Matches that started great...

[Johnny]

...but ended kinda shit.

We've all seen matches that started really bad, but the last 5/10 minutes turn into a really great match.

But are there any matches that started great, and then whimpered out, lost the crowd, and turned into a bad ending 5 minutes?

This isn't about bad finishes, or results you didn't like, but whole end sections of matches.

The closest I can think is HIAC with Mankind and Taker, but even that ended with thumbtacks which was awesome(at the time).

[JTH]

Orton/HHH Mania 25

[Johnny]

Jul 2, 2014 16:21:10 GMT -5 JTH said:

Orton/HHH Mania 25

I was thinking about that match, but couldn't remember any good part of the match, so I figure it didn't have one.

[Deleted]

Can't think of a good example offhand, but this is almost certainly going to be something with a bullshit crazy overbooked ending.

[Johnny]

Well the mind games main event came to mind, but its just the finish that sucks. The last 5 minutes was amazing though.

[khali]

I think in general a match can go downhill either through through insane amounts of run ins/interference, or too many nearfalls. Sometimes you'll see a match where the crowd is going nuts for the nearfalls, but then after way too many of them they cool off. Not WWE, but TNA had a lot of matches in the days of Jarrett as top heel where there were insane amounts of run ins that killed the matches.

[Deleted]

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle from Summerslam 2001. A really good, even great match with an ending sequence so godawful it made the whole thing a waste of time.

For those who haven't seen it, towards the end of the match, Austin kicks out of the Angle Slam, punches out Earl Hebner and keeps brawling with Angle. Austin kicks out of an Angle DDT, and then takes out the replacement ref. A third ref tries to run in and Austin takes him out also. Then a FOURTH ref runs in and DQs Austin for his previous assault of referees. The whole thing took several minutes and detracted heavily from what was otherwise an awesome match.

[DMO-]

Lesnar /Taker WMXXX IMO anyway.

[Phosphor Glow]

Jul 2, 2014 17:00:29 GMT -5 @tacticalsneakman said:

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle from Summerslam 2001. A really good, even great match with an ending sequence so godawful it made the whole thing a waste of time.

For those who haven't seen it, towards the end of the match, Austin kicks out of the Angle Slam, punches out Earl Hebner and keeps brawling with Angle. Austin kicks out of an Angle DDT, and then takes out the replacement ref. A third ref tries to run in and Austin takes him out also. Then a FOURTH ref runs in and DQs Austin for his previous assault of referees. The whole thing took several minutes and detracted heavily from what was otherwise an awesome match.

Seriously? That's WCW levels of weird and stupid.

[Renslayer]

Jul 2, 2014 17:00:29 GMT -5 @tacticalsneakman said:

Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle from Summerslam 2001. A really good, even great match with an ending sequence so godawful it made the whole thing a waste of time.

For those who haven't seen it, towards the end of the match, Austin kicks out of the Angle Slam, punches out Earl Hebner and keeps brawling with Angle. Austin kicks out of an Angle DDT, and then takes out the replacement ref. A third ref tries to run in and Austin takes him out also. Then a FOURTH ref runs in and DQs Austin for his previous assault of referees. The whole thing took several minutes and detracted heavily from what was otherwise an awesome match.

Ooh I disagree with it being stupid. Within the context of Austin being a paranoid madman that feared he couldn't beat Angle and valued the WWF title above everything else in life, it made perfect sense. He realized he couldn't win so he took the route that guaranteed the title. And having Nick Patrick deliver the DQ made it even better. Probably my favorite match of 2001 (despite Austin's meh entrance music at the time).


For the thread, I'd go with Austin-Undertaker from 98 Summerslam. The match was going well but Austin got a concussion mid match and it slowed down considerably. It was still a good match but could have been better.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2014 17:16:44 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

Ooh I disagree with it being stupid. Within the context of Austin being a paranoid madman that feared he couldn't beat Angle and valued the WWF title above everything else in life, it made perfect sense. He realized he couldn't win so he took the route that guaranteed the title. And having Nick Patrick deliver the DQ made it even better. Probably my favorite match of 2001 (despite Austin's meh entrance music at the time).

It made sense with Austin's character at the time, but dragging it out for three ref bumps was just overkill, IMO. They could've just as easily done the first ref bump and then have Nick Patrick come out for the DQ.

[Kayfabe FAN don't want none]

Didn't the Austin/Benoit/Jericho match end with Austin pinning Benoit after he (Benwah) superplexed Jericho?

I think Benoit had a kayfabe injury, but it was lackluster.

[BRV]

Mankind vs. Shawn Michaels at Mind Games 1996.

Great match with a putrid, overbooked mess of a conclusion.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2014 17:10:38 GMT -5 DMO- said:

Lesnar /Taker WMXXX IMO anyway.

I'd say that is the other way around personally. I thought the match started off like shit but then during the ending it picked up, mostly with the F5s.

[Deleted]

Lesnar/Goldberg started out OK when someone said, "hey, wouldn't it be interesting if..." and rolled downhill from there.

[Deleted]

Not a well-known match, but MVP and Husky Harris had an awesome 10 minute match on NXT. Problem is, they were scheduled for over 20. Poor Husky was sucking wind and the match just died.

[Renslayer]

Jul 2, 2014 17:45:01 GMT -5 Kayfabe FAN don't want none said:

Didn't the Austin/Benoit/Jericho match end with Austin pinning Benoit after he (Benwah) superplexed Jericho?

I think Benoit had a kayfabe injury, but it was lackluster.

IIRC that was the finish, but I had always heard the Benoit injury was legit. He had been wrestling with a broken neck since the TLC match from Smackdown, which is kind of bonkers considering he went two months with a broken neck and had a stretch of amazing matches.

[Super Duper Dragunov]

Jul 2, 2014 16:21:10 GMT -5 JTH said:

Orton/HHH Mania 25

Having been there live, you wouldn't believe the amount of people leaving the arena before the match was even over. I mean it wasn't in droves, but it was significant enough to notice.

[Deleted]

Jul 2, 2014 19:00:40 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

Jul 2, 2014 17:45:01 GMT -5 Kayfabe FAN don't want none said:

Didn't the Austin/Benoit/Jericho match end with Austin pinning Benoit after he (Benwah) superplexed Jericho?

I think Benoit had a kayfabe injury, but it was lackluster.

IIRC that was the finish, but I had always heard the Benoit injury was legit. He had been wrestling with a broken neck since the TLC match from Smackdown, which is kind of bonkers considering he went two months with a broken neck and had a stretch of amazing matches.

I thought all these years that he imjured it in the match.

[Mozenrath]

Jul 2, 2014 21:06:38 GMT -5 @conviction said:

Jul 2, 2014 19:00:40 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

IIRC that was the finish, but I had always heard the Benoit injury was legit. He had been wrestling with a broken neck since the TLC match from Smackdown, which is kind of bonkers considering he went two months with a broken neck and had a stretch of amazing matches.

I thought all these years that he imjured it in the match.

If it was the back suplex off the top rope, that's because he DID injure it in that match. That's when Benoit broke his neck, which is why Austin pinned him. We're talking the match Booker T debuted in, right? Putting Austin through the announce table.