5 WrestleMania matches that didn't live up to the hype
WrestleMania is a stage where the best of the best meet. The Show of Shows features the most exciting matches, with the best culmination of feuds.
Fans watch WrestleMania to see the absolute pinnacle of wrestling. While that is not always the case, there is a heady buzz when ‘Mania season rolls around. ‘The Road to WrestleMania’ may be one of the company’s best PR spins, but it is also a road fans love to be on.
However, nothing in life is perfect, and The Grandest Stage of Them All is no exception. While the event has been graced with some all-time classics, it has also hosted some absolute stinkers. For every Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels, there is an overhyped match that fails to live up to expectations.
Here are five disappointing matches that have taken place at WrestleMania and earned unanimous disapproval from the WWE Universe.
#5 On our list of WrestleMania matches that didn't live up to the hype: The Rock vs. John Cena
‘Once in a Lifetime’ was the biggest WWE farce of recent times. What was promised as a never-before-never-again clash between John Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania 28 happened again a year later.
The first match was electric and had a great, shocking conclusion. By the time the second one rolled around, fans knew that Cena would get his retribution. Even the WWE Championship being on the line did nothing to make the match as exciting as its predecessor.
As expected, the Royal Rumble winner beat The Rock and became champion. This time, however, the crowd didn’t cheer into the night.
#4 WrestleMania 27 ends on a whimper
The Rock-Cena rivalry gave us many memorable moments. Unfortunately, it also ruined two WrestleMania matches, and the first of those was the main event of the 27th edition.
That match was the WWE Championship match between John Cena and the Miz. After the tepid match ended in a double countout, guest host Rocky came down to restart the match under No Disqualification rules. He then took revenge on the challenger by hitting him with a Rock Bottom, allowing Miz to take the pin and the win.
Considering how mediocre the match was, fans were none too pleased with how it was sacrificed to fuel the bigger rivalry.
#3 Fans feel underwhelmed by ‘The Dream Match’
Shinsuke Nakamura won the 2018 Royal Rumble and set his sights on WWE Champion AJ Styles. Fans were delighted at the prospect of the former rivals doing battle on the WWE stage, and that too at WrestleMania.
Even though the match was solid, it was unspectacular. Granted, the expectations were probably a bit too high after their Wrestle Kingdom encounter. However, given the elite level the two superstars operate at, we expected a match that finished in the final gear.
Even a shock heel turn wasn’t enough to redeem the match. Although Styles and Nakamura did battle again, none of the matches ascended to the benchmark the duo set in the past.
#2 Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose wrestle a snoozer
When it was announced that Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose would do battle in a No Holds Barred Street Fight at WrestleMania 32, fans ate it up. Given the violent nature of the two superstars, everyone was expecting an all-out carnage fest.
However, what we received was anything but. Lesnar and Ambrose labored their way through a pedestrian encounter that saw none of the expected brutality. The match ended abruptly, with The Beast flooring his opponent with an F5 to take the win.
#1 The Undertaker vs. John Cena ends on the most anticlimactic note
The Undertaker vs. John Cena was one of the biggest dream matches WWE had on their hands. They finally gave it away at WrestleMania 34 with a stellar build and epic shoot promos from Cena, only for his opponent to remain absent.
However, The Deadman showed up at ‘Mania to do battle with the man who had been insulting him on RAW. Fans were ready to witness a clash between the two titans, but what transpired was an enthusiasm-sucking ending.
Undertaker beat Cena in quick fashion after a blistering start and walked away, robbing fans of a wrestling dream. This match was so disappointing that it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth after all these years.