During last night’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view live event, Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in what’s being billed as their final match ever. It makes sense from a professional wrestling booking standpoint (while Brock still has some gas in the tank, it’s high time that Undertaker retires), but the bigger story coming out of Hell in a Cell is the question of what comes next. Judging by this promo video that was posted throughout the night, the WWE is looking to make November’s Survivor Series show one to remember.
This year’s Survivor Series takes place on November 22, 2015 in Atlanta. For those who remember, The Undertaker’s on-screen WWE debut was on November 22, 1990 at Survivor Series. That’d make this year’s show a truly poetic ending to what will go into the record books as one of the greatest careers in all of sports entertainment, capping off the wild tail-end of ‘Taker’s career with what could be a glorious send-off. The stars are aligning perfectly for this possibly being the last we see of ‘Taker as an in-ring performer, but judging by the Internet, people still want to see Undertaker’s story end at WrestleMania 32 in AT&T Stadium in Texas, ‘Taker’s home state.
I get it—but no. Let’s buck “tradition” and have something end the way it should, for once.
Now keep in mind, I was always under the impression that ‘Taker’s WrestleMania streak would (read: should) have stayed in tact until his final WrestleMania match, but we’re WAY past that at this point. And the usual professional wrestling protocol for anyone who is on the way out of an organization is to lose their match (for example, John Cena’s set to go on hiatus, so he cleanly lost his U.S. Championship to Alberto Del Rio at last night’s Hell in a Cell). Ric Flair lost to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 24 in 2008 when he was (at the time) retiring from wrestling, with Michaels losing to ‘Taker two years later and walking away.
The thing is, no matter how much you value The Streak, you have to look back and recognize how trash many of those matches were. Undertaker has put on some CLINICS, but when were people truly taking notice of The Streak? Was it as intensely looked upon BEFORE his first match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25? And what’s even more insane is that Shawn Michaels had been “Mr. WrestleMania” for years, because he’d put on those premier performances for about as long as he’d been “The Man.” If you go match-by-match, Shawn will edge ‘Taker out in terms of overall quality.
In talking to various wrestling heads during and after Hell in a Cell, the question I kept coming back to is, “Who do you actually want to see wrestle Undertaker at WrestleMania 32?” A few peers mentioned Cena, which I mean, I guess. It just feels like, post-Lesnar breaking The Streak, there’s nothing really at stake for ‘Taker like there was in ‘Taker’s last Mania matches with Shawn, or even with Shawn and Flair. What would Cena and ‘Taker even put up to make this more than “two of the most popular superstars in the WWE going at it?” Sure, Cena hasn’t fought ‘Taker in a while, but do we really think Cena has to beat ‘Taker to be the true sole controller of the WWE? I can imagine the match could go either way: Cena’s a businessman, and has no problem doing a job, but ‘Taker’s also been in the business for decades, and knows the proper protocol for veterans in his situation. My original thoughts regarding The Streak were to have Bray Wyatt break it, and claim the throne as the proper creepy, mysterious guy spooking out the entire roster. It would’ve elevated someone who could replace the void ‘Taker was leaving in the organization (and the industry, honestly), but The Streak is dunzo, and so is that perfectly fine fantasy booking (although judging by the end of the Lesnar/’Taker match at Hell in a Cell, it would appear that some semblance of ‘Taker vs. The Wyatt Family would be on the docket). Essentially let’s remove the idea that Undertaker “needs” to be at WrestleMania for his final match.
You mean to tell me that ‘Taker has to have a match at ‘Mania 32, when he could get just as much adulation as a retired HOF-er? C’mon fam.
Now, let’s just say that The Wyatts removing ‘Taker’s body from the arena last night was in fact to set up the next month’s storyline leading into ‘Taker’s program for Survivor Series, which is already being billed as his 25-year anniversary celebration. Why NOT have Bray and his squad taunting ‘Taker, truly berating him and putting down his legacy, only for ‘Taker and his “Brother of Destruction” Kane link back up for one final ride through Hell? Make it a standard tag match, or give those two partners (someone like Finn Balor would be a great addition) and make it a traditional Survivor Series-format match, with ‘Taker going out on top. Let the fan adulation sweep in, then let ‘Taker just disappear until it’s time to announce who will go into the WWE Hall of Fame at WrestleMania 32 in Texas, and the first entrant would HAVE to be the Phenom, The Undertaker.
You mean to tell me that ‘Taker has to have a match at ‘Mania 32, when he could get just as much adulation as a retired HOF-er? C’mon fam.
Being that I’ve been a fan of professional wrestling since Hulk HoganTerry Bollea had a Saturday morning cartoon, I’m used to having what I’d consider “perfect” ideas for wrestling storylines turn sour by whatever the organization’s plans were. I don’t ask for much as a fan of the WWE, but this time, I can only hope that they keep the perfect storyline locked down, and let ‘Taker finish things out as his career turns 25, not with what could potentially be a "meh" final match at ‘Mania 32. The Phenom deserves more than that.
