The Big Nasty World Tour: Wrestlemania Weekend 2010
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“The road trip to Arizona, by the way, was in reference to the next stop on The Big Nasty World Tour: Wrestlemania 26, which will be held in Glendale.”
We love pro wrestling here in The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. So much so, that when it was announced that Wrestlemania will be held in a stadium just five hours away from our home base here in Los Angeles, we thought ‘Wrestlemania in Arizona?! Why the fuck not?!’
Saturday, March 27
12:23PM. We arrived at the North gym of Phoenix College. We asked two students of the college where parking was for Ring of Honor Wrestling, and one of the students disdainfully replied “Oh, that wrestling thing?”
The students kindly pointed us out the free parking available to pro wrestling fans ready to enjoy the incredible workers of ROH.
12:38PM. We meet the legendary Jim Cornette. I had a WWE Encyclopedia with an old school picture of him in it (under “J”) and I kindly asked him to sign it. He seemed kind of taken aback by the fact that The WWE, a company in which he now despises, still used his namesake. Cornette graciously signed his photo and took a picture with us. Great guy.
1:00PM. The prelim contests begin. The Wrestlers featured included Awesome Andy, Johnny Goodtime, Mike Sydal, Johnny Yuma, Robert Evans, & Anchors Away. Robert Evans was quite entertaining as a comedy act. Evans was undersized, wore an outrageous outfit that made him look like Ronald McDonald’s anorexic daughter, but he had a lot of energy and really got over with the hardcore fans in the gym. Awesome Andy went for a shooting star press and at one point it looked like he was going to land on his head. He didn’t.
1:30PM. The main show begins. Here is a rundown of the card with some of my thoughts.
- Kenny Omega over Rocky Romero
- Shawn Davari (with Prince Nana) over Human Tornado
- Kevin Steen over Scott Lost
- Rasche Brown, Necro Butcher and The Briscoes over Prince Nana & Joey Ryan & Bison Smith & Claudio Castagnoli
- *INTERMISSION*
- Kenny King over Scorpio Sky
- Jerry Lynn over Steve Corino
- Colt Cabana & El Generico over The American Wolves
- Austin Aries and Roderick Strong battled to a no contest when Strong (work) injured himself after a bump to the outside
- Tyler Black over Roderick Strong and Austin Aries
Before the card, it was announced that digital photography was strictly prohibited and that this would be a family friendly event.
Countless camera flashes and curse words later…
This was a good card overall, with the crowd hot and cold. It seemed like there were too many matches on the card to keep the fans hot throughout the wh0le event as the crowd got hot for the Omega/Romero, Steen/Lost (ESPECIALLY Steen), and the main event involving Strong, Aries, and Black. The crowd either came down or pooped on the rest of the matches. The Lynn/Corino match originally received audible ‘This is stupid’ chants from the grumpy and overweight smart marks behind us, however the crowd eventually embraced what was a dangerous hardcore match.
Kevin Steen is the best heel in ROH. So much so, that he received babyface heat. At one point, in order to get the crowd to turn on him, Steen launched a loogie into the crowd through his nose and it landed on a poor guy’s buttoned up t-shirt. The crowd loved it.
Austin Aries is known for hissing before striking his opponents which the crowd mocked. The crowd also mocked anybody who tried to cut a promo which befuddled me. Sure this is wrestling, and these are hardcore wrestling fans, but ROH is now a company that has a TV deal with HDNet and is trying to slowly build itself into a more reputable wrestling company. In order to have an entertaining and complete pro wrestling show, one needs to know why the combatants are fighting one another especially in the main event.
Colt Cabana wasn’t as over as I thought he would be. I figured it was because the crowd was tired at this point, but he was entertaining as always. His ‘Flying asshole’ butt bump is always a nice touch.
8:26PM. After getting settled at our hotel and grabbing something to eat, we arrived at a bar across the street just in time to catch the two main fights on the UFC 111 card. First up was Mir/Carwin. I felt I needed a large beer in order to properly enjoy the two main fights and the bar accepted cash only. Accordingly, I went to the ATM to get cash and by the time I came back to the bar, Frank Mir was down and out. What?
