WrestleMania Week – WrestleMania Competition!!!

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WrestleMania Week – Top 10 Streak Matches to Never Happen!

A couple of weeks ago, on a forum I frequent, someone posted this:

Capture

And it got me thinking… just who WOULD I pick to face Undertaker at WM to almost guarantee we got the absolute best Streak match ever? So I decided to steal his idea and turn it into a written feature for WrestleMania Week! 😛

Before I get into my top 10, I’d like to run down a list of names who either didn’t quite make the cut, or who I think other people might say or assume I might say (depending on how well you know me haha), and why I decided to keep them out of my top 10.

 

William Regal – I love Regal. Huge fan of him and his style, and he’s been involved in some of my all time favourite matches over the years. That being said, I just don’t think a Regal from any time period of his career Vs Undertaker from any time period would have resulted in such a great match. Their styles are vastly different, and given the size difference I’m not so sure Regal’s offence would have suited an opponent like Undertaker. I’d have definitely paid to see a big PPV match between the two just because of how much I enjoy both men’s work, but a Streak match? Unfortunately no.

 

Finlay – Right up there with Regal as someone I absolutely adore. Guy rocks the planet with his awesome wrestling style, and has had some killer matches in his career. While these two WOULD be more suited as opponents (proven on SD in 2007 when they had a GREAT match), I still don’t think they could have had a match worthy of what the Streak has become these days. IF it were to have happened though, I would have gone with 2006 Finlay against a BIG EVIL version of Undertaker, maybe from 2003 (Finlay Vs Undertaker at WM 19? God how awesome would that have been?!?!). But as the Streak has become something perhaps even bigger than the WWE WHC, I’d have a hard time imagining Finlay being perceived as being on THAT level against Undertaker at WM. Which is sad because given the chance Finlay could make it work.

 

Ric Flair – Yes, I know they actually HAD a WM match back in 2002, and it was damn good, but mid-80’s Flair was a name I first thought of when asked the question so I thought I should address it. Flair in the 1980’s was off the charts. His 1985 and 1989 years are talked about as all time great years for ANY wrestler, with both years given us some of the greatest Ric Flair matches ever. BUT kind of like Regal, I’m not sure THIS Flair, as great as he was, would have been a good opponent for Undertaker in a Streak match. Back then Flair certainly had his own kind of match that he liked to work, and I just don’t see it being a STREAK worthy match or connecting that well with Undertaker as his opponent in general. Even a babyface Flair from this time period Vs Undertaker just doesn’t feel right to me. Thankfully we did get their match in 2002 and I wouldn’t change the components in the slightest. We had a Big Evil heel Undertaker Vs an ageing Ric Flair and everything just clicked. Perfect.

 

Randy Savage – So this was the pic from the guy who brought up the question to begin with. Honestly I don’t see it myself. Like Flair, I don’t see them working together that well. Which is crazy when you consider that Savage had an absolutely incredible match at WrestleMania with THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR. A match like that might have had the best chance to work if these two ever had a Streak match, but honestly I’m just having a hard time imagining them really having magic together. Not doing the best job of explaining myself here I know, having a hard time really putting my feelings into words haha. Not even a Big Evil heel Undertaker Vs an ageing Randy Savage would have been good like the Flair match imo. Savage as he got older really did “lose” it as far as I’m concerned, which was a shame. I’ll just leave it at that unless I evenutally figure out a way to write down EXACTLY what I mean lol.

 

Christian – This is definitely more of an “honourable mention” rather than a “someone I might have picked but didn’t because…”. Take 2009 Christian, who was almost unarguably the BEST WWE wrestler at the time (and probably the entire world. Nobody in TNA or ROH came close from what I saw. No idea about Japan though), and an absolute SUPERB babyface wrestler, and stick him in the ring at WrestleMania against a 2002 Big Evil Undertaker (heel obviously) and man oh man this could have been MAGIC. Have Undertaker beat down and bloody the underdog babyface, give Christian some hope spots only for Undertaker to knock him right back down again (maybe even CHEATING to do it, which for a big guy like Undertaker would be completely unnecessary and such a HEEL thing to do), then go into a big hot finishing stretch. That’s a very basic way to state the match structure, but when you have someone like Christian who (especially in 2009 on ECW) could play such an incredible babyface working such a structured match (which has worked since like the beginning of the universe lol) against a pro like Undertaker, you would get something so far beyond basic it’s unreal. People talk about dream matches, and they are usually 2 “megastars” battling in their primes at a big event, but for me, dream matches are something more like this. Christian unfortunately isn’t a “megastar” which is why this match would never happen at WM (or anywhere now), but the match they COULD have given the time and opportunity is what makes it a dream match for me.

 

Ricky Steamboat – Steamboat is an all time favourite of mine, and has been involved in some of my all time favourite matches. The Flair series is what comes to mind for most people when they think of Steamboat, but you absolutely cannot forget his incredible matches against so many other opponents, 2 of my favs being Regal and Vader. The Vader match saw the Mastodon absolutely MAUL poor Steamboat, until Steamboat could take no more and fired back at the bigger opponent until SID screwed him out of a potential win. So while Steamboat has had a great match with a larger, much more dominating opponent in Vader, I’m still not overly convinced he could have THAT kind of match with The Undertaker. And honestly I’d put the “blame” more on Undertaker and how he works and how his character is as to why the match probably wouldn’t hit it on all cylinders. Both of them in their primes in a big match is still something I’d fucking love to see, more so with Undertaker as BIG EVIL, but a Streak match is out of the question for me tbh.

