10 Worst Booking Decisions in WrestleMania History
By Tim Sherry
credit: wwe.com
1. Jerry Lawler vs Michael Cole: WrestleMania 27
This match, once again, was the type of match and overall program that should’ve never made it out of a creative discussion. Someone would bring it up as a random idea and then a smarter, more professional person would shoot it down as pure silliness. But unfortunately any smart or professional person either didn’t exist at that time, or had the day off and next thing you know, we have Michael Cole versus Jerry Lawler booked for WrestleMania 27. That’s right. 60 years old at the time of the show, Lawler took on Michael Cole, a guy with zero wrestling background and even less athletic ability. It was bound to be a colossal failure from the beginning and they lived up to the expectations and then some.
The WWE had been running a ridiculous experiment for the couple of months leading up to WrestleMania where Cole, acting on behalf of the anonymous RAW General Manager (don’t get me started on that too) and his love for newly crowned WWE champion, The Miz, turned heel. Lawler, obviously not a fan of the of Cole’s behavior, took exception which led to a series of matches with Miz, with Lawler even winning a couple. Quite a world title program if you ask me.
So as if the idea wasn’t as terrible on paper, the match itself was pure lunacy. Cole, potentially the worst professional wrestler since Nathan Jones, dominated Lawler for the first half of the match. Yes, Michael Cole slapped around Lawler, a 40 year veteran of the sport who had held over 100 titles on the independent circuit and had just pinned the WWE champion weeks before. Stands to reason. Lawler mercifully ended the bout after an excruciating 11-plus minutes as the crowd had been chanting for a finish for about 10 of those.
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The only positive part was Steve Austin who once again was subject to a guest referee spot in an absurdly booked match. He stunned Jack Swagger, Cole’s trainer, and took forever to call for the bell after Cole immediately tapped to Lawler’s poorly executed ankle lock. It was a segment that was widely hated even before it happened and therefore had no chance of being successful. Yet another idea that should’ve gotten someone fired.