It has become obvious that Frank Mir is an overrated fighter to say the least. His last three victories came in a fluke victory against Brock Lesnar (it’s worth noting that he was destroyed in the rematch), an opportunistic victory over a shell of Antonio Nogueira (it’s worth noting that Nogueira was destroyed by up and coming Cain Velasquez), and an impressive victory over Cheick Congo (it’s worth noting that Congo hasn’t beaten anybody worth noting). Frank Mir should retire, keep talking himself up in order to retain the heel heat that helps UFC sell pay per views, or pray that the UFC feeds him Kimbo Slice. Because for all intents and purposes, this guy is just a glorified bridesmaid.
Next up was GSP/Hardy. I actually got to enjoy my entire beer for this one. With some time to spare. This was five rounds of GSP climbing all over Hardy trying to force a submission and failing miserably. It was probably the worst St. Pierre has looked in victory and he admitted it through the captivating language of broken English.
“I was not that pleased about my performance. I won, but I haven’t beat my performance of last time, so I’m not happy. I wanted to finish, you know, have a clean win and for me, like this, it’s not clean. I forgot the technical element of it. Sometimes those technical details make the difference. I wanted to go 100 percent. I trained (submissions) to break. At one point, I was like, ‘Man, I think I broke his shoulder,’ and then one time I thought I’d broke his arm when I had the juju-gatame. I heard like ‘click, click.’ It was completely extended. I believe my standup is superior (to Hardy’s), but it could have been a risk because that’s his main asset.” [MMA Mania]
Sunday, March 28
12:29PM. We checked in at the press table and received our media credentials to attend the Press Conferee. We were escorted to the conference room where the press conference would be held. 
1:06PM. John Cena was introduced to the press to a polite applause. Of all the superstars who participated in this press conference, Cena was the only one who seemed nervous. He was obviously in some kind of zone. I asked him whether there was any added pressure to steal the show with such high profile matches on the card.
“That’s what Wrestlemania is all about. Our WWE universe comes out to fill a stadium like this, stays in Phoenix and Glendale for a week long, and certainly our WWE Universe members watching at home and on pay per view expect nothing but the best.”
Cena also talked up his entrance saying he hoped that his match could be “anywhere close to as entertaining as the entrance”.
1:38PM. Triple H was announced next. Like the rest of the participants he seemed at ease. I asked him (tongue-in-cheek) whether or not he was disappointed that his match with Sheamus wasn’t for the championship, and he responded by saying he only had himself to blame for costing Sheamus the title in the Elimination Chamber. Good answer. 
1:55PM. Chris Jericho was announced next. He talked about his book, acknowledged Jerry Lynn, who was in attendance, and admitted he was going to the Paul McCartney concert after Wrestlemania. Chris Jericho is always great on the mic.
2:09PM. We got a media treat in the form of James Roday, the white guy from psych. He is a wrestling fan. He can’t wait for Wrestlemnaia. He was bummed that he didn’t get to host RAW. Thanks, James.
2:15PM. Bret Hart was announced as the final superstar who would be part of the press conference. This was our main event. Hart was wearing basically the same outfit he would be murdering Vince McMahon in just hours later. I asked whether or not he was informed who the referee would be for this match. His response? “I don’t know”. 
It was nice to see Bret live at a WWE function for the first time in my life. He seemed the most at ease of everybody who took the podium, which is surprising considering he had gone over a decade with an axe to grind against The Fed.
3:00PM. After foregoing sitting in the press box to properly enjoy our first Wrestlemania, we took our seats in the immaculate stadium. The roof began to open only to reveal the unforgiving Arizona sun shining right in our faces, causing my black ass to sweat almost immediately. A ‘Close The Roof!’ chant was started in our section and rang across the entire stadium. The chant would not be granted until night time.
3:40PM. The announcers were introduced. Michael Cole was booed, Matt Stryker received a mixed reaction, and Jerry Lawler was cheered.
3:46PM. A 26-man Wrestlemania Paycheck grab known as the dark match Battle Royal commenced, signaling the unofficially beginning of Wrestlemania 26. Yoshi Tatsu was victorious in an event where the crowd clamored for a Santino Marella victory.
