Ever since his debut, The Undertaker made WrestleMania his show and went on to have great match after great match.
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With Football, there is the FIFA World Cup, with NFL, there is the Super Bowl and with WWE, there is WrestleMania. Just like how Tom Brady is synonymous with NFL and Cristiano Ronaldo is synonymous with Football, the one name that is synonymous with WWE is The Undertaker. Ever since his debut, The Undertaker made WrestleMania his show and went on to have great match after great match. It became such a thing that fans started watching WrestleMania only because of Taker. His undefeated streak went on for 21 years but it came to an end at the hands of Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 30. Over the years, Taker has faced some illustrious opponents at the grandest stage of them all like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Kane etc. In this article, we will take a look at some of The Undertaker’s best WrestleMania matches.
Shawn Michaels first took on The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 but he failed to beat him. Not one to keep quiet, HBK challenged the Deadman to another match at WrestleMania 26 but this time, there was a stipulation. If Michaels lost, he had to retire from wrestling. All that added a much-needed interest to an already deep story. The match was going at a pace that could only be matched by two veterans. HBK came up with move after the move but it wasn’t enough to put Taker down.
There was a scary botch on the part of The Undertaker when he landed headfirst on the floor when trying to a flying senton. That collision added a much-needed realism to the match and the gasp from the crowd said it all. Taker managed to win in dramatic fashion when he caught Shawn Michaels in mid-air as he was attempting to do a move off the top rope. A tombstone followed next just like that, and the career of Shawn Michaels came to an end.
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This match was dubbed, “The End of an Era”. Triple H, just like his best friend Shawn Michaels attempted to break Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. His first attempt proved futile but then The Game laid down a challenge again. And this time, it was going to be in Hell in a Cell. The hellish structure that proved to be the downfall of so many legends was to be the setting when the greatest era was to come to an end. There was a catch to it. Shawn Michaels was named the special guest referee and that added a bit more spice to it. The steel structure was lowered to the ring to the tune of Metallica’s Memory Remains and that track set the tone for the rest of the match.
The match started really well. Triple H is a powerhouse and took it to Taker from the off but Taker recovered and slowly started to dismantle The Game. Both men dished out punishment to each other on the unforgiving steel and even used weapons. Michaels then delivered a Sweet Chin Music and Triple H went for the cover but Taker kicked out leaving everyone in shock. Triple H then brought out the sledgehammer but could not bring down Taker. The Phenom finally delivered a tombstone piledriver and picked up the win. After the match, the two men had a once in a lifetime moment at the top of the entrance ramp taking in the adoration of the crowd.
By the time WrestleMania 36 rolled by, it was common knowledge to everyone that that show would be the last we saw of The Undertaker. The WWE couldn’t have picked a better opponent for The Undertaker than AJ Styles. It was in fact, Taker’s own preference to fight AJ in his last WrestleMania match. The match turned out to be a grudge match in more ways than one. Styles mentioning Taker’s wife added a mean streak to this budding rivalry. By the time, WrestleMania came around, it was decided that Taker’s last match would be a Boneyard match.
The setting was a sight to behold and the best part was The Phenom brought out his chopper once more, much to everyone’s surprise. The match was entertaining, to say the least. It showcased everything from Taker’s past to his present and the whole setting added a cinematic angle. Taken took some punishment but that wasn’t going to last long as he firmly took control of the match and started to dominate AJ. There was interference from Anderson and Gallows but that didn’t add up to much as Taker buried Styles alive to win the match and drove away in style.
