WWE will celebrate the 40th anniversary of WrestleMania this year.
It’s hard to believe the company’s flagship event has been around for four decades. The iconic pay-per-view, or Premium Live Event, has given fans some of the greatest moments and matches in sports entertainment history.
On the flip side, WrestleMania has a notorious history of showcasing some of the worst matches in company history as well. Of course, it would be quite a task to list all of them. So I’ve decided to narrow down the list of the five worst matches in the history of WrestleMania.
Let’s begin!
The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez (WrestleMania IX)
The Undertaker is truly one of the most accomplished superstars in the history of this business. The former Deadman has competed at 27 different WrestleMania events. The current roster has a lot to catch up to if they want to break the WWE Hall of Famer’s illustrious record.
Taker has been part of some of the most outstanding matches at the biggest stage. Unfortunately, he’s also been involved in some of the worst outings at the PPV. His match against Giant Gonzalez at WrestleMania IX belongs to the latter category.
The feud and the match itself nearly ruined Taker’s then-nascent career in the WWE. Mark Calaway was clearly years away from being a standout in-ring performer when he collided with an even greener opponent in González.
Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE didn’t learn from the disaster that was Randy Orton versus Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33. Vince McMahon booked the two men in another match that relied more on theatrics than their individual strengths at WrestleMania 37.
Wyatt wrestled under his alter ego, The Fiend, in this match. The whole spooky stuff with the red light completely destroyed any momentum the match had. Wyatt sold nothing except for Orton’s RKO, which the Viper managed to hit following a distraction from Alexa Bliss.
Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XXVI)
Some feuds are best left without a conclusion. The McMahon versus Hart feud from 2010 should never have reached the ring. Of course, this was meant to serve as Hart’s ultimate triumph over the man who cost him the WWE Championship all those years ago in Montreal.
It’s a travesty that one of the greatest of this industry had one of the worst matches at WrestleMania. This is the same man who had the five-star classic against Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13 in 1996.
No disrespect towards Bret Hart, as he was years removed from being the Excellence of Execution, and having a match after recovering from a stroke. As for Vince, he was never known for his athletic prowess or his work rate inside the squared circle.
Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler
There’s something about Vince McMahon and his obsession with turning babyface commentators heel. He tried to pull the trick with Jim Ross back in the nineties. It backfired. The same thing happened to Michael Cole on the road to WrestleMania 27.
Cole found himself in a feud with Jerry Lawler. The two met on the big show in front of thousands of people. The King could still go. His opponent couldn’t because he wasn’t trained to be a professional wrestler.
It’s a good thing Triple H and The Undertaker brought the crowd’s energy back with their all-time classic No Holds Barred match.
Jake Roberts vs. Rick Martel
You’ve to have the tremendous in-ring psychology of Jake Roberts and terrific presence of Rick Martel to actually pull off such a weird match. For those unaware, the two men collided in a blindfold match at WrestleMania VII.
They try to work the match by relying on crowd reaction. These two men were absolute masters of their craft and would probably have a great singles traditional match. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon failed to see past theatrics.
Honorable Mentions
- Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania XXVIII)
- The Undertaker vs. Big Boss Man (WrestleMania 15)
- Hulk Hogan vs. Sid Justice (WrestleMania VIII)
- Big Show vs. Akebono (WrestleMania 21)
- Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee (WrestleMania 38)
Also read: 5 ‘Luckiest’ WWE Wrestlers
