In time there’ll surely come a day
In time, all things shall pass away
In time, you may come back some say
Live once more or die once more
But in time, your time will be no more

 

Always thought that song was talking about his opponents but it turns out it was meant for the Undertaker himself. 21 times men had stepped up and attempted to do the impossible, defeat the Undertaker on the biggest stage, and 21 times those men had failed. It just could not be done, you will have nothing left long before the Undertaker will. Normal men become weaker over time but the Undertaker is no normal man and was able to somehow get stronger. You can throw everything you got at the Undertaker and he will just smile at you and keep on coming, Taker does not lose at WrestleMania. But even the strongest locks have a key, and we were about to find out the hard way.

 

There have only been 2 times that I thought 100% for sure the Streak would be over: vs HHH @ WM 17 and vs HBK @ WM 25. At WrestleMania 17 the Streak wasn’t a big deal yet, just a cool stat and that was around the time where HHH didn’t lose, and he had actually lost a few times leading up to it. If it wasn’t for his victory over Austin at No Way Out it would have been a good losing streak so he had the momentum and I thought he was getting a win at the big show. At WrestleMania 25, HBK was building quite the legendary resume in his second run on top of his 1^st so I thought they would give him the win to make him the ‘Greatest of all time” and to give the Streak the proper ending. Both of those times Undertaker escaped with the Win and would add 3 more wins against them. Once he got through the challenges of HHH and HBK I think most fans belief in the Streak ever ending was gone. There are a few guys left like Cena that could have created doubt in the Streak continuing but if it wasn’t 1 of those guys the matches would start to suffer. WrestleMania 29 vs CM Punk is an awesome match but definitely suffered due to nobody thinking Punk had a chance to end the Streak and that may have been what triggered the call to end it. Too much predictability can be a bad thing, it was now or never.

 

The Undertaker has been in WWF/E since 1990, fought so many wars in that ring not just at WrestleMania but all over the globe against a who’s-who list of opponents. Through all that he has never “shown his age,” but has started to show the wear and tear of over 20 years of battles in the ring. For the last few years he has only worked the Road to WrestleMania and of course WrestleMania due to his body not being able to stand a full schedule. A normal man would have retired but the Undertaker knows how important he was/is to selling WrestleMania every year and he loves the wrestling business and performing for the fans so he stayed around daring anybody to try and break the Streak. As the years went on the effects of his matches started to show in his performances. He had to be carried out of his own yard on a cart after defeating HHH at WM 27 not able to get to the back under his own power. Never had we seen anything like that especially at the Undertakers show. The kick outs were getting closer and closer in the next 2 matches against HHH and CM Punk and he wasn’t able to be as dominant. Still, this was the Undertaker and in the end he won those matches and would defend the Streak until he decided to retire. No matter who was next to take a shot at it, there was just no way they would succeed. We had all the answers. But there was a Beast coming that was going to change all the questions.

 

Eat.Sleep.Break The Streak. Nice t-shirt. Too bad it’s gonna be irrelevant in a few weeks haha or not. The Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar. A match made for WrestleMania if there ever was one. Probably a few years too late to have the mainstream impact it could have had but still a marquee matchup. I was a huge fan of their feud in 2002 that put Brock Lesnar on the map and solidified him as a top draw, they had some tough, physical matches. Their Hell in a Cell match was really what helped WWE go away from that ‘big spot off the top of the cage’ format people started expecting and it’s a great thing they did. Somebody was going to get seriously hurt or worse but HIAC still had a lot of life in it as a match. And it was because of what Taker did for Brock to get him over that made me so pissed when he just left without giving back to the wrestling business. He lost to Eddie and he deserves credit for that but considering what they did for him, WWE needed more from him if he was going to leave. The Undertaker has always kind of been the guard dog in WWE making sure the right thing is done so I have been waiting for him to get his hands on Brock. Add to that their little UFC confrontation where Taker seemed to challenge him saying “Do you wanna do it?” as he walked by.

 

But I may have mis-interpreted what that was. Is it possible that instead of challenging Brock to a fight, he was challenging him to come back and end the Streak? “Do you wanna do it?” That was in 2010 and the Streak did not end until 2014 so it may have just been a Taker getting caught up in the atmosphere of the fights but were the seeds planted that day for Brock to end the Streak if he wanted to? Brock returned in 2012 after an almost 10 year absence so it’s not entirely out of the question that this incident set the wheels in motion for him to come back. When he did come back he did not go after Taker right away, 1 WrestleMania passed without them having any interaction at all. You almost started to think they might have lost interest in facing off knowing what each other was capable of, neither man was the same after any of their matches. But as WrestleMania season rolled around it was made clear that these 2 were headed on a collision course to end at WrestleMania XXX.

