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There is a big difference between winning at WrestleMania and deserving to win at WrestleMania. Though it is the granddaddy of them all and everyone wants to get their name on the winning margin at the pay-per-view, not everyone deserves to get the upper hand at the show.Throughout the history of WrestleMania, WWE has made some forgettable decisions and presenting certain superstars with wins were some important ones among them. WrestleMania 31 should be spared from such mistakes and here are some of the past instances from which WWE could learn for a brighter outing at the Levis stadium on March 29
#10 Goldberg (WrestleMania 20)
Goldberg was probably the best product of the WCW creative team. They picked up a football player and molded him into a wrestling phenomenon just like that even though Goldberg was a bit short sided on the technical style.
In WrestleMania 20, WWE made a dream match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg. To further increase the star power, they added Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special guest referee. It was supposed to be an everlasting WrestleMania moment but instead, the match was a drag. Both Lesnar and Goldberg were on their way out of the WWE and had no intentions of giving out a good match. In the end, Goldberg came out with a win, but he never deserved it.
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#9 Akebono (WrestleMania 21)
Sumo Wrestling is not something that the WWE fans understand easily. Despite this fact, Vince McMahon had the idea of a sumo match at WrestleMania 21. The match saw Big Show going up against Akebono and was confusing to the core.
First of all, most of the fans didn’t know the rules of Sumo or didn’t have the patience to perceive the art. Secondly, sumo is a legitimate competition; it is not scripted like professional wrestling. All these made a sure shot disaster at the pay-per-view and it was nothing more than two big men fighting in their thongs. Akebono threw Big Show into the ground to win the match but as a whole it was a mess.
#8 Beth Phoenix and Melina (WrestleMania XXIV)
Beth Phoenix and Melina are two divas who rank right up there when it comes to credibility. They are responsible for some memorable divas matches but WrestleMania XXIV was not one of them. Maria and Ashley were the opponents for Beth and Melina and instead of focusing on the girls; WWE gave the limelight to their guest, Snoop Dogg.
Both Melina and Beth had the caliber to steal the show provided a solid stage but they needed help from Snoop Dogg to win the match. They would have deserved to win it if it was a regular divas tag team match but since it was just a slot to make Snoop Dogg look good, Beth and Melina deserves a place in the list.
#7 Bret Hart (WrestleMania 26)
To get the record straight, Bret Hart is a legendary wrestler. He is an idol for many professional wrestlers out there and is responsible for a lot of great moments in WWE’s history. However, Bret’s match with Vince at WrestleMania 26 was probably his worst outing from the lot.
The fans were excited since it was Bret’s chance to get some revenge against Vince McMahon after the Montreal Screwjob but the match was complete chaos.Bret did end up winning the match but at the end of the day, it was a black mark in his legacy and at the same time, Bret didn’t deserve what he got, he actually deserved something better.
#6 Michael Cole (WrestleMania XXVII)
One day Vince McMahon had the idea of having a match between two announcers and Stone Cold Steve Austin as the guest referee. There was a feeble backstory to the whole match but as the Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg match we saw earlier; even Austin couldn’t save this from sinking.
Cole had no skills whatsoever in the wrestling skills and Jerry Lawler was a long way away from his prime. This resulted in a catastrophic match between the two. When the final bell rang, it was Michael Cole who won it but in theory, he didn’t even deserve to wrestle in the pay-per-view which every professional wrestler dreams about.
#5 Boogeyman (WrestleMania 22)
The creepy act called Boogeyman came into WrestleMania 22 undefeated. It might sound like a ridiculous record on paper and probably the WWE’s creative team was high on something. They booked a handicap match with Boogeyman on one side and Booker and Sharmell on the other.
The five-time WCW World Champion, Booker T came into the match as the favorite only to be defeated by the creepy guy who never saw the main event scene in WWE. The match was supposed to be a toilet break in the pay-per-view but it turned out to be something worse. Boogeyman won the match in the end, but there is a reason why no one remembers it.
#4 Floyd Mayweather Jr. (WrestleMania 24)
Big Show came in as the victim for yet another celebrity tantrum when WWE booked a match for him against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mayweather might be a good athlete in the boxing ring, but as we all know, professional wrestling is an entirely different concept.
On paper it sounded like a good match. There was a David vs. Goliath feel to the whole thing but in execution, the match fell flat on its face. Mayweather got carried away by the moment and was instantly jeered by the crowd in Florida. The supposed bad guy Big Show was getting all the cheers and as far as the fans are concerned, the most exciting part from the match was the final bells.
#3 Fandango (WrestleMania 29)
WWE’s dream project called Fandango made his debut at WrestleMania 29. Until then, he was dodging all the matches since none of his opponents could pronounce his name properly. Chris Jericho broke the jinx and landed a match against the ball room dancer at WrestleMania.
Now, Fandango is a gimmick which had least potential. He was just an average in ring performer as well and it was destined to doom from the start itself. For one reason or the other Vince McMahon thought that putting Fandango over at Mania against Jericho would be a great idea. It wasn’t. Fandango came out winning the match but it worked no wonders for him whatsoever as we can see.
#2 Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania 9)
WrestleMania 9 is considered to be the worst one from the prestigious lot. One of the reasons for this tag is the climax sequence of the pay-per-view. Yokozuna faced Bret Hart for the WWE championship in the main event and with some help from his manager, Yokozuna won the title.
However, just minutes later, Hogan came down to the ring and was instantly put into a match with Yokozuna for the championship.
It was a chaotic move from the company and after just 22 seconds of action, Hogan was the new champion. Yokozuna’s title reign lasted mere minutes and it was a cheap win for a legendary wrestler like Hulk Hogan.
#1 The Miz (WrestleMania 27)
The Miz is a good reality television star and an average actor, but the Awesome One is miles away from becoming a good professional wrestler. Despite this fact, Vince McMahon gave Miz a big push at WrestleMania 27. Miz faced off against John Cena at the pay-per-view and he actually came out winning.
The win came thanks to Rock’s interference but then again, in the record books, it reads, Miz defeated Cena at WrestleMania main event to win the WWE championship. Did he deserve the win? Of course not. Even with such a big win, Miz went nowhere with his career and WWE really wasted an opportunity to put some other youngster over rather than Miz.
