WrestleMania XXVI
WrestleMania XXVI | |||
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World Wrestling Entertainment | |||
Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | ||
Date | March 28, 2010 | ||
City | Glendale, Arizona | ||
Venue | University of Phoenix Stadium | ||
Attendance | 72,219[1] | ||
Buy rate | 885,000[2] | ||
Tagline(s) | Get All Fired Up | ||
Pay-per-view chronology | |||
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WrestleMania chronology | |||
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WrestleMania XXVI was the 26th annual
The
Tickets for the event commenced sale to the public on November 7, 2009. WrestleMania XXVI generated approximately 885,000 PPV buys,
Production
Background
Global Spectrum, the
The roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium was opened several times during the event, marking the third time in WrestleMania history after WrestleMania IX and XXIV that the event has been held in an open-air venue.[11][15] As in the previous open-air events, a steel tarpaulin structure was placed over the ring, which was placed at the 50-yard line.[11] Custom-built from Belgium, the tarpaulin held 30 tons of light and camera equipment, with much of the equipment shipped from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[15] Over 1,000 lights were used, adapting to the decrease in sunlight as the show continued into the night. The entrance stage stood 8 feet (2.4 m) off the stadium floor and measured 120 feet (37 m) wide.[11] In an interview with The Arizona Republic, production manager Brian Petree described the stage design as a "completely new design that hasn't been done anywhere and won't be done again", while production designer Jason Robinson discussed basing his stage design themes often on local flavors,[15] or in simple terms, the stage design of this year's WrestleMania simply resembles to that of a ziggurat. The entrance ramp linking to the stage has been lined with cauldrons of fire, each at a temperature of 1,000 °F (538 °C).[11] In addition, 400,000 individual pieces of pyrotechnic product have been launched 200 feet (61 m) into the open air after Robinson promised to introduce new types of pyrotechnics never used in a WWE show before.[11][15] Pre-planning for the set-up began six months before the event, while the construction structures and equipment inside the stadium began two weeks before the event. It is estimated that 100 trucks were used to deliver equipment, in comparison to the 12 semi-trucks used in a regular WWE show.[15]
The official
Marketing
Along with WrestleMania XXVI, a series of events grouped as "WrestleMania Week" were held in the week preceding the event.
Storylines
The
At
One of the predominant rivalries heading into WrestleMania XXVI was between
At
On the February 22 episode of Raw, the sixth annual
As the guest host of the January 4 episode of Raw, Bret Hart made his return to the show; the first time Hart had appeared since the
On the March 5 episode of SmackDown, ShoMiz (Big Show and The Miz) were scheduled to defend their Unified WWE Tag Team Championship at the event against a team who won a triple threat match between Cryme Tyme (Shad Gaspard and JTG), The Hart Dynasty (Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Tyson Kidd), and the pairing of The Miz's former partner John Morrison and R-Truth. Morrison and Truth would go on to win the qualifying match.[47]
At the previous month's Elimination Chamber event, then-WWE Champion, Sheamus, was eliminated from Raw's Elimination Chamber match by Triple H.[38] Two weeks later, Sheamus ambushed Triple H following his match teaming with Shawn Michaels against The Big Show and The Miz, and beat him down.[46] The following week on Raw, Sheamus issued a challenge to Triple H at WrestleMania, which saw him accept.[43]
In early 2009,
Since the beginning of 2010, CM Punk and his
Event
Role: | Name: |
---|---|
English commentators | Michael Cole |
Jerry Lawler | |
Matt Striker | |
Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
Hugo Savinovich | |
Ring announcers | Tony Chimel |
Justin Roberts | |
Savannah (Money in the Bank/Battle Royal) | |
Howard Finkel (WWE Hall of Fame) | |
Backstage interviewer
|
Josh Mathews |
Referees | Mike Chioda |
John Cone | |
Jack Doan | |
Bruce Hart | |
Chad Patton | |
Charles Robinson | |
Rod Zapata
|
Pre-show
A dark match was scheduled before the actual event, the superstars not involved in the event competed in a 26-man battle royal. Eventually
As the show went live, singer
Preliminary matches
The first match for the evening was a tag team match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship featuring champions ShoMiz (The Miz and Big Show) versus John Morrison and R-Truth. The Miz and Morrison started off the encounter, at one point Morrison attempted to hit Miz with the Starship Pain only for Big Show to come in for the save. Later, R-Truth tried to springboard onto the Big Show but was caught and hit against the ring post. The match ended when Big Show blind tagged himself in and knocked out Morrison, pinning him to win the match and retain the titles.[1]
