In two weeks, the WWE will roll out Wrestlemania 30 for every wrestling fan in the world to see. It is often the WWE’s opportunity to get casual fans to come back to the WWE product and showcase what they have going for them right now.
While the WWE often has a few big matches, one wrestler’s match that has become synonymous with Wrestlemania is The Undertaker. Some people might argue that The Undertaker’s match has become the biggest match on the card. The Streak is something that wrestling fans debate every year. It might be the one thing fans are very evenly split on as far as what to do with it go. There are some that feel The Undertaker should retire with The Streak intact. Others feel that someone should break The Streak and be made into the next big mega star in the WWE.
But are we getting to the point where this even matters anymore? In The Undertaker’s last five Wrestlemania matches, did anyone really think going in someone other than The Undertaker would win? I thought CM Punk had a very minor chance last year, but nothing more than like 1 or 2%. His previous four Wrestlemania matches were used against Shawn Michaels and Triple H, two veterans who don’t need to end The Streak. This past week on the HTCPulsecast, former WWE writer Andrew Goldstein brought up the fact that he was disappointed and surprised that four Undertaker matches were wasted on those two.
I’ve always said I had no problem with the two Shawn Michaels matches. First off, they were both great in the ring. And the story arc that played out from the first match to the second was very well done. I thought the WWE dropped the ball big time at Wrestlemania 27. Obviously, the first choice was Sting. It was probably the closest Sting ever came to signing with the WWE. Taker/Sting should have been done there, but it didn’t happen. Had the WWE not royally screwed up the Nexus angle, I always thought Wade Barrett was a possibility. After all, he did help bury The Undertaker in his Buried Alive match against Kane. But instead, the WWE went with another big name star in Triple H. Triple H had a ready made program with Sheamus, but instead HHH took care of Sheamus in one night on RAW. He effectively buried him in the process, and some might argue Sheamus never recovered.
The WWE could have done the exact same match with Undertaker and Triple H from Wrestlemania 28 without the match from Wrestlemania 27. Or, they could have done the match and storyline from Wrestlemania 28 at Wrestlemania 27. There was absolutely no reason to have two straight HHH/Undertaker matches at Wrestlemania. It was a waste of Undertaker and what his Streak means at Wrestelmania.
Nobody knows how many more Wrestlemanias The Undertaker has left. For all we know, Wrestlemania 30 could be the last one. I don’t think that is the case. Undertaker may be getting up there in age, but if he continues to only wrestle one time a year, I think we still have a couple more Undertaker Wrestlemania matches to look forward too. But we are past the point of seeing The Undertaker dream matches of years past. If you ask me, there is no reason left for him to take on anyone that’s been in the WWE for quite some time. Even a John Cena match has lost some of its luster. This was the year to do it, and they didn’t. The only true veteran left that I might want to see Taker wrestle is Sting. And I’ll be the first to admit that is a little personal bias because Sting is one of my all time favorites.
If Undertaker really does have a couple more Wrestlemania matches in him, then they should be used against new or rising stars that could use an Undertaker match to help establish them as main eventers. There’s no need for The Undertaker to face guys like Brock Lesnar, Triple H or John Cena anymore. That’s mostly because no one thinks those guys will end The Streak. Even a Daniel Bryan match isn’t necessary anymore because Bryan is already established as a top guy.
The Undertaker needs to be used at the next couple Wrestlemanias against younger talents that need to be established as either main eventers or solidified as the guy in the WWE. And there are a handful of guys that a program with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania could do wonders for. The first person that comes to mind is Bray Wyatt. As I said in my RAW report from this past week, you could take everything Bray is saying about Cena and almost trade him and Taker and it would make sense. The more I think about the more I wonder if the WWE should have done Bray vs Undertaker at Wrestlemania this year.
Then you have all three members of The Shield. The last time we saw The Undertaker before Wrestlemania he was put through an announce table by The Shield. By the time we get to next year’s Wrestlemania, my guess is The Shield will be split up. Remember, Taker worked a match with Dean Ambrose on Smackdown. And as my colleague Matt Harrak points out, I’m sure Taker had to at least approve that. An agent or writer just didn’t walk up to Undertaker and say “You’re fighting Dean Ambrose.” Ambrose has the right edge and personality to cut some great promos on Undertaker. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are also possibilities, but I think they’ll be established as faces already. Personality wise, I think Dean Ambrose makes the most sense.
One person who I think could have an excellent match with The Undertaker is Cesaro. Cesaro has always been a good wrestler, but he has really stepped up his game in recent weeks. It seems like the WWE is finally serious about pushing Cesaro as a top threat. And there is no reason to believe Cesaro can’t become a main event player in the WWE. What better way to establish him as a top guy then a match with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. In ring wise, Cesaro might be the best match-up for Taker.
There are a lot of quality opponents out there for The Undertaker to face at Wrestlemania. It is up to the WWE to let some of these new guys get a chance to fight The Undertaker and not rely on their stable of veterans to have a match with Taker. The ball is in the WWE’s court and it is up to them to take the right path.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
