Depending on who you ask, the massive clash between Triple H and The Undertaker may be the most important match on Sunday’s WrestleMania card.
Will Triple H once again fall victim to The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak (they did fight at WrestleMania X-Seven, though WWE has done everything to pretend that match never happened) or will The Game, the man with a hundred different accolades decorating his historic career, add the ultimate prize to his résumé?
Nothing short of an Undertaker victory is acceptable Sunday night in Atlanta.
Before I begin my argument, I will admit this much: I am a massive Undertaker mark. I watched WrestleMania XXV solely for his first match against Shawn Michaels, and he is the one of two superstars I will mark out for.
However, there are five reasons The Deadman’s streak must live on forever.
The Streak is the Only Thing The Undertaker Has
It sounds a bit shocking, but for his 20-plus years with the promotion, The Undertaker doesn’t really have anything, other than The Streak, to set him apart from the other super-duperstars of the last quarter century.
Hulk Hogan has Hulkamania. The Rock is The People’s Champion. Stone Cold Steve Austin has Austin 3:16.
And The Undertaker has The Streak.
The Undertaker could have left WWE during the Monday Night Wars. He could have complained about the lack of world title matches he was getting in the mid- and late-’90s. He could have sulked his way through terrible WrestleMania feuds with King Kong Bundy and Giant Gonzalez.
But he didn’t. He stayed true to the company, quietly carrying the WWE banner through good times and bad.
There’s a reason he carries so much clout in the locker room. More than Hogan or anyone else, The Undertaker is WWE. He has certainly earned his moniker as the conscience of WWE.
And so is The Streak.
The Streak is Just As Important to the WWE as it is to the Undertaker Character
The Streak wasn’t even made a focal point until recently. It became what it is now because of recent years, which saw the likes of Shawn Michaels, Edge and Batista fail to end The Streak.
Now more than ever, The Streak itself has become a massive WrestleMania draw. In the midst of WWE’s youth movement, any guaranteed draw is a welcome one.
Thousands of people who do not purchase pay-per-views throw down the extra cash on their monthly cable bill just to see if The Undertaker will finally lose on The Grandest Stage of Them All. If The Streak were to end, those tuning in just to see The Deadman compete amidst the brightest spotlight in professional wrestling would find another place to spend that money.
Vinny Mac loves his cash. And if he knows what’s good for him, he won’t sign off on the end of The Streak, if only for the sake of buyrates and ratings.
The Streak is Pro Wrestling’s Holy Grail
The Streak has become something more resembling a myth than anything else. Fans and superstars speak of it as something that exists on a different plane than the rest of the WWE Universe.
People tune in to WrestleMania just to see The Streak challenged. Signs litter the arena from February to April every year supporting the continuation, or the end, of The Streak.
The Mirror even named The Streak as the seventh greatest streak in sports history.
Its mystique makes The Streak part of what it has become in the present. If it wasn’t so important to so many members of the WWE Universe, it would just be a footnote in the record books of WWE history.
The Undertaker is the most mysterious, mystical figure to ever grace a WWE ring. It is only fitting that he own The Streak until he disappears into the darkness forever.
Triple H Doesn’t Need The Win
Thirteen world championship reigns. Five Intercontinental title reigns. 1997 King of the Ring. 2002 Royal Rumble winner.
Simply put, Triple H has as good of a WWE résumé as anyone who has set foot in Vince McMahon’s ring.
What does he have to gain from ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak?
Triple H is already going down as one of the best to ever enter the squared circle. He’s already in the same rarefied air as Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart. He just doesn’t have anything to gain by ending The Streak.
Sure, the win would put The Game atop the heap as, arguably, the most decorated professional wrestler ever. But if you’re making that point, I ask you to consider the following point.
Ending The Streak Will Do Much More Harm Than Good
Once upon a time, a sign famously read, “If Cena wins, we riot.”
The sentiment won’t be far off should The Streak ever end.
The 20-somethings who became WWE fans during the Attitude Era have become attached to certain wrestlers. No superstar has garnered more adoration by that demographic than The Undertaker.
The demographic that vehemently boos John Cena may turn on WWE forever if The Undertaker’s shoulders are ever on the mat for a three-count at WrestleMania.
The argument is often made that The Streak should be ended by a young up-and-coming heel, to put them over in a massive way. That argument is shallow, at best.
There are about a hundred ways to put a new superstar over without spitting on the legacy of The Undertaker. Money in the Bank exists for that very reason.
I’m not saying the veterans shouldn’t be looking out for the future. There is something to be said for the vets putting over new talent on their way out the door.
But The Streak is different. Period. It is WWE history. It is professional wrestling’s one unattainable accolade.
And it should stay that way.
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