 

The build to the match was very disappointing to me, especially considering the history between the 2 men. None of it was mentioned and instead they just had Paul Heyman cut promos with a couple quick brawls thrown in. Undertaker dominated him in every exchange except the last one before WrestleMania. There was nothing special about the build and nothing to suggest that the end of the Streak was coming. Now having said all that, there are definitely ways to look at it that make the build pretty great.

 

Because of how they did it, they basically lulled everyone to sleep thinking Brock had no chance because surely if the Streak was going to end it would have the biggest most epic build possible. And it wasn’t going to end vs a part timer like Brock Lesnar, it was going to end vs a guy like Cena or Daniel Bryan or Bray Wyatt or Roman Reigns. Somebody that could use the momentum of breaking the Streak to become a new Superstar. If this had an epic build with all their history brought up and a ton of hype surrounding the match some people would have thought Brock had a chance at victory. By doing it this way, in an age where nothing is ever kept truly a secret or unspoiled they managed to pull off the most shocking moment in wrestling history. If you have seen or read Game of Thrones, Brock ending the Streak is the WWE equivalent to the Red Wedding. There was no Guest Right here. Taker invited the challenge but Brock walked into the Undertaker’s yard, on a stage where he had never lost and cut him down. And just like the GoT Red Wedding, not a soul saw it coming. Just because of that I wouldn’t change a thing even if I don’t exactly agree with it. I’ll never forget the craziness of that moment and the aftershock of it, it is right at the top of the WWE “where were you moments” list. There will never, ever be another moment like that. I really feel for any hardcore wrestling fans that didn’t get to experience it live. I spoiled myself and ruined the Game of Thrones Red Wedding surprise but getting this kind of makes up for it. There will be shocking moments but nothing like Brock ending the Streak.

 

As soon as the ref hit the mat for the 3 it was like everything went into a slow motion blur like when Frodo puts on the ring in the LotR movies haha kinda weird but it was just so surreal and so much information was going through my head all at once. How many people he had beaten, all the hype every year for the Streak would be gone, the awesome Streak was over, the guys who wouldn’t get a shot at it, what would this mean for Undertaker, how important the Streak was to selling WrestleMania, a part time Brock just ended the Streak. I think you get the point. Trying to process everything, and in the immediate aftermath waiting for someone to come down or an announcement to say somehow the match would re-start. Anything, but then the 21-1 graphic flashed and it all hit home that this real and the Undertaker had just lost at WrestleMania. Never been more stunned in my life.

 

Now that we know Brock won, the build can still be looked at as really great. Ever since the battles with HHH started it has been exposed that Undertaker is running out of gas in the tank. All those years being the American Badass, the Phenom, fighting the who’s who of wrestling was catching up with him. All these years coming back to defend the Streak and push it just a little bit higher were starting to take its toll. Guys were saying it but nobody believed them. This is the Undertaker, he doesn’t have a gas tank especially at WrestleMania. He may need to get carried out but he will steal the show and get the W first. But we should have paid more attention to Paul Heyman’s promos because he was saying it, the Undertaker does not have enough left to beat a guy like Brock Lesnar. He was the youngest WWE World Heavyweight champion, he was an NCAA champion, he was a UFC Heavyweight champion and is now back to kicking ass in WWE. The Undertaker hadn’t faced anyone like Brock Lesnar and it was too late in the Streak for the Undertaker to be able to win. There is evidence to the Undertaker realizing this too. The last 2 years he has gone back to trying to use his supernatural tricks to psyche out opponents because he needed every advantage he could get. He still almost got beat by CM Punk and then did get beat by Brock so it really was coming we just couldn’t see it. The way the match played out with Brock was the same, Taker had nothing left and couldn’t do much of anything. Eventually got out powered and spiked into the mat with the 3^rd F5 of the match to end it. If Taker had won, the match would have gone down as 1 of his worst but now that he lost, it actually becomes really poetic and kinda good. Seeing the great Undertaker go out on his Shield instead of doing what most people would have done and retired early to keep the Streak intact just feels right.

 

Was Brock the right person to end it? Yes and no. Yes in that Brock has the resume, is a mainstream name, draws money and is a legitimate badass. Doesn’t hurt the Undertaker’s or the Streaks legacy at all losing to Brock. No in that other people might have benefitted more from ending it but it also could have been a curse. Every failure would be magnified because “he ended the Streak and he’s doing *these* numbers or having this bad of matches.” The pressure to succeed and live up to the honour of ending the Streak would have been overwhelming. But a guy like Brock Lesnar can handle it no problem because most stuff like pressure and expectations just rolls right off him. He marches to his own beat like it or not. Brock being the one to do it almost legitimizes the Streak. After Taker retires and isn’t cool anymore, if he was undefeated people could just roll their eyes and say “wrestling is fake they let him win blah blah blah.” But what are they gonna say about a guy like Brock? That he isn’t tough? That he couldn’t do it? No way and that’s why I think the Undertaker was ok with it ending. Makes it seem real. Undefeated is great but there are rare occasions you actually gain more in defeat and this is one of them. There may have been other ways to end it but you can’t go wrong with Brock Lesnar. It’s a shame we will never get The Undertaker vs John Cena during the Streak, that would have been hell haha crowd would have been off the charts and dying with every near fall.

