10 WWE WrestleMania Matches That Failed To Live Up To The Hype

7. Batista Vs. Umaga - WrestleMania XXIV

Batista Umaga Wrestlemania 24
WWE.com

Rewind to WrestleMania XXIII. Batista was defending the World Heavyweight Championship against The Undertaker, in a match that overachieved to say the least. The two big men put on a brutal classic, a bruising encounter that was far better than anyone truly expected. It may well have been the defining match of The Animal’s first big run. Umaga? He was in the biggest match of his career, acting as Vince’s chosen competitor against Bobby Lashley, representing Donald Trump.

Both men found themselves on the periphery by the time WrestleMania XXIV came around, thrown together in a battle for brand supremacy in a match that received next to no promotion from the company. It got little attention but fans had high hopes for the match, expecting the WWE hoss battle to end all hoss battles, as two bulls met head-on on the biggest stage, both with something to prove.

What came was one of the most forgettable matches in WrestleMania history. Instead of stealing the show and making a point both men seemed to go through the phases, ticking their boxes and collecting their pay before getting out and letting the more promoted matches take centerstage. A professional job? Absolutely. A disappointing one? Massively.

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Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.