The best and worst moment of WrestleMania 27
WrestleMania 27 marked a bit of an oddball and transitional show. The Rock had returned in shocking fashion but wasn’t yet wrestling. Instead, he had hosting duties on the mic and had in many ways overshadowed reigning WWE Champion The Miz, going into his main event defence against John Cena.
The Undertaker and Triple H were firmly moving into part-time status, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler’s feud risked overtaking WWE for how it bled into every match in their commentary.
It’s difficult to call WrestleMania 27 a great one, for its ultimately lacklustre main event, and no truly great matches to hang its hat on. The show did have its moments, though, and this article takes a look back at the best and worst of them.
Best Moment: Edge and Christian do some damage
The opening match of WrestleMania 27 would prove to be one of the best of the night as Edge defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Royal Rumble winner Alberto Del Rio. While not exactly epic, the match featured crisp work and reasonable drama. The aftermath saw Edge and Christian team up to pummel Del Rio’s car with crowbars.
Faces smashing a rich heel’s car has become a silly trope in wrestling. However, with the added context of Edge’s retirement in the aftermath of this match, the sight of him and his real-life friend and past tag team partner making mischief one last time comes across as a true feel-good moment, befitting a WrestleMania world title match.
Worst Moment: Michael Cole wins
With the exceptions of Triple H vs. The Undertaker, Randy Orton vs. CM Punk, and the main event, the longest match at WrestleMania 27, at just shy of fourteen minutes, saw sixty-one-year-old Jerry Lawler and non-wrestler Michael Cole go at it.
They got more time than the World Heavyweight Championship match or Rey Mysterio vs. Cody Rhodes. The match was quite arguably the single worst in WrestleMania history for its length, its largely flat humour, and its finish.
The idea of Lawler making Cole tap out was fine However, the anonymous general manager reversed the decision, disqualifying The King. The moment not only put a damper on what might have been a feel good moment, but even worse implied that the universally panned rivalry wasn’t over just yet.