Why The Undertaker is WrestleMania's True 'Phenom'
The sound of the gong sends the crowd into a tizzy, the eerie sight of him walking to the ring with his trademark black hat and his black coat sends shivers down the spines of WWE Superstars, and his mere presence adds aura to WrestleMania.
Without a shadow of doubt, The Undertaker is the greatest Superstar to ever set foot at ‘The Grandest Stage Of Them All’.
Out of the 34 editions of WrestleMania, he has been a part of 26 of them. You need to state it starkly so that the magnitude of the statement sinks in.
And, out of those 26 appearances, ‘The DeadMan’ has a whopping 24 victories at WrestleMania, including an unprecedented run of 21 straight victories called ‘The Streak’.
‘The Phenom’ has had feuds with some of the biggest names of the Company at WrestleMania, including the likes of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Batista, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns etc.
And, the memories that The Undertaker has provided us will last a lifetime….
That classic World Title match against Batista at WrestleMania 23, the ethereal Streak Vs Career match at WrestleMania 26, where the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels took us on an emotional roller coaster ride, the brutal Hell In A Cell match against Triple H at WrestleMania 28, where these two men pushed each other to the limits of endurance, and of course, that fateful night at WrestleMania 30, where the ‘Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar beat The Undertaker and the greatest streak in the history of Sports Entertainment ended, and for the first time, The Undertaker appeared mortal.
WrestleMania and The Undertaker are pretty much inseparable- the intimate connection has now, lasted for almost three decades.
The Rock might have ‘electrified’ the WWE Universe, Shawn Michaels might have delivered several ‘Show Stopping’ performances at WrestleMania, Hulk Hogan might have provided ‘Immortal’ moments at The Show Of Shows, but none of them have come close to the aura that The Undertaker exudes at WrestleMania.
But then, just like all great journeys, this one too, it has to end. And so, in all probability, WrestleMania 35 will be the last that we will see of The Undertaker. The gong may strike for one final time this year, at WrestleMania 35, and for the final time, The Undertaker may step into the ring.
But then, irrespective of whatever may happen this year or in the coming years, you can be sure of this- no mortal Superstar has defined WrestleMania the way The Undertaker has done, and his retirement will bring down the curtains on the most glorious chapter ever in WrestleMania history.
For, The Undertaker is indeed WrestleMania’s ‘Phenom’.