 

Well, like it or not we are entering into an era where the Streak does not exist, where Brock Lesnar can have Paul Heyman tell the world over and over that he conquered the Streak. I’m hoping that Brock will really give back to the business 100% this time. Work with guys like Daniel Bryan and help him get to the next level. Now that you can add “Beat the Undertaker at WrestleMania,” he doesn’t need any more accolades, nobody else in the world has the resume Brock does. He is THE Man.

 

As for the Undertaker I have no idea what is going to happen. I almost would be ok with never seeing him again aside from special appearances. There are still some big matches he could have but he might be done. His character doesn’t need a big retirement match/ceremony. When he goes in the Hall of Fame he will definitely do his thing and get the retirement kind of moments. Going out with a loss is kind of a downer, I’d probably go with 1 more match to go out with a win, maybe vs Sting but it could still be cool for Taker to go down with his Streak. Whatever he wants to do, he has earned it and I really hope he was ok with losing and it was his call. It really sucks to think the days of the Undertaker in WWE as a wrestler are almost over, used to be impossible to imagine it without him but Time is gonna force it on us. I am extremely thankful we were blessed with the Undertaker character, he was always a guy we could bring up when people were bashing wrestling and shut em up, he gave wrestling credibility. The Streak helped WrestleMania sustain and grow credibility. The Undertaker helped put a lot of guys on the map like Mick Foley, Kane, Brock, etc… Legend tells that he helped keep a sense of law and order in the WWE locker room. He wasn’t police or a babysitter but he made sure the major lines weren’t crossed and respect was had by all. He has fought through many injuries to keep coming out here to entertain us and make sure WrestleMania is a big deal, I can’t ask for anything more. All I can do is say Thank You for the memories, for the Streak and continue to support and be an Undertaker fan in whatever he chooses to do.

 

The Streak started as nothing and evolved to become one of the greatest things to ever happen in wrestling. Its legend has grown to epic proportions in the later years and with each match the expectations grew and grew. Yet each time, the Undertaker and his opponent not only met those expectations, but exceeded them. It gave us some of the greatest matches of all time and the most shocking moment of all time when it ended, I would say it lived up to the hype and then some. It was a great ride and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. 1 of the few things the Matrix movies got right was this quote; everything that has a beginning, has an end. Streak over. Rest in Peace

 

Streak Begins – WrestleMania VII vs Superfly Jimmy Snuka – WIN

WrestleMania VIII vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts – WIN

WrestleMania IX vs Giant Gonzales – WIN

WrestleMania XI vs King Kong Bundy – WIN

WrestleMania XII vs Diesel – WIN

WrestleMania XIII vs SID – WIN

WrestleMania XIV vs Kane – WIN

WrestleMania XV vs Big Boss Man – WIN

WrestleMania XVII vs HHH – WIN

WrestleMania XVIII vs Ric Flair – WIN

WrestleMania XIX vs Big Show and A-Train – WIN

WrestleMania XX vs Kane – WIN

WrestleMania XXI vs Randy Orton – WIN

WrestleMania XXII vs Mark Henry – WIN=

WrestleMania XXIII vs Batista – WIN

WrestleMania XXIV vs Edge – WIN

WrestleMania XXV vs Shawn Michaels – WIN

WrestleMania XXVI vs Shawn Michaels –WIN

WrestleMania XXVII vs HHH – WIN

WrestleMania XXVIII vs HHH – WIN

WrestleMania XXIX vs CM Punk – WIN

Streak Ends – WrestleMania XXX vs Brock Lesnar – LOSS

My immediate reaction:

“What the fuck just happened #Streakover? #WrestleMania #WWENetwork”

“Brock Lesnar just beat the Undertaker at WrestlefuckingMania. Never been this stunned in my life. What. The. Fuck #WrestleMania #WWENetwork”

“Ill save my thoughts for after. Undertaker you are a fucking warrior!! Thank you an amazing Streak! WOW! #WrestleMania #WWENetwork”

“Unfuckingbelievable #StreakOver #WrestleMania #WWENetwork”

 

In time there’ll surely come a day
In time, all things shall pass away
In time, you may come back some say
Live once more or die once more
But in time, your time will be no more

21-1