 

Mark Henry – Yep, like Flair, this match already happened. Back in 2006. And it was “meh”. However… picture this… 2006-current Undertaker Vs Mark Henry… from 2011. HALL OF PAIN. I was actually considering this for the top 10 list, but at the time I only had 9 guys on the list and while coming up with a 10th… I came up with 11, and had to cut someone, and unfortunately it was Henry. But only because the other 2 guys were more appealing. I’d still fucking pay to see this happen! Henry in 2011 once he turned heel was an absolute MONSTER. He’d always shown signs of being great, hell even back in 2006 when he originally faced Undertaker at WM, he was getting another push as a big monster heel and DID have some damn good matches (a couple superb matches with Rey, a better than their WM match with Undertaker on SD, and an incredible Benoit bout), but it wasn’t until 2011 that everything fell into place and he really was damn good on a consistent basis. He completely mauled guys like Big Show, Kane and Sheamus, took the WHC from Orton (beating him clean 2 PPV’s in a row) and probably would have gone to WM with the title had he not gotten injured. Imagine if he stayed healthy and made it to WM with the belt… only to face THE UNDERTAKER! Definitely something I would have loved to watch!

 

Razor Ramon – Dammit, this guy was ON my top 10 list… until someone brought up something about Japanese wrestling and BAM, I realised I forgot someone. So unfortunately poor Razor Ramon had to be cut. But hey, he’s going in the WWE Hall of Fame this year so it’s not all bad, right? Razor was one of my favourites as a kid. I grew up during the “New Generation” era of WWF and even to this day I’m a huge fan of that time period. Undertaker, Diesel, HBK, Bret, Owen, Yoko, Vader, Bulldog, 123-Kid, Bam Bam Bigelow and others, along with of course THE BAD GUY, RAZOR RAMON. Razor himself has said he’s a “punchy babyface” in that he used a lot of punches in his matches to start his comeback and to cut off heels etc. Undertaker is without a doubt one of THE best strikers in WWE history. Sure it’s something of a “cliché Michael Cole” line, but I’ll be damned if it ain’t true! So my idea for these two would be 1995-1996 Razor Ramon as a babyface against a 2002 Big Evil heel Undertaker! Undertaker can beat down Razor with HIS striking ability, then Razor can make his comebacks with HUGE right hands of his own to match Undertaker punch for punch. A simple formula, but with how both characters are and everything else they can do, I picture this being an incredible match. And hell, even a HEEl Razor Vs 2002-2003 babyface Undertaker would work wonders too! It’s a shame these two only had about 3 matches together, and were short (around 10 minutes) with no decisive finish, and only taped for VHS releases. If Razor had stuck around in 1996 instead of going to WCW, I definitely think this would have been a big PPV match at some point. Oh, what could have been.

 

Sting – What? WHAT? Sting isn’t on my top 10 list? That’s INSANE, right? So he’s just an honourable mention? Well… no. Not even that. Sting Vs Undertaker is not a match I would EVER want to happen, never mind at WrestleMania!!! Even in his prime (around 1992), I never thought much of Sting. Outside of the Vader matches, Sting just hasn’t done much worth talking about. The Flair matches were bad in my opinion. And uhhh… is anything really pimped outside of his series with Flair and Vader? He has 2 good matches with DDP on Nitro, one in 1998 and one in 1999 (the better of the two, though they are both extremely similar), and an incredible match with Regal in 1996… and that’s about it. His series with Vader, while I’d say Vader was the better man, wasn’t a carry job for sure (though any faults I tend to find with the matches are on Sting’s behalf). The Regal match was a 100% Regal carry job. So yeah, my thoughts on Sting are not high whatsoever. Which is why I don’t see the appeal of a potential match between the two. Sting in the ring kinda sucks, and his gimmick just never struck me as something that would mix well with Undertaker’s (his Crow gimmick of course, which is the time when everyone wanted the match to happen). Undertaker is basically a walking DEAD MAN who at times was downright EVIL AND DEMONIC. Sting was just… a regular guy who one day wore a black trench coat and decided to hang out in the rafters. Yeah… those sound similar… So between gimmicks that to me make no sense to compete against each other, and Sting never been all that good in the ring, this is absolutely a match I don’t think would have ever been good and should never happen. Sadly right now in 2014 there does seem to be a small possibility of it happening, I just hope if they do go ahead with a match they stay away from WrestleMania as it simply doesn’t belong there.

 

 THE TOP 10

 

I’ve talked about some of the more “obvious” choices, now its time to get to the actual top 10!!!

 

NUMBER 10

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Kurt Angle (2006)

This match SHOULD have happened at WrestleMania. In 2006, at the No Way Out PPV, Angle and Undertaker wrestled for the World Heavyweight Championship. Angle retained, but not without some controversy, so a REMATCH between the two at WrestleMania would have been absolutely perfect to conclude this little rivalry, especially after the incredible match they had at No Way Out. If you haven’t seen it yet, or don’t remember much about it, go back and watch that match. It’s awesome, right? Yup. Now imagine them doing that at WrestleMania! Even the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker matches would have a hard time competing with it. Instead, what DID we get at WM 22 that year? Undertaker in a mediocre casket match with Mark Henry, and Angle in a triple threat spotty mess with Orton and Mysterio, because Rey just HAD to win the title in honour of Eddie Guerrero. Which I’m not going to complain about too much because Eddie was awesome and seeing someone win the belt in his memory was nice, AND Rey absolutely fucking deserved a title run… but I just wish it could have happened at another time and place.

