-- 3/28 WWE WrestleMania 26 Reax

Rob of Philadelphia, Pa., independent musician. (8.5) Best: Jericho-Edge. Worst: Bret-Vince. As Shawn Michaels stood alone in the center of the ring, a realization hit me: there stands the greatest wrestler who ever lived. I've never seen a more emotional, psychological match in my life. While it wasn't as good of a wrestling match as last year, the emotion was higher and the outcome was more important here. Classy, classic, and dare I say, a true show-stopper. Jericho-Edge was the best overall wrestling match at WrestleMania, however, with two guys in their prime doing what they do. There were a few disappointing matches. Everyone knew Bret Hart would absolutely, 100 percent win his match by submission. And yes, it was terrible. Kudos for nailing at least 30 chair shots, though, Hitman. And also, there was no doubt whatsoever that Cena would make Batista tap, despite being destroyed, taking at least two finishers and using a total of three offensive maneuvers. WWE loves to make Cena look like a god at WM, and this year was no different. I also wasn't a fan of jobbing Sheamus to Triple H. I didn't think this did anything for either guy. Revatar vs. Punk was also wasted, as a potentially great storyline was buried in a match that was both disjointed and short. Rey really looked like odd with that stupid Avatar hairpiece. However, MITB was entertaining with the only surprise finish of the night. ShoMiz vs R-Morrison was decent but way, way, way too short. Orton's match was a mostly a waste of time, but the crowd was really into him, so I guess this was necessary. All in all, two out of three main event matches were spectacular and barring the Divas, there wasn't a "bad" match on the card. A very solid Mania, with the best climax of them all.

Gary Sartori of Windsor Locks, Conn. (5.0): Best Match: Undertaker-Michaels. Worst Match: Divas. Overall, I thought it was just an average show. The opening tag match was nothing to write home about. The Legacy match was dull. Randy Orton should be a main eventer, not in the second match on the show. I think he'll do well as a face, though. I was surprised to see Swagger win MITB. Good choice, although I would have went with Kofi. Can't see Swagger being a champion, however. Bret-Vince was a real letdown, not by the actual beat down because I wasn't expecting much, but the whole setup of the supposed turn on Bret by his family was just not convincing. They also could have let Vince get in a kick or two. Now can we get away from the Montreal Screwjob once and for all! Edge-Jericho was good. To have Edge win the title would have been a little much. They need to let the feud simmer for a little while longer before Edge grabs the belt. Hunter-Sheamus was okay, but nothing earth-shattering to be sure. I'm sorry, but I just don't see Sheamus as a main event wrestler. To have him win the belt so early in his career was a waste, then he gets Hunter at WrestleMania? Cena-Batista was about as advertised. Good match, although to me, it should have gone on a little longer. To me, Batista got more cheers setting up his finishing slam than Cena did for winning the title. Undertaker-Michaels was a classic. Easily the best match of the show. If Michaels is retiring, it was a great way to go out. Very entertaining! One final note - the crowd was very laid back. Not much pop or energy.

Anthony Alford of Cleveland, Ohio (7.5): Best Match: HBK vs. The Undertaker. Worst Match: Divas Match & Vince vs. Bret. This PPV was set up to give as much time as possible to Michaels vs. Taker. At least, I thought that until Vince vs. Bret dragged on forever. WWE should have known that Bret was limited and had built to a tag match. It was unbelievable how Michelle McCool made a 70,000-plus crowd stone silent. The Divas deserve better. The tag title match was great, then it was just over. Legacy is finally gone and Orton is going to be great as a face going forward. Sheamus has a bright future and I expect him to beat Triple H at Extreme Rules. Both major title matches had the right finish. Batista needs to destroy Cena at the next PPV to make this top feud matter to fans. The wrestling match itself between HBK and Taker was better last year, but this year had a lot more drama and once again made WrestleMania 26 a much better event. I didn't expect Jack Swagger to win MITB, but he deserves it.

Adam Riemer of New York, N.Y. (7.0) Best: HBK/Taker. Worst: Divas Match/Vince vs. Bret/Mysterio channeling Eddie. The Money in The Bank match was exciting as always and although some complained about the performers involved this year, I loved it. You really had no idea who was going to win this match, and I was pleasantly surprised that Swagger won. Yes, I would have loved to see Christian win it, but we need to stop kidding ourselves that he is ever going to get a legit main event push. I was happy Drew didn’t win the match; I really have no desire to see him as a main-eventer. I have no clue what McMahon sees in him that he doesn’t see in Christian. My only concern with Swagger winning is that he might be the first MITB possessor to lose. Orton vs. Legacy was okay, and I am fine with his face turn as long as he doesn’t pander to the crowd and just continues to be a badass "face." The punt kick was pretty cool, and it seems like they can now go with the DiBiase vs. Orton storyline with Cody out of the picture for the time being. Triple H vs. Sheamus was better than I expected. You are not going to get a four-star match out of Sheamus right now, so him and Hunter played off each other’s strengths just fine. I really thought Sheamus was going to win this, but alas Hunter stood tall. ... The Big Four matches were good, bad, and amazing. Jericho and Edge took a while to get going, and it’s hard to really imagine Edge as a face. He just doesn’t fit this role at all. It was a good match and I was thrilled that Jericho got the win, as he FINALLY won a main event at WrestleMania, and the aftermath was fine to keep Edge from losing too much steam. Cena-Batista was a standout match for me simply because it went above and beyond any expectation I had for it. With Jericho retaining and with it being John Cena, you knew Batista was not winning that match, and the outcome was just fine. The super Attitude Adjustment was just sick and really shows how freakishly strong Cena is. Bret vs. Vince was a train wreck. The match was horrible, the chair shots actually had you feeling sorry for Vince and wondering how a 60-year-old man whose name isn’t Ric Flair could withstand that, and Bret just looked horrible in the ring. Also, there was maybe 2 percent of that audience that actually knew who the hell all the family members were in the Hart Family, so having them as lumberjacks really didn’t mean anything, especially his brother as ref. The Hart Dynasty is face now too? I am sure I am not the only one who thought Triple H was going to come out and fully go heel as he destroyed the Harts with the sledgehammer to save his father-in-law. Finally, we had HBK vs. Taker and it was a doosey. I fully believe Shawn is done with wrestling now, and he should be. There is not one single wrestler in the history of this business who can go out the way he can go out if he calls it a day now, not even Flair. He had two of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history in two consecutive years and had two of the most brilliant moments ever when he had his “I love you" Flair moment, then when he gave Taker the throat slash to tell him to end it and that he wouldn’t quit unless he did. Taker teary-eyed at the end as he hugged HBK was brilliant and really makes you think that it’s over for Shawn. It may seem strange that WWE wouldn’t talk about this being his last legit match before it began, but they never said a word about Austin calling it quits after his final match with the Rock, so I do not doubt that HBK’s in-ring days are over. For that, I say "thank you, Shawn" for over 20 years of brilliance.

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