| WrestleMania XXVI | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring (left to right) Ryan Barnhart, Triple K, Dustin Simpson, Martin McAlmond and Jesse Dern | ||||
| Tagline(s) | "Get All Fired Up." | |||
| Theme song(s) | "IMade It" by Kevin Rudolf "Be Yourself" by Audioslave "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC""The Show" by Since October | |||
| Information | ||||
| Promotion | International Wrestling Entertainment | |||
| Date | March 28, 2010 | |||
| Attendance | 72,219 | |||
| Venue | University of Phoenix Stadium | |||
| City | Glendale, Arizona Glendale, Arizona | |||
| Pay-per-view chronology | ||||
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| WrestleMania chronology | ||||
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WrestleMania XXVI was the twenty-sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE), which took place on March 28, 2010 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in the Phoeniz suburb of Glendale, Arizona. This was the fourth WrestleMania to feature a non-title main event and the first since WrestleMania XI. The event was 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.
Extra's Before WM XXVI[]
| Event | Date |
| Meltdown | March 22, 2010 |
| Fusion | March 26, 2010 |
Background[]
Event[]
Production[]
Event[]
Production[]
Global Spectrum, University of Phoenix Stadium's operator, had worked in previous years with International Wrestling Entertainment (IWE) to recruit the event to its venue. On January 18, 2008, Global Spectrum publicly announced its intentions to host WrestleMania in 2010. The event gained media attention weeks prior when a photo of Wayne Gretzky, then head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, wearing a shirt promoting the event surfaced in the Swedish newspaper Expressen. A press conference was held on February 24, 2009 at the University of Phoenix Stadium to formally announce the event for Glendale, Arizona at the University of Phoenix Stadium; this event marked the first time WrestleMania has been held in the state of Arizona. Tickets for the event went on sale November 7, 2009 at 10:00am MST.
The roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium was opened several times during the event, marking the third time in WrestleMania history after WrestleMania IX and XXIV that the event has been held in an open-air venue. Like the previous open-air events, a steel tarpaulin structure was placed over the ring, which was placed at the 50-yeard line. Custom-built from Belgium, the tarpaulin held 30 tons of light and camera equipment, with much of the equipment shipped from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.. Over 1,000 lights were used, adapting to the decrease in sunlight as the show continued into the night. The entrance stage stood off the stadium floor and measured wide. In an interview with The Arizona Republic, production manager Brian Petree described the stage design as a "completely new design that hasn't been done anywhere and won't be done again," while production designer Jason Robinson discussed about basing his stage design themes often on local flavors. The entrance ramp linking to the stage has been lined with cauldrons of fire, each at a temperature of . In addition, 400,000 individual pieces of pyrotechnic product have been launched into the open air after Robinson promised to introduce new types of pyrotechnics never used in a WWE show before. Pre-planning for the set-up began six months before the event, while the construction structures and equipment inside the stadium began two weeks before the event. It is estimated that 100 trucks were used to deliver equipment, in comparison to the 12 semitrucks used in a regular WWE show.
An attendance record setting 72,219 fans at the University of Phoenix Stadium for WrestleMania XXVI
The official theme songs for the event were "Make It" by Kevin Rudolf, "Be Yourself" by Audioslave, "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, and "The Show" by Since October. "Ain't No Grave (Gonna Hold This Body DOwn)" by Johnny Cash was also used to promote the Martin McAlmond=Ryan Barnhart match.
Marketing[]
Along with WrestleMania XXVI, a series of events grouped as "WrestleMania Week" were held in the week preceding the event. To begin promotion for the event in Glendale, a "Kick-off Party" was held at the Westgate City Center on March 19, which featured appearances from IWE Superstars and Divas, autograph signings and live entertainment along with a giant LED screen viewing of that night's episode of IWE Fusion. The third annual WrestleMania Art (formerly WrestleManiArt), an art exhibition and auction featuring work by IWE superstars, was held on March 24 at the Make-A-Wish Foundation National Headquarters. WrestleMania's annual fan covention, WrestleMania Axxess, was held from March 25 through March 28 at the Phoenix Convention Center. On March 27, IWE hosted its annual IWE Hall of Fame ceremony at the Dodge Theater, where the Class of 2010 were inducted.
