World Wrestling Entertainment, along with Slim Jim, presented: WrestleMania XXVI, which came to you, live, from the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The biggest night on the WWE calendar would see two legendary Superstars with an irreplaceable presence at WrestleMania go one-on-one as The Undertaker would put his 17-0 undefeated WrestleMania streak on the line against the twenty-five year career of the incomparable Shawn Michaels in a match that can only end by pinfall or submission, where, if Shawn Michaels beat The Undertaker, then HBK would be the first Superstar in history to end the streak, but if The Undertaker wins, then “The Deadman” would become known as the man who ended the great career of Shawn Michaels. In a match rooted in personal animosity, Batista would defend the WWE Championship against the man he stole the championship from at WWE Elimination Chamber, John Cena. WrestleMania would also see the World Heavyweight Championship defended as the confident champion Chris Jericho would defend against former tag team partner and current rival, the 2010 Royal Rumble Winner, Edge. After twelve long years of hearing “Bret screwed Bret” in relation to the infamous Montreal Screwjob in 1997, Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart would finally get his shot at revenge as he clashes with the Chairman of the WWE, Mr. McMahon, in a No Holds Barred match. In a heated and highly personal match, Rey Mysterio would be looking to extract revenge for himself and his family by defeating CM Punk, but if Punk wins, then Rey would be forced to join The Straightedge Society. After being eliminated from the Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Championship last month by Triple H, Sheamus has had his sights set on “The Game” and, at WrestleMania, Sheamus will go one-on-one with Triple H in the first WrestleMania for “The Celtic Warrior”. A Triple Threat Match would see the final step in the complete dissention of Randy Orton & Legacy as Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Ted DiBiase would face off. In the biggest Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match in WrestleMania history, Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, MVP, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre, & Kofi Kingston would all compete in the WrestleMania tradition with the winner of the match earning themselves a shot at either the WWE or World Heavyweight Titles anytime from the moment they win the contract until WrestleMania next year. WrestleMania would also see the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles defended as United States Champion The Miz & “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show would defend the titles against the exciting team of R-Truth & John Morrison. The Divas, and Vickie Guerrero, would also be represented on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” as the team of SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Divas Champion Maryse, Layla, & Alicia Fox would square off with the team of “The Glamazon” Beth Phoenix, former Women’s Champion Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, & Eve Torres in a 10-Diva Tag Match.
Match Results
- Unified WWE Tag Team Championship: The Miz & Big Show (c) def. R-Truth & John Morrison by Big Show (c) pinning John Morrison following the Knockout Punch to retain.
- Triple Threat Match: Randy Orton def. Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase by pinning Ted DiBiase following the RKO.
The teamwork of Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase eventually broke down which led to Randy Orton punting Cody Rhodes and hitting the RKO on Ted DiBiase en route to picking up the win.
- Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match: Jack Swagger def. Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, MVP, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Drew McIntyre, & Kofi Kingston to win the Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity.
- Triple H def. Sheamus by pin following the Pedigree.
- If Rey Mysterio Loses, He Must Join The Straightedge Society: Rey Mysterio def. CM Punk (with Luke Gallows & Serena) by pin following the 619NS.
- No Holds Barred Lumberjack Match: Special Referee- Bruce Hart: Bret Hart (with The Hart Dynasty and The Hart Family) def. Mr. McMahon by submission to the Sharpshooter.
- World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Jericho (c) def. Edge by pin following the Codebreaker to retain.
During the match, Chris Jericho gets an opportunistic shot with the World Heavyweight Title belt in on Edge, but Edge kicks out of the pin. Jericho then hits the Codebreaker en route to finally beating Edge to retain the World Heavyweight Title.
- 10-Diva Tag Match: Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, & Alicia Fox def. Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, & Eve Torres by Vickie Guerrero pinning Kelly Kelly following the Hog Splash.
- WWE Championship: John Cena def. Batista (c) by submission to the CSTF to win the WWE Title.
- Streak Vs. Career: Pinfall or Submission Only: The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels by pin following the Tombstone Piledriver to increase his undefeated WrestleMania streak to 18-0 and to end the career of Shawn Michaels.
Detailed Results
The grand extravaganza known as WrestleMania XXVI kicked off with gold on the line as United States Champion The Miz & Big Show defended the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles against the dynamic team of R-Truth & John Morrison. In the end, it was the vicious right hand of Big Show that laid John Morrison out and allowed “The World’s Largest Athlete” to pick up the win for himself and The Miz to retain their titles on the grand stage of WrestleMania!
Up next was the Triple Threat Match that would see Randy Orton take on his former protégés, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase as the former cohesive unit would collide against each other. While Legacy worked together early on, it did not take long for the team to implode as Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase inevitably went head-to-head! The dissention between Rhodes & DiBiase ultimately allowed Randy Orton to take advantage as Orton delivers a vicious punt to Cody Rhodes, followed by the RKO to Ted DiBiase en route to pinning DiBiase for the win! What is the condition of Cody Rhodes following the punt? Where do all three of these Superstars go from here?
Then it was time for the huge Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match where ten Superstars from RAW & SmackDown would utilize ladders any way they see fit to gain possession of the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase that houses a contract that guarantees the holder a shot at either the WWE or World Heavyweight Title at any time from the moment they win it until next year’s WrestleMania as Christian, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Shelton Benjamin, Jack Swagger, MVP, Matt Hardy, Evan Bourne, Intercontinental Champion Drew McIntyre, & Kofi Kingston would all compete and do whatever it takes to get the briefcase and the title opportunity. At the end of a jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring match, it was “The All-American American” Jack Swagger who was left holding the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase ensuring the Oklahoma native a future title opportunity for either the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship! When will Jack Swagger cash in his Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity and which championship will Swagger opt to challenge for?
