What was wrong with Wrestlemania XXVI?

[CH Punk]

I wasn't watching in 2010 so I've never seen Wrestlemania XXVI but it seems that the majority opinion on these boards is that it was a lackluster Mania.

So what was wrong with the show? Was it the pacing of the matches? The order of the matches? The total in-ring time? The card itself? Or was it a good/great show that a very vocal minority dislikes?

[bob]

the entire card felt rushed except the abysmal Vince vs Bret match and the much better Shawn vs Taker

[Hawk Hart]

Mar 17, 2012 14:31:51 GMT -5 CH Punk said:

I wasn't watching in 2010 so I've never seen Wrestlemania XXVI but it seems that the majority opinion on these boards is that it was a lackluster Mania.

So what was wrong with the show? Was it the pacing of the matches? The order of the matches? The total in-ring time? The card itself? Or was it a good/great show that a very vocal minority dislikes?

It was a card of good matches and shit booking. Edge should've gone over Jericho (one of the few boring matches TBH, which is sad because lots expected a great match), Swagger didn't have momentum to win MitB, it was all just so blah. Plus, the McMahon/Hart debacle happened that night.

[Deleted]

It was a potentially great WM on paper and it didn’t live up to it’s potential for various reasons. It was still a very good show though and way better than XXV or XXVII.

Taker-Shawn was great and HHH-Sheamus was surprisingly good but almost everything else fell below expectations. Bret-Vince getting so much time was ridiculous. Punk-Rey was good but far too short. Jericho-Edge was underwhelming and nowhere near the match a lot of people were expecting. Cena-Batista was good but their first Summerslam match was way better.

[frogsplash45]

I thought it was fine.

Wrestlemania XXV on the other hand, was nearly terrible, IMO.

Both championship matches were ZZZzzzzzz... And that alone really ruined the show for me.


Battle of the Hardys and MITB were alright.

Jericho vs the Legends was only enjoyable when Ricky Steamboat was in the ring.

Taker/HBK was greatness.

Everything else was flat-out meh.

[xCompackx]

I thought 26 was great, personally. I didn't really expect Vince/Bret to be anything other than Vince getting his ass handed to him, so I was fine with it. Jericho/Edge reminds me a lot of Cena/Miz honestly. Both are amazing wrestlers and they both can go, but they just had an off night. Also, Edge should've won. But other than that, it was good.

[Arrow]

- Vince/Bret did not need to be as long as it was. At most, maybe seven minutes. Because of that match dragging, it hurt the opener and Rey/Punk, which could have been better had they not been so short.
- In hindsight, Jack Swagger winning Money in the Bank was an awful decision. But at the time it was absolutely shocking. If they'd actually bothered to try and build him into an actual contender, then it might (depending on how his reign went) reflect on WM26 much better. But instead he went on to have one of the worst World titles reigns in modern history and looking back at the show, you really have to wonder "what the hell were they thinking?"
- Edge/Jericho was supposed to be one of the best matches on the card, and it ended up being very disappointing. I don't hate it, but it could have been better.

Everything else was fine. HBK/'Taker II wasn't as good as the first one, but it was still the best match of the night (and the year). Cena/Batista and Triple H/Sheamus were also very good. Money in the Bank was, as usual, pretty fun.

[543Y2J]

Rey/Punk, HHH/Sheamus, Batista/Cena were great. HBK/Taker 2 was a classic. MITB, Edge/Jericho and the legacy triple threat was decent. The opening tag suffered due to the lack of time given to the dud vince/bret.

I feel it is underappreciated especially with Punk vs Rey, HHH vs Sheamus and Cena vs Batista. I thought it was good, yes not the best Mania ever but far from the worst. They just should have thought more about the time given to matches and who was going over (cough:Swagger/Jericho/Punk)

[MolotovMocktail]

The 10-man Money In the Bank was a clusterschmazz, as ten people was just too many to have in it.

Cena/Batista, despite actually having a decent build, just had two guys who were not talented enough for the WWE Title match at Wrestlemania.

Predictable token Divas match I can't even remember.

Punk should have gone over Rey.

Taker/HBK II, while still a classic, was not quite as good as the first match the previous year.

Overall, I'd say it was better than either 25 (except liking Taker/HBK I more), or 27, but after the amazing 24, we've been in a holding pattern of mediocre Wrestlemanias.

[The Ichi]

It's the one WM since 13 that I haven't seen, which I feel a bit bad for.

[rnrk supports BLM]

From what I've seen, 26 gets a lot more praise around here than 25 or 27, and rightly so IMO.

[mizerable]

I thought it was great when you compare it to the years surrounding it. I could have done without the two senior citizens beating each other up with chairs though.

[xCompackx]

About the Vince/Bret thing... I'm sure it's water under the bridge now, but I have to believe that at least a little part of Bret enjoyed smacking Vince with a chair.

[dav]

Bret/Vince was just plain awful. Say what you like about the Cole/Lawler match, at least that had moments that were actually entertaining.

[Deleted]

Most of the matches were just disappointing is all. The tag match was way too short - though I overslept and missed it, wound up having to catch the replay, and Batista / Cena wasn't nearly as good as their SummerSlam match, though still solid. Punk / Mysterio had been done plenty at that point and while good it wasn't anything spectacular, Taker / Michaels was the best match on the card but coasted entirely off of the previous year's match and the stipulation and really wasn't all that great on its own merits, Edge / Jericho was a boring payoff to a terrible feud, and Orton / DiBiase / Rhodes wasn't nearly as good as what I was expecting it to be.

Then there's Bret / Vince which... Yeah, just ow. That should have been about a quarter of the length it was. Or alternatively they should have gone with that idea of making it a tag match with Batista and Cena, which would have been much more interesting.

[Bishblast]

It was just mostly a forgettable card... Edge and Jericho should have been a classic, but they just didn't get out of second gear, and I often forget this match even happened. The MITB was fine, of course looking back and seeing Swagger win is a laugh. Rey/Punk was criminally short. Bret/Vince was ever bit as bad as Lawler/Cole, maybe worse. The main event was excellent and really the only thing to go back to this show for. I honestly cannot remember anything else about it.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

I liked the show personally. I thought HBK V. Taker was really great and that Cena V. Batista was pretty good.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

I always really liked it and thought it was one of the better wrestlemanias in recent years (although thats not really saying much considering how lame 25 and 27 were). All the matches were good except Bret/Vince and the divas match, which nobody expected to be good anyways. I also thought the booking was pretty good. The only result I didn't care for was Triple H going over Sheamus.

Swagger winning MITB was a good choice I thought. They really were in need for heel main eventers at the time and of the three heels in the match (Swagger, Ziggler, McIntyre), I think he was the best all around performer at the time and most ready to move up the card. Unfortunately they rushed his cash in and booked him like crap during his title reign. Since he had very little momentum prior to his win, they should've built him up for several months before having him cash in. Yeah in hindsight it's was dumb having him win considering how far he's fallen since then, but at the time it was the right call. If they booked his cash in and title reign better I don't think his win would be as frowned upon as it is today.

Another thing I liked about this show was the fact that pretty everyone on the roster that deserved to be on the card was on it. Another positive was the fact that every match that was advertised ended up taking place, none of that nonsense with advertised matches getting bumped to the pre show which has has unfortunately become a norm at Mania in recent years.

[Pickled Egg]

Taker/HBK WM 25 > Taker/HBK WM 26

[Madagascar Fred]

Mar 17, 2012 16:13:31 GMT -5 mizerable said:

I thought it was great when you compare it to the years surrounding it. I could have done without the two senior citizens beating each other up with chairs though.