Pre-show[]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentator | Michael Cole |
| Jerry Lawler | |
| Matt Striker | |
| Carlos Cabrera Spanish | |
| Hugo Savinovich Spanish | |
| Interviewer | Josh Mathews |
| Ring announcers | Tony Chimel Fusion |
| Justin Roberts Meltdown | |
| Savannah Money in the Bank | |
| Howard Finkel IWE Hall of Fame | |
| Referees | Mike Chioda |
| John Cone | |
| Jack Doan | |
| Aaron "Goose" Mahoney | |
| Chad Patton | |
| Charles Robinson |
A dark match was scheduled before the actual event, the superstars not involved in the event competed in a 26 man battle royal. Eventually Park McKinnon, Zack Nuss, Danlay and Alex Knox were left. Danlay and Knox were eliminated by Nuss who himself was then kicked and eliminated by McKinnon to win the Battle Royal.
As the show went live, singer Fantasia performed the annual redition of America the Beautiful.
Preliminary matches[]
The first match for the evening was a tag team match for the Unified IWE Tag Team Championship featuring champions MarSmith (Joe Smith and The Big Marc) versus Joe Linderman and B-Truth. Joe Smith and Joe Linderman started off the encounter, at one point Linderman attempted to hit Joe with the Starship Pain only for Big Marc to come in for the save. Later, B-Truth tried to springboard onto the Big Marc but was caught and hit against the ring post. The match ended when Big Marc blind tagged himself in and knocked out Linderman, pinning him to win the match and retain the title.
Kevin McAlmond after winning his match at Wrestlemania XXVI
The second bout was a triple threat match between Kevin McAlmond, Kyle Johnson and Mark Semmler, all formerly of the stable known as Legacy. Rhodes and DiBiase spent most of the match double teaming Kevin McAlmond, however when Kyle Johnson attempted to pin Kevin McAlmond, he was stopped by Mark Semmler. This turned into a brawl between the two which led to Kevin McAlmond taking the advantage. The match ended when Kevin McAlmond punted Mark Semmler and hit the RKO on Kyle Johnson to win the fall.
The annual Money in the Bank ladder match took place next. The match started off with every superstar trying to incapacitate each other long enough to climb and retrieve the briefcase. In between Charlie Wilson was stuck in between a ladder with Khristian and Matt Hooper hitting him with two ladders of their own. Another instance was when Justin Hensen performed a shooting star press, known as 'Air Hensen' on Khristian from a vertically placed ladder wedged between another and the middle rope. The match came to an end when Charlie Wilson hit Khristian with the Money in the Bank briefcase sending him falling down and giving Wilson enough time to unhook the briefcase and become the new Mr. Money in the Bank.
The fourth match included Triple K taking on Garrett. The match started with Garrett taunting Triple K and calling himself the future of the business. He then spent most of the time dominating Triple K with his back breaker and submission moves. Triple K then took back control of the match by performing a Facebreaker knee smash and spinebuster on Garrett. Garrett then hit Triple K with a Big Boot and then tried to hit him with a Powerbomb only for Triple K to reverse and hit Garrett with the Pedigree to win the match.
The fifth match saw Justin Eldridge taking on Scott Wright. A malfunction in Wright's opening delayed the match. The bout went evenly matched through out with neither superstars managing to get the advantage for long. Justin Eldridge's disciples Justin Feight and Kelsey attempted to interfere through out the match. The end came when Kelsey distracted the referee and Feight tried to distract Scott Wright. Eldridge lifted Wright from behind and attempted to hit the G.T.S but was reversed into the 619. Mysterio then hit Eldridge with a diving splash and pinned him for the win.
