The 26th WrestleMania drew over 72,000 fans to University of Phoenix Stadium. The record crowd saw the final match of HBK Shawn Michaels' legendary career.

As an avid WWE fan, I was looking forward to WrestleMania 26 this year. Not only because it’s the WWE’s version of the SuperBowl, but there was a great chance it would be future Hall of Famer, HBK Shawn Michaels’, final match in the WWE. Michaels is my favorite WWE performer and knowing it could be the final time I would see him be “Mr. WrestleMania”, it was must-see TV for yours truly. Having watched HBK since his first WrestleMania in ’89, I was having all sorts of flashbacks throughout the show. This couldn’t be it, could it? He’s still the best performer in the company– how could he walk away? Those were my thoughts as I watched what Jesse “The Body” Ventura once called…..”The once a year happening of WrestleMania”.

Before we get to the main event, let’s go through some of the highlights of sports-entertainments biggest show…..We’ll start with me eating 3/4 of a pizza by myself– as my goal of having a Randy Orton body goes down the tubes quicker then Brock Lesnar’s WWE career.

The show opens to fireworks and the sight of 72,000 fans going crazy. Having been to a WrestleMania, the opening always gets you fired up. The first downer comes when they show the 3-man broadcasting team of Michael Cole, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Matt Striker. Yes, I have thoughts. First, Cole is now the leading voice of pay-per-views and Monday Night Raw. He is a fine announcer, but where in the hell is Jim Ross? Ross is simply the greatest wrestling announcer ever. Moment of silence for my 2nd favorite Gorilla Monsoon………Thank you. Ross is still in his prime, and the WWE should be taking full advantage of his skills. Secondly, Lawler is fantastic, as always. He is always on point, makes people laugh and has a historical perspective that he shares with the audience. Third, Matt Striker is too much of a robot. He was a good talker on the mic when he wrestled, but it feels like he is being programmed from somebody in the back (Vince McMahon) on what to say. Too many cliches to count. Please Matt, make me laugh– once. I know you have it in you. A good wrestling broadcast needs the villian type color commentator. Jesse Ventura and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan were the two best. Hands down. They need to let Striker play that role because what they have him doing now is Joe Carter-bad.

The first match was the Tag-Team Title Match between the current “Unified Tag-Team Champions The Big Show” and” The Miz vs R-Truth” and John Morrison. The fact that The Miz is a legit WWE wrestler shocks some people. He has grown on me, but he needs to rid himself of the “I’m Awesome” t-shirt. I just can’t take him seriously until he loses it. How seriously can I take the former Real World star, anyway? I mean the guy used to walk around the Real World house drunk doing his “Miz” character. This match ended quicker then a hiccup ( I had to throw a Jim Ross line in there for old times sake), which was fine with me. Big Show and Miz retained their titles before some were even in their seats. “ShowMiz”, as they’re called, are actually a good tag-team in an extremely weak tag division. That could explain why R-Truth (stereotypical rapper type) and Morrison ( surprisingly decent Jim Morrison type character) are a team to begin with. Morrison is a future singles star and is being held down with R-Truth. The bad news for R-Truth? He’s a better rapper than wrestler, and if you’ve heard him rap, only one thing comes to mind…..career mid-card wrestler.

Randy Orton defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. and proved why he's the future of the business.

Next, was the triple threat match between former Legacy members, Randy Orton (Best single wrestler going) Ted Dibiase Jr.–yes, the son of The Million Dollar Man, and Cody Rhodes (son of The American Dream Dusty Rhodes). Orton showed in this match why he’s the future of the company. He has it all, and even though “The Viper” is supposed to be a “heel”, fans can’t help but cheer for him lately. The double DDT Orton gave the young bucks turned the tide of the match, and after a punt to Rhodes’ head, and the RKO (best finishing move today–think Stone Cold Stunner) to Dibiase gave Orton the win. During this match, Striker was pissing me off  with cliche after cliche. Someone needed to un-program the Striker robot. He’s the anti Stacey King…..Where are you Bobby “The Brain”? Orton has had HBK- like issues throughout his career, but with a new contract in hand, he seems to have grown up. He knows how good he is, and will no doubt be the focal point of many ‘Mania’s to come.

There has been a new tradition added to WrestleMania the last several years….The Money in the Bank Ladder Match. This year, 10 superstars participated in a showcase of the young talent on the roster. Guys like Dolph Ziggler (Dirk Diggler type character), Kofi Kingston (Acrobatic young star), Evan Bourne (Another high flyer and a personal favorite to headline ‘Mania someday), M.V.P. (Think T.O. if T.O. was funny), Matt Hardy, Jack Swagger (Former collegiate wrestling champ), Kane (Old-school brawler who they don’t take push enough), Drew McIntyre (The Intercontinental Champ and future star), and Christian (He’s been in way too many ladder matches. Just look at him). This match works because the concept is simple–climb the ladder, grab the briefcase, and win a title match anytime in the next year. The crowd loves this match because these guys put their bodies though hell….and ladders. There are always a lot of ooohs and ahhhs when Matt Hardy throws Evan Bourne off of a ladder hitting the floor…..

