10 Infamous Wrestling Squash Matches

[@SharksFan1997]

Brock killing Gowen actually scarred me as a child. I didn’t watch wrestling for almost 6 months after because I thought he’d actually mangled the poor guy.

[@Kenji.Artistry_]

Man, I hear you didn’t stop me from watching back then tho 😅

[@conatser]

It’s crazy that Brock’s two matches on this list are in my most and least favorites of all time. The Gowan match is unwatchable to me. The Goldberg matched popped me like nothing else.

[@agedefyingfitness]

He did actually mangle the guy.

[@KanishQQuotes]

I developed a disdain for brock after the Gowen match. And to this day I don't care about anything that brock does

[@Duzykutas]

Lol what a mark

[@BhaiLogBD]

Don’t forget: "Any man with two hands has a fighting chance"

[@donniejefferson9554]

Don't forget: "I like big, sweaty men."

[@HoV326]

Not gonna lie, the Zach Gowen beatdown is one of the most uncomfortable beatdowns in WWE in my opinion. That one was hard to watch

[@XBeatmymeatX1990]

It was funny as Fuck

[@ilikecheesecheese5076]

​@@XBeatmymeatX1990 It is extremely funny if you were beaten half way to death as a child everyday by your drunken father

[@JTeam45]

​@@ilikecheesecheese5076 Yeah because that's the same thing as a consensual wrestling squash match... The fuck is your deal?

[@gauntlion839]

That’s what made it great. Zack made Brock look like a monster.

[@superstan3290]

@@ilikecheesecheese5076 dude the match was scripted don’t take it seriously like that Zach said before that he had a lot of fun with this match and Brock went easy on him

[@zionkraze9965]

Where's the Kofi Lesnar one?

[@Travybear1989]

Oh god, I remember watching that and thinking "what the hell did I just witness?".

[@galahadortiz3258]

I'd have included Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Summerslam 2014. Brock absolutely annihilated Cena, who was still considered the top guy in the company at the time, with 16 German suplexes. Basically a precursor to Suplex City. Brock also completely no sold the attitude adjustment, sitting up after taking it and laughing in Cena's face.

[@connorledwith98]

Came here to comment this, my parents split in 2015 and it’s the last PPV I watched with my dad beforehand, we used to watch SS every year and going into it we both wanted Lesnar to win cos we was fed up of Super Cena, and we acc thought it was gonna be another Cena wins lol case, but Brock murderers him. We know from about 30 seconds in we was eating good during that match. Most fun I’ve ever had watching wrestling with my dad for sure 🤣 best squash match ever. I love Brodie Lee vs Cody for the TNT title too bc Brodie Lee got his moment in the sunshine before he passed on not long after, my favourite moment of all of the pandemic era for sure

[@hulkslayer626]

Loved that match! Sooooo brutal! The German Suplex has always been one of my favorite "filler" moves and loved when wrestlers would use it effectively. (Kurt Angle/Brock Lesnar/Taz/Chris Benoit etc...) and if you weren't aware, the triple German suplex has been used in a real fight before!!! Dan Severn did it in a MMA fight. Held onto his opponents waist through all 3. Won the fight with it! Dude was out! 🤩

[@anthonyfashona7990]

Undertaker squashed Cena too 😂

[@alexanderletzing6705]

My brothers and I witnessed my Dad get blasted by Mum for introducing us to wrestling when the Gowan match with Brock happened, intense stuff.

[@JoshMcGuire21]

thought the Braun vs James Ellsworth squash match would've been on the list

[@alexloyola4695]

Definitely should have been. The guy made the most out of his opportunity. I kept thinking it was going to be number one 😅

[@bury_the_elite65294]

Or what about the Lesnar v Brian Kendrick match? BK does his usual sprint to the ring & then promptly gets his nuts handed to him...

[@cgsweat]

7:40 Apparently Mike Blackwell's family and/or girlfriend was in the audience that night, and he didn't want to look bad in front of them... lol

[@serpentlord285]

And instead ended up getting destroyed in front of them, sweet.