The second bout was a triple threat match between Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes, all formerly of the stable known as Legacy. Rhodes and DiBiase spent most of the match double teaming Orton, however when DiBiase attempted to pin Orton, he was stopped by Rhodes. This turned into a brawl between the two which led to Orton taking the advantage. The match ended when Orton
The annual Money in the Bank ladder match took place next, with Jack Swagger, Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Montel Vontavious Porter, Shelton Benjamin, and Matt Hardy as the participants. It started off with every superstar trying to incapacitate each other long enough to climb and retrieve the briefcase. In between Swagger was stuck in between a ladder with Christian and Hardy hitting him with two ladders of their own. Another instance was when Bourne performed a
After that match, the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2010 was introduced.[1]
The fourth match was contested between Triple H and Sheamus. The match started with Sheamus taunting Triple H and calling himself the future of the business. He then spent most of the time dominating Triple H with his backbreaker and submission moves. Triple H then took back control of the match by performing a
In the fifth match, CM Punk faced Rey Mysterio. A malfunction in Mysterio's opening delayed the match. The bout went evenly matched throughout with neither superstars managing to get the advantage for long. CM Punk's disciples Luke Gallows and Serena attempted to interfere throughout the match. The end came when Serena distracted the referee and Gallows tried to distract Rey Mysterio. Punk lifted Mysterio from behind and attempted to execute the
Mr. McMahon took on Bret Hart next, with
Main event matches
The seventh match was for the World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and reigning champion Chris Jericho. Each man tried to get the better of each other only to be countered every time. Edge tried for a Spear but Jericho countered with a Codebreaker for a near-fall. He applied the Walls of Jericho, but Edge was able to break the hold. The match ended when Jericho hit Edge with the championship belt and executed a second Codebreaker to win and retain his title. After the match, Jericho attempted to attack Edge but was fought off and speared by Edge through the barricade.[1]
Next, a ten-diva tag team match pitted Women's Champion
The penultimate match was Batista defending the WWE Championship against John Cena. Cena entered the ring after a performance from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team. Batista dominated the first half of the match. Cena made a return after hitting a suplex. The match started to go evenly after that. An instance included Cena executing the
The 10th and final match of the event was billed as "Streak vs Career" and pitted The Undertaker against Shawn Michaels. The match started out with both men executing their signature moves early on. The Undertaker injured his leg while performing
Reception
The event has received mixed to positive reviews from critics.
The main event was ranked as the best WrestleMania main event of all time by
Aftermath
The next night on Raw, Shawn Michaels gave his farewell address to the fans. The episode was a tribute to Michaels, with many vignettes airing periodically before commercials, highlighting his accomplishments and his greatest matches. In his address, Michaels thanked all the fans and specifically Vince McMahon, Bret Hart and Triple H on supporting him throughout his career. The Undertaker also made an appearance when he tipped his hat to Shawn as a sign of respect.[64]
Before Michaels' farewell speech, Triple H came out and stated how much he would miss him and remembered all the good times they had. Before he could continue any more, however, he was attacked by his WrestleMania opponent Sheamus. This set up a rematch between the two in a Street Fight at
The feud between Batista and John Cena continued as Batista came out and demanded he be awarded the WWE Championship back and that he never lost the match at WrestleMania in the first place.
On the episode of SmackDown after WrestleMania, Chris Jericho came out to flaunt the fact that he had defeated Edge at the event. In the middle of his speech, Edge attacked him again and hit him with another spear after stripping Jericho, revealing his injured ribs as a result of Edge's spear at Wrestlemania. Jack Swagger then came from behind and hit Edge with the Money in the Bank briefcase he had won at WrestleMania. He then cashed in his title opportunity and performed a Gutwrench Powerbomb on Jericho, thus winning the World Heavyweight Championship.[69]
Results
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Streak vs. Career match[79] Since Michaels lost, he was forced to retire from in-ring competition. | 24:00 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
- Zack Ryder.
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