wrestling / Columns

Botched!: Sydal’s Shooting Star, Rebel Slips, More

September 14, 2020 | Posted by Steve Cook
Matt Sydal AEW All Out

Hi, hello & welcome to Botched! There were a couple of high profile accidents that happened over the past few days which I have opted not to include in this week’s column. Raw saw what originally seemed to be a botched three count with Cedric Alexander & Ricochet, but that was necessitated by Ivar’s dive to the floor ending up with him getting injured and the match needing to be stopped. Given the circumstances, they did the best they could in that situation.

On the other end of the spectrum, AEW did the worst they could do in the situation with Matt Hardy’s head bouncing off the floor and him being knocked out for at least a minute. I’ve opted not to include it because it’s still a pretty volatile situation between AEW & Hardy’s camp. And, as I keep writing more of these things, I tend to enjoy the simpler ones that aren’t quite so scary.

The first one’s a good example…

1. Rebel Slipping

Rebel tries really hard to be the best assistant that Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. could ever hope to have. She isn’t perfect though, and sometimes we even catch a glimpse of it when she isn’t supposed to be on camera.

Now that’s some character dedication right there.

2. Charles Robinson Tries The John Cone Bump

We all know that John Cone set the gold standard for referee bumps out of an impoding ring back in 2017.

Since it’s 2020, it’s time for Braun Strowman to help break a ring again. Charles Robinson was the referee this time around, and he wanted to do the best he could to help out. Unfortunately, the ropes weren’t as helpful this time around:

Some bumps are just once in a lifetime. Respect to Lil’ Naitch for trying.

3. Referee stares right at it, allows it anyway

Pretty obvious that the pinfall attempt on Ortiz was supposed to be broken up by Santana putting Ortiz’s hand on the rope after the three count, and the referee being fooled into thinking the hand was on the rope prior. Good ol’ fashioned heel work. There was only one problem.

Well, two problems. First, the ref does the gimmick where him slapping the mat the first time doesn’t count, which is always a pet peeve of mine because everybody in the arena thinks that’s one. Then, he’s staring right at Santana & Ortiz while they’re trying to cheat behind his back, and he lets it go anyway! Joe West thinks this is shoddy officiating.

4. Sydal’s Shooting Star Misses

Poor Matt Sydal. Talented wrestler, has had some ups & downs in the wrestling business, but is now ready to fly into AEW All Out.

I swear I’ve seen him hit that move perfectly at least a thousand times. Ropes were slippery this evening out in the heat though. Now, it wasn’t as bad as the Shockmaster tripping because he didn’t have a bedazzled Stormtrooper helmet to fall off his head, but it wasn’t a great debut.

5. Fans Love Mox

Jon Moxley is a pretty popular guy. Sometimes, the fans just love him too much.

I didn’t catch if the guy was wearing a mask or not. If not, you gotta ban that dude for life, right? Probably if so, too. AEW’s going to have to be more careful who they let into these things.

Thanks for reading! If you see (or hear) anything wrong in the world of wrestling, let me know via Twitter or e-mail at [email protected]. See you next time!