Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

WWE: WrestleMania XXVI Blu-ray Movie Review

Will fans be heartbroken if HBK ends the streak?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 10, 2012

Relentless pursuit of perfection.

WrestleMania time means brighter lights, larger venues, more sweat, harder work, fancier wrestling, heavier hits, and bigger stakes. As in the Super Bowl or the World Series, the athletes of the World Wrestling Federation push their bodies into overdrive, past the red line and into territory otherwise uncharted save for that one spring day when the best in the world gather under one roof -- or under the sky or a mixture of the two, as is the case here -- for an evening of unforgettable entertainment. WrestleMania is the one night that the world that normally scoffs at professional wrestling slows down to take a peek at what's in store in the biggest night in sports entertainment. WWE does it right; the event attracts celebrities and millions of fans, earns untold countless dollars, and makes household names of each participant, even if the event costs an arm and a leg to watch live. But for those who cannot afford it, missed it, want to see it again, or wish to take a look-see into what professional wrestling 21st century-style is all about, WWE's Blu-ray releases of the annual WrestleMania event showcase the night that was, capturing all the sweat, each maneuver, and chronicling the winners and the losers for fans to enjoy time and again. WrestleMania XXVI's transition to Blu-ray features three packed discs featuring incredible wrestling action -- including the RAW and Smackdown episodes which aired right before XXVI -- and the hardcore fans are treated to the 2010 Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony as well as vintage matches featuring the newly-enshrined wrestlers.

One shall stand, one shall fall.

The indoor-slash-outdoor WrestleMania XXVI took place under the retractable roof of the University of Phoenix Stadium and before a crowd of more than 70,000 feverish WWE fans, most with a sign to show and, now, a story to tell. Done up as only the WWE can do, the show featured a unique physical structure around the stage, massive electronic signage, and enough pyrotechnics to probably be a worry for the local FD. The show features minimal intrusion, though fans will rightly roll their eyes at a rather goofy Santino Slim Jim in-event commercial. Fans are already shelling out a nice chunk of change for the event; Slim Jim would be better off sending every buyer a sample rather than waste time with an advertisement. Anyway, off the soapbox and back to the review. The event moves quickly and the action is continuously intense. There's not a bad matchup on the schedule, with superstars appearing in every one and each featuring the wrestlers at their best, no surprise there. This WrestleMania captures the spirit of the event, doing everything as big as it can be done while still maintaining that typical WWE feel; it's all simply magnified and to excellent effect. Do they come better than this? Sure, but not by much. Do they come worse? Quite a few do. This is an excellent Mania, one with big names, old rivalries settled, and new rivalries set in motion, making for a cross-generational sort of event that's sure to please as much next year, next decade, as it does today.

WrestleMania XXVI opens with an all-too-fast tag team matchup that deserved more action (next time do away with the commercials and lengthen the matches please), but at least it's a star-studded affair with Big Show, The Miz, R-Truth, and John Morrison doing their thing and doing it very well. The most interesting match of the night belongs to the triple threat match between Randy Orton and his pupils Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, the latter two choosing to double down on the tatted-up superstar, wearing him out until they go all-in for themselves. An exciting but fairly typical ladder match follows, featuring more than handful of wrestlers climbing up and beating down their foes with large hunks of steal. The incomparable Kofi Kingston, the man who brings more energy to the ring than does the rest of the professional wrestling world combined and who is probably the most underrated and under-appreciated superstar of them all, it seems, pulls off an incredible feat of agility that must be seen to be believed. No clothes come off in the diva match, making it a wash, and the Hart-McMahon matchup digs up old history but proves to be a fairly snooze-worthy event that should have just been labeled what it is: "the beat on Mr. McMahon hour." John Cena and Batista muscle up for the evening's most vigorous, hotly-contested, back-and-forth hardcore match that's easily one of the night's top highlights. Rey Mysterio and CM Punk show off some skill and prove that little guys can have a lot of fun in the squared circle, too, as much, if not more so, than do Triple H and Sheamus in their big man bout. Chris Jericho and Edge provide a classic matchup between two incredibly gifted wrestlers, while Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker headline the main event in another brutal beat down with history at stake no matter the result.

The following matches make up WrestleMania XXVI:

• Unified Tag Team Championship Match: Big Show & The Miz vs. John Morrison & R-Truth.
• Triple Threat Match: Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase.
• Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Kofi Kingston vs. MVP vs. Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Matt Hardy vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Kane vs. Christian.
• Singles Match: Triple H vs. Sheamus.
• Singles Match: Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk.
• No Holds Barred Match: Bret "Hit Man" Hart vs. Mr. McMahon.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Chris Jericho vs. Edge.
• 10-Diva Tag Team Match: Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Gail Kim, & Beth Phoenix vs. Michelle McCool, Maryse, Layla, Alicia Fox, & Vicky Guerrero.
• WWE Championship Match: Batista vs. John Cena.
• Streak vs. Career: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels.

