is that the bout sticks the landing by delivering the right finish, a concept that involves more than just the right wrestler winning or losing.
RELATED: 10 Amazing Match Finishes That Caught Fans Off Guard
Sometimes things don’t go according to plan in a match ending, but that’s nobody’s fault. Let’s take a look at the worst finishes to WWE matches — ones that don’t appear to be the result of a miscue but rather good, old-fashioned poor booking.
UPDATE: 2023/09/25 07:30 EST BY Wesly Avendano
WWE has shown in recent times that they haven't learned their lesson with poor booking finishes. Roman Reigns' legendary World Championship run hit a major snag a WrestleMania 39 as he faced Cody Rhodes in the main event of Night 2. While the match as a whole was an incredible piece of in-ring storytelling, the ending fell completely flat as Solo Sikoa ran in for a typical interference assist to help Reigns retain, a finish that had already been used in multiple title defenses in the past.
18 Triple H Beats Booker T (WrestleMania 19, 3/30/2003)
One of the more controversial rivalries of the early to late 2000s Ruthless Aggression Era had Booker T emerging to challenge Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title. As Triple H began to make racially charged comments about Booker T’s ability to be a top guy, it seemed obvious that Booker was going to prove the champion wrong. Unfortunately, the opposite happened, as Triple H defeated Booker T in shockingly clean fashion, lending to the prevailing belief about Triple H burying other talent.
17 The 18-Second Match (Wrestlemania 28, 4/1/2012)
WrestleMania 28 opened in promising fashion, as Daniel Bryan was set to defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus in what was sure to be what the challenger routinely refers to these days as “a banger.” However, a banger it was not, as Bryan pretty much immediately ate a surprise Brogue Kick to end the match in 18 seconds. Fans at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium were none too pleased about the finish, though it did unintentionally contribute to Bryan’s underdog narrative down the line.
16 James Ellsworth Wins Money In The Bank On Carmella’s Behalf (Money In the Bank, 6/18/2017)
The mid-to-late 2010s saw WWE change its presentation of its female talent, leading not only to competitive matches, but a number of firsts. That included the first-ever women’s Money in the Bank match in 2017, with an impressive lineup of competitors like Becky Lynch, Natalya, and Charlotte Flair all vying for the coveted briefcase.
RELATED: 10 Storylines That Hurt The Women's Revolution
Unfortunately, the conclusion of the bout had Carmella’s sidekick James Ellsworth scaled the ladder to retrieve the briefcase for her. It was obviously for heel heat, but it was the wrong kind of heat, drawing so much backlash that WWE staged a do-over on SmackDown days later.
15 The Demon Loses Via Ring Malfunction (Extreme Rules, 9/26/2021)
Roman Reigns’ epic reign as WWE’s top champion has seen “The Tribal Chief” run through pretty much every notable babyface in the company, including pre-Judgment Day Finn Balor. For his Extreme Rules 2017 challenge for Reigns’ Universal Championship, Balor brought back his popular Demon alter ego — often a surefire sign that Balor was going to stomp his opponent into oblivion. However, when Balor climbed to the top rope for the Coup De Gras, a staged malfunction caused the turnbuckle to break, sending Balor tumbling and allowing Roman Reigns to capitalize and retain.
14 AJ Gets His Foot Stuck In A Table (Backlash, 5/21/2017)
In 2017, AJ Styles had a feud going with Kevin Owens for the United States Championship that proved surprisingly disappointing despite both men’s exceptional talent. Their first big encounter was at Backlash, which offered one of the more embarrassing finishes of AJ Styles’ career, especially in WWE. The bout expectedly spilled to ringside, with Styles attempting a Styles Clash on top of the German announce table. However, Owens slipped away and Styles managed to step into a breakaway part of the table, getting stuck and suffering a ridiculous countout loss to the champ.
13 Giant Gonzalez Uses Chloroform On The Undertaker (WrestleMania 9, 4/4/1993)
Fans of course know all about The Undertaker’s impressive 21-match winning streak at WrestleMania, but many might be unaware that the third match in this streak ended in a disqualification. During his reviled bout against Giant Gonzalez at WrestleMania 9, manager Harvey Whippleman tossed the monster heel a chlorine-soaked rag to attempt to subdue “The Dead Man.” The ref caught on and disqualified Gonzalez, which makes for a weird ending for a match where an undead cowboy mortician took on a guy in a bigfoot costume.
