10 Infamous Wrestling Squash Matches

From Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus to The Ultimate Warrior vs. Triple H, these are 10 Infamous Wrestling Squash Matches.
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[@BhaiLogBD]

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

[@donniejefferson9554]

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

[@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

[@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

[@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?

[@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...

[@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

[@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

[@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?

[@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 😂

[@zionkraze9965]

Where's the Kofi Lesnar one?

[@Travybear1989]

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

[@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.

[@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

[@talonthehand]

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

[@Michael-cz6ob]

The Rocky 3 idea presented by awful wrestler moxley

[@nicholashurst780]

I really need to catch up on AEW

[@Travybear1989]

@@Michael-cz6ob 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.

[@Michael-cz6ob]

@@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@MrNegativecreep07]

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

[@afif9250]

😂😂

[@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.

[@austintucker1586]

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

[@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

[@MykaTheDevil]

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

[@kwfranchise]

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

[@loboneiner1034]

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

[@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.

[@MrCjlillie]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@beerguy177]

butterbean vs bart gunn my favourite squash of all time

[@TheRealMightyHokie]

"He got his remaining leg broken in two pieces, but he got the moral victory, didn't he?" Man, I laughed pretty hard at that. Great writing and great delivery.

[@noise626]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@victoriamccord1557]

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

[@wolfpackfan10]

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

[@jannix5383]

I wouldt watch anything if it wasnt for Adam on this channel. I was trough since years with wresteling but due to the videos he intones i have gone back to wwe network and watch all the shows since 1997. I am at the end of 1998 atm and its awesome. My Plan is to go all the way to Wrestlemania 20 but maybe even to WM 23 and finish with my good old memory of Taker vs Batista, the hey day of my time as a fan. Anyway after that i plan an watching all the stuff from WCW and i just wanted to say thank you Adam for inspiring me to do so

[@jimmiegreerii9026]

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

[@WALTRIPFLAIR]

I was at the 1991 Royal Rumble when Sgt. Slaughter took the title from the Ultimate Warrior. What followed in the next arena show was a non-title rematch that was the best squash match I ever saw. Warrior ran through Slaughter in a realistic looking ass whooping, laid the belt across the fallen Sarge, and walked out.

[@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

[@CeoJaylennn]

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

[@TheRealAhoy]

Nice to see Harry Kane finally get his props 10:20

[@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 .

[@TheParaFlyer54]

Actually surprised Lesnar/Kofi wasn’t on this list

[@lilpoetat]

Thanks 🙏

[@Sunprism]

Looking to spot Spike Dudley at Least twice on this list

[@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

[@dylanogg347]

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

[@robertperez7301]

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

[@calennon3]

So technically, Gowan squashed Brock

[@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 😂😂😂

[@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.

[@synical_comics_stl]

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

[@woodyburns]

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

[@TheMDXtremeReal]

3:56 Clever bit of reference

[@kevinsiegel]

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

[@BudSchnelker]

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

[@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

[@darylsfan9680]

My favorite squash match: The Rock vs Erick Rowan.

[@Nbflowers1989]

Some rough ones

[@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.

[@goat666db]

Diesel vs Bob Backlund deserves a mention

[@erosennin211]

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

[@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 .

[@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.

[@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.

[@TheRealMightyHokie]

I just watched the Rudd vs Starr match. It seems that Starr holding Rude's foot up and taunting him wasn't wise, but it was definitely the barge of punches that Starr landed in a flurry. He hit Rude several times for realzies. Rude gave the receipt right then and there. Once Rude beat him up he goes for a suplex which is to say, back into wrestling. Sheesh.

[@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

[@aeroblaziken4145]

Was hoping to see Batista vs Simon Dean from 2005 SmackDown on this list 😂😂😂

[@curtismcmillan1559]

I would have added Sting vs Jeff Hardy

[@thewannabeheel8091]

The entire Gowen McMahon-Lesnar rivalry was kinda rough to watch

[@Galeigh]

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

[@eliasreed5143]

2 Videos in one day 😮

[@SgtCrumpet]

3*

[@madefor4letterfame]

Congratulations, your eyes still work

[@Biffo316]

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

[@obadiahvondeath8048]

i would've put Warrior quashing Honky Tonk at Summerslam! EPIC!

[@JerryG784]

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

[@chrisphilippi1357]

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

[@black2wo108]

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

[@iforgotmeshoes]

watched the zach gowen match yesterday and yeah its hard watching

[@garrettbarry411]

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

[@theharv1490]

Diesel’s WWE title win

[@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".

[@paulhundy2986]

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

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

Hhh was punished for curtain call by warrior

[@terrystyles5271]

Bruno Sammartino won his first title in a squash match over Buddy Rogers.

[@rivahkillah]

I thought Bianca vs Lynch would've made the list

[@Matrim42]

Mike Bell is a sad story.

[@aaronharris5069]

Undertaker vs John Cena at WrestleMania was a squash match. Anyone remember that one?

[@jordancourtney9142]

Guess I’m a rick rude fan now

[@killuminati91112]

All my matches in 2k wwe games have been squash matches.

[@nicktaylor2657]

Roddy Piper vs Rick McGraw in 1985 should be on the list since McGraw died before the match aired and Piper was rumored to have caused his demise

[@joker12341]

Should've included Brock and Cena from Summerslam.

[@Seanatonin]

No love for Koko B Ware vs The Patriot?

[@hemlo7494]

You missed Blackjack Mulligan vs Frank Williams.

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

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

[@a.grimes4202]

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

[@marikwdor]

I would've had APA vs Public Enemy in the top 5

[@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.

[@theharv1490]

Kofi vs Brock was the first thing I thought about….

[@Mariobacuno528estupido]

How about emma/paige vs bellas in 2015? When the Bellas pinned Emma after a facebuster in just under a minute, leading to the givedivasachance hashtags..

[@Dr_1212]

Vince needs to b squashed & Fired 😂