WWE: WrestleMania XXVI Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

WrestleMania XXVI's 1080i, 1.78:1-framed transfer arrives on Blu-ray looking rather rough. The image seems always ready to break apart at the seams, held together by the thinnest of margins and defined by a host of issues that severely hamper the experience. Of immediate note is that this image seems always soft, hazy, and not particularly well defined. Detailing sort of rolls in and out of acceptable quality, ranging from very good texturing on skin and facial hair and great clarity in medium-distance crowd shots and small elements such as the seams in mats which look crisp and authentic, at times. But there are also times where the image decidedly lacks definition, going smooth and ultra-flat and very plain. Colors are mostly vibrant, with wrestler garb and the flashy electronic backgrounds spitting out an array of balanced and natural hues. However, the image is hindered by a large assortment of jagged edges, plenty of blocky backgrounds, scan lines, and even some evident shimmering. This one definitely lags behind the newer WWE releases in terms of clarity and visual appeal. The good news is that this is probably the low end for WWE high definition home video, and things only get better from here.

WWE: WrestleMania XXVI Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

WrestleMania XXVI arrives on Blu-ray with the WWE-standard Dolby Digital 5.1 audio presentation. The show begins with fighter jets screaming across the stage, the effect playing with a slightly disappointing range but quite good authenticity. Crowd ambience is wonderful, full and inviting throughout the program. The in-ring announcements play with accurate stadium spacing and reverberations. Ringside play-by-play and color comments are delivered naturally and clearly through the center speaker, though they are forced to compete with the loudest crowd and musical competing elements, sometimes being slightly drowned out by the additional sounds. The event theme music swells and plays with fine spacing, good clarity, and a quality heavy low end. Wrestler intro music plays cleanly and clearly, sounding better than it should if pumped straight from the stadium speakers and into the recording device. The Undertaker's intro in particular begins with the heavy chiming of daunting bells which are deep enough to rattle the ribcage. In-match sound effects -- notably the sound of wrestlers being slammed into the mat -- are noticeably over pumped and far too heavy. Still, this is a good, entertaining track. It's not perfect, and it's not lossless, but it serves the material well.

WWE: WrestleMania XXVI Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

WrestleMania XXVI contains a bonus XXVI "pre-game" match, the 2010 Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony and classic moments from the careers of the inductees, as well as the RAW and Smackdown episodes preceding XXVI.

Disc One:

• WrestleMania 26-Man Battle Royal (1080i, 11:48): Participants include familiar names such as Mark Henry, The Great Khali, Santino, Primo, William Regal, Finlay, Zack Ryder, Tyson Kidd, and Goldust. From WrestleMania XXVI -- March 28, 2010. This match is a home video exclusive.

Disc Two:

• Hall-of-Fame 2010 Induction Ceremony (1080i, 2:27:49): Inductees include Mad Dog Vachon, Wendi Richter, Stu Hart, Antonio Inoki, Bob Uecker, Gorgeous George, and "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.
• Classic Match (1080i, 11:40): Mad Dog Vachon vs. Rick McGraw. Primetime Wrestling -- January 1, 1985.
• WWE Women's Championship (1080i, 24:22): Wendi Richter vs. Fabulous Moolah. Madison Square Garden -- July 23, 1984.
• Stu Hart (1080i, 8:46): A look back at the wrestler's life through the eyes of his children.
• Japanese Heavyweight Championship (1080i, 15:42): Antonio Inoki vs. The Great Hossein. Madison Square Garden -- December 17, 1979.
• Bob Uecker (1080i, 5:40): Highlights from the announcer's wrestling career.
• Classic Match (1080i, 7:09): Gorgeous George vs. Frankie Talliber (sic). AWA -- 1951.
• Classic Match (1080i, 18:49): "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase vs. Jake "The Snake" Roberts. WrestleMania VI -- April 1, 1990.

Disc Three:

• RAW Episode (1080i, 1:26:25, with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 audio): From March 22, 2010.
• Smackdown Episode (1080i, 1:17:48, with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish 2.0 audio): From March 26, 2010.

WWE: WrestleMania XXVI Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yup, this was a pretty fine WrestleMania. It's first-class all the way, right down to all the window dressing and pomp and circumstance that make this more special than any other WWE event, Pay-Per-View or otherwise. A fantastic roster, unbeatable match-ups, and classic story lines mean this will be one fans will want to revisit time and again. And by all means, snap into a Slim Jim. WWE's Blu-ray release of WrestleMania XXVI features troublesome video, adequate lossy audio, and plenty of extras, enough, in fact, to keep fans busy all day long. This is a must-buy for die-hard WWE fans, and the release comes recommended to general audiences despite the shaky video quality.