10 Times Great Wrestlers Got Lazy In Big Matches

1. Randy Orton Vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 25)

Orton Triple H WrestleMania XXV
WWE.com

Randy Orton and Triple H have had plenty of good matches together. Their Last Man Standing bout at No Mercy 2007 sticks out, but they usually delivered in a big spot, even if their matches weren't always the most athletically exciting.

WrestleMania 25 is the exception to this. It's one of the worst 'Mania main events of all-time, and while much of this was down to the crowd's exhaustion following Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels earlier on, the former Evolution duo did nothing to spike their energy levels. Both already had a pre-established reputation for taking it easy on occasion, and they lived up to this on 2009's biggest show.

Flat, lifeless, and completely heatless, they sleepwalked their way through 23 brutal minutes en route to an outcome nobody wanted - Triple H retaining the WWE Championship. The bile and venom built through their bitter feud was nowhere to be found. They wrestled a basic exhibition match, and while the stipulation that 'The Game' would lose his belt on a DQ should've made things interesting, they hardly worked to it at all.

Not the kind of effort that warrants such a massive spotlight, and a match that both men would do well to forget.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.