10 Bizarre Wrestling Epics That Didn’t Live Up To The Hype

7. Bret Hart Vs Vince McMahon (WWE WrestleMania XXVI)

Minoru Suzuki Kazuchika Okada
WWE.com

On rewatch, it's still hard to work out what's the sadder of two notably glum moments from Bret Hart Vs Vince McMahon at WrestleMania XXVI.

Was the part where Bret Hart teases the Sharpshooter for the first time (earning a humongous pop in the process) only to return to needlessly beating on Vince further as depressing as the moment most fans accepted that the Hart Family were more likely to take the Chairman's money than side with their most talented sibling?

The swerve turn was just one clanger in a series of contrived and unconvincing spots that helped serve up the biggest disappointment of a wrestling year that also featured John Cena squashing The Nexus.

13 years in the making with a layout someone younger could have crafted, the match had been fantasy booked since the very second 'The Hitman' sparked the Chairman after his post-screwjob shower. Spark him again with a hard right before drawing his screams with a Sharpshooter. Add medium-sized bells and whistles either side, and a kayfabe payoff to a legendary real-life dispute has been perfectly performed.

As is, the clash remains a legacy-tarnishing dumpster fire for both, an unfitting send-off to their largely enjoyable WrestleMania resumés.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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