WrestleMania XXX: Pros, Cons, and Neutral Reactions to Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

At 21-1, The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak has been ended by the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar.

For the first time in God knows how long, the fans belief in professional wrestling has finally been suspended. The proof in the pudding being that the crowd responded with dead silence until the table spot in the Randy Orton vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan Main Event.

Unlike most people on social media, let’s look logically at each possible viewpoint on “The Streak’s” vastly controversial ending.

The Positive Reaction:

Let’s be honest, ‘Taker is no spring chicken. The man is 49 years old and has done more than he has been asked of in his 20+ career. His career is older than most of WWE’s fanbase. His body is worn down. He competes on a Santa Claus schedule and his retirement is unfortunately imminent. Realistically, if he decided to retire, the signal would be a loss at the show of shows. He has now never beaten Lesnar in his career. This ultimately cements Lesnar’s legacy and makes him a shoo- in for the Hall of Fame. Lesnar being a former UFC champion and “legitimate tough guy,” is younger and more than likely to beat The Undertaker in a legitimate fight. It took a hell of a lot for him to win (3 F-5’s), and some people may be angry, but in reality, this may have been the way to go. Also, Lesnar was the heel (aka “Bad Guy”). By winning he now has legitimate “heel heat” and is therefore much more likely to draw money in future appearances- making this a financial gain on paper. Another reason for the loss is if the rumored dream match between Sting vs. The Undertaker at ‘Mania 31 does take place, Sting would receive less heat if he were to win.

The Negative Reaction:

This was a TERRIBLE idea. The whole purpose of The Undertaker’s legacy was that he had NEVER lost a match at WrestleMania. Now that he has, it makes no difference if he ever wrestles a match at ‘Mania again. Win or lose, he will always have the one loss that will forever taint “The Streak”. Current WWE Talent Roman Reigns of “The Shield” has been quoted as saying that “The Streak” “should not end.” Some records were not meant to be broken, and now that this one has, it cannot be undone. Instead of retiring with an undefeated WrestleMania career, Undertaker will retire with (possibly) a single loss- and no one ever wanted to see that happen. Ever since “The Streak” had been a drawing point of the event it had been assumed that it could not-and would not be broken. It seems as if the loss had been done purely for shock value, which is never a good idea to do anything new. Just ask KISS about taking their makeup off. Remember what Madonna’s lesbian kiss at the VMA’s did for her, Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera? All three either fell off the face of the earth, gained weight, or both. This did nothing for anyone’s careers-even KISS, who eventually put their makeup back on (almost attempting to erase their brief makeup-less stint). People have argued that John Cena would have been the one to beat “The Streak”. The fact that this has even become an argument shows that this would have been the only way for the WWE to have gone if the supposedly unthinkable were to happen. Cena’s assumed victory at every match has made fans generally satisfied with Cena being the somewhat “rightful” one to end “The Streak”. Unfortunately, that title went to Lesnar- the most unlikely candidate since Mark Henry or Albert aka Tensai (yes, Albert was a “Streak” victim). The loss also severely tainted Daniel Bryan’s storybook ending to his feud with “The Authority”. The life was sucked out of the crowd and the commentary for the entire Diva’s match and half of the Main event. No reaction is far worse than a bad reaction. Whatever the inevitable response was to Bryan’s final victory, The Undertaker’s loss decreased it by half. The crowd barely recovered in time. Some people were seen angrily leaving the arena after ‘Taker’s match. “The Streak” had become synonymous with WrestleMania, and now that it has been broken, neither seem to matter as much as they used to in the blink of an eye. WrestleMania XXX will be remembered, but for the wrong reasons.

The Neutral Reaction:

When Ivan Koloff defeated Bruno Sammartino, the reaction was similar. People were weeping in the stands. No person on earth could fathom the fact that their number one guy could lose to the seemingly random heel. Just like the ending of “The Streak,” it was a necessary evil. Just like Undertaker, Sammartino was on the verge of retirement. This may not have seemed like the “proper” ending, but it was inevitable. Most thought that “The Streak” would not end, but like all folklore, all unbeatable forces would be beaten eventually. For all we know, this was solely Undertaker’s decision. According to dirtsheets (which should be taken with the largest grains of salt), there have been multiple candidates over the years to defeat “The Streak”. Undertaker also has been rumored to not only pick his WrestleMania opponents, but also decide his win or loss. Perhaps the loss was decided on the fly. Perhaps the angle for WrestleMania 31 will be redemption in the form of a re-match. A double retirement dream match between Sting and Undertaker would even make sense as neither would be hurt following a loss now. It would almost be a “thank you” match for the fans, as neither man’s last match would be a blemish on their legacy. No one could hate Sting, and no one could be overwhelmed by another Undertaker loss. We all will have to get used to WrestleMania without Taker at some point, and maybe it’s for the best. His matches have gotten more about psychology and less about wrestling as he has gotten older. The Undertaker’s trademark outside dive over the top rope was not even given an opportunity to be utilized this year. The first real sign of the years taking their toll was his match against Triple H at WrestleMania 27 where an injury prevented a less than stellar and allegedly improvised finish. It had to happen sometime, but people will not accept it right now. Eventually they will get over it, as they did with Sammartino’s loss to Koloff. ‘Taker will still be in the Hall of Fame. He is a living legend and will be remembered forever. There’s no crying in baseball, and there’s no shame in a loss at WrestleMania. The true villain in this match was not a who, but a what. Time defeated “The Streak,” not Lesnar. The only thing we can do now is tune in to Raw and see how it plays out.