[@rickyrosay33977]

Even if my girlfriend was in the audience I wouldn't want to p*ss off sid vicious and Dan Spivey

[@MetalThrashingMan13]

APA vs Public Enemy was a memorable squash match

[@Coenen2517]

Came here to say this.

[@ComaAlpha]

Which sucks, because PE would've been golden in the WWF. Their ECW matches were awesome.

[@marvinleong5902]

​@@ComaAlphaproblem was, they decided to say "fu** you" and not to sell the APA offence and got their ass kicked by JBL and Ron Simmons. If they had cooperated and sold their offence and take bump, they might at least win the World Tag team titles at least once. Oh well

[@owl509]

I remember watching that beat down of Zach Gowen and thinking it was one of the most insane things I ever seen in terms of pro-wrestling (this was well into modern day Lesnar when I first saw that clip so it was a trip)

[@phillipmartinez2436]

same here I felt bad for the guy. Then I read a few books by wrestlers (with ghost writers). I think the Bob Holly book mentioned that he was ok at first but his ego inflated and he started getting harder and harder to work with and became an ass. So they booked the match to teach him a lesson.

[@MasterOfViewership]

@@phillipmartinez2436 Actually, Zach said that his mauling at the hands of Lesnar was the most fun he ever had

[@phillipmartinez2436]

@@MasterOfViewership I had heard that before I read the book. Im sure things where added to make the book more entertaining.

[@yenkocamaro6965]

I wish they would put that F5 into the post into the games, it's so brutal

[@MasterOfViewership]

@@phillipmartinez2436 what book?

[@talonthehand]

A more recent one that may become more famous with time - Moxley vs Punk.

[@FreeThinkAlways]

The Rocky 3 idea presented by awful wrestler moxley

[@nicholashurst780]

I really need to catch up on AEW

[@Travybear1989]

@@FreeThinkAlways Moxley isn't awful by any means. Saw his cage match vs. Omega and that was amazing. Sure, I get that Omega is god-tier at wrestling but Moxley was no slouch.

[@FreeThinkAlways]

@@Travybear1989 I'm not even going to bite at that

[@bury_the_elite65294]

@@Travybear1989 Omega is just a glorified circus acrobat who likes to wrestle blow-up dolls and 8-year-old girls. And his buddies The Dumb Bucks are equally lame.

[@kwfranchise]

Honorable Mention: Legion of Doom vs any jobbers…they was killing those dudes 😂

[@lunam6941]

I would've imagine that Jeff Hardy versus Sting would show up in that video

[@chaoscontroller316]

In defense of Jeff, can that be called a squash match if it wasn't really a match at all?

[@heavysounding]

Mark Starr slapped Rude about 11 times in the body then everywhere in route to his neck/face. Legitimate stinging slaps over and over, THAT is when Rick started using live rounds on the guy. The match was cooperative, up until that boy started slappin' them slaps. Rude not only slugged him once but he proceeded to land some very real hooks to Starr's jaw following. Another to the ribs. Hahaha. F'd that boy eppp.

[@hygrave2892]

Just saw the whole match. The kick catch like you said wasn't the issue. Those slaps, especially when he hit Rude in the face is what made Rude go live with his rounds. Rude landed some major hooks to Starr's body and face. If I am not mistaken, Rude had a background in boxing too. He for sure lit Mark Starr up like Mark was standing on the sun. Had Rick really wanted too, he could have knocked that man into another dimension.

[@heavysounding]

@Hygrave For sure. Ricky Rude is a sight, man. Only man who could make his mustache max out.

[@thejuggernaut5327]

No Honky v Warrior at Summer Slam? It paid off Honkys long title reign, gave the villain his comeuppance, and pushed Warrior toward the top of the card. What was a better squash than that?

[@akihikosanada2020]

Apparently these 10 lmao, but fr I agree with you

[@Wolfdogg]

"Infamous" generally implies that they're not well-known for good reasons.

