Ranking every WrestleMania of the past decade: Part I (10 to 6)
WrestleMania is the biggest annual event in all of sports and entertainment. Every year, it somehow gets bigger and bigger. The event is always special because of the spectacle, if not for the moments.
The evolution of the enormity of WrestleMania in the past decade has been incredible to see, with WWE constantly turning out in huge American football stadiums filled with anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 fans in attendance.
And with WrestleMania 36 taking place in the Performance Center, the 2010s will remain the only complete decade where every 'Mania has taken place in a huge stadium.
While almost every edition is a success from a business and aesthetic point of view, not all of them is a success in the ring. A few of them were a bit dull and left a lot to be desired.
Some of the elements that would lead to a WrestleMania not living up to expectations would be the lack of exciting matches and the monotonously predictable booking surrounding part-timers. In most of these entries, the main event was really poor, having a detrimental effect on the entire show.
Here is the first half of every WrestleMania in the 2010s ranked, from 10 to 6. These shows ranged from poor to decent, so not all of them were bad.
Stay tuned for Part II, which will be out tomorrow.
#10 WrestleMania 27 (2011)
This show was set up to fail, mainly because it's primary focus was to sell the following year's WrestleMania. The Rock returned to WWE to be the host of this show and immediately started a feud with John Cena, who challenged The Miz for the WWE Championship in the main event.
The Great One under-delivered on the night, partaking in some uncharacteristically lame segments. It was disappointing, as was the payoff to the Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler storyline.
Lawler did not even get his proper revenge, as Cole won by disqualification. Vince McMahon called it the "worst thing he's ever witnessed in 60 years".
If not for a great No Holds Barred Match between Triple H and The Undertaker, WrestleMania 27 would have flopped harder. Other bouts featuring CM Punk, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and others were also solid, but not enough to make the show good.
This was also the site for Edge's last match before his sudden retirement in 2011, as he defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio.
Cena vs Miz was an absolute disappointment as the show-closer, with the latter retaining his title thanks to interference from The Rock. However, it was the People's Champion who stood tall at the end of the show.