35 Years Of WWE WrestleMania Mistakes

8. WrestleMania XXVIII - Daniel Bryan Losing In 18 Seconds

WWE.com

When Daniel Bryan was forced to retire in 2016, WWE treated the departing wrestler like a hero. The extremely popular Bryan was given the entire closing of Raw to make his heartfelt valedictory, with company company devoting the whole show in his honour. Yet for much of his tenure, they had treated him like an inconvenient joke.

This was no more epitomised than his WrestleMania XXVIII debacle against Sheamus. As a darling of the internet wrestling community, fans were eagerly anticipating the former American Dragon's full WrestleMania debut, after his match the previous year had been bumped to the pre-show. They didn't expect the ignominy this time around to be magnified ten-fold.

The match was over in 18 seconds - a single Brogue Kick by Sheamus, and the pin. The cheated fans were furious, and the company's big idea to push Sheamus into the top babyface position failed spectacularly. It was just one of many occasions when the company tried to bury Bryan in spite of his fervent support, though ironically his mistreatment only contributed to his popularity.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.