It's belief amongst many now that nobody will ever go over 'Taker at Wrestlemania, as the streak has been so vigorously protected over the years and holds such importance to future ventures that it would be an ill fated move to do so; keeping the streak intact thus ensures that there will always be another year's Wrestlemania that can benefit from the hype and speculation, as well as it being a major selling point for future DVD releases and The Phenom's inevitable Hall of Fame induction. That Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista, Edge, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels to name but a few have failed to score a victory over 'Taker at the big one should be sufficient evidence alone to prove just how valuable the streak is.
In a poll held recently on a forum I frequent, it was the general consensus that if a superstar were to end it then said victory would be held as an achievement on par with a Royal Rumble win or even headlining Wrestlemania. That it would be held in higher regard than a World title reign shows just shows its level of importance...
And doesn't WWE just know this?
Just like years previous, the WWE hype machine begins to plant the seeds for the upcoming clash at around this time of year. Whom do I think will take on the Undertaker at this year's show? Well, let's see...
Sting - A lot of wrestling fans agree that Sting going one on one with the Undertaker is one of the few dream matches remaining that has never previously taken place. Here's a few points for the 'pro-Sting versus Undertaker at WM' camp:
- WM27 is to be held in Atlanta, the home of WCW, the original home of The Stinger. On top of this, 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of the 'death' of WCW.
- Both Sting and Undertaker's dark and gothic characters can be likened to one an other, ensuring that the match would pretty much promote itself.
- Sting is unquestionably the biggest star never to have worked for WWE and was the biggest star WCW created; Undertaker is arguably the biggest star WWE have ever made who is still a part of the active roster.
- "Sting wouldn't join WWE and lose his first match, would he?" This argument states that it would ensure uncertainty on the outcome of this match.
- There's an untarnished and mutual respect between Sting and Vince McMahon, with both sides knowing how much each could benefit from Sting joining the Dub.
- The hype videos are unduly similar to those used for Sting back in WCW.
Shawn Michaels - Shawn Michaels put Undertaker over at the past two Wrestlemania's, the most recent clash being the last time that HBK wrestled after the match stipulated that he would have to retire, should he lose. Both the efforts have been heralded as two of the greatest matches in WWE history and some believe that WM25 was actually saved by their efforts as the rest of the show was so poor. That the Raw vignette now has the same Johnny Cash track playing over it as was played throughout their feud this time last year has sparked some rumours that it will in actual fact be The Showstopper who will once again collide with 'Taker. The date on the video reads "2-21-11", which is the date of the Raw following Elimination Chamber, the event at which HBK super-kicked 'Taker last year, pushing their feud into full swing mode. Will HBK be announced as being the challenger once again this year, going down a "third-time lucky" route?
John Cena - I believe that out of anybody on WWE's active roster, a John Cena versus Undertaker battle at Wrestlemania has to be the company's last mega draw contest. However, the build up to this match would have no doubt begun before now and I have a feeling that Vince is saving this one for WM30, which may very well be the show where Vinnie Mac takes a bow from the industry for the final time.
Wade Barrett - This is an interesting one for me; Undertaker has stated his respect for Barrett and says that he expects him to have achieve a huge level of success in the future and hopes to do a programme together. Barrett's Corre team have been proving of late on Smackdown that as a unit they can take down bigger guys (see Big Show) and this could be used as a basis to a Barrett - Taker match. However, I have a gut feeling that the two will clash at next year's show after Barrett has solidified himself as a main eventer.
From the evidence here, I've got to believe that Sting will go against 'Taker at this year's event. This however bodes the question, 'Who will score the victory?'. As has been mentioned earlier, would Sting come to WWE and lose in his first match? It's very questionable; everybody has their price and Sting has never been one to stand in the way of the 'right' decision. This however has led many people to assume that a Sting versus Undertaker match would instead be saved until a Summerslam or another PPV, where the outcome would be much less predictable - and Sting could go over, without harming the streak. That's the biggest doubt playing in the back of my mind.
However, I'm still banking on Sting falling to Undertaker at Wrestlemania 27.
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