Main event matches[]
Grant Mayer took on Bret Heart next. Mayer entered and informed Hart that he wanted to give him a "Wrestlemania sized" screwing and called out Heart's family claiming he had paid them to turn on Heart. Heart then informed Mayer that his family had informed him about this before and that they would screw Grant instead. The match featured members of the Heart family including The Heart Dynasty beating on Mayer. Hart then placed Mayer in the Sharpshooter, with Mayer tapping out to end the match.
The seventh match was for the World Heavyweight Championship between Edge and reigning champion Kris McGowan. Each man tried to get the better of each other only to be countered every time. The match ended when McGowan hit Edge with the championship belt and a Codebreaker to win and retain his title. After the match McGowan attempted to hurt Edge further but was fought off and was speared by Edge through the barricade outside the ring.
The eighth match featured a ten Diva tag team match, with Women's Champion Amanda Johnson, Divas Champion Riley, Victoria, Kassi Austin and Lynn Lehr vs. Sari Pasma, Chandra Denney, Nicole Bergman, Katie Barnhart and [[Lauren Ireland. Lynn Lehr pinned Katied Barnhart to win the match for her team.
Dustin Simpson and Jesse Dern fought for the IWE Championship next. Dustin Simpson entered the ring after a performance from the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team. Jesse Dern dominated the first half of the match. Dustin Simpson made a return after hitting a suplex. The match started to go evenly after that. An instance included Dustin Simpson hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle off the top of the turnbuckle. The match came to an end after Dustin Simpson reversed a Dern Bomb into an STF. Jesse Dern eventually tapped out. Dustin Simpson won the match and the IWE Championship, making him a nine-time World champion.
The final match featured was the billed "Streak vs Career" match between Ryan Barnhart and Martin McAlmond. The match started out with both men hitting their signature moves early on. Martin McAlmond injured his leg while performing Old School and Ryan Barnhart focused on his leg. The action then went outside the ring. An instance included where Martin McAlmond hit the Tombstone Piledriver on the stadium floor, but Ryan Barnhart kicked out when Martin McAlmond tried to pin him in the ring. Afterwards in the match, Ryan Barnhart hit a Sweet Chin Music. Soon after, Martin McAlmond also hit the Chokeslam and the Last Ride successfully, but Barnhart kicked out of each. Ryan also applied numerous submission maneuvers on Martin McAlmond's injured ankle, such as the Ankle Lock, Figure Four Leglock, and Crossface, but Martin McAlmond was successful in countering all of them. Martin McAlmond also applied the Hell's Gate, but Barnhart reversed it into a pin attempt, with Martin McAlmond kicking for a two count. When the action spilled outside again, Martin McAlmond attempted a Last Ride on the announce table, but Barnhart countered it and hit a second Sweet Chin Music, which placed the Martin McAlmond on top of the announce table. Barnhart performed a moonsault aiming on the Martin McAlmond's injured ankle. After taking Martin McAlmond back in the ring again, Barnhart then hit his third Sweet Chin Music on Martin McAlmond, who kicked out at two yet again. Barnhart then attempted Sweet Chin Music again but Martin McAlmond countered into a Chokeslam, and quickly followed up by hitting Barnhart with a second Tombstone Piledriver. But Barnhart kicked out at the count of two. Undertaker began to signal the end for Barnhart, but stopped his cut-throat action and told Barnhart to stay down. Barnhart, however, taunted Matin McAlmond by completing the action on his own and slapping him in the face. Then Martin McAlmond responded with a third Tombstone Piledriver and pinned the fallen Ryan Barnhart for the win, and extended his undefeated streak at WrestleMania to 18–0,ending Barnhart's career. After the match the two shook hands and embraced. Martin McAlmond soon left and Ryan Barnhart interacted with the fans for the final time as the event came to a close.