“If I can’t beat you, I have no career.” –Shawn Michaels to the Undertaker
As we enter WrestleMania Week, we turn back the hands of time. We go back to one year ago, when everybody was ever anticipating the one show that would launch the WWE into the new decade. It was the End of an Era, Destruction in the Desert, and the Climax of an Illustrious Career. We turn the clocks back to March 29th, 2010. The place was University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona filled with over 72 000 people. The event was WrestleMania 26.
Potential that is the word that summed up Wrestlemania 26 in my humble opinion. This Wrestlemania had the potential to be one of the best of all-time, but it did not live up to extremely high expectations put on by many wrestling fans including myself. Even though it did not live up to the lofty expectations, Wrestlemania 26 was really good show in it of itself. WrestleMania 26 was much better than the disappointment which was WrestleMania 25. Not all the matches on this PPV were as good as we had all expected especially the CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio match and the ShowMiz vs. R-Truth and John Morrison match, but they were still good entertaining matches nonetheless. Out of all the matches on this card, there was one that undoubtedly did not live up to its’ potential. That match was Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon. This match had been built from the moment Bret returned to the WWE on January 4th after a 13 year hiatus. Bret was finally going to get his retribution on Mr. McMahon for the Montreal Screwjob at WrestleMania 26. Then we got ten full minutes of Bret and the whole Hart Family beating down a 60 year old Vince McMahon, which was not what anybody expected. Even with that disappointment, there was one match that clearly defined this WrestleMania; the one match that everybody watched or went to WrestleMania just to see, the match that everybody had been talking about for months on end. That match was the Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels II, The Streak vs. The Career. This match is the reason to watch this PPV and the only match that could ever properly end the phenomenal career of the greatest performer of our time, the one the only, "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Now let's get on to the matches.
ShowMiz def. John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
My Rating: 7/10
Randy Orton def. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match
My Rating: 7.5/10
Jack Swagger def. Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Drew McIntyre, Christian, MVP, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston and Kane in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match
My Rating: 9.5/10
Triple H def. Sheamus
My Rating: 7/10
Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk with Luke Gallows and Serena
My Rating: 8/10
Bret Hart def. Vince McMahon by submission in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match
My Rating: 2/10
Chris Jericho def. Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
My Rating: 9/10
Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse, Alicia Fox and Vickie Guerrero def. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix in a 10-Diva Tag Team Match
My Rating: 2/10
John Cena def. Batista by submission to win the WWE Championship
ShowMiz def. John Morrison and R-Truth to retain the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship
My Rating: 7/10
Randy Orton def. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a Triple Threat Match
My Rating: 7.5/10
Jack Swagger def. Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Drew McIntyre, Christian, MVP, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Kofi Kingston and Kane in a Money in the Bank Ladder Match
My Rating: 9.5/10
Triple H def. Sheamus
My Rating: 7/10
Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk with Luke Gallows and Serena
My Rating: 8/10
Bret Hart def. Vince McMahon by submission in a No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match
My Rating: 2/10
Chris Jericho def. Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Championship
My Rating: 9/10
Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse, Alicia Fox and Vickie Guerrero def. Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix in a 10-Diva Tag Team Match
My Rating: 2/10
John Cena def. Batista by submission to win the WWE Championship
My Rating: 9/10
The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels in a No DQ, No Count-Out Match, Career vs. Streak
My Rating: 10/10
Overall, Wrestlemania 26 was really good. Not the best WrestleMania of All-Time, WrestleMania 26 was one of the best PPVs of 2010 to come from WWE. So go out and watch it or buy the DVD because this WrestleMania is an event you do not want to miss. My overall rating for Wrestlemania 26 is 8 out of 10.
