50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s

By Michael Hamflett / January 1, 2020

38. Bret Hart Vs Vince McMahon, WrestleMania XXVI

WWE.com

A soul-crushing disappointment for those that had waited over 12 years to see it, the WrestleMania scrap between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon featured so much more than anybody could have expected yet couldn't have delivered any less.

A generation of fans just wanted to watch the Chairman absorb a punch in the face similar to the IRL one he took in a Montreal locker room and scream in agony thanks to one cathartic Sharpshooter. Instead, WWE served up an awkward 11-minute beatdown from 'The Hitman' and the entire Hart Family that almost babyfaced the evil billionaire by the end.

There were few can't-miss Attitude Era hold-offs left to address by 2010. After this, Bret Hart's legacy was yet again left screwed with.

Authored by Michael Hamflett

Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett

Posted On: 1st Jan 2020