10 Most Selfish WrestleMania Performances

The worst of the worst...

vince mcmahon
WWE.com

WrestleMania is supposed to be WWE's show of shows and the be-all and end-all of the wrestling year. Of course, as fans have seen time and time again, that isn't true. More often than not, the spring spectacle is tainted by bad decision-making, a reliance on past stars, and politics.

Usually, the company is to blame. After all, it was Vince McMahon who decided to have Roman Reigns head into WrestleMania as the babyface challenger two years in a row, and Vince McMahon who decided last year's show should run more than six hours. Those examples just cover the last few years, so there a dozens and dozens from the prior three decades.

Sometimes, though, it's the wrestlers themselves who end up screwing up the show, either in the spur of the moment or due to exercising influence beforehand. It's no secret that most of the wrestlers in high-level positions at WrestleMania have quite a bit of backstage stroke, and they can either pull strings or get away with behavior that severely hurts the company. There was no punishment in these cases, just fans who were undoubtedly turned off of WWE's product and would-be stars who were sabotaged.

10. John Morrison - WrestleMania XXVII

vince mcmahon
WWE

WrestleMania XXVII was a largely forgettable show, and one of the undercard matches that helped make it so forgettable saw Dolph Ziggler and LayCool team up against John Morrison, Trish Stratus, and "Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi.

The bout only lasted a little over four minutes long and neither Morrison nor Ziggler were legal at any point. The ending came when Snooki cartwheeled into a splash on Michelle McCool, winning the contest for the babyfaces. During their post-match celebration, though, Trish tried to give Morrison a hug, and the former Intercontinental Champion simply sidestepped her in order to grab Snooki.

Why did Morrison snub Stratus? Apparently, the star was upset that full-time competitor (and his girlfriend) Melina wasn't given the spot on the WrestleMania card while Stratus - who retired from active competition in 2006 - was. Never mind the fact that he didn't seem to have a problem with Snooki being there - Morrison just seemed intent on, as Stratus later put it, depriving the fans of a special moment.

Contributor
Contributor

Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried. *Best Crowd of the Year, 2013