WWE WrestleMania 32: 5 Worst Booking Decisions in PPV's History
Just because WWE WrestleMania offers up some of the most memorable moments in wrestling history, it doesn't mean the show has not been without its bad points over the years.
The company has done a lot of things right with its Showcase of the Immortals down the years, but there have been some booking decisions that still make no sense to this day.
Whether it's a confusing title switch, the result of a bout or even the mystery surrounding a contest taking place in the first place, there have been plenty of mistakes made by the company.
WrestleMania 32 is a show that looks up in the air as to whether it will be a success, but the chances are there won't be any booking decisions that stand out as poorly as these five.
Here are the worst booking decisions WWE has made in the history of WrestleMania.
Allowing the Commentary Team to Wrestle at WrestleMania 27
1 of 5
There is no way to dress it up—letting two commentators wrestle at the biggest pay-per-view of the year was a complete and utter disaster.
What were people expecting from Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler? That the rivalry—if you can call it that—had been allowed to even get as far as having them fight each other was a mistake, but to do it at WrestleMania was shocking decision-making from WWE.
Of course, WWE tried to make things better by having Jack Swagger as Cole's henchman, but that didn't work. So the company then decided it would draft in Stone Cold Steve Austin as the special referee, but not even he could make the match worth watching.
To make matters worse, Cole won! It was a complete disaster from start to finish, and it was perhaps fitting it was taking place at one of the most forgettable WrestleMania shows in recent years.
That offers some crumb of comfort—but not much.
Hogan Embarrassing Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX
2 of 5
WWE had done a great job with its attempts to build up Yokozuna as a credible and tangible force in the company leading up to WrestleMania IX.
He was a great heel when allied with the demonic Mr. Fuji, and it was he who allowed the giant to win the WWF Championship at the biggest pay-per-view of the year when he threw salt in champion Bret Hart's eyes.
However, instead of letting a top heel have the limelight, WWE thought it would embarrass the new champion by having him drop the title a few seconds later.
He offered up a challenge to Hulk Hogan for some bizarre reason. It was accepted, and within a minute of the bell ringing, The Hulkster had stripped him of the title.
There are so many questions to be asked, but why Hogan was allowed to come out and do this was anyone's guess. It was pretty embarrassing.
Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart at WrestleMania 26
3 of 5
After everything that happened in 1997 between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon, there was always scope for WWE to chance its arm and have a grudge match between the two at some point.
However, by the time WrestleMania 26 rolled around, so much water had passed under the bridge that the chance had gone—and the match was an utter disaster.
Vince was obviously still in decent shape but nowhere near the physical condition he was in during the Attitude Era, and Bret was extremely limited with the amount of work he could do.
His post-concussion syndrome left him with a limited arsenal, and the match descended into chaos when random members of the Hart family took turns to beat down Vince.
It made little sense doing it at the time, and when the match began, it was obvious it was going to be a bad piece of booking.
The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan Not Main-Evening WrestleMania 18
4 of 5
When The Rock vs. Hulk Hogan was locked in for WrestleMania 18 and billed as a once-in-a-lifetime match, fans were immediately beside themselves with excitement.
After all, this was unlike John Cena vs. The Rock, which took place at both WrestleMania 28 and 29; this was a match you knew would likely never happen again.
However, it feels like WWE missed a real trick by not having it as the main event, putting two matches on after it.
Chris Jericho vs. Triple H was for the undisputed title, so it was rightfully going to be high up on the card—but the build for that feud had been so indifferent that you felt The Rock vs. Hogan would be higher.
They even had Jazz's victory against Lita and Trish Stratus on afterward, a decision that made even less sense.
All in all, it was a strange booking decision—one that hampered the overall feel of WrestleMania 18.
Booking Triple H to Go over Booker T at WrestleMania 19
5 of 5
When Booker T arrived from World Championship Wrestling as part of an indifferent Invasion storyline in 2001, he quickly established himself as a fan favorite.
Booker shot to the top of the company in no time and was legitimately over with WWE fans, which was incredible given how much the company botched the whole angle involving the WCW takeover.
However, when it came to taking on Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 19, his popularity and momentum was shot down in no time at all.
He was ridiculed throughout, with constant references to his past, before he lost clean to The Game at the biggest pay-per-view of the year.
It was awful to watch. Booker was treated poorly throughout, and the way the match itself was booked, with a genuinely top babyface being beaten clean, was horrendous.
Sadly, it felt like Booker never recovered from the setback.
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