The crowd in Chicago that night were incredible, so just imagine them getting this match for the WHC. Both were babyfaces, both were at the top of their game, and both would have put on the performance of a lifetime. Angle as the Olympic Gold Medallist and Undertaker as the veteran who is ever adapting to keep up with the times and with new opponents and new styles. They worked those things into their No Way Out match WONDERFULLY, so having a rematch on the grandest stage of them all would have made them step it up a notch. As much as I dislike Angle most of the time, he had tremendous chemistry with The Undertaker, and I have zero doubts that this would have been in any way bad. Their No Way Out match for a long time was my favourite match ever (until I got around to re-watching the first ever HIAC and realised nothing even comes close to it lol), I can only imagine what I would think to a WM match between the two.

 

NUMBER 9

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Chris Benoit (2003-2005)

Why did we never get this match? Why? Couldn’t we have at least had it on another PPV? Something? We DID get 3 matches between these two… but they all took place in 2000 when Undertaker wasn’t exactly stealing the show every night, and they were never presented as big matches. One on Raw, one on Smackdown, and then one at Rebellion, a UK “PPV” which was basically a house show they glammed up a bit, taped and made us UK fans pay £15 to watch lol. I would even have settled for a damn TV match on Smackdown in 2006/2007, as at least then they were really putting effort into big TV matches, with both guys having some tremendous TV matches with a variety of opponents at the time. Maybe we WOULD have gotten this eventually, had the whole incident in 2007 never happened, but it could have still just ended up as a TV match like Jericho/Undertaker (not complaining too much about that one since I was there)… but even then Undertaker and Benoit HAD wrestled before. The only way to go was a big PPV match imo. And yeah, Wrestle-fucking-Mania was perfect.

Match on paper would seem similar to Angle/Undertaker, with Benoit as the better “wrestler” on the match and Undertaker having to adapt his style to keep up and hopefully win. Only difference is… Benoit could have been much more VICIOUS. Less flashly kick outs and more narly, gritty brawling and mat exchanges, and probably some of the better “will The Undertaker TAP OUT?” moments ever. Because when Benoit locked in the Crossface you got the impression he could tear your damn head off if you didn’t tap. And that would have been PERFECT for a Streak match to add that much needed drama.

 

NUMBER 8

The Undertaker (2002-2003) Vs Genichiro Tenryu (1990’s)

Cannot believe I originally forgot about TENRYU. His addition to my list knocked Razor Ramon off, but you know what? It was fucking worth it. Take the GRUMPY OLD BASTARD version of Tenryu (which has been most of his career tbh lol), and take the babyface BIG EVIL Undertaker, and just let these guys PUNCH EACH OTHER IN THE FACE for an hour. Would rival the HIAC match as the greatest match of all times. Hell, heel Big Evil Undertaker would work two. Might actually work better. Heel Undertaker would go to greater lengths to try and KILL Tenryu, while Tenryu would just look at him in disgust and punch him in the fucking FACE. Unsure really what else to talk about with this one. If you are familiar with TENRYU then I genuinely hope you understand WHY I would love to see this happen. If you aren’t, then you’ll just have to take my word that it would be the greatest thing ever (while also looking up some damn TENRYU matches because you should).

 

NUMBER 7

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Jake “The Snake” Roberts (1986-1988)

Fully aware that this happened at WrestleMania. But it wasn’t what it COULD have been had everything aligned properly like it could if I had this magical time machine thingy. Jake in 1992 when their match happened, wasn’t anywhere near the top of his game. His personal problems were, well, a big problem, plus he was leaving the company. They got very little time to work the match, and while I liked what they did, it’s still very disappointing when you know just how fucking good Jake can be and how incredible Undertaker can be too.

So I’d bring this version of Jake into say, 2008. With all the TV WWE had even back then, they could REALLY put a ton of effort into the build up. Start it early, maybe even in a similar way to how it happened back in the day, with Undertaker and Jake working together. Then do the turn, and it can all really get started from there. The promos would be incredible, and being able to do something every week on TV, with replays of it multiple times a week on other shows would just enhance their impact imo. Hell, honestly, I wouldn’t change the core structure of their original feud. It was great. They started off friends, Undertaker turned on him, and from there both guys tried to out do each other with the mind games. Only this time you’d have, as I already set, more TV time to build on it, better production, and both men are their absolute best too. And with THE STREAK being of such importance now too, they wouldn’t get shafted with a short meaningless match at WrestleMania.

 

NUMBER 6

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Eddie Guerrero (2005)

This is another of those matches that we MIGHT have eventually got had Eddie not tragically died in 2005. They never had a singles match, in fact as far as I’m aware, the only encounters they had were a 6 man tag in 2002, and then the 4 way match at Armageddon in 2004. And that’s IT.

So we take Eddie in 2005 when he was the absolute BEST in the company at the time in terms of being an incredible heel character and still producing incredible matches (REY series!), and put him up against the best version of Undertaker for match quality and BAM, no way can this go wrong. Sadistic heel Eddie can talk up the Guerrero legacy, and put himself over as being the best in the world. He can tell us how he’s “been there and done that” with the WWE championship, so now he wants to go after something else to cement his name in history. And that something else would be THE STREAK. Eddie during the match could really channel that incredible heel character he had at the time, doing anything and everything he can to counter Undertaker’s size and power and to try and BEAT the Dead Man and end the Streak. Match wouldn’t even need to be No DQ or anything, as it would allow Eddie to play up on the “lie, cheat and steal” stuff, but not necessarily in a way that would make the fans cheer for him. It’s one thing during a Streak match for someone to hit a finisher and get a near fall, but imagine Eddie cheating like FUCK to keep Undertaker down and get near falls from that!

