EOTR Retrospective: 6 Of The Worst Wrestling Trilogies

By TrueGodImmortal

So, this week, EOTR will be taking a look back at trilogies in wrestling. While the best trilogies will be tough to narrow, I wanted to take a moment and look back at some of the three match series that didn't connect like they should have. Yes, for the first time on EOTR, we'll take a look back at the worst trilogies in wrestling over the years. I won't rank these in order, but I will tell you why they were so bad and which match of the trilogy was the actual best. Let's take a look.

*Bray Wyatt vs Randy Orton
(No Mercy 2016, Wrestlemania 33, Payback)

-Talk about disappointing. This is one of those trilogies that you wish you could have back and destroy it. It started in September 2016 and I was a bit excited about the prospect of the feud. Then it actually happened. I have never been as disappointed in my life as I was when I saw each of these matches. First, the No Mercy match closed the show out on a poor note and a dead crowd, while the Wrestlemania match was once again another example of how hilariously bad Bray Wyatt has been in recent memory. The Payback match is the worst of them all, being a House Of Horrors match that honestly left me shaking my head and wondering what the fuck WWE was thinking. Bray Wyatt deserves better, but in all honesty, when you see trilogies like this, I question if he actually does. This was brutally bad and I advise everyone to never watch these three matches back again. It's that serious.

*Goldberg Vs Brock Lesnar
(Wrestlemania 20, Survivor Series 2016, Wrestlemania 33)

-Contrary to what many people say, there was nothing good about Brock vs Goldberg. At all. Goldberg was the man at one point. Brock was the man at one point. However, when they would do battle at Wrestlemania 20, neither man would care about the WWE or wrestling. The match would end up being pretty bad, and Goldberg winning meant nothing, as both men were leaving the WWE. However, in 2016, both men were beyond their primes and this match was pointless for the most part. While I enjoyed seeing the Wrestlemania 33 match, it was still a bad match in technical terms and we won't even mention the short joke of a match at Survivor Series. Simply put, Brock vs Goldberg is the biggest waste in WWE history in terms of a trilogy and a feud honestly.

*Hulk Hogan vs Vader
(Superbrawl 1995, Uncensored 1995, Bash At The Beach 1995)

-You might not remember this feud. You might not even remember the pre NWO run of Hogan in WCW. I'm sorry to have to bring this back up. However, the dark age of WCW is prime for this type of article. If I had to choose one trilogy that honestly made me question being a young wrestling fan, it was this one. Hogan was the forced face beyond his prime, while Vader was seen as the monster heel. Vader was booked terribly and as a result, this trilogy is even worse. Vader was a monster yet he couldn't even cheat to beat Hogan and win the title in WCW. Their three matches against each other on PPV were all slow, boring and only served to lift Hogan up as the top guy in the company and shortly after Hogan disposed of him, Vader wisely left WCW in the dust for the WWF. Of their three matches here, I prefer the Superbrawl match, only because I watched it myself live at the arena years ago (it was my first wrestling event). Otherwise, this trilogy is pathetic.

*Triple H vs Brock Lesnar
(Summerslam 2012, Wrestlemania 28, Extreme Rules 2013)

-This was just horrible. I don't know why they wanted to do this match three times, but it didn't work. At all. Triple H and Brock had no in ring chemistry and for some reason, they wasted three of the limited matches that Brock has on this bullshit. I know, I know. You're probably confused right? Some people like this feud. I hated it. What did it for me was the fact that we watched Brock in 2002 and 2003, and besides one triple threat match, these two never crossed paths. Brock was in his prime then and so was Triple H. When this trilogy came about, both were out of their prime and no one wanted to see this two times. It just didn't make sense. The Summerslam match was pretty bad. Then, the Mania match was a bit better, but still below any expectations. The Extreme Rules match was met with mixed results, but if you ask me, I wasn't a fan. Brock and Triple H wasn't what we wanted or hoped it would be, and for that reason, it's one of the worst trilogies in wrestling history. 

*Hulk Hogan vs Sting
(Starrcade 1997, Superbrawl 1998, Fall Brawl 1999)

-I'll be the first to admit, this is the worst trilogy on the list for a number of reasons. This took place in WCW during the period of time where I think most people understood that Hogan and Sting were the two biggest stars. This should have been executed very well. It should have been classic. Instead, it was the biggest disappointment for most wrestling fans. Sting and Hogan I was really boring, and the fake finish with Hogan winning ruined the momentum. Once you add in the horrible execution at Superbrawl, you really have something impressive in how bad it was. The finishes and the pacing of the matches were just horrible, and it got no better at Fall Brawl 1999. Hogan and Sting had a little more chemistry in that match, but overall, this might be the most disappointing feud in WCW history and easily one of the worst trilogies I've ever witnessed, and my choice for the worst due to the hype surrounding it.

*Triple H vs Kevin Nash
(Judgment Day 2003, Insurrextion, Badd Blood 2003)

-Yes. This was a trilogy. You might not remember this as vividly as I do but there are reasons why. For one, it is prime Triple H and the Kliq to put Nash in the title match as soon as he gets back, but most of all, the biggest issue that I had seemed to be the fact that they rushed Nash into his position as the next solo star for the company, or at least the next challenger for the World Heavyweight Title. The Judgment Day match was sloppy and poorly executed, and then their rematch in the UK was decent enough, but still felt very flat compared to what you might have expected. The worst of them all remains one of the worst Hell In A Cell matches ever, as Badd Blood 2003 saw the two put on a snoozefest that just ended poorly. Nash and Triple H might be best friends, but they had no chemistry at all in this match or trilogy in general and it was quite apparent that they are better off as friends than enemies.

-True