[@josephpatti2835]

​@@Wolfdogg They are well known for bad reasons.

[@bergrose630]

My great uncle was impressive. RIP Rick Rude.

[@TIYapper]

Fr?

[@billywhitewolf]

Mark Starr is your great uncle?

[@beccaglyn]

Wait Rick Rude was your uncle

[@rickisgrate]

He was my dad

[@MrAjking808]

Why do y’all believe anyone lol

[@austintucker1586]

Goldberg squashing Brock lesnar is probably my favorite squash match of all time because it was so unexpected

[@aidanknolla6658]

I’ve actually met zack gowen at a summer camp for handicapped kids nice guy

[@elc1960]

Here's a couple that were left off the list, which apparently only counts matches that occurred after 1990? By the way, the last I knew both of these matches were up on KZbin, so if you're so inclined you can check them out for yourselves: Sgt. Slaughter vs Paul Fisher: Fisher had more guts than brains, because he talked his way onto a TV taping of Championship Wrestling at the old Agricultural Pavilion at the Lehigh Valley Fairgrounds in 1983. What made Mr. Fisher so gutsy (read "stupid"?) was he had no wrestling training whatsoever, and he had the bad luck to get Sgt. Slaughter as his first ever opponent. See, Fisher was allegedly a rock musician whose band had played a gig at the facility the night before and had talked his way backstage for the TV taping. They needed a jobber to fill in for a guy who was supposed to work but hadn't shown up or was injured or whatever, so Mr. Fisher said "I'll do it!", and so he got in the ring and had the holy hell beaten out of him in less than 30 seconds. Fisher ate a clothesline from Slaughter and submitted to the Cobra Clutch, and allegedly all he got for his efforts were a broken jaw and a bucket of KFC chicken. I hope for his sake it was at least extra crispy (the chicken, not his jaw). George "The Animal" Steele vs Rick Bolton: This one actually went off 100% as planned. Rick made his one and only WWF TV appearance (I think it was anyway) at a 1981 taping of All Star Wrestling. This one is the infamous "Steele dislocates some jobber's left arm" match, and it's kinda hard to watch because Steele throws him out of the ring and twists the guy's arm so you can actually see the bone turning under the skin. But as it turns out, Bolton was one of those people who can dislocate their own arm at will, so he was actually alright. They also tried this same gimmick with another jobber in 1984, and that match is also here on KZbin.

[@HadenGregory]

Dude, it sucks that they couldn't have given the one-legged guy a good storyline where he beats the odds and wins despite his disability. Clearly it isn't realistic, but this is wrestling. It would have been an iconic storyline remembered by kids everywhere if Zach Gowen had gotten his moment in the spotlight.

[@NekoHibaCosplay]

I agree with that, they gave victories to El Torito and Hornswoggle despite the odds, giving a one-legged performer some spotlights would have been great

[@SuperSonicShadow27]

Another squash match I that is pretty infamous is the Acolytes vs Public Enemy on Heat. Public Enemy thinking they were a couple of “the boys” and having this big reputation then getting absolutely annihilated by Bradshaw and Faarooq…. Yeah they definitely weren’t a couple of the boys

[@nick_knows_stuff]

Inoki is a genius, that's how you give a guy "the rub". As for Gowan, dude made bank on the indies and future autograph signings. I loved getting jobbed not only was it quick work, but I always liked seeing just how dominant I could make other workers look.

[@MrNegativecreep07]

10:20 that explains what Harry Kane does in his spare time.

[@afif9250]

😂😂

[@MrCjlillie]

If ronda vs Alexa isn’t on this list it’s crime this should never had happened

[@wbcwinnipegbeltcollector]

WWE might not have had Attitude but more very Uncomfortable unsettling Moments than I can even remember, Shane's Testies, Zack Gowan, McMahon vs God, McMahon vs Undertaker McMahon vs Stephanie This truly was just absolute madness to live through

[@cijmo]

Zach Gowan was a good novelty but the could never decide if he was "what a great spirit, out there with one leg, what a great kid" or "come on, don't be so brutal, the kid only has one leg".