 

NUMBER 5

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Mick Foley (1996-1997)

These two had one HELL of a rivalry back in the mid 90’s, producing some incredible matches. One on one, Buried Alive, Casket (house show), Hell in a Cell, and one on one matches that more resembled wild crazy No DQ brawls. Oh and that Boiler Room Brawl match… but the less said about that the better. And yet… no WrestleMania match? Huge missed opportunity there imo. WM 13 in 1997 would have been PERFECT for sure. A little re-booking her and there to keep the belt on Bret after the Final Four PPV, allowing Bret/Austin to be for the title, then switch Sid and Mankind around so we get Mankind Vs Undertaker, and the title titles match could have been Davey/Owen Vs THE MASTERS OF THE POWERBOMB (Sid & Vader). Hell I could probably write a damn piece on just re-booking WrestleMania 13 lol, but gotta stay on topic here; Undertaker Vs Mankind at WrestleMania!

So even though I’ve gone with a much later version of Undertaker, even if we stuck to the actual time in 1997, the match would have still been incredible. Undertaker and Foley had incredible chemistry together, and could have easily had a classic back then at WM. But bring that version of Mankind into a more current time against an even BETTER Undertaker, and during a time when THE STREAK is actually a thing and incredibly important, and you have the makings of not only a classic match but one of the better feuds ever. In fact, A couple of years ago I started writing a scenario for an Undertaker Vs Mankind WM feud, leading up to WM 26 I think it was a the time. I wrote out the first promo/segment for the build up but as with a lot of things I start, I just never finished it. The basic idea for the feud at the time was for Mankind to come out and talk about how he hates seeing Undertaker like this. No longer “on the hunt” like he was back during their mid-90’s feud, but instead content to wait for someone to come out and challenge HIM for a match at WrestleMania. So he would have to get Undertaker to challenge HIM instead, and the premise for the WM match wouldn’t be about beating the Streak, it would be about beating the living hell out of each other. Since then though, we HAVE had Undertaker switch it up and be the one to make the challenge, against Triple H at WM 28, though I think the way I envisioned it for Mankind would be WAY better haha. And yeah, that’s just the BUILD UP. The actual match? FUGGEDABOUDIT. An in shape, healthy (for his standards) Mankind Vs Undertaker at his very best, in a massively high profile match at WrestleMania built around the two of them destroying each other? PURE. FUCKING. HEAVEN.

 

NUMBER 4

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Terry Funk (1989)

I’m sure (or at least, I hope), everyone knows about TERRY FUNK in 1989. The angle and matches with Flair, mainly. My idea for a Streak match with Funk is to take part of what actually happened in 1989 but tweak it for Undertaker rather than Flair. Funk could be on commentary or something for a big Undertaker match, say at the Royal Rumble. Undertaker wins, then does the whole “point at the WM logo” thing that everyone does nowadays, to show that his mind is now on WM and who his next victim will be. Cue Funk getting in the ring and congratulating Undertaker. Funk as a well known, well respected veteran would be the kind of guy who COULD get in the ring with ‘Taker and do that without getting a random Chokeslam just for the hell of it. Funk can then do a sort of improv interview with the Dead Man, asking him who he thinks the next Streak challenger will be… and that’s when Funk can “jokingly” throw his own name into the hat. Undertaker, upon hearing it, can just smirk at Terry, similar to how he did it to HHH during their encounter leading up to WM 27. And that’s what sets Funk off. He can laugh it off to begin with, then when Undertaker turns his back, BAM. Microphone to the back of the head followed by Terry beating the shit out of the Dead Man. Funk is a well renowned TOUGH SOB and Undertaker just had a match so it wouldn’t be hard to think that Undertaker would be unable to make a comeback here. Piledriver through a table, and the WrestleMania match is set!

For the match, little more needs to be done that to make it No DQ/Falls Count Anywhere or something. Funk as the crazed “old man” (OLD in 1989 lol… compared to what he is NOW?) resorting to using everything he can get his hands on to brutalise Undertaker. Undertaker, also being from Texas, probably has a world of respect for Funk and would be willing to make him look as good as possible, selling everything as great as Undertaker can sell it (which is like, world class levels of selling) and letting him get as much offence in as he wants. A punch exchange from these two would make my private parts all tingly. Just let them both have a big wild, crazy brawl, take it backstage, into the crowd, fucking everywhere. Would be unique for a Streak match for starters, and these two guys beating the hell out of each other in a variety of ways would be nothing short of AWESOME.

 

NUMBER 3

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs John Cena (2007)

This match could still actually happen. Not 2007 Cena obviously, but it could still ACTUALLY HAPPEN. And it kind NEEDS to happen. Cena is the one guy left on the roster right now who could challenge The Streak and make the outcome unpredictable. Something we haven’t had in quite some time. Cena is known for being “Superman” who overcomes all the odds no matter what, and is a guy who WWE go to great lengths to push even further and put him over even more. Which makes him the perfect WM opponent for The Undertaker, but despite everything, in the back of all our minds, we will be thinking “yeah, Undertaker’s streak is probably never gonna end… BUT WWE might actually consider letting Cena end it…”. So while most of us DO get caught up in the moment watching WM live as someone hits their finisher on ‘Taker… I guarantee EVERYONE will be caught up in the moment as Cena locks in the STFU or hits an AA from the top rope. The atmosphere in any arena for this match would be electric, which would only ADD to the viewing experience. I just hope we really do get it soon, certainly over something like a Sting match.

