Remember when WWE thought putting wrestlers in a pool of mud was entertainment? Well, buckle up, because that’s not even close to their worst idea.
Professional wrestling has given us some legendary matches, but these gimmicks made fans cringe harder than a chair shot to the head.
1. The Kennel From Hell Match (1999)
Al Snow vs. Big Boss Man might sound like a regular match, but WWE decided to surround the ring with “vicious” dogs. Except these weren’t exactly hellhounds – they were more interested in marking their territory and looking confused than adding any menace to the match.
The dogs mostly sat around, wagged their tails, and occasionally did their business in front of horrified fans. Even the wrestlers couldn’t keep a straight face while trying to act terrified of these friendly pups.
The match ended up being remembered more for its unintentional comedy than any actual wrestling.
2. The Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match (2000)
WCW outdid themselves here. They strapped Buff Bagwell’s mother, Judy, to a forklift next to the ring. The winner would be the one who could “rescue” her.
Poor Judy spent the entire match suspended in the air, looking thoroughly uncomfortable while her son battled Kanyon. The match wasn’t just disrespectful – it was boring, and awkward, and made everyone involved look ridiculous.
Even the usually rowdy WCW crowds fell silent during this disaster, probably wondering if they could get a refund on their tickets.
3. The Reverse Battle Royal (2006)
TNA thought they could reinvent the wheel with this one. Instead of throwing people over the top rope, wrestlers had to fight their way INTO the ring first. Picture 16 grown men desperately trying to climb into a ring at the same time, looking like kindergarteners fighting over the last cookie.
Once they got in, THEN it became a regular battle royal. The whole thing was so confusing that even the commentators gave up trying to explain the rules.
Several wrestlers missed their cues because they couldn’t figure out when they were supposed to enter or exit the ring.
4. The Doomsday Chamber of Blood Match (2006)
Someone at TNA thought, “You know what wrestling needs? More fake blood and weird structures!” This match required wrestlers to make their opponent bleed before they could pin them – inside a ridiculous chamber that looked like it was built with spare parts from a high school theater department.
The result? A messy, uncomfortable spectacle that made hardcore matches look tasteful by comparison. The structure was so poorly designed that wrestlers kept accidentally hitting their heads on support beams while trying to perform basic moves.
5. The Punjab Prison Match (2007)
WWE spent a fortune building this massive bamboo structure, only to realize it was so huge that fans in the arena couldn’t see what was happening inside.
Even better? The original competitor, The Great Khali, couldn’t compete due to medical issues – despite the match being created specifically for him. The structure was so cumbersome that it only saw action twice before being permanently retired to wherever WWE keeps its bad ideas.
The bamboo “prison” cost nearly $300,000 to build and ended up being used for a total of about 40 minutes of television time.
6. The Thanksgiving Leftovers Match (2001)
WCW’s dying days gave us this gem where wrestlers had to fight in a ring filled with actual Thanksgiving leftovers. Mashed potatoes became improvised weapons, and gravy made the canvas so slippery that performing any moves became nearly impossible.
The match ended when someone slipped on cranberry sauce and legitimately couldn’t get back up. Wrestling purists still cite this as the moment they knew WCW was beyond saving.
7. The Kiss My Foot Match (1995)
Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler seemed like a solid rivalry until WWE decided the loser had to kiss the winner’s foot. That’s not even the worst part – after losing, Lawler brought out a fake foot to kiss instead, then tried to brush his teeth in the ring to get rid of the “taste.”
The whole thing felt like a bad comedy sketch, and not in a good way. The match itself was decent, but the post-match antics dragged on for what felt like an eternity, with Lawler gagging and spitting while the crowd slowly lost interest.
8. The Electric Cage Match (1989)
WCW promised a cage that would shock wrestlers who touched it. What they delivered was some stagehands shaking the cage and flash pots going off whenever someone hit the metal. The electricity was so obviously fake that fans started chanting “refund” halfway through the match.
The worst part? The batteries in some of the flash pots died during the match, leading to wrestlers having to pretend to be electrocuted by cage sections that weren’t even sparking anymore.
9. The Scaffolding Match (1991)
Someone thought it would be brilliant to have wrestlers fight on a narrow platform 20 feet in the air. The result? Terrified performers inching along like tightrope walkers, trying not to fall and die.
The crowd spent most of the match holding their breath, hoping nobody would make a fatal mistake. Wrestling is supposed to be entertaining, not anxiety-inducing. Insurance companies reportedly threatened to cancel WWE’s coverage if they ever attempted this type of match again.
10. The Inferno Match’s Worst Version (2006)
While the concept of surrounding the ring with fire sounds cool, the reality was a sweaty mess. The wrestlers couldn’t get close to the ropes without risking their tights catching fire, and the whole match looked like two guys trying to avoid getting too close to a campfire.
The finale usually involved someone’s arm getting “burned” with all the convincing special effects of a high school play. One wrestler lost his eyebrows when he got too close to the flames, leading to some awkward promotional appearances in the following weeks.
11. That Time They Went Too Far
The ultimate disaster has to be the “Live Birth” segment from 2005, where WWE tried to convince us that Lita was giving birth to a handful of blood and slime in the middle of the ring.
It wasn’t technically a match, but it deserves a spot on this list for being the moment many fans considered canceling their cable subscriptions. The segment was so bad that several sponsors reportedly called WWE the next day to express their concerns.
When Gimmicks Go Wrong
These matches remind us that sometimes the best wrestling is just… wrestling. For every Money in the Bank or Hell in a Cell success story, there are a dozen ideas that should’ve stayed in the creative team’s reject pile.
At least they gave us something to laugh about – even if that was not the original intention.