4:00PM. Wrestlemania 26 was finally starting. Fantasia Barrino sang a stirring rendition of America the Beautiful while planes flew over University of Phoenix Stadium.
4:08PM. ShoMiz vs. R-Truth and John Morrison- If you took a piss during this match, you missed it. Morrison got punched in the head and pinned before I had time to turn my camera off. However I did catch R-Truth’s “What’s Up?!” entrance which was incredible live.
4:18PM. Orton vs. Rhodes vs. DiBiase- This match went on earlier than I thought it would but it was a good thing because the crowd was still hot and still had a voracious appetite after being shortchanged in the previous match. Orton was over like Austin, and won a standard triple threat match where the story was your typical 2 on 1 match until dissension rears its ugly head leading to an ‘every man for himself ‘ scenario. The crowd popped huge for the RKO, and Orton’s Christ-pose made it official: He’s a babyface, and is going to make this company A LOT of money in the ensuing months.
I don’t know if this was shown on camera, but Cody Rhodes needed medical assistance. Perhaps this was a work to get over the punt to the head, however he was off of RAW the next night and claimed to have suffered a concussion.
4:38PM. The Money in the Bank Match- This was the weakest Money in the Bank match of all the Wrestlemania. There was concern for this match going in as there would be 10 participants, none of whom were major stars. There was a lot of downtime during this match. The downtime was used to set up for high spots that were botched in many cases. Apparently Swagger won this match, however I’m not sure as he is still up on the ladder trying to grab that briefcase. I have no problem with Swagger winning this match, but why was he jobbing to Santino Marella just two months prior during Royal Rumble season?
4:57PM. The Hall of Fame Class of 2010 was announced and they all made appearnces. Gorgeous George’s ex-wife was scary old.
5:08PM. Triple H vs. Sheamus- This was a good match, although it took a bit before the crowd could fully get into it. Sheamus looked like a star in this one, and his stock should only rise after this. I felt going in that he should have won this match, however if he loses he needed to still look like a monster. Triple H did a great job selling for Sheamus throughout the match as The Celtic Warrior got in most of the offense. I look forward to seeing these two continue their feud in the future. However, according to a flawed Triple H promo a few weeks back, Sheamus’ career is now going to go down the tubes as he did not gain a Wrestlemania victory over The Game.
5:26PM. CM Punk’s entrance music hit. Our section was split evenly with ‘Cena Generation’ young fans and Smarks like us. We cheered CM Punk and put our hands up right on cue when he asked us to. We got dirty looks from presumably religious families who were not down with Punk’s message of him being our savior. Well then go to church. It’s Sunday, isn’t that where you should be?
5:28PM. Rey Mysterio’s entrance was botched. He was supposed to be shot up through a trap door like he used to be back in the day, however the door got stuck and he was forced to climb up on to the stage.
5:30PM. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk- This was a disappointing match, not because of the in-ring content, but because of the time they were given. The crowd was hot for this match as it pitted arguable the top heel in the company against one of the greatest babyfaces of all time. There was much talk of this match stealing the show, and just when it seemed that these two stars were well on their way to doing so, the match abruptly finished. Shame on whoever booked this one.
5:47PM. After viewing a video package for the Bret/Vince match that reminds us of just how unnecessarily overbooked this angle really was, Vince introduces yet another plot twist to an angle that was seemingly booked by Tyler Perry. Hart’s family has been paid off as lumberjacks for this match. Just minutes later, it was announced by Bret Hart that the entire family was to participate in a double cross. Oh boy.
5:51PM. In an eleven minute match that went six minutes too long, Bret beat Vince. Those remaining six minutes could have and should have gone to The Punk/Rey match. At least the Montreal screwjob angle is officially dead. I think.
6:05PM. Tonight’s attendance at University of Phoenix stadium is 72,219. The attendance for Superbowl XLIII, that was held in that same stadium, was 70,774.