 

NUMBER 2

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Vader (1992-1993)

They had a few matches in 1997, but in all honesty I was disappointed with them all. WWF Vader just wasn’t VADER. But take the early 90’s WCW champion Vader, and put him against Undertaker (from virtually any time period tbh), and I think it’s almost guaranteed to be far better than anything we got in WWF 1997. Vader as the big monster heel who wants to CRUSH Undertaker, and Undertaker as the legend fighting to keep his Streak alive against one of the biggest threats ever. I’d imagine the match to be somewhat similar to the 08 matches between Undertaker and Big Show; just huge guys trying to cave each other’s faces in. Vader being able to really let loose and not be toned down by WWF would make Big Show look like a CHUMP. Undertaker firing back with HIS strikes would be awesome to see, and of course his selling of Vader’s offence would make this whole thing incredible to watch. Oh, and imagine the near fall we could get from a fucking VADER MOONSAULT!!!

 

NUMBER 1

The Undertaker (2006-Current) Vs Jerry “The King” Lawler (1980’s)

Ok, I know what some of you must be thinking; I’ve finally lost my mind. Right? I guess it all depends on how much (if any), you’ve seen of Lawler during the 80’s. Unfortunately a lot of people today, when they think of Lawler, they only really know him from his WWF run, either in the ring (which honestly never produced much goodness) or commentary (which has been dreadful ever since he returned after Survivor Series in 2001). But for those who have seen his work in Memphis and the like from the 1980’s, you should know just how fucking GREAT Jerry Lawler was (and still is, he CAN still produce greatness today). He could be the ultimate underdog, fighting from underneath against a monster heel, or he could be one giant PRICK heel who would cheat every chance he got behind the referee’s back.

A match between these two could be absolute, undeniable MAGIC given the right circumstances. Went back and forth for a while with myself (as I often do. I’M NOT CRAZY) as to which Undertaker I should use. Big Evil Heel from 2001-2002 was sooo close to being picked for this, but in the end I went with 06-current as he’s been at his BEST in the ring during this time. However, I’d make Undertaker the HEEL for this. Lawler as the uber babyface fighting back against a demonic heel Undertaker is just… just… ORGASMIC. Book the match similar to the epic Loser Leaves Town match between Lawler and Dundee from 1985, with a heel Undertaker just punching the shit out of Lawler. More of a boxing match than a wrestling match. Undertaker just continues to punch the shit out of Lawler, busting him open, targeting an eye, and the crowd would be 100% behind Lawler making that big comeback. And when he does, the roof would blow off any damn arena anywhere in the world. All it would take is a well placed punch to create enough space for Lawler to rest for a few seconds and throw ANOTHER punch. And from there, the straps can come down and we have ourselves the hottest finishing stretch imaginable for a match. Hell, stick this match in the Mid-South Coliseum during the 1980’s and you’d have the most MOLTEN HOT crowd ever too. Well I’m just gonna shut my eyes and imagine this entire match…. ahhhhh.

 

So there it is! My list of the Top 10 Streak matches to Never Happen! Hope you enjoyed reading it, and I’ve love to hear YOUR top 10 list too! So feel free to post a comment below!

WrestleMania Week – WrestleMania 29 Ramble

WM 29

WrestleMania 29

Once in a lifetime… 2.

 

The Shield Vs Sheamus, The Big Show & Randy Orton

THE SHIELD AT WRESTLEMANIA. Hells yeah. Surprised that this opened the show over the WHC match, but what ya gonna do? WHC match not opening kinda lead me to believe that Ziggler was gonna cash in. He didn’t. Until RAW the next night! And Shield went after THE UNDERTAKER on Raw the next night too. But enough of Raw (which was great), this is WM. And it’s THE SHIELD. Babyfaces start off hot, gaining the early advantage mainly because they’ve been desperate to get their hands on The Shield for some time now. Show tags himself in as it doesn’t look like Orton or Sheamus trust him enough to tag him in, and oh man, Show and Ambrose have a super fun minute together in the ring. I can’t wait for Ambrose and Undertaker interactions. I mentioned this in my live notes already, but I love that they get finally get the advantage in this match by controlling BIG SHOW. Normally you wanna stay away from the giant and control someone… smaller, but Shield take ANY opportunity they get and are able to keep even The Big Show down with their incredible team work. Makes them look fucking great. Hot tag to Sheamus, and he dishes out some great punishment, before being part of a sick spot involving Rollins who does a suicide dive and ends up head first into the barricade. Does every major Shield match result in Rollins going head first into something lol? Show is great with his giant spear to prevent a triple powerbomb. Show is begging for Sheamus to tag him… but Orton the selfish bastard tags himself in… and ends up losing all the while Show just watches on feeling betrayed. Knockout punch to Orton and Sheamus for being so selfish. Weakest Shield PPV match so far… and yet it’s still fucking good. Shield are immense, and after seeing the Raw after WM I absolutely cannot wait for their next 6 man!

Rating: ***1/2.

