Wrestlemania XXVI - 28/03/10, Phoenix, Arizona

So yeah I stayed up for the big event last night. More importantly, while I found the show entertaining enough, even more interesting was the polarising feedback from those esteemed internet website commenters. So I'll tackle the show head on and see where my own analysis gets me:



- Miz & The Big Show def. R-Truth & John Morrison to retain the WWE Unified Tag Team Championship


Opening contest saw a few trademark holds exchanged before the champions soon took control and Show pinned Morrison with the knockout punch off a blind tag in under four minutes. Given the thrown together nature of this match and the amount of bouts on the card, I don't actually care that it was so short. That said, perhaps Punk/Mysterio would have been a better choice for opener in this respect with the better action and popular result? Still, it gave us a few trademark entrances, couple of signature moves and more importantly a tag title match on the Wrestlemania main show, so I'd say it's worth 4.5/10.


- Randy Orton def. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match


In my opinion, a well put together match which had the live crowd (and probably some at home) going mad for the now popular Orton. While the credibility of his two former apprentices will need resurrecting in the weeks after 'Mania, everything they did here was just about what it should be and credit to Rhodes for busting out a little history with the Alabama Slam and Dibiase for attempting to work the crowd as they outnumbered Orton. Finishing sequence and post-match posing went down very well to boot. Nothing that can justifiably be complained about assuming Legacy bounce back, 7/10.

- Jack Swagger wins Money in the Bank


Where to start? I've seen everything dumped on about this match from the concept itself now in its sixth year, to the spots used, to the use of 10 participants this year, to the choice of winner himself. I'll start with the last one. Jack Swagger was a great choice to win, and those who branded the match a waste of time purely because Christian didn't win just aren't ever going to be happy. This was a chance to give someone fresh momentum, which it can be argued is exactly what Swagger needed. Plus, it looks likely with the dawn of ANOTHER MITB in the summer that Swagger could be the first to fail to cash in successfully. Not particularly a bad idea, as he may not be ready for the title this year while a failed run causing him to snap and change his approach could be just what he needs with a brief rub with the main eventers to boot. Yes, ten was too many. Shelton Benjamin was outshone by Evan Bourne partly thanks to this, and the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre needn't have shown up. And yes, MITB is starting to run out of ideas. That didn't stop the majority of the cast here. Some great spots including the dual ladder bridges (loved it when Matt's was pulled out from under him), the infamous Kofi stilt-walking attempt and some fantastic bumping in particular Bourne's SSP off the makeshift scaffold. Of course, Swagger fumbling the case at the end hurt the finish, as it's just not realistic to see everyone laying around longer than they had for anything else in the match while he takes near 90 seconds to retrieve the case. But sod it, that was all still more than worth 7/10. Hopefully we've seen the last of this at WM, though, and the MITB PPV will be its permanent, exclusive home from now on.

- Triple H def. Sheamus


Another interesting one here. HHH in the first half of the card? Actually, it was extremely refreshing. As was his very watchable bout with Sheamus. While Sheamus needs decent wins over established players and fast, this short feud and competitive match on the big stage did him no harm whatsoever, with a smattering of reaction starting to grow for the Irishman once resented for being thrown so far up the pecking order. Got a kick out of the playing possum finish, too - especially since inexperience is the only flaw they can afford to portray in Sheamus right now. 6/10.

- Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk


Was this match going to get much time with everything else to come? Course not. Do two turbo-charged athletes like Punk and Rey need 15+ minutes to put together an exciting contest? Ditto. That said, I really think the show would have benefited as a whole if this (6mins) and Hart/McMahon straight after (11mins) swapped match lengths. Nonetheless, some good early cheating and desperate attempts to put Mysterio away early from Punk, and the finish in particular I enjoyed. 6.5/10.

- Bret Hart def. Vince McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match


Now, here's the doozy. I suspect that very few out there were, like me, unconditionally looking forward to seeing Hart make McMahon tap to the Sharpshooter regardless of what preceded it? Of course, rating this like a normal match is unfair, but it can't be avoided that a righteous arse-kicking was stretched out to the point that it just didn't connect with the fans or the viewers like it should have. In my opinion, if you remove everything from just after the Hart Dynasty's impressive attack on Vince right up to the first chair shot (was there really any point to the crowbarring, and especially teasing the Sharpshooter twice and not locking it on, with a crowd basically wanting to see that and that alone?) you have yourself a shorter, sharper and far more satisfying climax to one of wrestling's longest tales. At the end of the day, as awkward and plodding as the entire feud has been at times, it's got the pops at the right times to make it all worthwhile. And McMahon finally eating some Sharpshooter sits at the top of that mountain. Not going to rate the match, but 8.5/10 for the moment (which sadly could easily have hit 10 if done wisely)

