5 Worst WWE Gimmick Matches Of The Decade

Will the 2010s be remembered for tuxedos and Michael Cole's foot?

It is no secret that Vincent Kennedy McMahon has a peculiar mind when it comes to wrestling. This has been showcased in recent weeks in the dog-themed storyline between Baron Corbin and “The Big Dog” himself, Roman Reigns.

Lately, this storyline has begun to create speculation that a “Dog Collar” match between the two SmackDown superstars could be taking place at the TLC pay-per-view. While “Dog Collar” matches can be good, as Roddy Piper and Greg Valentine demonstrated at Starrcade 1983, it is understandable that fans would be sceptical based on previous gimmick matches in WWE. With TLC 2019 scheduled to be the final WWE pay-per-view of the decade, there is a serious chance it could be one of the worst gimmick matches of the past ten years.

Before Corbin vs Reigns takes place, here are the five worst gimmick matches of the 2010s.

 

5. Bray Wyatt vs. Kane -“Ring Of Fire” Match (SummerSlam 2013)

This was Wyatt’s first match on the main roster, and it came against a very logical opponent in Kane. The match should have served as a way to show the power of Wyatt while usurping Kane to become the top monster figure in WWE. Instead, it just ended up making him look weak; it told the fans the only way he can win is with the help from the Wyatt Family. Bringing us to the gimmick of the match: the “Ring Of Fire”.

Similar to an “Inferno” match, the ring is surrounded by flames, but the object of the match isn’t to set your opponent alight. The flames are there as a way to keep Harper and Rowan from interfering, but guess what? They still interfere. So the “Ring Of Fire” served no purpose. Wyatt won, but the match was just a big pile of nothingness leaving the crowd sat on their hands. It typified everything that was wrong with his run as the patriarch of the Wyatt family.

 

4. Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole – “Kiss My Foot” Match (Over The Limit 2011)

Believe it or not, this was the third pay-per-view in a row that featured a matchup between these two. This may not have been the worst match of the three, but the gimmick is what sets this one apart; the loser has to kiss the victor’s foot. Although the match in itself was dire, it is all the added parts which make this so terrible. Jack Swagger, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were all humiliated in this storyline which could have only come from the mind of Mr McMahon himself, but it was Michael Cole who faced the biggest bout of humiliation.

It seems like a dream come true to see Cole being humiliated, but this lasted for over 15 minutes and just ended up being painful to watch. Firstly his pants were ripped off, then he was covered in BBQ sauce, and finally, he was put into a sharpshooter while Lawler shoved his bare foot into Cole’s mouth. In the end, it was just sad.

 

3. Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez Tuxedo Match (No Way Out 2012)

Tuxedo match
Source: WWE

It is hard to understand how this made it onto a pay-per-view card; people paid money for this event, and this is what they were given. There wasn’t even much of a story to it other than Santino saying he was a better announcer than Rodrigo.

You may be wondering, what is a tuxedo match? How does one win a tuxedo match? Two opponents wear tuxedos, and the goal is to strip the other down to their underwear. It’s exactly as terrible as you would imagine it to be. It’s just embarrassing to watch. I guess Vince McMahon had a good laugh about it though.

 

2. Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss – Kendo Stick On A Pole Match (Extreme Rules 2017)

Not only was this one of the worst matches in WWE history, but it was also one of the worst rivalries, remember the Bayley “This Is Your Life” segment? It seems like a rule of thumb is that if it’s an *insert something* “On A Pole” match, then it is going to be bad. A big problem this match had before it even started, was that everyone hated Bayley at this point and would always boo her. There was no reason why anyone would root for her. Creative had done everything they could to make Bayley seem like a pathetic loser, something she is only overcoming two and a half years later.

If she wasn’t a loser before then she certainly was after this match; she was too afraid to hit Alexa with the stick, and it cost her the match. Sometimes matches are so bad they’re funny; this match was just bad.

 

1. The Fiend vs. Seth Rollins – Hell In A Cell Match (Hell In A Cell 2019)

This was the most eagerly anticipated match of the year, a huge rivalry which had been built for months. Two of the biggest stars in the company having their first match, a gimmick which has produced countless classic matches. It appeared as if it was harder to fail than succeed here. Somehow WWE managed to fail though, producing one of the worst, and most hated matches, in their history.

For some reason, they decided to have the match bathed in a dark red light, so if it wasn’t hard enough for the fans to see through the cell already, the light made it near impossible. Then the match seemed like it was just 15 minutes of Rollins doing his “Stomp” finisher. The crowd were hating every moment of it, thinking Rollins was going to win. But they managed to have something worse than a Rollins win; they had the match, where there are no rules, thrown out because Rollins used a sledgehammer. The fans were furious and rightly so, it’s a match so terrible it will long outlive both of the superstars.

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