6:14PM. Chris Jericho vs. Edge- This was an awesome match with a realistic finish as Jericho won after capitalizing on an injury which many believe Edge returned back from prematurely. A great back and fourth contest where Jericho teased a spear at one point, which got over. There was a lot of buzz of The Money in the Bank winner cashing in his championship opportunity on the same night he won it, and the post-match activities for this contest heightened that buzz. After running across a table and spearing Jericho, leaving him incapacitated, it seemed that this would be the perfect opportunity for Jack Swagger go come in and cash in his MITB briefcase. He didn’t.
6:35PM. Time for a piss break in the form of a 10-diva tag team match. “Thankfully”, I didn’t have to pee. This match was kept short and wasn’t special. The lone bright spot for this match was when Vickie Guerrero kissed her hand and pointed to the sky, honoring her deceased husband Eddie Guerrero. This received a positive reaction from the live crowd in what was the only babyface pop that this incarnation of Vickie Guerrero has ever received.
6:49PM. John Cena’s much anticipated entrance was up. He is known for having extravagant entrances at Wrestlemania, and I even wrote a piece on his past entrances at Wrestlemania, however this one fell flat. After talking up his entrance in the press conference, I can see why Cena felt it would be a big deal as he is an army geek, but the Marines twirling guns to the utter silence of the crowd was not on par with crashing a Ford Mustang through a window or having the University of Miami Band perform your theme music.
6:51PM. John Cena vs. Batista- This was an awesome match between The WWE’s two biggest stars. Say what you want to say about either guy, they put on a show for the live crowd, and when I went back and watched this match on television, it still held up. this was one of two matches of the night (the other being Taker/Michaels) that was booked exceptionally from start to finish (storyline, match, payoff). The crowd seemed split on this one, with multiple anti-Cena fans to complement the Cenation in attendance. There was one scary moment where Cena tooka DDT and looked like he might have suffered a stinger. However he continued the match with no problems.
I was legitimately surprised when Batista kicked out of The Attitude Adjustment after Cena immediately went for the pin. Cena winning the match was the right payoff for this feud that played up the question of whether or not Cena could beat Batista, however this has been some of Batista’s best work of his career and it would have been nice to see him rewarded for it.
7:15PM. GONG! The Undertaker’s entrance live is something to behold. If you don’t get chills watching it, you likely are not a wrestling fan. The Undertaker came up slowly through a trap door. Thankfully, it worked. After what could have been HBK’s last time making an entrance in a wrestling contest, The Undertaker’s entrance dazzled and was quite the specatacle for the live crowd.
7:19PM. The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels- My gosh, they are giving these guys almost an hour, and with good reason. Their match last year was the best wrestling match I’ve ever seen, and their contest this year was easily just as good. I don’t care what anybody says, with the most hyped Wrestlemania card in recent memory, this match was front and center during ‘Mania build up season and it delivered. Michaels took THREE tombstones in this match, including one to the outside, and kicked out of two. The Undertaker kicked out of The Sweet Chin Music and survived a spectacular moonsault through a table from Michaels. This moonsault was not a Flair vs. Michals, Wrestlemania 24 ‘screw taking that bump‘ moonsault spot, but a magnificent ariel feat that made Shawn look like he was still a Rocker.
I grew up watching Shawn Michaels perform, and he is the only superstar who has kept his five-star form throughout the length of his entire career. He’s not talking retirement because it’s time and he has lost a step because that plain just hasn’t happened yet. Shawn is attempting to do the right thing for himself and his family and there is something to say about a wrestler who is able to walk away from such an addicting profession after initially saying when.
Shawn lost the match in a Ric Flair-like sequence where he insisted that The Undertaker finish him off. The Undertaker hit a jumping moonsault that I once saw him perform on Owen Hart back in the day, but haven’t seen since. the match concluded living past any hype that could be pumped into it for the purposes of buying the pay per view. I definitely got my money’s worth.
7:48PM. The crowd pays its final respects to the greatest in-ring performer of all time. Like HBK would go on to say the next night on RAW, Shawn Michaels has left the building.
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Tags: HBK, Shawn Michaels, Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker, Wrestlemania 26, Wrestlemania Press Conference, Wrestling News, WWE News
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