Undefeated streaks can get a little tricky when it comes to professional wrestling. Many wrestlers have lost by count out and disqualification, however, WWE tends to not count those, or at least not consider them to be important or significant. Then there’s the question of when a streak begins. A lot of guys will keep the same gimmick from NXT when moving up to the main roster, but their losses in NXT don’t count. Although under the WWE umbrella, NXT is still considered a separate entity in regards to streaks, track records, etc. Furthermore, when speaking of someone being “undefeated” it should also be noted that it is mostly in reference to televised and pay-per-view matches. Over the years I’m sure many wrestlers have lost on house shows and dark matches, but were still considered “undefeated” because again, from a company standpoint, if there were no cameras there, then it didn’t really happen. So consider the word “undefeated” to be a relative term.
Rusev is talented, I’m certainly not denying that, I just don’t care about him being undefeated. I realize it should be building him up as a monster, a force to be reckoned with, but I can’t help but wait for the other shoe to drop. He’ll eventually lose, the question is if it will mean something, or simply be squandered? Having an undefeated streak when new to a company, while it doesn’t necessarily hurt the wrestler, it isn’t always the most memorable. Many will of course think of Goldberg, or Mr. Perfect, or The Shield, but few remember that Tatanka was undefeated for nearly two years. (February 1, 1992 – October 30, 1993) Why don’t fans remember? Maybe because Tatanka never quite achieved the success of others, or maybe that undefeated streak was a part of his identity.
Bill Goldberg, on paper, has one of the most impressive undefeated streaks in wrestling, going to 173-0, but I can’t help but find it laughable. Granted, when it came to the Monday night war, I was more of a fan of WWE than WCW, but I would still check out WCW Nitro or Thunder once in a while. On one such occasion I saw Goldberg win a match, then afterward was attacked by two individuals whom each ate a spear and Jackhammer, and then Goldberg pinned them, and it counted! I lost all credibility for his streak at that point. If WCW was just going to have him cover random wrestlers and have a ref count, even if it wasn’t an actual match, then what was the point?
While I have always been a big fan of Curt Hennig, his undefeated streak wasn’t what made me a fan. It was his skill in the ring. His moves were crisp and he executed them with precision. His selling was incredible and he always made his opponent look like a million bucks. It was that selling that was possibly more shocking than the actual loss at WrestleMania VI, when Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake beat Mr. Perfect with a slingshot into the steel ring post. However, after the loss, it’s not like he was no longer Mr. Perfect. The loss didn’t hurt his career, and the undefeated streak didn’t necessarily help it either. He was more memorable for what he did in the ring, than how long his streak was.
The Shield were a unique situation because the focus of their undefeated streak was more as a trio than as three singles competitors, which added a new wrinkle to the undefeated streak. Their run of sheer dominance is one that I believe did help their careers. All three are gifted wrestlers, there’s no doubt, but it was when they teamed up that they were seemingly unbeatable. It was that added touch that, even if you could beat one of them, as a unit they were at their best, much like The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
That brings me to the streaks that I find to be more impressive and more important. Anyone can come in to a company and look impressive. One could argue that anyone, unless they lose their debut match, start off with some measure of an undefeated streak, but it’s after a wrestler has stood the test of time, when they have been fed to the wolves and manage to start a winning streak. I find it more interesting when someone has something to prove, like The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. Coming into a company and being undefeated, it can sometimes become who the person is. Like the one trick pony whose big claim to fame is not being pinned or made submit. But to face loss and still persevere is a greater challenge, and provides a greater reward.
CM Punk went 434 days without being pinned or made to submit. The “longest title reign of the modern era” was five years into his time in WWE, not as he debuted. However, I certainly consider it to be a greater milestone than Goldberg’s 173-0, because you knew Punk could be beaten. He wasn’t infallible, he wasn’t perfect, but he was damn good, and that is what I want to see from Rusev.
Rusev can be so much more than a brute who hasn’t lost by pinfall or submission. He has the potential to be great, but first he has to taste defeat. No one gets to the top of the mountain without stumbling, that’s boring. Taking a loss will build more character to Rusev, and to take a line from the Aerosmith song ‘Dream On’, “You got to lose to know how to win.”