[@bury_the_elite65294]

I remember he had a match against Cena, where all Gowan did was climb to the top turnbuckle & kick Big Match John in the chest a few times, before Cena beat him with the FU aka Attitude Adjustment. Yes, it was as dull & uneventful as it sounds.

[@aaronzalewski7566]

I was there at the joe Louis arena when the squash match between Lesnar and Zack gowen happened. It was pretty violent lol. I just remember him getting tossed around every where and he took some pretty nasty bumps

[@wolfpackfan10]

How is Ultimate Warrior vs Honky Tonk Man not on this list?

[@loboneiner1034]

Ron Shaw should have got a main event push after that dominating victory

[@MykaTheDevil]

I remember watching Gowen vs Lesnar as a child and I couldn’t even believe what I was seeing. Really uncomfortable stuff there…

[@MrHitman73]

One that sticks in my mind when I was a kid was Paul Orndorff vs. Rudy Diamond. Rudy came out with the name "Paula" on the back of his trunks. Orndorff came out and proceeded to beat the holy hell out of him and I think Diamond received 2 piledrivers for his troubles.

[@hasanx8066]

Going into business for yourself to stick it to Vince. Good luck with that 😂😂. Wrestling was funny and goofy as hell sometimes before it got all OP corporate

[@beerguy177]

butterbean vs bart gunn my favourite squash of all time

[@victoriamccord1557]

I remember that Zack Gowen match. It was extremely difficult to watch.

[@TheChooseAName123]

Japanese fans rioting? Really?? Can't imagine that at all. Seriously I can't visualize it.

[@chrisphilippi1357]

APA vs Public Enemy…does that count as a squash match?

[@erosennin211]

Shocked Brock beating Kofi for the WWE title in 8 seconds to kill Kofimania with authority wasn't on the list.

[@jimmiegreerii9026]

I submit that Warrior vs. Honky Tonk Man was more infamous than the HHH match.

[@Macephtopheles]

Goldberg/Lesnar wasn't really infamous. Fan reception to that one at the time was generally ok. The ones annoyed were more complaining about Lesnar ending The Streak for nothing. If you want an infamous Goldberg squash then him vs the Fiend at Super Showdown or against Kevin Owens at Fastlane were a lot more infamous than the Goldberg/Lesnar Survivor Series match. As for Lesnar then *_that_* squash over Kofi was definitely more deserving of a spot.

[@robertclark2253]

After being blinded by Rick Martel Jake The Snake was in a match with enhancement wrestler Tom Stone and after the DDT refusing to pin Stone Jake continued to beat Stone until his corner man Shawn Michaels , other wrestlers and officials pulled Jake away . Stone earned a dq because of this .

[@calennon3]

So technically, Gowan squashed Brock

[@Biffo316]

"Brock is gonna beat up a disabled kid, it'll be such good shit"

[@donovanbradford8231]

The thing about the Zach Gowen match is with his mothrr being at ringside and even if she was told he'll be fine, seeing her son brutalized in that manner and hearing the chair shot probably sent her over the edge fearing for his life. And to me the crossing the moment was more so the next next week or so when Gowen being confined to a wheelchair was cornered by Lesnar and tossed down a flight of steps. Turn Lesnar in an over the top heel yes and send a good portion of your audience away as well check and double check.

[@CeoJaylennn]

Brodie & Cody From Dynamite, Punk & Mox as well could be good additions

[@Dr_1212]

Vince needs to b squashed & Fired 😂

[@Sunprism]

Looking to spot Spike Dudley at Least twice on this list

[@black2wo108]

How they miss The Acolytes vs Public Enemy🤔🤔🤔🤔😒😒😒

[@oliverl.5834]

You have Rick Rude above New Jack on that list?

[@parsath_2584]

Yeah honestly. New Jack will stab you, but could he really fight? Rick Rude would easily kill you with his own hands.