CAL SCALE: 3

 

Mark Henry Vs Ryback

Really wish they got someone else for Henry to face at WM. Ryback sucks. Henry needs someone either smaller so he can really fucking destroy them, or someone equally as big who can actually work. Henry using Bear Hugs certainly don’t win any favours with me for this match. Fuck that hold. LMAO at Lawler saying the fans are booing this match because they expected Ryback to be winning. Couldn’t possibly be the boring as shit Bear Hug, could it? Match has some good parts to it. Noting that good, but it stops it from being completely horrible. Pretty much take out the Bear Hugs and this could have been a little better. Finish was weird and a little abrupt, but hey, HENRY gets the win so woo.

Rating: *1/2

CAL SCALE: 0.5

 

Team Hell No Vs Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston – WWE Tag Team Championship Match

Tag titles on the line here. Again, with the WHC match not opening, and this now happening before it, I was sure Dolph was cashing in. Instead he loses her and doesn’t cash in until the next night lol. The call back tease from Bryan’s match last year was fucking tremendous and yeah, I thought they might actually go ahead with it and have Ziggler lose that way. Then he could have cashed in later in the night and got his redemption lol. But it didn’t end there, which is good because then at least Bryan gets a real match at WM finally. Wish it was a singles match but ah well. Big E was a concern going into the match because based on his FCW stuff I’ve seen, he isn’t that good. But he doesn’t stay in long and sticks to basic power shit and he does absolutely fine in his role. ZIg Zag was a great near fall, surprised the match didn’t end there. Dolph was super fun in this, as for Bryan, but it seems Kane was in for the majority of the match, but at least Bryan got the pin. Fun stuff, match went pretty much how I expected it to.

Rating: **1/4

CAL SCALE: 1

 

Chris Jericho Vs Fandango

Fans not signing his entrance music automatically means this isn’t good. Just kidding. Wish WM had both a roof and the same crowd as Raw. Would have been more fun to watch. Jericho is the grizzled veteran here, while Fandango is the newcomer that hasn’t even had a match yet. I like how the match played on that perfectly. Jericho pretty much just dominated, with Fandango getting shots in here and there when he can. Surprised that Jericho kicked out of the legdrop… since it seemed like it was supposed to be Fandango’s finisher, and Jericho just killed it in his first match lol. Some awkward sports here and there (botches, possible miss-communications), and a strange finish, but overall a fun match. Fandango got the win like most people expected, and the way he did it, while looking dodgy, at least worked within the story of the match. Seems they will have a rematch at Extreme Rules, or maybe just on Raw, based on this week’s Raw.

Rating: **1/2

CAL SCALE: 1

 

Alberto Del Rio Vs Jack Swagger – World Heavyweight Championship Match

WHC time! Spoiler: No cash in. Makes me sad. But they made up for it the next night on Raw. I need to stop talking about Raw lol. LMFAO, it’s WRESTLEMANIA. WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH. And Swagger doesn’t even get an entrance! LOL. Dutch wearing his usual jacket thing but with a shirt and tie under it for WM is awesome. Unfortunately this match isn’t awesome. Thankfully it wasn’t bad either though. I went in expecting nothing because I really don’t care for either guy or their feud, so them pulling out a solid match is all I can ask for. Some nice sequences and bumps throughout the match, and I quite enjoyed the submission counters they did. Shame Del Rio absolutely no sold the effects of the Ankle Lock like a twat. Also didn’t like how they (the commentators, and even the fans, though the fans kinda blew most of the night anyway) no sold the Gutwrench Powerbomb. It’s Swagger’s pin finisher, and it just randomly happened half way into the match to zero reaction and got a normal 2 count like it was nothing. In the end Swagger taps to the Arm Breaker. Enjoyed this one more on a re-watch, but that isn’t saying too much. Certainly not a bad match, but between me not caring about either man and Del Rio’s shoddy selling along with a few other little things, it doesn’t really get into the “great match” territory. Which is a shame because it was looking quite good in parts.

Rating: **1/2

CAL SCALE: 1

 

