10 WWE WrestleMania Matches NOBODY Wanted
Why the hell did WWE book these unwanted WrestleMania abominations at all?!
Working a match at WrestleMania is supposed to be a banner moment in someone's pro career. It is, after all, the biggest event/weekend of the entire year, and it should pad bank accounts with a huge payoff that goes hand-in-hand with creative satisfaction for both fans and wrestlers alike.
Or not.
Yes, everyone involved here would've made a good lump sum of cash for their evening's efforts, but they definitely didn't come away from 'Mania with a smile. These are the matches on WWE's biggest platform that nobody really wanted - that included the men walking down often-lengthy entrance ramps amidst pageantry and pyro.
Sometimes, you could see it on their faces too. There was a CJ from GTA: San Andreas, "Ah sh*t here we go again!" look to these dudes, and rightly so. The build towards their so-called 'Mania epics was totally crap, and then the actual match itself ended up stinking the place out.
It's kinda cheating, but one of the bouts examined hasn't even happened yet. WWE fans would be totally shocked if it became an in-ring winner next month at 'Mania 39 though...
10. Big Show Vs. Akebono (WrestleMania 21)
This was a terrible idea from minute one.
Charging punters actual money to see Big Show squat in a thong should've been considered illegal, but WWE did exactly that at WrestleMania 21. There, they drafted in sumo star Akebono for one of the worst "spectacles" Vince McMahon has ever had the cheek to promote.
Being sandwiched in between Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle and JBL vs. John Cena defo didn't help matters, but this nightmare of a marquee effort would've been trash following/preceding anything. It's the kind of thing pro wrestling fans watch with mouths agape, but only because they can't believe it's on the card in the first place.
It's somewhat remarkable that getting sweaty vs. Akebono wasn't the only duff 'Mania match of Paul Wight's career. However, at the very least, other bouts were more in-line with what fans expected to see on the card. "SumoWrestleMania" just doesn't have the same ring to it, eh?