Wrestlemania XXVI Thoughts (Part II)

I'll be skipping the Divas match, but let me just say that Vickie Guerrero is the best sport ever. Here's to hoping that Vince is paying her a fortune because she certainly deserves it. I haven't been this amped for a pair of title matches since we had Eddie/Angle and HHH/HBK/Benoit at WMXX, so that's saying a little something.

Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon

Pretty surreal. Vince reveals that he has payed off the entire Hart family to be lumberjacks in his corner, which is promptly followed by Bret revealing that they're actually in his corner. Okay then. Match was about what you'd expect from a post-stroke Bret and a senior citizen. Vince sells the beating like a champ, but the crowd is mostly dead until Bret finally locks on the Sharpshooter 10 minutes in. Not much of a match, but if it brings a bit of closure to the "Bret got screwed" saga, then I suppose that it wasn't for naught. Coolest moment was probably the Hart Dynasty hitting Vince with a pretty stiff Hart Attack, which hopefully means that management has some plans for them.

Smackdown World Title: Chris Jericho vs Edge

Now we're talking. Unless I'm mistaken, this would be Edge's first big match since returning from surgery. Things start slow but get going towards the end with Jericho working on Edge's surgically repaired ankle. Cool moment saw Jericho seamlessly counter Edge's spear into a Codebreaker. Uh, Edge, perhaps your opponent wouldn't see the move coming if you didn't encourage the 70,000 in attendance to chant "spear." Y2J eventually gets the pin after a good old-fashioned belt shot and a second Codebreaker. Both guys have had better matches, but this was nonetheless quite excellent.

RAW World Title: Batista vs John Cena

Pretty good reaction for both wrestlers, and this one definitely has that big match feel to it. A pretty awesome power bout ensues, with both guys swinging for the fences and repeatedly landing the big moves on one another. Say what you will about Cena, but damn, the dude is freakishly strong. Dave Batista is no cruiserweight, but I haven't seen anyone get that much air out of an F-U (Attitude Adjustment, whatever) since Brian Kendrick. Cena is a beast. Finish comes when Cena rolls through a powerbomb attempt and locks in the STF(U). Real good power match. I've always been hot or cold on Cena, but he won me back over to his side with this one. Funniest moment of the night comes when Cena walks over to a bunch of fans wearing "We Hate Cena!" t-shirts and celebrates in front of them with a huge grin on his face. Gotta love that.

Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels

And here we go. Similar start to last year's match, with Michaels dancing away from the Undertaker's strikes and peppering him with chops. Undertaker eventually injures his leg while going "old school," which prompts Shawn to go to work on it with a bunch of submissions, including the anklelock + grapevine combo. Nothing wrong with that, but it'll just be weird 10 years from now when we're watching this reputed Taker/HBK classic and we can't help but say, "Hey, that's Kurt's move." Anyway, in a bit of luck (or a rather stunning display of ring psychology), Michaels moonsaults Undertaker through the announce table and catches him square in the legs. Ouch. The match features a great running story throughout, with Taker repeatedly throwing all 4 of his finishers at Shawn, but HBK just refusing to die. Awesome ending with Taker imploring a withering Shawn to just "stay down," and HBK responding by using the last of his energy to slap the Undertaker across the face. Jumping Tombstone Piledriver, 1, 2, 3, farewell, Shawn. Not quite as flawless as last year's masterpiece, but this one meant more and will thus be the one that everyone talks about for years to come.



Overall? One of the better Wrestlemanias. I still prefer X-Seven and XX, but this one was great in its own right. A couple of the undercard matches desperately needed more time, but the two title matches and HBK/Taker delivered, so there's not too much that you can complain about here. Definitely check it out.