The Money in the Bank Ladder Match has become a WrestleMania staple.

Jack Swagger aka The All-American American (no seriously, that’s his nickname) climbs the ladder, takes 5 minutes to unhook the briefcase, and wins the title shot. I didn’t quite get this because, although Swagger has the pedigree, his look needs to change. The wrestling singlet and his lame ass robe need to go. Please someone, anyone, get this guy a cool outfit. When that happens, we might be on to something here.

Up next is “The Game” HHH vs the pastiest skinned wrestler in WWE history, Sheamus. Sheamus is the new hotshot trying to make a name for himself. I like his gimmick (red hair, Irish, bad accent), but I don’t like his odds vs the boss’ daughters wife. We are reminded by Striker and Cole of Sheamus’ tremendous first year in the WWE 17 times throughout the contest. Jim Ross…..Are you out there? After HHH delivers The Pedigree, Striker continues to make my head hurt by calling this match “a classic”. What? It was good, yes, but “a classic”? At this point in the show, I was hoping they would do what they did for the main event of WrestleMania 15 and bring out Ross, who was recovering from a stroke, to replace Cole for The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin match. No luck, unfortunately.  Striker is still there after HHH celebrates another WrestleMania win.

In the next match, crowd favorite ,Rey Mysterio beat CM Punk. It was a quality match, but the best part about it was the gimmick they have CM Punk doing right now. He has his “Straight Edge-Society”. Fantastic. Punk plays the role of the better- than- you sobriety king which, of course, turns off about 92% of WWE’s fan base. It works.

I didn’t want to mention the Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon match because it was just painful.   All you need to know is that after almost 13 years since the infamous ‘Montreal Screwjob”, Hart extracted revenge on the “Boss”. I wish this match could have happened before The Hitman’s stroke in 2003. Could you imagine if this match happened in, say, 2001? It would have been main event caliber. I would have had my pink Bret Hart sunglasses on and been waving a Canadian flag. Okay, maybe not, but still. In any event, it was great seeing” The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be” back at a WrestleMania. We missed you, Bret. What we didn’t miss was the jean shorts you were wearing.

Next up was The World Heavyweight Title Match between the returning Edge and Champ, Chris Jericho– great match by two true pros. Edge is back after tearing his achilles tendon, and the effort he gave in this match was typical for The Rated R-Superstar. The highlight was after Jericho hit “The Codebreaker” for the win. Edge cleared off both announcer tables and speared Jericho through a retaining wall (Yes, of course the wall was padded). Like a sign said in the crowd…..”It’s still real to me, dammit.”

By making Batista tap out, John Cena became a 9-time WWE Champion. The name and face of WWE is as polarizing as ever.

We move on to The WWE Championship Match between the champ, Batista, and challenger, John Cena. Two of the biggest stars in the business both reached their peak at WrestleMania 21, when both won world championships. Since then, however, Cena has become the name and face of the organization. From Subway commercials with Jared, to TV shows, to bad action movies, Cena has been doing it all. And, getting paid REAL well, might I add. Batista, on the other hand, has fought injuries and an overall lack of charisma. That has changed since he has become a heel. You better believe it that this was the main theme in the promo for the match. Cena came out to a mix of cheers and boos. He is the only WWE superstar, in my lifetime, that elicits that kind of reaction. You either love him or hate him. He’s Notre Dame football, The Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers fans rolled into one. It’s pretty amazing to be at a live event and see the crowds reaction to Cena. I’ve always thought he should turn full blown heel and not give people a choice, but the man who took the baton from Stone Cold Steve Austin as face of the WWE is too popular to change right now.

It was, surprisingly, a high level match. I didn’t think these two together could pull it off, but I have to give them both credit. Cena always raises his game for WrestleMania, and he did it once again, showing moves I’ve never seen him do. His patented 5-knuckle shuffle from the top rope was new. The back and forth action featured near falls, more Striker blabber, and, finally, a decision……Cena hooked Batista in the STF until Batista tapped out. Boom….New WWE Champion, John Cena. I love how Cena embraces his love him/hate him reaction. He took his newly won title belt and went by two guys in the front row who had “We hate Cena” T-shirts on, posed and smiled. Classic. Love him or hate him, John Cena always puts on a good show. If only he would go back to wearing throwback jerseys and rapping, he’d have the best character going.

And, were on to the main event….Streak vs Career….The Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels. Michaels wins and ends The Undertaker’s 17- WrestleMania winning streak. Michaels loses, and he retires. When you’ve grown up with HBK (I was 9 years old when HBK debuted at WrestleMania V & have seen every one of his WM matches) this match had a lot of drama going in. HBK is my guy– I’m not ready for him to be done. Why? Because, like the sign said,….”It’s still real to me dammit.”

This is one of those matches where I get the feeling I used to get as a kid watching Hogan, the lead up to a Tyson fight, and whenever MJ got introduced at old Chicago Stadium. The lead- in to the match was well put together. Whoever does the promos for WWE needs to be commended.