[@oliverl.5834]

@@parsath_2584 It's probably a safe bet that he has been in some back alley brawls. But it's not about that. Yeah, Rude might've reacted like he did at times. But there aren't too many incidents, are there? With Rude it's "I shouldn't fuck with him because he could beat the crap outta me". With New Jack it's more "I better be careful because hell knows what will set him off".

[@rotomwash0355]

"I don't think Vince was ever the same after you lost to Ron Shaw." I'd like to nominate the above for quote of the year.

[@robertclark2253]

King Kong Bundy vs SD Jones WresleMania 1 , Hart Foundation vs Bolsheviks WresleMania 6 and Legion of Doom vs Power and Glory WresleMania 7 .

[@charliequirk7046]

Surely the kid vs Razor Ramon should get an honourable mention, 9 year old me watching on sky sports did not see it coming and celebrated like England won the world cup 😂😂😂

[@TheRealMightyHokie]

Pretty crappy story about the guy getting paralyzed, but I have to say, it's all his fault. I agree he should have gotten money from WWE because they put an employee in jeopardy. But how is it Marty Jennettie's fault that the jobber didn't know how to take the bump?

[@MisterKidd555]

Was really hoping to see that match where the guy starts vomiting during a Brutus Beefcake post-match haircut.... Am I remembering that correctly? Maybe it was a guy vomiting on Damien after a Jake Roberts match? Either way, VOMIT = MEMORIES

[@KanishQQuotes]

I begun to hate brock after the Gowen match. And I still don't really enjoy anything he's into

[@ColeYote]

I'm surprised by the lack of Public Enemy vs. Acolytes. You know, the one where Farooq and Bradshaw decided to just legit beat the shit out of Public Enemy.

[@garrettbarry411]

APA vs Public Enemy Sting vs Jeff Hardy Victory Road Brock Lesnar vs Ricochet

[@TheParaFlyer54]

Actually surprised Lesnar/Kofi wasn’t on this list

[@Matrim42]

Mike Bell is a sad story.

[@shishioh]

Lesnar pre-2012 could have filled up this entire list. The match on Smackdown where he left Hogan LEAKING is right under the Gowan sacrifice.

[@catisreckless4647]

Sorry, but you shouldn't be allowed to sue if you WILLINGLY put yourself into a dangerous situation that you weren't properly trained for. What the fuck happened to personal responsibility?? 🙄

[@a.grimes4202]

Chris Benoit vs. MVP - United States Championship, _SummerSlam_ 2005 (Benoit d. MVP via submission in 25.5 seconds)

[@cyruscesar2818]

Bryan and Sheamus legit pissed me off when I saw it. I legit brought Wrestlemania for the first time, and I didn't just buy it for that match, but it was a selling point for me. When Bryan became champ, I didn't know who was until I saw him wrestle Tyson Kidd on Smackdown one day, and I had to see his work. He seemed legit and I wanted to see this match, but we got what happened. The next night is something I'll never forget lol

[@AngelicusImmortus]

Brock made the mistake of making a rather sick tweet right before the match about Goldbergs wife and son. Goldberg saw it. So when he reached the ring he changed the script from a long fight into a total squash. He hit Lesnar in the ribs full force jarring his ribs. The second broke to ribs. Then he jackhammered him. Holding him up so his own body weight was pressing onto his rib cage. Clear that it was over the Ref did the count the match ended. As a result neither were paid. Poor Brock, scheduled to win, lost badly.

[@FrankC71]

Stick to todays WWE Entertainment, Real Fans Know Who Mark Starr was.

[@justinlast2lastharder749]

I still mostly remember Vader for when he fucked up in the Middle East and was looking at a Long Sentence of Forced Labor and he became the dude shoveling camel shit...this was late 90s.

[@charlespancamo9771]

Why wouldn't warriors return be anything other than a squash match? That's what we all wanted, that's what made sense. What moron would think he should have a 'competitive' match for his long awaited return that would just slow his momentum and face heat? Makes no sense. HHH just had some inside connections, more grandiose ideas for himself, and an ego.

