wrestling / Columns

411 Ranks The WrestleManias: #10 – WrestleMania 26

March 18, 2015 | Posted by Larry Csonka

WrestleMania 25 may have been headlined by two world title matches, but the consensus was that the battle between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker stole the show. There were rumors for months that the two would do battle again, and the rumors became reality. But it was a harsh one as Shawn Michaels had to put his career on the line. Another main story for the show was the fact that Bret Hart had returned to the WWE family. While he and Shawn Michaels had put Montreal behind them, Hart still had a demon to battle, Vince McMahon…

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* Unified Tag Team Title Match: The Big Show and The Miz © defeated R Truth and John Morrison @ 3:16 via pin
* Randy Orton defeated Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes @ 9:00 via pin
* Jack Swagger won Money in the Bank @ 13:44
* Triple H defeated Sheamus @ 12:03 via pin
* Rey Mysterio defeated CM Punk @ 6:29 via pin
* No Holds Barred: Bret Hart defeated Vince McMahon @ 11:09 via submission
* World Title Match: Chris Jericho © defeated Edge @ 15:47 via pin
* Michelle McCool, Layla El, Maryse, Alicia Fox, & Vickie Guerrero defeated Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Eve Torres, & Kelly Kelly @ 3:20 via pin
* WWE Title Match: John Cena defeated Batista © @ 13:30 via submission to become the NEW WWE CHAMPION
* Career vs. Streak: The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels @ 24:00 via pin

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Greg DeMarco
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels [****1/2] – This match was everything that HHH-Undertaker wanted to be in the following year. It featured the raw emotion of being Shawn Michaels’s last match, and of going on after the WWE Championship Match won by John Cena (despite rumors to the contrary). This as their second match in as many years, and it delivered in a big way. And all signs point to Shawn Michaels honoring the stipulation and never wrestling again.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon [*] – As Jim Ross would say, this was “bowling shoe ugly.” The match started off slow, with Vince McMahon recruiting all of Hart’s family to be against him, and Hart’s revelation that they were on his side came way too soon. There was zero drama to the match, and the 72,219 in attendance could care less about the beating Hart gave Vince. They were just glad when it was over, and so was I.

Show MVP And Why: Shawn Michaels – I can’t imagine how hard it is to wrestle when you know you’re losing a championship, getting squashed or losing your job. But it has to be ten times harder to wrestle your last match. But that’s exactly what Shawn Michaels did, and he delivered one of his best performances ever.

Your Thoughts on The Show: This event was a letdown. Given the build, this had all the makings of a great WrestleMania. But the execution had some flaws. To me, this WrestleMania was too much of a “showcase” card. Randy Orton went over both members of Legacy, when Cody or Ted should have won. A red hot CM Punk lost to Rey Mysterio in 6 minutes. Triple H gained nothing by going over Sheamus. The WWE obviously learned their lesson, with The Miz going over John Cena in the following year. Also, the tag team title opener was far too short, we had one of the worst Money in the Bank matches ever and Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon flat out sucked. The event still delivered in the final two matches, where John Cena and Batista put on a good match in the semi-main event, and Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker delivered a match—and a moment—that will never be forgotten.

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TJ Hawke
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker [****3/4] I don’t know if this match is better than their first Wrestlemania match, but it is still easily the best match of this show. After an underachieving card, these two veterans went out and delivered a match that most wrestling fans will remember forever.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon [0] For two men that have been excellent story tellers over the years, this match was a storytelling disaster. It was so horribly laid out that I almost feel bad for picking on it some more. For what could have been a real memorable moment, is instead a moment that most fans would rather forget.

Show MVP And Why: Shawn Michaels: While The Undertaker more than held his own in this match, Shawn Michael’s promos and character work in the build to this match helped to make everything he did in this match so much more powerful. He was truly the master of his craft, and I think everything about this feud and match proves that.

Your Thoughts on The Show: I was really pumped for this show but so many things before the main event left me disappointed. To me, the main event of the show was the only thing that made me feel glad that I bought the PPV. However, once the main event happened, I realized that I enjoyed many things that came before it, even if none of them were special. I definitely recommend tracking down this Wrestlemania and watching the whole thing.

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Jack Bramma
The Best Thing on the Show And Why: Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker [****1/2] – Two legends with 15 years of history essentially battling it out for the Mr. Wrestlemania title. Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest in-ring performer of all time and The Undertaker’s streak at WM will never be equaled. When they first announced the rematch, I thought it was a bad idea. “Rematch? But no one rematches Undertaker at Wrestlemania. There’s no way they can live up to the standard they set with the first, so what’s the point in even trying?” As the feud progressed though with HBK getting more and more irrational and self-destructive costing DX tag matches and interfering at Elimination Chamber to cost UT the belt, I was hooked. The promo that WWE put together (their second best ever in my opinion behind the original WWE Desire video set to Kid Rock) for this feud to the haunting lyrics of Placebo’s “Running Up That Hill” was the kicker. I no longer wanted to see this match. I HAD to see this match. While I don’t think it’s up to the standard of the first, it’s a testament to both guys that it can sanely be put in the same conversation in terms of which is better. A truly great match.

The Worst Thing on the Show And Why: Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart [1/4*] – This went on way too long considering both guy’s limitations at this stage of their “careers.” Even the best there was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be couldn’t make this good. In fairness, it’s all angle, but I was never that heavily invested in the Montreal screw job or holding up Bret as a martyr, so it fell flat for me.

Show MVP And Why: Shawn Michaels – for ending an historic career by going out on one of the highest notes possible.

Your Thoughts on The Show: A historic rematch to end a historic career makes this an automatic thumbs up. Add in a passable MITB, very solid Batista-Cena and Mysterio-Punk and now you’re talking about one of the better manias of recent years.

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The List So Far…
30. WrestleMania 9
29. WrestleMania 2
28. WrestleMania 11
27. WrestleMania 4
26. WrestleMania 15
25. WrestleMania 27
24. WrestleMania 29
23. WrestleMania 25
22. WrestleMania 5
21. WrestleMania 13
20. WrestleMania
19. WrestleMania 6
18. WrestleMania 16
17. WrestleMania 7
16. WrestleMania 12
15. WrestleMania 8
14. WrestleMania 22
13. WrestleMania 28
12. WrestleMania 18
11. WrestleMania 14
10. WrestleMania 26

REMINDER, each 411 writer had the opportunity to rank the WrestleMania events (based on overall quality, historical significance and personal preference), those rankings went into creating the final list.