It doesn’t matter whether you’re Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn or Triple H; there’s always pressure where this bout is concerned.
So it’s not exactly a surprise that there have been a few occasions over the years in which the company have got things a little bit wrong. Some of this can be down to who is in the match itself, or it may just be the way it ended and who won. No matter what the case may be, the end product of any entry on this list is nowhere near perfect.
Now don’t get us wrong, we know that not every match can be a ‘Taker vs. HBK classic but that doesn’t excuse some of the decisions that were made here. If you’re running a company as big and successful as World Wrestling Entertainment, you should know what’s best for business and what isn’t.
Then again, maybe Vince really does see through rose-tinted glasses. With that being said, let’s take a look at 10 times WWE got the WrestleMania main event wrong.
#1 Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy - WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was certainly an odd incarnation of the event, with three separate shows taking place to make up the showcase of the immortals. The big match was Hogan vs. Bundy, and when you look down the card it feels a bit odd that this was the chosen bout. After all, we’d all love to have seen a ‘Mania bout that wasn’t solely based around the hero vs. giant concept.
What match are we referencing?
Hogan vs. Piper, of course. Piper was busy fighting Mr T in a boxing match, but it seems that there should have been a few card changes when you look at the event as a whole. Piper and Hogan had a truly great feud that lasted for years, and having it culminate on the grandest stage of them all is something that would seem obvious in today’s landscape.
From an old school selection to a more recent one.
#2 The Rock vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 29
When The Rock and John Cena went head to head at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, the world rejoiced. It was a contest between two of the greatest Superstars in the history of the business and it genuinely felt like a huge moment. Unfortunately, when the rematch took place just twelve months later, the WWE Universe wasn’t quite as receptive to the idea.
You could’ve had a triple threat including Punk or just changed the finish of the match because it felt very lather rinse repeat. The parade of finishers slightly ramped up the intensity but also made it feel predictable, and it would’ve been the perfect time to finally pull the trigger on a John Cena heel turn.
Alas, we were left with a passing of the torch moment that didn’t really work. Let’s rewind two years to when Cena’s influence was once again felt on the grandest stage.
#3 The Miz vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 27
Point blank - The Miz did not feel ready for a position like this.
The Awesome One had certainly improved since arriving in WWE, but this felt like a step too far as he came up against one of the greatest Superstars of all time. Obviously the injury that led to the odd finish couldn’t have been predicted, but the handling of the situation was a little bit bizarre.
We all know that referees aren’t exactly consistent with their 10 counts outside of the ring, so they should’ve held off and allowed the two men to slowly re-enter the squared circle. Then Rock could’ve cost Cena the match as we were anticipating, and we wouldn’t have had the anonymous GM segment that ended up happening.
Now we look at last year’s debacle.
#4 Triple H vs. Roman Reigns - WrestleMania 32
Triple H vs. Roman Reigns probably wasn’t the match that WWE wanted to put on at WrestleMania 32. In fact, we’re pretty much convinced that’s the case. It was an extremely average match that didn’t feel anywhere near the level of a ‘Mania main event, and as a result, it kind of dragged the whole show down a couple pegs which is a shame.
Reigns going over clean was the wrong decision to make and there’s really no way of getting around that fact. A heel turn or a more brutal match stipulation would’ve helped massively, and whilst it might not have saved the show as a whole, it seems baffling that Vince decided to go down this route.
In the long run, he’ll look back and see what a grand old mistake this was. We switch gears to something a little bit different.
#5 Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor - WrestleMania 11
A professional footballer just shouldn’t be in the main event of WrestleMania. Bam Bam Bigelow should be, but he most certainly shouldn’t be facing Lawrence Taylor. You had Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels on the undercard here for the World Title and yet for some reason, this was deemed to be more acceptable as the big attraction for the most important show of the year.
The cherry on top of this one too is that Taylor actually didn’t perform that badly, but he did manage to win the match. Yup, a pro wrestler lost a pro wrestling match against an athlete from an entirely different sport. It may have been fun for more casual fans but in the grand scheme of things, this could only serve to hurt the business as opposed to helping it.
From Taylor and Bigelow to two slightly bigger stars.
#6 Hulk Hogan vs. Sid - WrestleMania 8
This match should’ve been Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair for the WWE Championship and it really is that simple. They were and still are two of the biggest names in the history of professional wrestling, and it would’ve been a momentous occasion to see them standing across the ring from one another at WrestleMania.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way.
Because Hogan and Flair couldn’t quite come to terms on their match, and instead we got a bout between Hogan and Sid. That on its own is a little bit odd, but it becomes even more ridiculous when you consider that the match ended in a disqualification.
For a pay-per-view that was stacked full of potential, this one really crumbled under the weight of the main event. We go straight ahead all the way to 2007 for this next entry.
#7 John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 23
The match between John Cena and Shawn Michaels in Detroit was pretty spectacular. It was the upcoming star against the old veteran, and it played out really well. Cena got the victory in what was a classic, with the two going on to have an even better match in London a few weeks later. Unfortunately, it feels as if there was one thing holding it back from being perfect.
Cena winning. The story of HBK catching Cena off guard and handing him his first ‘Mania loss would’ve been spectacular. By this point, the Doctor of Thuganomics was 3-0 at the show of shows, and being humbled by Michaels could have started off a brilliant storyline.
It would’ve been similar to the WM28 scenario with The Rock, and fans may have started to get more on board with the now 16-time champ. Onto a multi-man match that certainly ruffled a few feathers.
#8 Triple H vs. The Rock vs. Mick Foley vs. Big Show - WrestleMania 16
There was so much wrong with WrestleMania 16 that it’s difficult to narrow it down. In short, Triple H should’ve faced The Rock in a one-on-one match-up at the event and The Rock should’ve prevailed. Unfortunately, Foley and Show were added in what became a McMahon-centric feud with Vince, Shane, Linda and Stephanie all having one competitor each.
It was a fairly ridiculous stipulation, and the whole thing was just a shambles. It makes a bit of a mockery of the title and the whole HHH-Rock feud as a whole, especially considering that the latter ended up winning the title just a month later.
It was the personification of the Attitude Era, and to this day it’s widely regarded as one of the worst pieces of illogical booking from start to finish. We move seven years into the past for one of the most bizarre matches ever.
#9 Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan - WrestleMania 9
Yokozuna defeated Bret Hart in what the world thought was the main event of WrestleMania 9. Unfortunately, and we do mean, unfortunately, Hulk Hogan came out and defeated the seemingly unstoppable monster to win the WWE Championship. Wait, just, hang on, what? Who on earth thought that was a good or even logical idea?
It was yet another case of Hogan wanting to steal the spotlight and it made everyone involved look foolish. If you have to have Yokozuna win the title in order for Bret to win it back the following year that’s fine - just keep Hogan as far away as possible. When it comes to surprises, this was potentially one of the worst in the history of professional wrestling.
To conclude, we look at a match with high expectations that really let itself down.
#10 Triple H vs. Randy Orton - WrestleMania 25
Given the long, long history between these two men, this should’ve been an absolute classic. Triple H and Randy Orton’s rivalry had become extremely personal in the months leading up to WrestleMania 25, and it looked set to come to an end on the grandest stage of them all in a big way.
Unfortunately, we were given a distinctly average wrestling match that didn’t really accomplish all too much.
It seemed as if Orton was destined to come away with the title, however, Triple H winning wasn’t the main reason this was a failure. Having this be a regular old match as opposed to a No Disqualification match made absolutely no sense, and it’s painfully clear to see that eight years on from the incident. Poor old Randy - this should’ve been his defining moment.
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