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

3. Edge Vs. John Cena - WrestleMania 22

Bret Hart Randy Savage
WWE.com

Edge's Rated R Superstar act was a sensation, and his impromptu WWE Championship cash-in at the expense of John Cena at New Year's Revolution 2006 put it over more than even the most optimistic among us could have predicted.

It was more experiment than full-tilt push; Cena handily won the first act of their storied rivalry with far too much ease in a desperately disappointing match at Royal Rumble. Edge was booked as a paper champion, but his objective success as a ratings generator deserved much more. Not for the first time, the storyline was abbreviated because a perceived more important figure replaced him.

Edge was such a despicable heel that he might - might - have stemmed the tide of the Chicago boo boys. That might be optimistic, and while Cena's match with Triple H at WrestleMania 22 was memorable for its nuclear heat, it did not approach the best main events in the show's history. Edge had far better matches with Cena when he was afforded more time with which to do so. Edge was so over as a heel that he managed to get the fans on Cena's side; Trips meanwhile indulged the hardcore fans by burying Cena at every turn on the road to Chicago.

"You happen to not be a very good wrestler," he told Cena in the build up. It's little wonder that 'Mania 22 failed to break a million buys - a feat WWE managed in the two years before and after.

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!