The Match Up:

WWE legend, Undertaker, takes on Roman Reigns in a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 33, tonight (Sun., April 2, 2017) at the “granddaddy of them all,” which takes place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. This is will be the 25th match at the annual event for Undertaker, who faces Reigns in only his third singles match at the show.

The Road to WrestleMania 33:

The Undertaker began his professional wrestling career under the name “Texas Red” for World Class Championship Wrestling in 1984. In late 1990, he made his World Wrestling Federation debut in a dark match as “Kane the Undertaker”. The first part of the name was quickly dropped and, at Survivor Series 1990, The Undertaker made his television debut in a traditional Survivor Series style match.

The Deadman has been in the company ever since, building a legacy that is second to none in terms of his staying power in a cutthroat and fickle environment of the WWE. Over a twenty-six plus year career, he has become a cornerstone of the company. His record at WrestleMania is the crown jewel of a career any current WWE superstar would covet, as well as many of his contemporaries.

Jimmy Snuka was the first to fall to the Undertaker at WrestleMania VII. He would remain undefeated after twenty additional matches against some of the biggest names in the company. CM Punk, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Batista, and Edge are just a few of the men who have tried to beat Undertaker at ‘Mania. But it was not to be. The Streak became a yearly attraction at the WWE’s biggest show of the year after the Monday Night Wars were over, during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Fans just expected the Undertaker to win, even though some men came very close.

As the years went by, the Undertaker’s role in the WWE diminished a great deal. But he would still show up around WrestleMania, looking for the next WWE Superstar who wished to challenge him in his “yard”, the WWE ring.

About three years ago, at WrestleMania 30 in the Silverdome Superdome in New Orleans, Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker, infamously making himself the “one in 21 and 1”. Fans the world over were shocked that the Undertaker appeared mortal. That cannot be right. He’s the Undertaker! As someone who has watched him since his WWF debut, I loved the Undertaker. To me, the Undertaker is the sole reason that WrestleMania has any right to call itself the “Showcase of Immortals”.

Many people speculated that the Undertaker would never be seen again.

The Undertaker was challenged the next year by Bray Wyatt to “rise from the dead” and face him at WrestleMania. The Undertaker never appeared during the build for the match but the tale-tell signs that his presence was near occurred. The Undertaker did face Wyatt and defeated him. And went on to defeat Shane McMahon in a Hell in a Cell the following year.

This year, the Undertaker was entered in the Royal Rumble match only to be eliminated by the number 30 entrant, Roman Reigns. After his elimination, Undertaker stared down the younger Superstar as Reigns boldly claimed, “This is MY yard now.”

Anyone who knows Taker knows he is not putting up with that nonsense.

Not one to be outdone, the next time Undertaker showed up, Reigns speared him in the middle of the ring. But, as Reigns walked away, the Undertaker sat up.

The Stakes:

Let’s face it. The Undertaker has been around for a while. In fact, Roman Reigns was born a year AFTER Undertaker started his pro wrestling career. Many fans expressed concern over his health after Royal Rumble, stating that he did not look good while moving around. His interactions with Reigns have been a bit better lately but that factor has certainly been in a lot of fans minds and also may be in Vince’s mind, which is reportedly why Reigns is the person facing the Undertaker this year.

Simply put, there are rumors that this match will main event the show on April 2. If true, many fans assume that this will be the Undertaker’s last match. At all angles, this looks to be a “passing the torch” type of deal between the Superstars, which is a divisive issue among the WWE Universe.

Personally, this has been a dream match of mine at least for the past two years. For the first time in a long time, I feel like WWE is giving me exactly what I want. My true hope, no matter who wins, is that these two tear the house down and Undertaker walks away with a match he can be satisfied with, whether this will be his last or not.

I am so very proud that I was a wrestling fan for the entirety of his WWE run. There will never be another Undertaker.

WWE WrestleMania 33 airs live on the WWE Network on April 2, 2017 at 4 pm Central standard time. Join us here on Cageside Seats for all the match coverage, including the live blog.