- Chris Jericho def. Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship


While relatively low on the card, this had a real World Championship feel and NINE months build behind it. The video package, as with virtually all of the others on this show, was excellent and the two put on a good match that had everyone watching guessing at times. I was expecting a little more of the match to centre around the Spear after all of the hype, but then it's better that more focused on Edge's old injury, which is by far the more interesting catalyst of this match and their feud. Credit also to an otherwise annoying announce team for bringing up the history between the two, something sorely lacking when Christian and Matt Hardy duelled atop the ladders earlier on in the show. Glad to see Jericho retain the belt he'd only just won in shady circumstances as well, and his reign will surely come to a more suitable end in the rematch at Extreme Rules guaranteed by a nice post-match melee. TLC, anyone? 8.5/10

- Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, Alicia Fox & Vickie Guerrero def. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Gail Kim & Beth Phoenix


I noticed many others complain about this being high up on the card. Newsflash: if this wasn't going to be high up, it wasn't going to be on the show at all. It served purely as breathing space between big matches to avoid burnout, and it has to be said that it broke up the big four matches and to that extent served its purpose. Unfortunately, every single Playboy-related Divas match, Big Show v Akebono and even the Miller Lite catfight girls did the same thing at previous Manias in a more entertaining and/or pleasing way than this trainwreck. I struggle to remember a move that wasn't whiffed. The face Divas getting their hands on Vickie was given away RIGHT AT THE START. No sign of Beth cementing her status against Vickie and co, no sign of Mickie James getting a last tad of retribution on her tormentors without falling back into the title picture, no face win at all. It all made zero sense, and was horrible to watch. I mean, if you're going to have a fluff match for the live crowd to catch a break during, that doesn't mean you can't actually achieve a thing or two during those few minutes, surely? 1/10, and that 1 is only for Vickie taking a beating, badly-timed or not.

- John Cena def. Batista to win the WWE Championship


Cena made his usual special entrance, a guard of honour from some military types. Impressive moves from the chaps, but not an impressive entrance per se. The match, however, worked. I'd have liked some more emphasis on what the feud has been built around, i.e Cena being unable to defeat 'The Animal', but it was nonetheless a well put together match with minimal offence that looked embarrassing and some great exchanges to finish. Cena deliberately seeking out front row fans who couldn't stand him to celebrate with, knowing smirk and all as he held the title aloft, added brownie points with me. He just has to do little things like this to stop me from being annoyed by him too, doesn't he!? 8/10


- The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels in a Streak vs. Career Match


I was once told in a Film Studies class that the worst thing a sequel can try to do is compare itself to the original. It'll never win. What it should do, is use the original as inspiration to go to a whole new world. I'm glad to say that's exactly what happened in the deserved pick for show closer. I'd regret not pointing out that at the end of the day, this match was a collection of finishers and a touch of leg work by Michaels. Some of it in an extremely random order, too. What makes the matches between these two standout from technically superior efforts, of course, is the drama they put into it. No throwing each other off the stage, no invading each other's houses or attacking relatives, they drum up intensity in the simple pursuit of victory more than anyone else on the roster could possibly try. And while the moonsault was certainly the spot of the match, my favourite moment was the infamous slap from HBK to 'Taker, striking me as a more intense version of when Flair saw hesitation in the eyes of Shawn two years ago in Orlando only to encourage him to finish him off for good, knowing it was that time. Undertaker obliged with the finest Tombstone since he impaled Shane McMahon back at Survivor Series 2001. The post-match handshake and 'final' walk up the ramp for Michaels served as the perfect finale to a Wrestlemania, up there with some of the best endings to the 3/4 hours over the last 26 years. 9/10


In closing, it has to be said: this was a very good Wrestlemania. Probably not even top 5, but likely top 10. The 'feel' that many accuse this entire show of lacking in my opinion didn't ruin a show packed with good matches and logical developments/conclusions, though the main event proved one thing about the current WWE scene as a whole: two ageing veterans in Undertaker and Michaels can go out there and hit what was basically a random stream of trademark moves for 20+ minutes, and convey far more emotion and provoke far more of a reaction from the entire viewership than the most well-structured and perfectly booked match, either on this show or anywhere else.


THAT, I reckon, is why wrestling is currently perceived as being in somewhat of a rut, both by casuals and diehards alike.


Fortunately, the 'Grandaddy of 'em all' still knows how to entertain.


Overall: 7.5/10.