10 BOTCHED WWE Match Finishes

2. 2005 Royal Rumble

The 2005 Royal Rumble was set to be the biggest night of Dave Batista’s career to that point. 

The Animal had caught fire and WWE were in the middle of teasing a split between him and Evolution leader Triple H. Booked to win the Rumble, this would be the first stop on the road to a WrestleMania showdown with his mentor and then-World Heavyweight Champion. 

And it almost didn’t happen. At the end of the Rumble, big Dave went to powerbomb John Cena when they lost their balance and tumbled backwards over the top rope to the floor. 

In a merciful piece of good fortune, they happened to land at roughly the same time, which helped when it came to hastily arranging a re-do.

Once an apoplectic Vince McMahon had marched down to the ring and barked out instructions – infamously tearing both of his quads in the process – Batista and Cena were able to do the finish over and end the match with the correct winner. 

Incidentally, this wasn’t the first time a Rumble finish had been botched, though The Rock and Big Show got away with it in 2000 and managed to incorporate it into storylines going forward.