10 WrestleMania Matches History Deprived Us Of (That Weren't Actually Impossible)

6. John Cena & Bret Hart Vs. Batista & Vince McMahon - WrestleMania XXVI

Bret Hart Randy Savage
WWE.com

Vince McMahon Vs. Bret Hart, which saw the babyface latter almost turn the heel former with a disturbing and protracted beatdown, was an incredibly mean-spirited and tonally moronic affair.

The Batista Vs. John Cena WWE Championship match held later in the night was pretty damn good, but it was never going to emerge from the shadow that was Shawn Michaels Vs. The Undertaker's Streak bout. It felt as though the two men knew they had to hold something back for the remaining two entries in their trilogy.

Combining the two matches would have halved both problems. Cena and Batista were not capable of stealing (or permitted to steal) the show; instead, they should have been installed to generate suspense before the Hart/McMahon standoff. The two storylines even dovetailed into one another - McMahon had screwed Cena out of the title at Elimination Chamber in February. One disaster and one merely good match could have spared the other's blushes, while also affording more time to CM Punk Vs, Rey Mysterio - which had the makings of something truly special.

Besides which, WWE had already wasted the novelty of Cena Vs. Batista in a no-stakes, hastily-arranged match - which didn't even go on last - at SummerSlam 2008.

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!