On the next Rewind-A-Wai, Wai Ting and I are reviewing WRESTLEMANIA 26.
Our Espresso Executive Producer @Chad_Olsen asked us to put this selection to a poll and WM26 was the winner.
This show will be released on Friday, March 15th for members.
Leave us your feedback and questions for the show.
Alex from Minneapolis
I remember this show fondly and the mixed reviews it got. Shawn/Taker 2 in many ways was equal to the first one, but didn’t get nearly the praise that the first match did. What I most remember of this match is the incredible video package that used Placebo as the music underneath. Sadly it aired only once before they switched to Johnny Cash. 2010 in many ways was a down point for the company when it came to business and lack of stars. Overall, I feel this show was a lot like this year’s tokyo dome show in that so many potentially solid-great matches were hampered because of time constraints.
2 questions
John, do you think UFC 111 taking place the night before this show was pure coincidence or an attempt by the UFC to compete with the WWE?
During the making of Survival of the Hitman, did you guys ever consider following Bret during the actual wrestlemania event/week?
I have some great memories of wrestlemania 26. First of all, it happened on my 27th birthday so allowed me to host this as a birthday bash/wrestlemania viewing, on top of getting together with friends the night before for gsp vs Hardy.
Second, i really loved the card up and down. Many matches had a slow burn. Sheamus vs hhh had been set up for some time and thanks to Edge’s injury his match with Jericho had a year long build. Cena and battista may have felt rushed with the elimination chamber screw job allowing the Animal a short title run but that match had been rumoured for a couple of manias before. Of course, the biggest build (and worst match ) was Bret vs Vince.
Everything felt big and everyone showcased felt like stars. I initially didn’t like the Legacy three way preferring ted vs randy in a singles but through hindsight cody deserved that spot and has outlasted ted in the industry.
Cena v batista was one of each others best matches and the main event was a perfect 5 stars in my opinion. Dramatic and emotional with call backs to their mania 25 match and flairs retirement at mania 24.
All in all, while not perfect, a memorable and underrated mania experience.