Matches that singlehandedly destroyed a wrestlers career

[lws]

Not necessarily the worst matches ever, or even bad ones, but ones where a worker got exposed or labeled as being much less of a performer than fans may have once believed. Also acceptable, and perhaps even more commonplace, is when a company kills a character by jobbing them into oblivion.

Examples:

Tazz vs. Triple H, originally Tazz was some unstoppable bad ass, three months into his stint he's also ECW Champion, so HHH squashes him to end all that momentum 

Kane and Undertaker vs. DDP/Kanyon, the WWE guys annihilated the WCW guys from bell to bell and made everyone forget they were once top stars 

Bart Gunn vs. Butterbean, shouldn't need to explain this one 

Ric Flair vs. Lex Luger, first instance of Luger getting labeled a choker that would follow his entire career. Yoko/Luger and Hogan/Luger 2, same deal, only stronger.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss in Kendo Stick on a Pole just felt like the live assassination of the Bayley character to me, and it just hasn't felt the same since.

[Honeybear Lyder]

That Gayda/Nowinski vs Bradshaw/Stratus match, for Gayda? IIRC they never let her wrestle again.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Jan 18, 2018 7:15:50 GMT -5 Honeybear Lyder said:

That Gayda/Nowinski vs Bradshaw/Stratus match, for Gayda? IIRC they never let her wrestle again.

Believe it or not, not only did they let Gayda wrestle after that but she had about 30 more matches! Not just on house shows either!

[Ronny Rayguns Is All Elite]

Booker T vs Buff Bagwell on Monday Night Raw probably killed a lot of careers of people not even in the match

[chronocross]

I’d disagree about the Tazz/HHH as it was not a squash, he only won because of Tommy Dreamers accidental chair shot to Tazz. Plus Tazz was already firmly in the mid card by that point, there was no way he was going over Trips right before the Backlash PPV match with Rock.

I would second the Alexa/Bayley match as that did nothing for Bayley other than make her look like a total idiot who was too scared to get extreme.

[Ben Wyatt]

Jan 18, 2018 8:41:10 GMT -5 chronocross said:

I’d disagree about the Tazz/HHH as it was not a squash, he only won because of Tommy Dreamers accidental chair shot to Tazz. Plus Tazz was already firmly in the mid card by that point, there was no way he was going over Trips right before the Backlash PPV match with Rock.

People always seem to forget that Tazz was pretty much done as a full time wrestler within a year because his neck was hot garbage.   I'm not suggesting that the company didn't take some missteps with him, but his health was a big aspect 

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

Steiner against Triple H royal rumble 03. Booker T was plan b lol Scott was planned in that main event and to win the belt. That match cost him millions of dollars and being on the main event scene. Steiner didn't even last a year in the company, and he pretty much became a lower card guy, couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

This is actually a series of matches but Heidenreich lost all cred when not even the Undertaker could get a good match out of him, same thing with Kozlov.

[YAKMAN is ICHIBAN]

Jan 18, 2018 7:03:53 GMT -5 Oh Cry Me a Screwball said:

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss in Kendo Stick on a Pole just felt like the live assassination of the Bayley character to me, and it just hasn't felt the same since.

Stupidest booking, with one of the most self-defeating promos ever.

That and her keeping the title after winning it via shenanigans. She should have relinquished it like any good, ultra-clean babyface would have.

A good clean babyface also would have no problem using a weapon in a match where it is not only welcomed, but allowed.

[cassonova]

Kronik vs. the Brothers of Destruction. Brian Adams was brought in partially as a favor to the Undertaker. Match was so bad that it led to the chain of events that led to Kronik's firing shortly after this match.

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2018 9:45:40 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

This is actually a series of matches but Heidenreich lost all cred when not even the Undertaker could get a good match out of him, same thing with Kozlov.

Festus/Luke Gallows got a good, hard-hitting brawl out of Kozlov. Granted, it was a short match.

[Surfer Sandman]

Jeff Jarrett in that "Good Housekeeping" match.

[Honeybear Lyder]

A poster above mentioned Butterbean vs Bart Gunn. What about Bart Gunn vs Steve Williams at Brawl For All?

[Deleted]

Jan 18, 2018 9:58:26 GMT -5 cassonova said:

Kronik vs. the Brothers of Destruction. Brian Adams was brought in partially as a favor to the Undertaker. Match was so bad that it led to the chain of events that led to Kronik's firing shortly after this match.

.......they were ordered to developmental land (either OVW or Heartland, I forget). Clark refused and was let go; Adams did, but either walked out or was let go after a few weeks.

They went to AJPW in 2002 and from what I recall did rather well (won a title or two), then both retired a year later.

[Joe Neglia]

Richter in the "original screwjob" with Moolah. Went from being one of the five top names in the WWF to...well, nothing. Some Japan dates, a run in Puerto Rico and a brief stay in the twilight years of the AWA was it for her. In one match she went from being the #1 (by a large margin) female wrestler in the U.S. to somebody even Crockett wouldn't hire.

[MrElijah]

Jan 18, 2018 16:24:51 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Richter in the "original screwjob" with Moolah. Went from being one of the five top names in the WWF to...well, nothing. Some Japan dates, a run in Puerto Rico and a brief stay in the twilight years of the AWA was it for her. In one match she went from being the #1 (by a large margin) female wrestler in the U.S. to somebody even Crockett wouldn't hire.

I'm kinda surprised JCP didn't go after her. Still, she got railroaded.

[mo]

If I’m remembering right, that awful match with HHH at Survivor Series was the end of Kozlov’s big push.

[FHgrad99]

Jan 18, 2018 16:24:51 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

Richter in the "original screwjob" with Moolah. Went from being one of the five top names in the WWF to...well, nothing. Some Japan dates, a run in Puerto Rico and a brief stay in the twilight years of the AWA was it for her. In one match she went from being the #1 (by a large margin) female wrestler in the U.S. to somebody even Crockett wouldn't hire.

I'm hard-pressed to think of anybody who's star plummeted as suddenly as Wendi Richter's did.

[adamclark52]

Jan 18, 2018 9:45:40 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

Steiner against Triple H royal rumble 03. Booker T was plan b lol Scott was planned in that main event and to win the belt. That match cost him millions of dollars and being on the main event scene. Steiner didn't even last a year in the company, and he pretty much became a lower card guy, couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

The fact that he wasn’t booked for Wrestlemania two months later that year is a testament to how bad that match was.

Didn’t they have an even worse match the following month at No Way Out?

[chronocross]

Jan 18, 2018 17:07:16 GMT -5 adamclark52 said:

Jan 18, 2018 9:45:40 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

Steiner against Triple H royal rumble 03. Booker T was plan b lol Scott was planned in that main event and to win the belt. That match cost him millions of dollars and being on the main event scene. Steiner didn't even last a year in the company, and he pretty much became a lower card guy, couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

The fact that he wasn’t booked for Wrestlemania two months later that year is a testament to how bad that match was.

Didn’t they have an even worse match the following month at No Way Out?

I thought the match at No Way Out was a bit better (not much though), just that his choice of tights with the USA logo did not endear himself to the fans in Montreal that night.