Next up was a one-on-one match between “The Game” Triple H and his confident and brutal opponent, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus. In the end, Triple H was able to emerge from the clutches of defeat to hit the Pedigree on Sheamus en route to picking up a hard-fought win on the grand stage of WrestleMania! What is next on the agenda of Triple H?
Then it was time for the highly-personal match between CM Punk & Rey Mysterio where, if Rey is unable to defeat CM Punk, the proud Mysterio will be forced to join The Straightedge Society. Despite interference from Luke Gallows & Serena, Rey Mysterio was able to defeat CM Punk and avoid joining The Straightedge Society!
Over twelve years after the infamous Montreal Screwjob led to his WWE departure, WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart would finally get his hands on the orchestrator of the incident, the WWE Chairman himself, Mr. McMahon in a No Holds Barred Match. Before the match, the Chairman states that “you get what you pay for” before revealing that there will be Lumberjacks surrounding the ring for their showdown and stating that “Bret screwed Bret”, “Vince screwed Bret”, and now the “Hart Family screwed Bret”! In jaw-dropping WrestleMania moment, the Chairman reveals that the Lumberjacks are members of the legendary Hart Family, including The Hart Dynasty, and the special referee will be Bruce Hart! When the match was ready to start, Bret revealed that there is nothing like a good “double cross” before stating that WrestleMania XXVI will always be remembered for the night that “Bret screwed Vince”! With that statement, Bret embraces Bruce Hart as a symbol of the unbreakable bond of the Hart family! With The Hart Dynasty at the head of the assault against the Chairman, the Hart family Lumberjacks get a piece of the evil Vince McMahon before feeding the Chairman back to Bret, who methodically pummels Vince with fists, kicks, steel chairs, tire irons, and everything in between! After a merciless assault with a steel chair, Bret Hart forced Vince McMahon into submission with the legendary Sharpshooter; finally earning the closure he has been seeking and forcing Vince to suffer for all his sins against Bret and the entire Hart family!
Then it was time for the World Heavyweight Championship to be put on the line as Chris Jericho would defend the gold against the winner of the 2010 Royal Rumble, Edge. Following an opportunistic shot with the World Heavyweight Title belt, Jericho was able to hit the Codebreaker on Edge en route to finally defeating “The Rated-R Superstar” in an incredibly hard-fought match to retain the World Heavyweight Title! After the match, an incensed Edge assaulted Chris Jericho before driving the World Heavyweight Champion through the barricade with a Spear on the outside! What is the status of Chris Jericho following this assault? What is next for Edge, as well as Chris Jericho?
The Divas, and Vickie Guerrero, were also represented at WrestleMania as SmackDown Consultant Vickie Guerrero, Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, Divas Champion Maryse, Layla, & Alicia Fox faced Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Kelly Kelly, & Eve Torres in a 10-Diva Tag Match. In the end, it was a very unique version of the Frog Splash by Vickie that led to Vickie pinning Kelly Kelly for the win!
Then it was time for the WWE Championship to be put up for grabs as “The Animal” Batista would defend the WWE Title against the Superstar that he stole the title from, John Cena, in the culmination of their intense feud. After Batista survived the Attitude Adjustment and John Cena survived the Batista Bomb, it was Cena’s STF that finally forced “The Animal” to submit to prove that he can defeat Batista and, more importantly, to regain the WWE Championship! How will Batista respond to losing the WWE Championship? Who will step up to challenge the new WWE Champion?
Then it was time for the epic main event as two of the biggest names in the history of WrestleMania would put it all on the line as The Undertaker would put his 17-0 undefeated WrestleMania streak on the line against the historic twenty-five year career of the incomparable Shawn Michaels in a match that can only end by pinfall or submission. In a match for the ages, both legendary competitors gave it absolutely everything they had and then some; including The Undertaker hitting the Tombstone Piledriver on the arena floor and Shawn Michaels putting The Undertaker through the announce table with a memorable moonsault. After all of the punishment he sustained throughout the match, Shawn Michaels was still able to kick out of the Tombstone Piledriver by The Undertaker! “The Phenom” started to symbolize the end for Shawn Michaels as he was set to deliver a second Tombstone to end the match, but The Undertaker stopped; realizing that he did not want to have to force Shawn Michaels into retirement. Undertaker pleaded with Michaels to stay down, but HBK was determined to stay defiant to the end as he gave Undertaker the symbol for “the end” before delivering a thunderous slap to The Undertaker that prompted Undertaker to spike Shawn Michaels with forceful Tombstone Piledriver that would ensure The Undertaker’s victory and the end of the unforgettable career of one of the greatest performers in the history of professional wrestling, Shawn Michaels. After the epic match, The Undertaker helped Shawn Michaels to his feet and the two combatants shook hands and embraced before The Undertaker left the ring to allow Shawn Michaels to shine in the spotlight one last time. In a career that spans twenty-five years, Shawn Michaels has done it all; from multiple reigns as WWE Champion to winning back-to-back Royal Rumble Matches to ending the career of the great “Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Shawn Michaels has even hit rock bottom lows in his career; like the infamous Montreal Screwjob incident or his back injury that doctors said he would never recover from. Throughout it all, Shawn Michaels has retained his popularity with fans the world over and, while his career has come to a close, no one will ever forget the contributions and the legendary career of the one and only Shawn Michaels.