10 Terrible Wrestling Moments (Saved With One Genius Fix)

3. The Alternate Cut Of Hart Vs. McMahon

Dud Explosion Thumb
Ric Scuteri/AP/Press Association Images

The terrible moment:

Seriously, the mere existence of this match is incredibly depressing, and we should all be grateful that the Tom Magee carry-job masterclass while filmed years earlier effectively "counts" as Bret's last outing. 'Mania XXVI was just Bret, after some bizarre on-the-night story involving the Harts, repeatedly braining Vince with a tire iron after McMahon had almost broken his neck from an avalanche Hart Attack. He was better off taking the original pissed-up in a bar.

Except the 'Stop, Stop, He's Already Dead' match wasn't quite Bret's last in-ring appearance. Beyond some house show cameos and a tag opposite Alberto Del Rio - which nobody deserves for their last match, not even Triple H, so let's pretend it didn't count - Bret last did something of note at SummerSlam 2010. And it wasn't remotely awful, acting as inspiration here...

The genius fix:

The Bret Vs. Vince feud dovetailed with John Cena Vs. Batista as WWE idly entertained the idea of running a tag. This is the direction they should have gone in; Cena/Batista was overshadowed completely by Shawn Michaels Vs. Undertaker II, and as a rivalry between two WWE full time headliners was invariably set for two more matches anyhow.

Bret lit up the crowd against the Nexus - the house show fan-cams are genuinely thrilling too - and although it would require at least 10 minutes of John Cena failing to sell, the outgoing Batista was bang up for some big bumping, which would have doubled the fun of Bret's comeback.

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!