FanPost

The Selflessness of the Undertaker

WWE.com

Only in professional wrestling could a 49 year old man with a history of hip injuries and shoulder surgeries lose to a 36 year old ex MMA fighter and it astonishes everyone.

Kayfabe's relationship to reality is a bit like a rubber band on a finger. As you stretch it and stretch it gets further and further away. But at some point the rubber snaps back with a jolt and the truth of the matter asserts itself once again.

The Streak is broken. We could very well never see the Deadman grace the squared circle again. The shock that was around the arena when the ref's hand hit the mat for the third time after that F5 was palpable. It was single handedly the biggest swerve in the history of WrestleMania.

However, like all massive swerves, this one has had detractors. Allow me to go through some of the arguments against the booking.

1. The Match That Ends The Streak Should Be A Classic

I will be the first to admit that this match did not live up to the 'Streak within a Streak' matches that came before it. However, a few extenuating circumstances should be considered. Firstly, the Undertaker was apparently severely concussed for most of the match so that limited a lot of what they could do. Secondly, the story was not one of great mat wrestling but a slow dissection that was difficult to watch because in a lot of ways it was supposed to be. This was the Undertaker conveying that he would not give up until nothing was left.

By the way, if you were annoyed that this match was not the one that Undertaker should be bowing out on, what makes you think the next one would be better? The guy's 49 and has enough injuries to make Hawkeye and BJ blanche.

2. Lesnar Is Not The Guy That Should Be Put Over By The Streak

Actually, Lesnar is the perfect guy.

If you did give it to a full time performer they would have nuclear heat on them wherever they went- you could pretty much count out a face turn for a good 2 years (except perhaps Daniel Bryan). Furthermore, a full-time worker would have to remain pretty much undefeated for a good while- otherwise what's the point? So you would need to have a heel that could win cleanly running roughshod over pretty much the entire roster while ensuring he didn't get in the way of the other superstars.

The beauty of giving it to Lesnar is that he can pop in from time to time- say 4 pay-per-view (PPV)s a year and win them without causing too much disturbance to the rest of the roster. Likewise, partly thanks to the promo that Paul Heyman gave on Raw, Lesnar is not only a heel who beat the streak, he's a heel who does not acknowledge what the Streak is and what it means to the WWE and to wrestling. He has not only beaten the Streak, but spat on everything that it stood for.

Lesnar before WrestleMania 30 was floundering for credibility. Thanks to the Undertaker, he has all the credibility he needs heading into the remainder of 2014 and beyond.

3. Breaking the Streak Should Have Been a Main Event

A Brock/Taker feud could have main evented Mania - if people knew what was going to happen.

But Undertaker did not give a hint, nor did he seem to clamour for top billing. Taker was well aware that although this was probably his last WrestleMania, it wasn't his year. The hot storyline were that of Daniel Bryan against the Authority. Likewise this year's show exhibited a plethora of new talents- such as the Wyatt Family and Cesaro.

The Undertaker probably could have requested a main event slot, but this was simply not his night. This was a night that belonged to the future of the WWE.

4. The Streak Should Never Be Broken

Let's look at this a little more holistically. Undertaker still has the most wins at The Showcase of the Immortals. The most appearances at WrestleMania. And he still has (and probably always will have) the biggest streak at WrestleMania. Those things he keeps, and it is doubtful he will ever lose them.

What he has lost though is the ability to call himself undefeated at Mania.

What does this mean to him? Nothing. But to someone like Roman Reigns, who is now 2-0 it could mean a great deal. Three or four years down the line, he could be 5-0. How many superstars are undefeated at WrestleMania?

No one can get to 21 wins. But 7 wins, NO LOSSES? That's attainable. And a streak worth having now.

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The fact that we, as wrestling watchers, are so invested in one little statistic shows how much we care and respect the man behind it. Whatever The Undertaker's future holds, he has left a mark on the industry that will always be remembered.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.