There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the Undertaker is a wrestling icon, a WWE legend and a future Hall of Famer, he has a Wrestlemania winning streak that will never be beaten or emulated, and has arguably the greatest gimmick in wrestling history.
Personally there is no denying the success of the Undertaker and what he has achieved in wrestling, he is a former WWE & World Heavyweight Champion, a former Tag Team Champion, the originator of the Buried Alive and Hell in a Cell matches and the leader of the much loved Ministry then Corporate Ministry. The Undertaker blazed a trail like no one else, he has had celebrated feuds with the Rock, Steve Austin, Triple H, CM Punk, Mankind, Kane, Shawn Michaels and Brock Lesnar……And it’s Brock who has forced the Phenom to return to the WWE.
In the final stages of WWE title contest when Brock had Seth beaten the lights went out and the Undertakers gong rang out, when the lights came back on the Deadman was face to face with Lesnar once more in a WWE ring. On hiatus since Wrestlemania, the Undertaker returned and cost Brock Lesnar his opportunity and reclaiming the WWE title all because he was defeated by Brock at Wrestlemania 30.
The next night on Raw Taker explained that Paul Heyman’s comment had annoyed him and the gloating had to stop, personally I found the return at Battleground and the promo on Raw laughable. What I also saw at Battleground was a legend who doesn’t know when his time is up and on Raw a man out of his depth against a former UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Now I’m all for suspending my belief, that’s why I’m a wrestling fan but to actually buy in to Brock going one on one with the Undertaker at Summerslam is just silly. WWE’s resident Phenom looked like a weary old man this week and I fear this last run could possibly destroy his legend and aura, can we as fans accept the latest top tier feud, can we believe the Deadman can topple the Beast…WWE obviously want us to believe that.
I for one think the challenge of Lesnar is beyond Taker, after all this is the man that beat him so badly at WM30 and carried him for the entire match. Another issue is that the streak ending match was 18 months ago and Taker is a little bit slower and little older, can he really go toe to toe with the Beast Incarnate?
As of Monday night Raw we understand that the Undertaker has had enough of Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar mouthing off about ending streak and has returned to hand out some justice, from that we possibly witnessed the biggest brawl in WWE and Raw history, also on Monday we found out that Taker/Brock will headline Summerslam on August 23rd. We also found out that WWE consider this the biggest match ever and all other talent has zero chance of making an impact in the lead up to the PPV. I thought Raw displayed a great insight into WWE’s mindset about two part time veterans being the most important part of the show and the most important encounter at Summerslam.
Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker reportedly have a friendship outside the squared circle so therefore they know the value in each other. They also have had great feuds in the past, especially in the autumn of 2002 when they clashed in a violent Hell in a Cell classic at the No Mercy PPV. They also clashed in 2003 during the Vince/Stephanie feud on Smackdown, although they haven’t had a series of matches their clashes have always been memorable, much like their controversial Wrestlemania 30 encounter. Much to the astonishment and annoyance of critics and fans alike the WM30 bout would be the one where the streak ended and the WWE landscape changed forever.
Even though the Undertaker was taking on the challenge of the former WWE & UFC heavyweight champion the ‘Beast’ Brock Lesnar no one really contemplated that the streak could or would ever end. So on that fateful evening the WWE made the choice to bring the streak to an end after a tough back and forth match and 3 F5’s from the ‘Beast’.
So the Undertaker’s legendary streak had come to an end, apart from the fact that Lesnar was the one chosen I was all for the streak to end yet, I wanted the prestige going to Bray Wyatt or Roman Reigns, you know the future of the company. Many think the streak shouldn’t have ended and they were left scratching their heads after the 3 count, I personally felt that the honour of ending it should have gone to a younger star.
Brock’s career went into overdrive after the Mania win, he was booked to dominate the then WWE champion John Cena at Summerlsam and after 16 German Suplexes he pinned Cena clean and captured the title which he held onto for 9 months but during that time he only made a handful of appearances and defended the bell 3 times. Paul Heyman since the WM30 match did nothing but brag about the streak being defeated, his promos on Raw are now legendary and the fans loved it so that in the process himself and Brock turned face.
A majority of fans respect both Lesnar and Heyman for what they have accomplished in and out of the ring and therefore they want to see the ‘Beast’ wreak havoc and walk over everyone, plus you have Paul Heyman who is possibly the best talker in the business.
The Undertaker is a WWE legend and soon to be Hall of Fame member, he has had one of the longest most decorated careers in Pro Wrestling and I don’t know any wrestling fan who doesn’t respect him, but here in lies my argument. The events at Wrestlamia 30 I feel should have sent off warning signs in WWE and the Undertaker’s head, here he was facing the ‘Beast’ Brock Lesnar a human like no other who has a safe but punishing ring style, he doesn’t hold back. The Deadman suffered a severe concussion during this match therefore hampering his performance for the rest of the bout, some could argue that a healthy Undertaker would have performed better but nonetheless it is a redundant argument. Lesnar won the bout and the rest is history.
So Summerlsam 2015 presents the rematch we’ve all been waiting for, Really? Is this the match we wanted to happen since Taker went down to Lesnar? 18 months on from the ending of the streak and times have changed, everyone is a little bit older, a little bit slower and possibly a little bit weaker and at Battleground and on Raw I saw a man who used to be a Phenom, who used to run his yard but now I see a shadow of the man he used to be
The man looked weak, old and his promo style was something straight from a Charles Bronson movie, this is 2015 Deadman not 1915, characters have changed, the times have changed. Fans clamour for the Deadman not because he’s relevant but because he reminds us of yesteryear, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Bray Waytt, these are all real life characters in 2015. I respect the Undertaker, I respect what he has accomplished and the longevity of his career, the man is a Icon in Sports Entertainment…..but even Icons need to know when to quit!!!
@Ciaran_1986
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