A night that will long be remembered, WrestleMania XXVI is in the books from Phoenix. Being at the event live was a treat, and for the most part I felt the crowd was into it all night, except when they were not being treated to a solid match. Here are my thoughts from the live event:
Opener -
WWE Unified Tag Team Title MatchThe Miz & Big Show defeat John Morrison & R-Truth
A solid opener that was as expected, won by the champs. The match was pretty short, but also a good way to get the night rolling. As stated in the preview, I like the Miz, Show team, and think they should get to keep the belts for awhile.
Randy Orton defeats Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase
This match being second to me shows the somewhat lack of interest for this match, but it did what it was supposed to, which was push Orton more into a face than ever. The thought here is Orton continues his "cool heel/face" role, which I think the fans are now clearly on board with. As for Dibiase and Rhodes, they had a good first Mania match.
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
As usual, the MITB match had its share of high spots, and ladders used also was the key to a very well put together match. I wish just once Kane would be allowed to win a high profile match like this, but we all knew he wouldn't. Interesting push allowing Jack Swagger to win, and I wonder when he found out as I asked him at Axxess on Thursday if he was excited for Mania and he said he hadn't slept in three days. Hmmm...wonder if he knew something we didn't. Now the question is does he get to take advantage of the use of the briefcase.
Sheamus vs Triple H
No shock here at all as HHH comes away with a clean pin, but I have a sense we'll see this match a few more times with Sheamus getting his share of wins. They want to build Sheamus up, and this match did that, as he held his own against the Game. As for HHH, it will be interesting to see his future, and if he gets into the main event role again as he's been on the outside looking in for awhile, which is rare for Vince's son-in-law.
Rey Mysterio defeats CM Punk
Crowd to me sort of turned on this match, this despite to me Punk being maybe the best heel in the WWE right now. Mysterio did all his usual spots, and in the end got a clean win which was expected as this feud will continue well into 2010. As for Punk, I hope they don't screw around too much with his character, as it's been effective with the whole Straight Edge Society thing for the past few months.
Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon
I think I called this one right - pretty lame. I didn't expect much from the near 70-year old Vince, and Bret wasn't gonna do much either, and that's what we got. Someone behind me chanted "boring" during the match, and let's face it - it was. Bret's family getting their licks in was a cool added plus, and it was about the only compelling part of the match. Bret's gonna stick around for awhile, and let's hope it's all on the outside of the ring. This was exactly what it should have been, no need to drag it on.
World Heavyweight Title MatchChris Jericho defeats Edge
Got the sense as we got closer that Jericho would win this, and I was right. Though with the end of the match spear though the tables, they kept Edge strong and this feud will keep going as 2010 continues. Again, some very good spots, but also kind of dragged. Not sure if keeping Edge a face for the rest of the year is a good thing or not, but for now he will eventually get the strap back, but this was a good move keeping it on Y2J for at least a few more nights.
10-Diva Tag MatchVickie Guerrero, Alicia Fox, Michelle McCool, Layla and Maryse defeat Eve Torres, Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix
So Vickie is the biggest women heel in the WWE, yet the booking had her basically getting a pop by doing a move dedicated to her late beloved husband? Only at Mania I guess. Other than that, this really made little sense to me, as the women just kept running in and doing their finishing moves on one another. Whatever, it was eye candy, and that's all the women matches at Mania ever are anymore. I'm sure new WWE Hall of Famer Wendi Richter rolled her eyes at this one.
WWE Title MatchJohn Cena defeats Batista
Strong match for the title, and no surprise that Cena is back on top. They booked this all along for Cena to win, but Batista gave him a strong match and I can see these two in a long feud through 2010. Batista heel is a great character, and the whole "in it for the money" thing fits him perfectly. The two kicking out of finishing moves gave me an Austin-Rock WM 15 flashback, and here's hoping they keep this feud going, as it deserves more than one rematch.
Career vs. Streak MatchThe Undertaker defeats Shawn Michaels
We all knew it couldn't live up to WM 25, but I'll just say this - it came close. Add in the emotion of the crowd with the fact it was truly the main event, which was the correct booking, and you had another possible match of the year. No surprise that Taker won, and the ending with him seemingly showing Michaels remorse before the second tombstone was a classic moment that will be relived forever. This match shows that a Mania main event doesn't need to be a title match, and while Michaels is "gone," let's say for now I would love to see it one more time.
Labels: john cena, shawn michaels, undertaker, wrestlemania 26