For the 2nd year in a row Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker stole the show at Wrestlemania. They are both at the top of their games still. It's as if they both spent time in The Hot Tub Time Machine before this classic. Sadly, it was the final match of HBK's storied career.

Michaels hits the ring to the cheers of 72,000 people, perhaps, most knowing this is the last time they’ll see it. HBK…HBK…HBK…

For whom the bell tolls…..The Undertaker makes his way down to the ring. His entrance is still the best in wrestling. I don’t care how many times you’ve seen it. Once again Striker references the obvious…..The Undertaker’s 17-0 WrestleMania winning streak. Thanks Matt, I was watching WM 7 when he beat ,”Superfly”, Jimmy Snuka to start one of the most impressive streaks in sports. The longevity of The Undertaker will never be seen again–only because Michaels might soon be retired…..

Michaels stares down the phenom and gives ‘Taker his throat slash…..And, we’re off. Great match. Back and forth action. Similar to last year’s match in terms of near pin falls and counter move after counter move. I was gaining confidence in Michaels when he super- kicked ‘Taker onto the Spanish announce table (About to be the 1,493rd time the Spanish announce table breaks), climbs to the top rope, and does a moonsault (reverse back flip) onto The Undertaker and, yes,…..breaking the table. Immediately, the crowd starts chanting “This is awe–some”. Hell, yes, it was. Taker kicks out after another super kick and my confidence is waning. Undertaker hits his patented Tombstone piledriver a few moments later and my confidence is gone. 1….2……NO. HBK kicks out, I catch my breath, and the career is still alive. Taker tells Michaels to “Stay down”, but again, Michaels is defiant……another throat slash to an astonished Undertaker who picks up HBK and delivers the most ruthless Tombstone in history. 1……….2……….3……Ballgame…..18-0….Career…..Louie, in silence.

After the match, the 18-0 is shown on the stage when Taker picks up Michaels and the two shake hands in an ultimate show of class. It’s starting to sink in for me….Michaels stays in the ring and receives a standing ovation from the capacity crowd. As pissed as I was, it was a great moment seeing the best performer of all-time go out on top. It’s rare to see wrestlers retire at their peak. It’s damn near unheard of.  Michaels leaves the ring shaking hands with fans, and waves one more goodbye to the WWE universe. Fade to black……..

Shawn Michaels Tribute: I have had the privilege of watching most of Michaels’ career. As I noted earlier, I watched Michaels and Marty Jannetty ( The Rockers) battle Twin Towers at WrestleMania V in ’89 and thought “wow, he’s really good.” The Rockers always were entertaining, but it wasn’t until Michaels was a singles wrestler that his talents really showed. His first WrestleMania singles match came at WM 8 vs Tito Santana. He put the wrestling world on notice that day in in The Hoosier Dome. As Bobby Heenan told Gorilla Monsoon that day….”This man’s the star of the 90′s Monsoon”. See, that’s why The Brain was the best manager ever, the guy knew talent. He went on to become the first WWE wrestler to hold every major title in the company. When many of the top stars were leaving WWE in the mid-90′s for WCW, Michaels stayed and carried the company through it’s toughest stage. He also beat Bret Hart in one of the greatest WrestleMania match ever (The 60 minute Iron-Man Match for the WWE Title). When he and HHH started D-X they started the Attitude era which swung the balance of power from WCW back to WWE and eventually the end of WCW. D-X was cutting edge, funny, and entertaining. Who wasn’t doing the crotch chop at that time? Michaels ruptured two disks in his lower back at the ’98 Royal Rumble ironically vs The Undertaker in a casket match, but fought on. He could have easily given up the title and had his surgery, but that wasn’t in his DNA. Michaels fought through the back injury for 3 months because he was to headline WrestleMania XIV vs Stone Cold Steve Austin. Even in defeat, Michaels put on one hell of an effort. If you ever watch this match you’ll see just how much pain he was in. He knew it would be his last match possibly ever, but he still didn’t want to pass the torch to Austin. He felt that the title and being the WWE’s Alpha dog was his, and his alone. After he lost to Austin( And caught a Mike Tyson right cross) , a hobbled HBK could barely walk, and needed to be helped to the locker room by HHH and Chyna. Back fusion surgery awaited. This wasn’t him selling an injury, it was unfortunate result of a serious injury. I knew going into that match that he was going to be out a while, but for good?!  It couldn’t be. He wouldn’t return to the ring until 2002, much like MJ’s return in ’95, HBK came back better then ever. He was still in his in-ring prime and just as charismatic on the mic. He had several classic matches in his 2nd tour with the likes of Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, HHH, John Cena, Ric Flair, and of course The Undertaker. Much like playing with LeBron James, whoever wrestled Michaels looked better than he was. That’s how the man did things. Other highlights included beating HHH for The World Title in ’02 and of course Undertaker-Michaels I at WrestleMania 25.

Michaels’ retirement is the end of an era for me. It’s a sad day for me because all of my favorite wrestlers are now retired. Michaels, Bret Hart, Austin, Hogan, and The Rock are all long gone. Damn I feel old. Will I still watch wrestling? Of course, but I know one thing……..we’ll never ever see another “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels.