Most fans already know that wrestling is scripted and that the results of matches are predetermined. Everything that happens in the ring (and sometimes even outside) is planned by a set of writers who come up with the segments of the show.
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While wrestlers often know what they'll do in the ring in advance, sometimes they don't. And as shocking as it may seem, there were some matches where wrestlers didn't even know who was going to win. In some cases, these wrestlers had to just come out and wrestle and wait for someone to tell if they are winning or not.
8 Chris Jericho Vs. Shelton Benjamin
Back in 2004, WWE introduced a new pay-per-view called Taboo Tuesday. Fans were allowed to vote on certain aspects of the night, varying from stipulations to opponents and more. During the inaugural event, WWE asked the fans to choose an opponent for the Intercontinental Champion, Chris Jericho.
WWE expected Batista to win the votes, and they were surprised when Shelton Benjamin won the poll with 37.48%. Benjamin had no idea what he was going to do in this match. Up until the very last minute (literally), he didn't even know that he was going to become the new Intercontinental Champion.
7 WWE Brawl For All
WWE Brawl for All was a shoot-fighting tournament that was created to introduce Steve Williams to the world. WWE wanted him to win this tournament and get into a program with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. They were so sure of Williams' strength, that they didn't script any part of the match. Wrestlers were told to legitimately beat their opponents.
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Turns out, this wasn't a smart idea because several injuries ensued when that could have been easily avoided. At last, Bart Gunn ended up winning the whole thing. In return though, WWE punished him by putting him against professional boxer Butterbean at WrestleMania 15. Gunn didn't even last a minute in this match.
6 The 2019 Men's Money In The Bank Ladder Match
At Money in the Bank 2019, Brock Lesnar made a shocking return and won the MITB briefcase. Everyone was shocked with his return, especially the wrestlers who had no idea this was going to happen. Well, everyone except for Ali.
Ali was originally going to win the ladder match, but those plans changed. Some people were told he was still going to win, while others were told that a returning wrestler would win the match. Only Ali knew that wrestler was Brock Lesnar.
5 Velveteen Dream Vs. Johnny Gargano
In 2019, Johnny Gargano was moved to the main roster. At that time, he was still holding the NXT Championship. A month ago, WWE taped his NXT title defense match against Velveteen Dream. But they weren't sure which wrestler they wanted to win, so they taped two different versions of it.
Sometime after Gargano jumped ship to the main roster, WWE decided to take the NXT Championship off of him. So they aired that version of his title defense where Dream won.
4 Andre The Giant Vs. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant are two of the most recognized names in wrestling. WWE booked them into a match at WrestleMania 3, which was attended by 93,173, a record at that time.
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During his trial against Gawker, The Hulkster revealed that going into this match, he wasn't sure if he would win. He said that the match finish was also decided at the last minute. At that time, Andre was going through some issues and his mood wasn't okay. Hogan (and everyone else, including Vince McMahon) was worried that the 520-pound wrestler might not follow the plan, but Andre did his job and put Hogan over.
3 Royal Rumble 2005
While Batista did end up winning the Royal Rumble match in 2005, he was supposed to do that in one go. When both his and John Cena's feet touched the floor at the same time, the referees were forced to choose a winner between them. Referees of the Raw brand believed their guy won, while the referees from SmackDown said Cena won.
At that time, nobody knew who was actually going to win. Both landed on the floor at the same time, so even the referees couldn't follow the original plan. In the end, Vince McMahon came to the ring and decided to restart the match. This time, Batista ended up winning.
2 Rhett Titus Vs. Mike Bennett
A few months ago, Rhett Titus was a guest on Wrestling Observer Live. Titus talked about various things from ROH, including a match where he didn't even know who was winning. That said match happened in September against Mike Bennett under Pure Rules.
This match had a 15-minute time limit. In the end, Bennett was declared the winner by the judges.
1 Every Match During The Pre Worked Days Of Wrestling
In the nineteenth century, professional wrestling began as a legitimate sport. Wrestlers used to perform at carnivals, and people used to bet on the winner. Even random people from the audience used to challenge the wrestlers to make some money.
Oftentimes, these matches used to go on for hours causing people to easily lose their interest. So promoters started predetermining the winners. In the next few decades, wrestling became more of a business than actual sport, and shoot matches became rare. Up until the 1920s, people still viewed wrestling as a legitimate sport. But now, promoters never deny that their shows are scripted.
