Going into Wrestlemania 29, many people were naïve enough to believe that CM Punk would be the one that would break The Undertaker’s ‘Mania win streak. Personally, I envy those fans who were able to watch that match and believe that there was even a chance. I wasn’t one of them, predicting so in this space leading into the event. Ultimately, I suppose, it didn’t matter because it was a great showdown regardless; I would have just liked to have had that aura of unpredictability in play, even as I just tried to stop thinking and enjoy the match. Obviously, Punk did not break the streak and Taker’s win-loss total now stands at 21-0.
The point I am trying to make here is that I didn’t think it was foolish so much that Punk would break the streak, but that anyone would be doing so. It is not going to happen. Ever. Stop it.
I have heard varying opinions on the matter of if he should ever lose at Wrestlemania. The ones in the camp that the streak should be broken are mostly of the mindset that it has to be a young, up-and-comer to do it, so that just for having been the one to defeat The Undertaker will give enough of a rub to propel them the rest of their career.
In theory, this is a great idea (and basically ‘booking 101’) if someone were to break the streak. However, if that were the case, it should have already happened at Wrestlemania 21 when he faced Randy Orton, the one true opponent he has had that qualifies as someone who could be the future of the business while “the streak” was an actual thing.
Also, and this one is the most important, is that allowing a young guy to break the streak is just too much of a gamble. There is no way of knowing if the wrestler will pan out, get injured, or just flat out leave the company. Even having such a talent locked under a large contract is meaningless. To bestow the honor of ending the streak upon someone is a major risk with too many variables involved; even if Vince McMahon was really sure, there is no way to be one hundred percent.
The ultimate case in point: what if Vince had allowed Brock Lesnar to face and defeat The Undertaker during the brief couple of years that he was “The Next Big Thing” and the future monster of the company? Can you imagine how much egg on WWE’s face there would have been when Brock left the way he did? Or to a lesser extent, if they would have pulled it with Bobby Lashley when they were building him as a main star? Or how about if they would have let Batista do it when they built him to be a main guy and thought he would stick around a while? As far as Lesnar goes, few in history were touted so early into a career; if he could bolt, anyone could. And then the whole thing would be a two decades-plus long build for nothing.
The main reason that it should stay intact until the day he retires, however, is because that streak is The Undertaker. When it is all said and done, the Deadman will be the legend of legends, the greatest character, and the most respected and revered wrestler in WWE’s history, both on-screen and off. With that being said, on The Undertaker’s wrestling tombstone (no pun intended), the first line on it will still read: “Undefeated at Wrestlemania.”
The streak is the greatest title without even being one that the wrestling business has ever seen. Instead of trying to give someone the ultimate rub by letting them end it, let’s put The Undertaker over by letting him keep it. No one would be more deserving.
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