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The title of the “worst match ever” is nearly impossible to give to any match unless it truly stands out as the worst of the worst. WWE has made Raw a massively successful weekly television show for almost three decades now. The best and worst talents in WWE history have almost all performed on Raw at some point.
However, one match stands out among the worst when it comes to overall match quality and leaving a negative memory. Bradshaw and Trish Stratus facing Christopher Nowinski and Jackie Gayda was already an odd mixed tag match on paper. No feud or story involved made fans care entering the match. Unfortunately, it grew worse when the bell rang to start the action. The match deserves to be viewed as the top worst match to ever take place on Raw and warrants another look.
The WWE Universe Had No Reason To Care About This Raw Tag Team Match
One negative about this infamous tag match before it even started was that fans had little reason to care about it. There was a cold secondary feud between Bradshaw and Christopher Nowinski that never really got going. WWE was hoping the polar opposite characters would have a compelling feud, but it made little impact. Bradshaw was flopping as a singles face after splitting up the APA, and Nowinski needed a bigger program to break out after signing from Tough Enough.
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Jackie Gayda was another Tough Enough alumni, but she was newer after winning a contract in the second season. WWE hoped that placing Jackie into matches like this would lead to her learning on the fly. Trish Stratus was the most over star in the tag match by far since she was the face of the women’s division at that point.
There were no other real stories in play for the match other than placing two wrestlers with mutual enemies in theory on the same teams. Bradshaw and Trish never interacted much beyond this match to show little chemistry. Gayda and Nowinski were even further apart since they never even referenced the Tough Enough tie-in of both coming from the show.
The Match Had Some All-Time Bad Botches
Botches are a part of the wrestling industry that will see even the biggest stars and best workers messing up at times. However, not all botches are created equally. Some will stand the test of time if it is glaringly obvious to the viewers. Most botches will be spotted by the average fan, but someone that only watches wrestling once a week and doesn’t pay attention to every second will overlook them.
This match unfortunately had the worst-case kind of botches that even someone that has never watched wrestling before could detect. Trish Stratus and Jackie Gayda had a sloppy exchange at the start with Gayda missing some moves in an exchange that got the crowd reacting to the mistake. Bradshaw and Christopher Nowinski then had some awkward moments that showed they weren’t on the same page.
It was the finish though that was the worst part of the match. Trish attempted to hit her trademark bulldog finisher to get the winning pin fall for her team. Jackie fell down before the bulldog connected, but she stayed down on the mat. Fans booed as Stratus scored the pin despite her move not even hitting.
Jackie Gayda's Mistakes During The Match Hurt Her Career
Jackie Gayda was one of the two winners of Tough Enough’s second season with Linda Miles due to WWE viewing them as having star potential. WWE changed the concept of one male and one female winner at the last minute to utter confusion for all involved, including runner-up Kenny King. Gayda joined the main roster with a lot of hype due to management loving her look.
This match did a lot in ending those expectations that the company had for her. A negative reputation started for Jackie being one of the worst overall wrestlers on the roster. WWE slowed down using Gayda in the ring and prioritized managing moving forward. Jackie did not get another televised match in over a year until having another all-time bad mixed tag with Rico vs Scott Steiner and Stacy Keibler.
WWE only trusted Gayda in limited tag matches or gimmick stipulations that the women were often placed in. Jackie never fulfilled her potential that the company expected due to the matches being significantly below average. The match in question to start the negative momentum was bad enough to ruin any chance of the audience believing in her. Few WWE matches have extended beyond being a stinker to harming a career like this did.
