10 Wrestling PPV Matches Allocated Far Too Little Time

9. CM Punk Vs. Rey Mysterio - WWE WrestleMania XXVI

Sheamus Daniel Bryan
Ric Scuteri/AP/Press Association Images

Match Length: 06:28

Why it was too short: The WrestleMania undercard canon really should be better than it is. The entries in it have been particularly disappointing in the recent stadium era, which until recently has placed too much of an emphasis on the epic-scale three-match main event layout.

Punk and Mysterio had unbelievably slick chemistry, and an engaging storyline with which to play off - but the short duration didn't allow Punk to demonstrate his incredible ability to fill in the space between moves. Unlike his 'Mania match with Randy Orton a year later, in which he would ridicule the Viper by mimicking his injury-induced hobble to generate serious heat, this one was understandably short on psychology.

Like another entry involving Punk on this list, the match was suddenly truncated just as the two men had hit their stride and hitting some beautiful spots, not least of which Mysterio's springboard DDT.

Worse still, Punk was quickly and handily defeated despite copious interference from his Straight Edge Society stablemates. Punk would go on to recover his aura in subsequent matches with Rey, both of which were blinding, which just underlined the extent to which he was unfairly marginalised here.

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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!