WrestleMania XXVI

Wrestlemania XXVI (26)

Promotion	WWE
Date	March 28, 2010
Venue	University of Phoenix Stadium
City	Glendale, Arizona
Attendance	72,219
Last Event	Elimination Chamber
Next Event	Extreme Rules

WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), which took place on March 28, 2010, at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the first WrestleMania since WrestleMania XI with a non-title match as a main event, the first WrestleMania to be held in the state of Arizona and the third to be held in an open-air venue, after WrestleMania IX and WrestleMania XXIV.

Event summary[]

Rey Mysterio vs CM Punk[]

At WrestleMania, Rey Mysterio reigned supreme over CM Punk, defending his family's honor while saving himself from a forced induction into The Straight Edge Society.

Mysterio's intense battle for freedom with The Second City Saint raged fast and furious on The Grandest Stage of Them All. From the opening bell, both Luke Gallows and Serena made their presence felt, interfering whenever possible in their savior's favor. But, despite Punk's ruthless attack and the actions of his loyal cronies, Mysterio would not give in. And his heart-filled refusal to be beaten would not go unrewarded. When The Straight Edge Society tried to prevent the masked Superstar from dialing-up the 619, Mysterio went to work, countering Punk's GTS and sending him flying into the interfering Gallows. Then, before the capacity crowd, Mysterio rang-up 619 on his second attempt and successfully defeated his Straight Edge nemesis.

The volatile paths of The Master of the 619 and The Straight Edge Superstar collided with catastrophic fallout on The Road to WrestleMania. Punk, along with his faithful disciples Luke Gallows and Serena, assaulted Mysterio with brutal back-to-back attacks on SmackDown. Mysterio cost The Straight Edge Savior two huge opportunities, pinning him at WWE Elimination Chamber and costing him his WrestleMania Money in the Bank Qualifying Match against Shelton Benjamin.

Punk "crossed the line" when he and The Straight Edge Society ridiculed Mysterio and his family as they attempted to celebrate his daughter's birthday on SmackDown. In the midst of his merciless verbal taunts, the calculating Punk issued a WrestleMania challenge to his emotionally-charged adversary.

One week later, Mysterio accepted Punk's Show of Shows challenge with fury in his eyes. But, when Gallows triumphed over The Master of the 619 later that night, a stipulation was set in stone that The Ultimate Underdog must win at WrestleMania or take the Straight Edge pledge.

Rey Mysterio's victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All has allowed him to stay clear of everything he detests. But considering the deplorable actions of CM Punk in recent weeks, has the masked Superstar seen the last of The Straight Edge Society?

Beth Phoenix, Eve Torres, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly & Mickie James vs Alicia Fox, Layla, Maryse, Michelle McCool & Vickie Guerrero[]

Whoever coined the term "when pigs fly" never saw Vickie Guerrero in action.

In the closing moments of the 10-Divas Tag Team Match at WrestleMania, the Official SmackDown Consultant slowly scaled the ropes and then launched herself onto a prone Kelly Kelly, crushing the blonde beauty and picking up the win for her team on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

It was an unexpected end to the wild battle pitting Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Gail Kim & Beth Phoenix against Women's Champion Michelle McCool, Divas Champion Maryse, Layla, Alicia Fox & Vickie. After a fracas that saw nearly every Diva in the match nail their trademark maneuvers, it came down to The Glamazon and Guerrero. But a sneak attack by the Women's Champion put Phoenix out of the bout, allowing Vickie to do the unthinkable. With a helping hand from her team, Guerrero scaled the ropes and performed a "hog splash" onto Kelly Kelly that nearly shook the University of Phoenix Stadium.

While Kelly will still be feeling the effects of Vickie's considerable impact tomorrow, it is Beth Phoenix who most wanted to get her hands on the shrill SmackDown Consultant. After being pinned by Vickie on Friday, The Glamazon would like nothing more than to shut her big mouth.

Will the powerful Diva get her chance on SmackDown? Tune in on Friday night to find out.

Bret Hart vs Mr. McMahon[]

Simple albeit prolonged chain reaction: Vince screwed Bret in 1997; Vince screwed Vince weeks ago on Raw; and at WrestleMania XXVI, Bret finally screwed Vince with excellent execution, as The "Hit Man" cemented this Show of Shows as perhaps the best there ever will be.

With the support of the Hart family, who double-crossed and foiled the scheme of The WWE Chairman, the pink and black colors waved proud in victory on The Grandest Stage of Them All, mending a 12-year wound for The Hit Man.

It was nearly a repeat performance of the Montreal Screwjob, but at a greater magnitude when Mr. McMahon revealed his fully funded lumberjacks: The Hart family, Dynasty and all. However, blood proved thicker than The Chairman's liquid assets, as Bret's kin betrayed the billionaire in the No Holds Barred Match and took up arms against the man who defiled their family name for so very many years.

The Excellence of Execution unleashed more than a decade of malice onto the man who tarnished an incomparable career of a genuine champion, with or without a gold prize in his possession. Swinging a tire iron and steel chair at McMahon -- at least one strike for every year since his unsavory departure from WWE -- the fury in The Hit Man's eyes told a story of justice and attrition.

Then, to lock in vindication and serve his mortal nemesis a 12-year brew of retribution, Hart clinched the legs of The Chairman for a Sharpshooter. It was the moment that not just Bret, but also the legion of WWE Universe members in the University of Phoenix Stadium and around the globe waited more than a decade to experience.

McMahon quickly surrendered, pounding his palm against the mat with a rhythmic pulse similar to the intro of Hit Man's entrance music, which then sounded instantly to both signal and accentuate victory.

Surrounded by his Hart brethren, The Pink and Black Attack celebrated his own unbelievable return from a career-ending concussion, a stroke and so many other tribulations. Instantly, WrestleMania XXVI became a conquest bigger than Yokozuna at WrestleMania X, more emphatic than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania 13.

On March 28, 2010, the myth of "The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be" was tested and proven, live in front of 72, 219. The Hart still beats and perhaps stronger it ever will beat.