10 Terrible Wrestling Moments (Saved With One Genius Fix)

4. The WrestleMania XXVI Bret Hart Vs. Vince McMahon Match

Dud Explosion Thumb
WWE

The terrible moment:

Sometimes you'll read a story in the news so viscerally upsetting, so evil, so unconscionable, that you'll come to understand or even actively root for vigilante justice. Other times, you watch Bret Hart Vs. Mr. McMahon from WrestleMania XXVI. 10 minutes of dull, repetitive, intensely personal catharsis beamed worldwide on the biggest stage, it was a bizarre non-spectacle of an experience that just unsettled everybody watching, whichever side they were on re: Montreal. As a Bret > Shawn guy who isn't particularly fond of McMahon, this was still as ugly as it was pointless.

The genius fix:

Instead of the attritional, almost disturbing scene to which we were subjected, what if they just replicated the actual backstage fight? Even the most pitiful bootlickers would pay obscene money for CCTV footage of Bret socking Vince right in the eye for its historical value alone. Everybody else would watch it, gleefully, pretending the scene was justice for their specific least favourite McMahon-created affront.

Go on, Bret! He actually thought I was going to chant "Yes" with the Big Show, f*ck him up!

Simply have Bret shoot punch him hours before the match, apply make-up to the black eye, then blam - shoot punch him again in the ring. Wrestling's white whale: harpooned. Vince would have done it, too. If that scans as more horrific than what we got, rendering that intro somewhat hypocritical, it would have been significantly less boring, which let's face it was the real crime.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!