Wrestlemania XXVI Re-Do Review

Wrestlemania XXVI Re-Do Review

This has always been one of personal favourite Manias. When I think of it, all I remember was a fun show, capped off with three great main events. Let's see if any of that has changed.



I've decided that after I finish reviewing every Wrestlemania , I will attempt to rank every single Wrestlemania match . Can't be that hard , there's only like 300 of them .


(I'm still gonna attempt this after I finish re-doing/reviewing the rest of the Mania shows. Looking forward to doing it actually)


Ok whoever this Fantasia is , she cannot sing properly . WWE please just stick with Lilian Garcia and leave it at that .


(Ok I was being way too harsh there, she actually did a very good job with the song, although I do agree that it should be Lilian's honor each year)


John Morrison & R-Truth vs The MizShow
This was actually really good match for the 3 minutes it was on for . Too bad it had no hype . Still good though *3/4


(Might be one of the better three minute matches you'll ever watch. They really did use their time to the best that they could, providing a fun, if unmemorable match. I do think my original rating is a bit high for what it was. I'll change it to  *1/4)


Randy Orton vs Ted Dibiase vs Cody Rhodes
This match was a bit disappointing but still good . What the hell was Cody wearing though ? It would have been better if Ted or Cody had won , but at least Cody has risen up from it . **


(This should have been a bigger deal than it was. As it is, it's still a solid match that the crowd was into. I think this match really kick-started Orton's face turn that still goes on today. The crowd couldn't have cared less about Rhodes or Dibiase, but they were hot for Orton. I'll stick with the  ** rating)


Money In The Bank Ladder Match
I would say out of every Wrestlemania Money in the bank this is probably the worst , but that is not a bad thing at all , as i love every one of those matches. Great match with Kofi and Evan , in my opinion , stealing the show . Surprising win with Jack Swagger which would turn out to be a bad idea . ***1/4


(The worst MITB match in my opinion, and yet it's still very good and very entertaining. That's just how good these ladder matches are. I did think that there were way too many participants, but they all had a little something to bring to the match. Swagger winning was a surprise at the time, and quite a bad idea in hindsight. Kofi's stilts spot was fucking awesome. As always, a fun match. I'll keep it at  ***1/4)



Triple H vs Sheamus
Once again we receive another wrong winner . Sheamus could have done well with the win . At least he's now doing well as the World Champion . Good solid match here . ***


(I wouldn't say wrong winner since Sheamus is doing well for himself. It was really strange to see HHH this low on a Mania card, since he was usually in a major Mania match since Mania 2000. Quite a big moment for Sheamus since he was stepping in the ring with a veteran that had taken on many greats throughout the years and at Mania. I've always found this one a little underrated, as it was entertaining all the way through. Staying with  ***)


CM Punk vs Rey Mysterio
Ok , i know this has been repeated many times , but who's bright idea was it to give these guys 6 minutes ?! Well they really managed to use those minutes and gave us probably the best 6 minute match ever . ***1/4


(It's wrestling blasphemy to only give these guys six minutes. Imagine what they could have done with fifteen! In their classic style though, they were still able to give us a very good match in a very short amount of time. This was like one of their better matches scrunched up into a short amount of time. Gonna lower the rating just a little bit. ***)



Bret Hart vs Mr McMahon : No Holds Barred
My opinion on this match is that is that it kind of sucked , but it gave fans like me closure over the whole Montreal Screwjob incident . 1/4* for that match . ***1/2 for the closure.


(What an anticipated match this was. Thirteen years in the making. No one was expecting a classic wrestling match here, but everyone wanted to see Vince getting the shit kicked out of him, which he did. The problem is that, like the Lawler/Cole match, it went way too long, but unlike that match, it actually meant something and had a great Mania moment with Bret locking Vince in the sharpshooter and getting his revenge for Montreal. Still it's a very boring match so I'll stick with my  1/4*)


Edge vs Chris Jericho
This match seems to get better every time I watch it . At first I thought it was ok , then good , and now I think it's great . The crowd was dead thanks to the Bret/Vince match , but they got into it by the end . Jericho got the upset victory with a codebreaker . ***3/4


(This match had been built up for almost a year and started when Edge was injured. Jericho started saying insulting things, like thanking him for getting injured because he was just holding him back. Ouch. The crowd started quiet for this thanks to the boring Bret/Vince match, but because both guys are so good, they were able to get the crowd into it. Jericho winning was a big surprise too, as most were expecting Edge to get his revenge. He did get it after the contest when he speared Jericho off the announce table. Like the Punk/Jericho match, I gain an appreciation for the match each time I watch. Great match and the rating stays at  ***3/4)


Divas Tag Match
Just skip. DUD


(Nice little analogy from my past self there. I did like Vickie trying to send a tribute for Eddie by attempting his frog splash. The participants were Alicia Fox, Maryse, Vickie Guerrero & Laycool vs Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Eve & Gail Kim, for those interested. Match wasn't as bad as I thought. 1/4* for the finisher fest at the end)


John Cena vs Batista
This match was great . Not as good as their match at Summerslam in my opinion , but still a great math and the crowd was really into it . ***3/4


(Great choice for the WWE Championship match. The only match they had before this was their awesome Summerslam match in which Batista injured Cena. It was time to see if Cena could actually beat Batista. Batista's final Mania match as well which is a shame. He would leave only a couple of months after this. A power match done very well here. Great match overall. Really could have been something special if given some extra time. Rating stays at  ***3/4)


Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels : Streak vs Career
This has got to be one of the greatest matches of all time . The emotion and anticipation for this match was off the charts . It will always be remembered by wrestling fans and for good reason . I still think their first match was better but only by a small margin . Incredible classic . Taker ends HBK's career and goes 18-0 with a third tombstone . *****


(As if the rating for this was going to change. Easily still one of the greatest Mania matches ever and one of the best final matches if not the best. Perfect match for Michaels to go out on against, arguably, his best opponent. You could put this back-to-back with their Mania 25 match, but for me, Mania 25 just edges this one out a bit. An all time great match that'll be remembered forever. *****)



I'll give it 8/10 , such an underrated event that could maybe be in the top ten for Wrestlemanias.



(8/10 still sounds right to me. The three main events definitely delivered, add a nice, solid undercard that is only brought down by a boring Bret/Vince match and some time constraints. A Mania worth watching.