Personally I cannot write a review about WrestleMania 26 and leave out my thoughts on Shawn Michaels' retirement and his farewell speech on the Raw after WrestleMania. It is hard to believe that Michaels’ career has finally come to an end and that we will not be able to watch him wrestle on a weekly basis. When I first started watching WWE back in late 2003, I did not like Shawn Michaels that much; he was a phenomenal wrestler, but for some reason I did not like his style. But over the last six years, I have grown to love watching Shawn Michaels compete in the ring and truly respect the journey that this man has been on over the last 20 years of his life. As every wrestling fan should know, Shawn Michaels was not always a role model, he was a delinquent in the 90s and drove the WWE and Bret Hart, in particular, absolutely crazy. After a career threatening back injury that would sideline Michaels for just over four years, Michaels found religion. Not like many of the celebrities today that selfishly use religion to restart their careers, Michaels truly was a changed man. Michaels returned to the WWE in 2002 and proved for the last eight years of his career that he is the greatest performer that has ever stepped into the squared circle. When it came to the unscripted farewell speech, Shawn Michaels, or should he be referred as, Michael Hickenbottom gave on Raw after WrestleMania was just beautiful. It was so hard not to cry. Personally, Shawn Michaels has been a big part of my life these last six years; Shawn Michaels was one of the wrestlers that made me the huge wrestling fan that you are reading about today. Just like the title of his DVD, Shawn Michaels: My Journey, Michaels’ career has been a journey from an immature boy to a full grown adult. Shawn Michaels has given 20 years of his life to this industry, now he deserves to spend the rest of his life with his family and friends doing whatever he wants. There is no doubt that we will see Michaels in the WWE again as maybe a guest host, special guest referee or maybe guest commentator when WWE comes to San Antonio, his hometown. As per the stipulation of his final match, Shawn Michaels will stand by the promise he made to never wrestle ever again. Shawn Michaels wrestling career has come to an end, but we all will never forget the times we have all spent watching him steal the show and put on some of the greatest matches of all-time. Thank you, Shawn Michaels. You will be truly missed in the hollows of the WWE.
The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels in a No DQ, No Count-Out Match, Career vs. Streak
My Rating: 10/10
Overall, Wrestlemania 26 was really good. Not the best WrestleMania of All-Time, WrestleMania 26 was one of the best PPVs of 2010 to come from WWE. So go out and watch it or buy the DVD because this WrestleMania is an event you do not want to miss. My overall rating for Wrestlemania 26 is 8 out of 10.
Personally I cannot write a review about WrestleMania 26 and leave out my thoughts on Shawn Michaels' retirement and his farewell speech on the Raw after WrestleMania. It is hard to believe that Michaels’ career has finally come to an end and that we will not be able to watch him wrestle on a weekly basis. When I first started watching WWE back in late 2003, I did not like Shawn Michaels that much; he was a phenomenal wrestler, but for some reason I did not like his style. But over the last six years, I have grown to love watching Shawn Michaels compete in the ring and truly respect the journey that this man has been on over the last 20 years of his life. As every wrestling fan should know, Shawn Michaels was not always a role model, he was a delinquent in the 90s and drove the WWE and Bret Hart, in particular, absolutely crazy. After a career threatening back injury that would sideline Michaels for just over four years, Michaels found religion. Not like many of the celebrities today that selfishly use religion to restart their careers, Michaels truly was a changed man. Michaels returned to the WWE in 2002 and proved for the last eight years of his career that he is the greatest performer that has ever stepped into the squared circle. When it came to the unscripted farewell speech, Shawn Michaels, or should he be referred as, Michael Hickenbottom gave on Raw after WrestleMania was just beautiful. It was so hard not to cry. Personally, Shawn Michaels has been a big part of my life these last six years; Shawn Michaels was one of the wrestlers that made me the huge wrestling fan that you are reading about today. Just like the title of his DVD, Shawn Michaels: My Journey, Michaels’ career has been a journey from an immature boy to a full grown adult. Shawn Michaels has given 20 years of his life to this industry, now he deserves to spend the rest of his life with his family and friends doing whatever he wants. There is no doubt that we will see Michaels in the WWE again as maybe a guest host, special guest referee or maybe guest commentator when WWE comes to San Antonio, his hometown. As per the stipulation of his final match, Shawn Michaels will stand by the promise he made to never wrestle ever again. Shawn Michaels wrestling career has come to an end, but we all will never forget the times we have all spent watching him steal the show and put on some of the greatest matches of all-time. Thank you, Shawn Michaels. You will be truly missed in the hollows of the WWE.
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