12 Savage Goes For A Pin In A Royal Rumble (Royal Rumble, 1/24/1993)
In the old days, every notable wrestler had to be “protected” lest they lose their kayfabe credibility by losing a match. For example, Macho Man Randy Savage was a big star, but WWE was pushing sumo wrestling monster heel Yokozuna as the next big main eventer, and they were the last two guys remaining in the 1993 Royal Rumble.
RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About Royal Rumble 1993
After delivering his signature Flying Elbow Drop, Savage, against all logic, went for a pin, only for Yokozuna to kick out so hard that Macho Man was thrown over the ropes. While it was certainly a clever finish to say the least, it was also one that required Savage to forget the rules of the Royal Rumble, which he took part in on three occasions prior.
11 Hell In A Cell Ends In A No Contest (Hell In A Cell, 10/6/2019)
When it comes to the WWE of recent years, however, it’s tough to think of a marquee match more vocally despised than the 2019 Hell in a Cell match between “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Universal Champion Seth Rollins. There were a number of criticisms about the match, including the red lighting making it hard to see, but what really killed it for everyone was the ending. Rollins appeared to get too violent, introducing a sledgehammer and causing the referee throwing the match out as a No Contest. It was a baffling booking decision, as the no-disqualification Hell in a Cell match has long been touted as WWE’s most dangerous gimmick.
10 Lex Luger Celebrates A Countout Victory (SummerSlam, 8/30/1993)
When it comes to Lex Luger’s two big WWE Title shots at Yokozuna, both have screwy endings, so it’s a question of which is worse. While WrestleMania 10 had guest referee Mr. Perfect disqualifying Lex Luger and turning heel, but at least that’s an angle. After Luger body slammed Yoko on an aircraft carrier, he challenged the champion at SummerSlam 1993, ultimately drawing a deeply disappointing countout victory after knocking the champion out of the ring. What made the finish even worse was a post-match, as balloons fell from the ceiling and other wrestlers came out to celebrate with Luger, who — it must be stressed — did not win the title.
9 Brock Lesnar Wins Money In The Bank Without Doing Very Much (Money In The Bank, 5/19/2019)
The 2019 edition of the men’s Money in the Bank match saw eight competing for the briefcase, one of whom was a mystery opponent curiously absent for much of the match. However, in the final moments, it was revealed: Brock Lesnar was competing in the gimmick match for the first time ever. While that may sound exciting, it pretty much immediately led to the finish, with Brock climbing the ladder and capturing the briefcase. Given how hard the other wrestlers worked for nearly 20 minutes, Lesnar just showing up at the end seemed like a slap in the face.
8 Roman Reigns Vs. Cody Rhodes: Solo Sikoa Saves Roman Reigns
This is the most recent match finish on the list and it's one that had the internet wrestling community up in roar. There's no denying that Roman Reigns' recent dominant run has done wonders for WWE. However, every championship reign has to come to an end eventually. Many fans felt that WrestleMania 39 was a perfect place for Reigns' run to end.
Fans were ready to see Cody Rhodes be crowned WWE Champion. That's not how things would play out though. Had Reigns won straight up perhaps the IWC wouldn't have been so up in arms. The finish saw Solo Sikoa interfere and cost Rhodes the match. While it was a logical finish, it was one we've seen all too many times during Reigns' title run. The finish left many fans disappointed.
7 SummerSlam 2010 John Cena Conquers The Nexus
Fair or not, John Cena developed a reputation over the years of winning matches he should've probably lost. While Cena is nowhere near the backstage politician that Hulk Hogan was, the term "Super Cena" was coined after fans started growing weary of Cena's constant superhuman triumphs. The main event of SummerSlam 2010 is a great example of a match Cena should've been booked to lose.
That night should've signaled the arrival of Wade Barrett and The Nexus. Instead, "Super Cena" would pull out his mythical golden shovel and cut the group's legs out from under them. Sure, Cena was just being a good soldier and following orders but many fans still resented him for not putting as many young talents over as they would've hoped for.
