The WORST Moment From Every WWE WrestleMania

16. Bret Hart Can't Bump (WrestleMania XXVI)

WWE WrestleMania 26 Bret Hart Vince McMahon
WWE.com

True masters of their craft often use various shortcuts or tricks to minimise bumping. Bret Hart was a pro wrestling genius, no doubt, but he was also physically knackered by 2010. Not limited, knackered and frankly incapable of delivering when it mattered. It was heartbreaking (Hart-breaking?) to see the 'Hitman' wobble wonkily around the ring whilst peppering Vince McMahon with shots.

Vince was expected to be the workhorse at 'Mania XXVI. That says it all. Bret couldn't take any bumps himself, so McMahon had to carry the load. Unfortunately, the bout came too late to really work as a 'Montreal Screwjob' revenge mission for the 'Hitman', and the story of the Hart clan tricking Vince almost turned him into a sympathetic babyface by accident.

Oops.

It's true. The one sided beatdown threatened to rally fan support behind McMahon (of all people). Together, both old enemies tried everything they could think of to add bells and whistles, but the match turned out to be miserable. It's worth saying that fans got over Montreal long before WWE did too; almost 13 years had passed, after all.

Bret can’t be blamed for not bumping due to health reasons, but why on earth did WWE bother to book this match knowing that?! They backed themselves into a corner with a match that was never going to live up to the hype, and it was sad to watch a firm favourite strive to even lock on his Sharpshooter hold and maintain his balance near the end.

Some will argue that WWE had to book this match, but it might've been better if they hadn't. It was a blight on the WrestleMania XXVI lineup.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.