10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 27 Facts
6. Dean Malenko Received Heat For Layout Of The Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler Match
While most people remember Heel Michael Cole as a bust, the truth is that his feud with Lawler had remarkable heat to it. Cole was the perfect punchable scumbucket, and would probably have served far better as a pesky heel manager like Jimmy Hart or Bobby Heenan (not saying he's as good as either of them...), as opposed to living onward as the divisive, robotic pitchman for the WWE product.
Cole and Lawler's feud was going swimmingly, until they had a match. Whoever booked a 61-year-old semi-active wrestler and a 42-year-old announcer to go 14 minutes has a twisted sense of humor, but it was up to producer Dean Malenko to help the brothers-in-headsets fill that duration.
In short, it didn't go well. It's certainly one of the worst matches in WrestleMania history. Internally, Malenko reportedly received plenty of blowback for his craftsmanship, which included an inordinately long segment where Cole worked Lawler's leg. To be fair, Malenko probably isn't the one who said, "Hey, let's give Jerry and Michael 14 minutes, plus lengthy entrances and aftermath."