The Undertaker Vs CM Punk

Main event time! The build up might have been fucked up with the death of Paul Bearer (wonder what they originally planned?), but I was still wanted to see the match because it’s CM Punk and the motherfucking UNDERTAKER at WrestleMania. Had some doubts as to how good it could be, I’ll admit, but I was still pretty hyped to see it. Living Colour signing Punk’s theme was the only good musical performance at WM since… the last time Motorhead played HHH to the ring. Piddly Diddly earlier in the show was dreadful. I legit had no idea who the fuck he was until afterwards too. All I knew is he was some fucker who started talking over one of the Rocky themes. Now I know him as Piddly Diddly, the fucker who talked over the Rocky theme. Punk is awesome. Just needed to get that out there. We all know it though. But he’s awesome from just the little things he does based around his character as he makes his entrance. And then we have Undertaker who is on a whole other level of awesomeness far above even Punk. His entrance was awesome as fuck. All the creepy hands rising out of the floor trying to escape hell where Undertaker has sent their souls or something. I think that’s what they were going for? Was an awesome visual anyway. The hands, the mist, the lighting, Undertaker’s theme, Undertaker in general. The entrances for this are better than the show so far, and I’ve enjoyed the show so far! I honestly don’t see how WM is ever going to be the same once he retires. NOBODY, and I do mean NOBODY, not Brock, not Rock, not Cena, not HHH, not even someone like Hogan potentially coming back, could ever match the kind of presence Undertaker has at this event and the effect he has on the overall show. Hell wrestling in general simply won’t be the same knowing he won’t ever have another match once he retires. I know personally as a fan I probably won’t care as much once he leaves. Some of the build to this match has been Punk talking about how he can end the Streak without beating Undertaker; he can end it by having Undertaker essentially beat himself by getting DQ’d. They don’t play up on that too much in the match, really just at the start, but honestly I don’t mind at all. Punk slaps the shit out of Undertaker to start with, trying to get him angry, but Undertaker is clearly able to beat the fuck out of Punk AND stop before he crosses the line and gets DQ’d, so it makes sense that Punk would give up on that idea and stick to wrestling, because he’s the BEST IN THE WORLD and truly has confidence in himself even at WM against the Dead Man. Crowd are awesome for the first and only time at this event. And it really is cool to hear someone get a mixed reaction against Undertaker at WM. That’s how popular Punk still is. Undertaker brings his A game, despite the fact everyone always expects him to show up looking like some old man who can barely move lol. As long as he can take some bumps and throw his awesome punches, I doubt he is capable of a bad match. And as good as Undertaker is in this match, Punk is actually the better man, but both are tremendous anyway. Punk is able to counter Old School, then hits his own because he can. They tease the Dead Man Dive, and hell I actually thought he was gonna go through with it, but Heyman gets up on the apron and Undertaker ends up charging at him full force and grabs him by the throat until Punk makes the save. Great way to get around the fact Undertaker really shouldn’t be doing that move, though I don’t doubt for a second that he could if he really wanted. Punk picks up a lot of momentum, then signals for a GTS after messing about with the Urn, and Undertaker manages to come back with a massive Chokeslam! Didn’t have the kind of near fall effect that it would have done 5 years ago, but it doesn’t stop me from still enjoying the match or anything. Yeah we know Punk isn’t winning, but it doesn’t make the match less entertaining imo. Big table spot, with Punk hitting the Savage elbow from the ropes, and the table doesn’t break, which always makes the move look even more BRUTAL in the best way possible in all honesty. Looks fucking SICK in slow motion on the replay. Totally saw the Hells Gate attempt coming lol. Undertaker rising up while in the Anaconda Vice was a fucking great moment. Reminds me of Undertaker sitting up while in the Figure Four at WM 18. Punk counters a chokeslam, hits a GTS and Undertaker falls into the ropes and springs back with a quick Tombstone OUT OF NOWHERE! Incredible moment, made even better when Punk kicks out! Didn’t expect that. Not sure what people feel about Undertaker essentially no selling the GTS, but it was almost like it woke up the Dead Man, who had to hit a big move as quick as possible out of sheer desperation because Punk might very well be as good as he says he is. Last Ride countered ala WM 17 but with the URN instead of a Sledgehammer was great. Didn’t for one second believe it was over, but it was still a tremendous spot and near fall. Punk gets cocky once again and does Undertaker’s signature pose before setting up the GTS one more time. Great counter sequence, and Undertaker hits another Tombstone! 1…2…3! 21-0! Incredible match. Doesn’t match the last 4, but that’s just how great they were. Punk was tremendous, Undertaker proved once again that he can still GO better than almost anyone, and the end result is a tremendous addition to the STREAK. MOTY so far, and definitely MOTN. 7 years in a row Undertaker has had the best match at WM. 6 of them were my MOTY overall too.

Rating: ****1/4

CAL SCALE: 6

 

Triple H Vs Brock Lesnar – No Holds Barred Match, if HHH loses he has to retire

Which is meaningless because he’s probably had less than 10 matches in the last 3 years lol. HBK at ringside because… *shrugs*. Lesnar looks hilarious in a beanie hat. HHH looks hilarious with white stuff all over his stomach. Lesnar looks baffled by it lol. Triple H starts the match by going after the stomach of Lesnar, smart given the real life problems Lesnar has had, and given that that is how HHH turned the tide in their SS match in 2012 (though in the end it didn’t matter). Then he just stops and throws punches to the head instead. And speaking of head… Lesnar lands on his after taking a clothesline off the barricade. Ouch. Crowd don’t give a FUCK from the get go. Nothing to get excited about anyway. Some good stuff here and there, but it’s all spread out too much so when something happens and you start getting into the match… they just stop, slow shit down, and do fuck all again for a few minutes. Really kills the flow of the match. SS wasn’t exactly a fast paced affair, but it had a great atmosphere to it and a real big fight feel and they did a lot more too. This is just dull. HBK running like a bitch from Lesnar is one of the few highlights. Poor Lesnar needs to stay away from steel steps. He fumbles about with them here and it makes him look dumb, plus he keeps losing matches because of them lol. Lesnar keeps locking in the Kimura, but HHH keeps fighting out before Lesnar can break it. Then HHH attacks the arm of Lesnar and locks in the Kimura lock himself! Lesnar holds on like a motherfucker, refusing to tap out despite teasing it numerous times. Makes the hold look kinda shitty I know, but this IS still pro wrestling and not MMA. HBK superkicking Heyman is awesome. And HBK finally serves his purpose of being at ringside LOL. Lesnar manages to pick HHH up off the ground while in the hold, making him look like a fucking BEAST, and smashes the game onto the steel steps. I’ve seen people complain about him constantly getting put in the hold again and again after breaking free, but the way I look at it is that he manages to escape but is too hurt to follow up, allowing HHH to lock it in before he has chance to recover. Lesnar goes to the well too often, and instead of smashing HHH onto the steps for a third time, HHH counters with a DDT! This is followed up with a sledgehammer shot, and then a Pedigree on the steps and Lesnar is defeated. Lesnar looked strong as fuck in defeat so I’m not THAT bothered, though I would have liked to have seen Lesnar win lol. Match overall isn’t that good, really slow and boring outside of the finishing stretch and a couple of moments here and there. SummerSlam match blows it away imo.

