knock the bottom out of (something)
To undermine, weaken, or destroy something. The stock market crash really knocked the bottom out of our investment firm.
knock the bottom out of
Also, knock the props out from under. Render invalid, undermine. For example, The discovery of another planet that might support life knocks the bottom out of many theories , or Jane's skilled debating knocked the props out from under her opponent. The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the variant from the first half of the 1900s.