10 Times WrestleMania Genuinely Surprised Us
5. The Miz Wins
Everything about the build to WrestleMania XXVII’s main event was surprising. The Rock returning in his capacity as a host - odd! The build focussing on Cena and Dwayne slagging each other off - strange! The fact that Cena’s opponent was then-WWE Champion, and hitherto perennial midcarder The Miz? Really weird!
There’s a bizarro element to this show encapsulated by Miz’s position in the main event. This is no slight on Mike Mizanin, an inspirational individual and incredible pro, but he didn’t and doesn’t feel like a WrestleMania headliner. Then, to make matters weirder still, the match ends in a double count-out, then features Rocky arguing with a laptop, restarting the bout, and attacking Cena to give Miz the win.
The decision for Miz to go over in the WrestleMania main event, at what felt like the climax of a strange, semi-successful experiment, was a shock to say the least. It didn’t exactly send the fans home happy or bring an underwhelming ‘Mania to a powerful conclusion.
Instead, as we found out the next night on Raw, it was merely a prelude to next year’s Rock vs Cena main event. Thanks for coming, anyway, Miz. Hope you had a nice time, and enjoy the title until next month when one John Cena takes it off you.