For the first time since 2000, there will be no Undertaker at WrestleMania. It’s incredible to think about it, but in his career, there have only been two years (1994 and 2000) where The Undertaker missed the grandest stage of them all. With a whopping 24-2 record, there’s nobody who’s come close to his appearances at WrestleMania, let alone the streak. Only Triple H has come close to his number of appearances, having performed at the grandest stage of them all a whopping 22 times. That’s no small feat in itself, but it just goes to prove why The Undertaker’s WrestleMania resumé is as phenomenal as it is.
His longevity has been nothing short of fascinating, and even the story of the streak is one that will never be forgotten, despite two losses being there on his record. The fact of the matter is that not all of the 26 matches were great. Not that it was to be expected, but what many don’t remember was that his initial string of matches in the streak in the 1990s weren’t that great.
Perhaps the first real great match he had at WrestleMania was at 1998 against Kane. The build was great and it felt like a real grudge match. It was in the turn of the 21st century where the match quality of The Undertaker’s at WrestleMania started taking a drastic increase. Not only this but barring WrestleMania XIX, he would constantly face some of the most impressive opponents on the roster, almost all of whom proved to be a great dance partner on the grandest stage of them all.
Perhaps the culmination of it all was at WrestleMania 25 and 26, where he would have two iconic matches with Mr WrestleMania himself – Shawn Michaels. It was surprising at the time that they hadn’t faced off before, especially given that they had one of the greatest WWE matches ever at Badd Blood 1998 (which also happened to be the first-ever Hell in a Cell match).
The story of both matches was simple. The first one was just about two legends and future Hall Of Famers going at it to prove who was the better competitor. It was the light vs the dark, and fans knew instantly that they were in for an all-time classic. What they didn’t anticipate was the fact that the match would go on to become one of the greatest in WWE history.
With The Undertaker only winning by the skin of his teeth, WWE knew that they had to run back the match again the following year. This time, however, the stakes would be much higher. For one, they would get the WrestleMania main event they deserved, despite there being two solid World title matches on the WrestleMania 26 card.
However, this was because of two main things – For one, no match on the card could possibly top Michaels vs Undertaker. Secondly, the stakes were far higher than any other title. It was Career vs Streak, with Shawn Michaels obsessing about beating The Undertaker, so much so that he was willing to put his career on the line to do so.
He failed again, and it was as epic a contest as one could imagine, with Michaels proudly going out on his back. It was after this that The Undertaker had officially transitioned into a part-time status, only really appearing once or a few times a year. It would primarily be once a year for WrestleMania, but there have been a few years where he decided to work a little more, such as 2015 and 2018. However, with regards to the latter, The Phenom himself openly expressed in an out-of-character interview that he regretted doing that, wanting to be more selective about the dates he chose.
But what really happened after his streak ended in 2014 was that it seemed to be a clear sign that The Undertaker needed to hang up his boots. He had nothing to lose – he was the most universally respected superstar in the entire industry, whether it was with the fans, the locker room or even backstage officials. In the subsequent programs that he would have, he did have a few decent showings, but overall, it seemed crystal clear that he was far past his prime. This was reflected none more so than at WrestleMania 33, where he took on and was defeated by Roman Reigns.
If you watched the match, you know that it was a painful one to sit through. It was nice to see him main event WrestleMania one last time, but Roman Reigns was the one who had to do the carrying in the match, with the Undertaker’s physical shape clearly deteriorating and there for the world to see.
Even in his 2018 programs against Triple H and then Shawn Michaels, his age continued to show, and perhaps he then realized it, as there has been no program for him at WrestleMania 35. It’s surprising to see no Undertaker at WrestleMania, because he’s come to define the event along with Shawn Michaels.
However, the reality is that the time comes for everyone, and for The Undertaker, his time has long gone. The current WrestleMania card is stacked to the brim, and with the women set to make history and new names set to emerge on top, WWE doesn’t need The Undertaker this time around. His status as a special attraction at WrestleMania isn’t as strong as before, but he’ll always be among the all-time greats.