6 The Undertaker Vs John Cena: The Undertaker Squashes John Cena
There are certain matches that fans have always clamored for. The Undertaker facing John Cena at WrestleMania was one of those matches. At WrestleMania 34, WWE finally obliged and booked the two legendary performers in what many fans hoped would be a classic bout. What we got instead was a bit shocking.
RELATED: Why The Undertaker Beat John Cena In A Squash Match At WrestleMania 34, Explained
That night, The Undertaker would absolutely obliterate Cena in what can only be described as a squash match. It was an interesting choice that left many fans feeling confused and a bit unsatisfied. Surely most fans wanted to see 'Taker be victorious but not a single fan came to see a squash match like that at WrestleMania.
5 Sycho Sid Vs. Shawn Michaels: Jose Lothario Has A Heart Attack
In pro wrestling, there is a fine line between tugging at the audience's heartstrings and doing something insensitive. The booked finish between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid at Survivor Series 1996 crossed over into insensitive. That night, Sid was booked to win the WWE Championship from Michaels in part due to Jose Lothario suffering a "heart attack."
The match would end with Sid attacking Lothario causing Michaels to turn his attention away from him. This gave Sid the opening to hit a Powerbomb on Michaels and win the match. On paper, it was a clever finish. Having Lothario fake a heart attack was in poor taste though.
4 Money In The Bank 2020: Otis Gets Lucky
Vince McMahon has a childish sense of humor. This explains why so many cringe comedy acts have been greenlit in WWE over the years. One of the most cringeworthy ones was Otis. The comedic character is unfortunate because Otis is actually a very talented wrestler with an amateur background.
In 2020 though, McMahon was getting his kicks out of Otis' Chris Farley-like character. McMahon's amusement with the character went as far as having Otis win the coveted Money In The Bank contract. At Money In The Bank 2020, Otis would win the contract without even climbing a ladder. The match's finish would see the briefcase simply fall into Otis' hands. Luckily, Otis would eventually lose possession of the contract to The Miz.
3 John Cena Vs. The Miz: The Rock Costs Cena
Throughout its history, WWE has coveted celebrity involvement. Especially at WrestleMania. At WrestleMania 27, they got the best of both worlds when former main event star and Hollywood heavyweight, The Rock, signed up to host the event. While on the surface this seemed like a good thing, The Rock would cast a long shadow.
The show's main event would see John Cena challenge The Miz for the WWE Championship. In the end, The Miz would emerge victoriously. Sadly, the focus was hardly on Miz that night. All eyes would be on the growing conflict between Cena and The Rock. Booking those two megastars against each other is understandable. Sacrificing the main event of the year's biggest show to do it was a questionable booking decision.
2 Hulk Hogan Vs. Yokozuna Hulk Hogan Squashes Yokozuna
As kids, many of us grow up thinking that the world is as simple as good and bad. The reality is, that most things in life are hardly ever that simple. That goes double for people. Hulk Hogan is a prime example of this. On one hand, Hogan may be the greatest thing that ever happened to pro wrestling. He jumpstarted the 80s wrestling boom and changed the course of WWE history.
RELATED: Hulk Hogan Vs Yokozuna: WWE’s Original “Final” Hulk Hogan Storyline
On the other hand, Hogan was a selfish spotlight hog who held several stars back. The ending of WrestleMania 9 is the best example of this. That night Hogan would come out after the finish of the Bret Hart Yokozuna match and essentially bury both Hart and Yokozuna by quickly winning the WWE Championship.
1 Stone Cold Vs The Rock: Austin Turns Heel
Historically, WWE likes to send fans home happy after WrestleMania. Even though the babyface doesn't always come out on top, fans typically appreciate WrestleMania main events. That was not the case at WrestleMania 17. That night, fans all over the world tuned in for one of the most anticipated main events ever, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin vs. The Rock.
The two megastars put on one hell of a match that night but the finish put a damper on the whole thing. The match ended with Vince McMahon helping Austin defeat The Rock, thus turning Austin heel. It was a very unpopular decision and one that Austin has gone on record numerous times saying he regrets.
