Notes from the Nosebleeds #160
March 17, 2012
By: Matt O’Brien of Wrestleview.com
I have an idea. It’s just one of many. They pass through my head every so often and some have merit every now and then. This particular idea made its way into my skull some weeks back ,and has managed to stay there. Do you ever get an idea in your head that sounds great at first, so you let it sit a while, and then later when you have a clear head its sounds awful? I thought this idea might go that way. At first I laughed it off, but then it grew on me. It all has to do with the Hell in a Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H at Wrestlemania XVIII. Compared to last year, WWE has done a much better job of building this year’s match. Then again, if they knew a rematch would be taking place this time last year, a weaker build may have been done on purpose. With the Hell in a Cell stipulation, Shawn Michaels as the special referee, and a report about Undertaker’s extensive injuries, how this match ends has the gears in my head turning. The ending this year could be different from any Undertaker match ever seen at Wrestlemania, and more significant.
For nineteen matches at Wrestlemania, Undertaker has been victorious. So many people want to see him retire with the streak intact. There is something appealing to having it end on a nice round number like twenty. Maybe it just feels like a proper exit for a legend like him. The problem WWE has run into with the streak is that there’s no reason for Undertaker to win the matches. He continues to win because it is Wrestlemania and the streak needs to stay alive. The wins become redundant and anticlimactic. This year’s build is bit better since Undertaker feels a need to win. The last feel years he has been challenged and seemed almost bored than motivated. On the flip side, it would be stupid to just end the streak to change things up. The streak is something very special. It wasn’t planned; it just happened over the course of time and has been a spectacular story to watch unfold. A lot of wrestling fans have wished for a young guy to get the win over Undertaker at Mania. That could pose a problem. Look at Ric Flair in 2008. The story was that Flair would lose the next match he had, so when he lost to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania, it was the end. In the months prior, Flair feuded with MVP and Mr. Kennedy. Can you imagine if one of those guys had been the one to end Flair’s career? WWE turned out to not be the place for either one of those guys. Using Flair’s retirement to launch a career seemed kind of silly when it is the biggest win either guy would have ever had, and when they turn out to not stay with the company anyway. That was just Ric Flair, whom had retired before, and would come back even after losing to Michaels. Things don’t work that way with the streak. You can’t just reinstate it through a storyline. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. In that respect, it has become a blessing and a curse.
It’s tough to argue the case that Triple H should beat Undertaker and end the streak. If it did happen, it would be an interesting way to end the streak. Undertaker, if he decided to wrestle another match or two, could do so without the burden of the streak. Triple H would have one last big win before he left the ring for good to concentrate on the operations of the company. During last year’s Wrestlemania, I was unable to watch the event live. Instead I saw it after the fact. I kept up with the live results through Wrestleview and Wikipedia. At one point in the show, I went to check Wikipedia for quick match results and someone had posted that Triple H had defeated Undertaker. I laughed and hit refresh on the window. In the few seconds that I waited for the window, I thought about Triple H winning, and it didn’t bother me. When the window came back up, whoever had been screwing around with the page had their mistake corrected. When it was finally posted that Undertaker had won, I must admit I was a bit let down. It’s not that I want to see him lose, but it would be so interesting to see what WWE comes up with if they ever do end the streak.
That being said, the idea that has been gong through my head may seem a bit crazy. Okay, it may be downright insane. At Wrestlemania, Undertaker and Triple H should fight to a draw. I know this sounds like an awful idea. Most people hate draws to begin with, let alone at Wrestlemania. Here’s the thing, what does having Undertaker win again really accomplish? It becomes just another win for the sake of keeping the streak alive because it’s the streak. For Undertaker, there is no gain. He’s beaten Triple H twice already at previous Wrestlemania shows. It would be nice to see the streak get to 20-0, but just because it is a nice round number doesn’t mean it has to happen. Twenty is a just a number. Nineteen wins at Wrestlemania is still very impressive. One more win is pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. At the same time, having Triple H beat Undertaker now doesn’t feel quite right. Triple H has had an incredible career and picked up some great wins, particularly when he retired Mick Foley. Despite everything he has done, beating Undertaker at Wrestlemania would be his biggest win yet, but it isn’t necessary to get his point across. In a strange way, a draw actually feels more significant than either guy getting a win. Shawn Michaels as the referee gives the feel that he could screw either one out of the win, but will stay true to his character by calling it down the middle. Triple H beat Undertaker so bad last year that, even though he lost, Undertaker could not walk out on his own. That is the closest anyone has ever come to ending it all. If he goes back to Wrestlemania with Undertaker, only to lose, it feels like it never mattered. Undertaker needs to prove to himself that he still has it in him. A draw would do that since he can still say he was Triple H never got the best of him. Remember, a draw is not a loss. The streak would not be broken, but Triple H would win in that Undertaker did not have his hand raised. WWE keeps billing this as a match between two men who are the last of their kind. It only seems fitting that they vanquish each other.