[@BudSchnelker]

Nothing tops the time Muraco ate a meatball sub and a Coke in the middle of a squash.

[@nathanbrehm1085]

I was sitting next to an amputee when I was watching Brock toy with Gowen. I wasn't sure how much I should laugh at. Awkward...lol

[@KegOfMeat]

Chuck Austin should not have won that lawsuit. The guy shouldn't have been in the ring with so little training time under his belt.

[@mikeross4937]

We need a warning when Sheamus is going to be on screen so I can lower my gamma and put on sunglasses. THAT DUDE IS WHITE!

[@Geneticlyinsane1]

Lesnar Vs Cena has be 1 of the biggest squashes of all time , Cena did next to nothing that would be considered offence and Brock just destroyed him for the entirety of the match

[@stevieg7755]

Didn't Great Khali Squash The Undertaker in his Debut. I'm sure he pinned him with his boot on his chest.

[@marvelsProtege]

That Zach ish was like WWE beating up his girl Stephanie McMahon it was just uncalled for and mean

[@vollstaendingennamen]

just wwe, i see. odd to see a list with 10 infamous squash matches and micky knuckles vs mike levy not being on the list, and new jack nowehere to be seen either.

[@benr8153]

Where is Diesel vs Bob Backlund? Match was what, 7 seconds?

[@edman1357]

Do jobbers ever advance in wrestling? Not sure why anyone would do it if not. Can’t imagine the money being any good.

[@abelaldrich7831]

Yeah Zack Gowen got destroyed by Lesnar it was hard to watch but he actually got the win by DQ cuz of the chairshot

[@synical_comics_stl]

I'm surprised the Acolytes versus Public Eney wasn't on here

[@hanndonfield91]

Is Adam pehchti (spelt wrong I reckon) the only one left at cultaholic, Sad!

[@paulhundy2986]

Zach reminds me of that scrappy little no armed player Bucky LaGrange

[@dylanogg347]

"Bork killed One-Leg Man in front of his One-Leg Mam!"

[@adriancontreras1880]

Taker and kane vs MVP and Kennedy wasn't exactly a squash but as close as could be IMO

[@Galeigh]

Brock getting squashed by Goldberg was a thing of beauty to watch.

[@oriondx72]

Yea that gowen was hard to watch but was getting off on that though is the sad thing. Remember when he booked a match vs his daughter and it was no holds barred? yea he's a sick man!

[@robertperez7301]

That triple h squash at WM12 was punishment for the curtain call fiasco

[@darylsfan9680]

My favorite squash match: The Rock vs Erick Rowan.

[@noise626]

oooo the Acolytes vs Public Enemy is one that I'll never ever forget...

[@kevinsiegel]

Can't believe Public Enemy vs. APA isn't on this list....

[@JerryG784]

The Zach Gowen match should have been number one, that guy got demolished

[@hemlo7494]

You missed Blackjack Mulligan vs Frank Williams.

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

Hhh was punished for curtain call by warrior

[@High-Overlord-Snarffie-Pug]

you better actually be tougher than the jobber if you start a shoot match with him, there has been a few guys who could legit take out most stars in a fight

[@michaeltovar9451]

I need to meet up with a heel or a heel type guy, for some fun matches. any takers?

[@rivahkillah]

I thought Bianca vs Lynch would've made the list

[@MABMGuitar]

Does WWE copyright strike anything other than still photos now?

[@PhoenixNoKiseki]

Mike Blackwell was half the size of Sid and Spivy, and judging by his life choices had half the brain that they did.

[@zambonijones350]

No Diesel vs Bob Backlund? Seriously?

[@woodyburns]

You can’t take a squash match list seriously unless the Mulkey Bros are on it

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

Rick Rude & Rick Boogs, what's the connection 🤔

[@uttermanbo]

Why was Mark Starr getting a championship match?