Rating: **3/4

CAL SCALE: 1

 

The Rock Vs John Cena – WWE Championship Match

wice in a fucking lifetime bullshit for the WWE Title. Zero fucks given by me. Only good thing about this is that they don’t have grand entrances and god awful musical performances like last year. God was that terrible. 10 minutes go by… and… wow, fuck all happens, yet they both sell the match like they’ve had a WAR up to this point. Cena keeps calling spots loud as fuck too lol. Our friendly neighbourhood botchamania guy made sure to put them all in his latest video for anyone interested lol. So yeah, fuck all happens and them BAM. Finishers galore. They just kept hitting them. Again and again and again and again and again. About as “Indy” as a WWE match could be. Pointless nothingness before hitting each other with as many big moves as possible before eventually ending the match lol. ONLY moments that I enjoyed were Rock mocking Cena’s mistake from the previous year, and Cena taking the piss by teasing making the same mistake this year, only to stop and look at Rock like he’s a fucking moron… only to have it backfire on him and get Rock Bottomed. They burn through a ton of finishers before Cena finally wins and that’s that. LOL at them saluting each other at the top of the ramp. Terrible match, managing to be worse than last year.

Rating: *

CAL SCALE: 0

 

Overall CAL SCALE: 13.5

WrestleMania Week – The Perfect WrestleMania

The Perfect WrestleMania

 

“Perfect PPV” is a fairly new written content idea for my site, and I have so far only done one. I chose the year 2000 for WWF, and I put together the best PPV card using matches that took place that year on PPV (see that here: WWF 2000: The Perfect PPV). The rules being that I had to have every title defended, couldn’t use a wrestler more than once, and had 8 matches on the card. So for WM Week, I have put together a similar event, only using WM matches to create THE perfect WM event of all time! Slight change of rules when it comes to title matches, as a lot of belts were only around for a couple of years (European and Hardcore titles for example) or haven’t been defended enough to really matter (US title). So for my Perfect WM event, I have decided to only include the WWE title, WHC, Tag Team titles, IC title and women’s title, with 2 “high profile” matches and 1 Streak to bring the match count up to 8. This is what I came up with!

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVTagTitles

 

#1. Tag Team Title Match – The Hardy Boys Vs The Dudley Boys Vs Edge & Christian – WrestleMania 2000 – ****1/4

I’m sure a lot of people would pick the TLC match featuring these 3 teams from the year after, but I personally much prefer this match to that one, and honestly I can’t name a better tag match in WM history. So for it being a tremendous match and such fun to watch, I just HAD to pick it as my tag title match.

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVWomensTitle

 

#2.  Women’s Title Match – Trish Stratus Vs Mickie James – WrestleMania 22 – ***1/2

Let’s face it, there aren’t exactly many women’s title matches in WWE history that have been any good. This is, and imo is the best they’ve ever had. The fact it happened at WM makes it all the more special, and helps prevent my Perfect WrestleMania card from having a terrible match on it!

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVHP1

 

#3.  High Profile Match 1 – Cody Rhodes Vs Rey Mysterio – WrestleMania 27 – ****

Admittedly this wouldn’t have been my first choice, but all of the other matches ahead of this all featured either a title on the line or numerous wrestlers that were already used up for the rest of the list. However, it doesn’t make this a bad inclusion by any means, because it’s awesome.

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVICTitle

 

#4. IC Title Match – Randy Savage Vs Ricky Steamboat – WrestleMania 3 – ****1/4

Perhaps this match gets a little overrated in that people call it one of the best matches of all time and a 5 star classic, but there is no denying how great it is and the fact it is quite easily the best IC title match to happen in WM history!

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVWHC

 

#5. WHC Match – Triple H Vs Booker T – WrestleMania 19 – ***3/4

Definitely a match I would consider underrated. One of the absolute best Booker T matches of all time and while not THE best WHC match at WM, it’s definitely up there. Ratings wise there are better WHC matches I could have picked, but like the first High Profile match my picks were limited due to wrestlers repeating, but again this is still a great match and I’m happy to have it on my Perfect WM event!

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVHP2

 

#6. High Profile Match 2 – Bret Hart Vs Steve Austin – WrestleMania 13 – *****

Do I even have to explain my choice here? Of course not! One of the best matches of all time and one of the best WM matches of all time. An excellent pick.

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVWETitle

 

#7. WWE Title Match – CM Punk Vs Chris Jericho – WrestleMania28 – ****1/2

IMO this is definitely the best WWE title match in WM history, so it wasn’t just a case of me not being able to use something like Rock/Austin WM 17 because I already used Austin for the second high profile match. I adore this match and think it is a perfect pick for the WWE title match on my perfect WM event!

 

WVWMWeekPerfectPPVStreakMatch

 

#8. Streak Match – The Undertaker Vs Shawn Michaels – WrestleMania 26 – *****

The best WM match and one of the best matches ever is without a doubt my pick for the Streak Match of my perfect WM AND the match I would put as the Main Event. It main evented the WM it took place at, and it’s main eventing mine!

 

So there is the card for my Perfect WrestleMania event! On the CAL SCALE it would get an astounding 50 points!!!  Do you agree with my picks? How would YOUR Perfect WrestleMania Event look? Feel free to leave a comment below with your own perfect WM!