Since Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania last year, speculation has been rife as to whether that signalled the end of Mark Calaway’s career as a competitor. Any debate was put to bed when The Deadman accepted the challenge of former-NXT star Bray Wyatt, cementing a match between the two at WrestleMania 31 this Sunday.
Frequent readers may recall the case I made against the two competing at this year’s showpiece event last month. Despite the obvious allure of the match, it is difficult to imagine an outcome that doesn’t damage either Undertaker’s legacy or Wyatt’s trajectory. With this in mind, what will the outcome of the match mean looking forward to next year’s WrestleMania?
As predicted in January, Wyatt has been on a hot streak since putting a pin in his feud with Dean Ambrose. This has put him in a position to challenge Undertaker and become "the new face of fear" in what could be a metaphorical passing of the torch.
Winning would certainly elevate the Eater of Worlds to title-contender status. After rapidly building momentum heading into WrestleMania 30, a loss to John Cena—followed by another at WWE Payback in a Last Man Standing match two months later—proved that Wyatt wasn’t yet ready to turn his sights to the WWE World Heavyweight Title.
Many fans have made the valid point that simply being in the ring with Taker at the biggest pay-per-view of the year will benefit Wyatt for going toe-to-toe with an all-time great. While this is somewhat accurate, there are only so many times a superstar can lose the all-important match before he seeps into the midcard scene like, for example, Dolph Ziggler.
Bray Wyatt’s character has consistently failed to deliver on his objectives. Daniel Bryan masqueraded as a new Wyatt Family member and made a fool of him, John Cena defeated him at two PPV events convincingly, and with the exception of Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, he has yet to convert anyone to his buzzard-following cult.
A loss to Undertaker would represent a failure to become the new face of fear and, as such, yet another example of empty promises. A win could see him moving towards title contention at WrestleMania 32, but it is hard to envision yet another big loss putting him in good stead en route to next year’s Show of Shows.
Equally tricky to contemplate is the idea of Undertaker losing to Wyatt. Although the ending of his 21-match winning streak at WrestleMania could never undo the legacy he had already cemented, a second-straight loss would be a truly sad ending to a fine career.
Looking at superstars like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, or even to a lesser extent the likes of Big Show and Kane, it is upsetting to watch men with great careers outstay their welcome or take lesser roles simply to remain on the scene. Sometimes it is better to know when to call time on your career, and that time may well have come for Mark Calaway.
In addition, a second loss for Taker would not void but detract from the hype surrounding Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate has accrued plenty of notches on his belt over the past year, but the match that began it all was his ending of the streak.
Paul Heyman’s vitriolic propaganda from the last 12 months—“I am the one behind the one in 21 and one” sound familiar?—will enjoy near-permanent residence on the TitanTron throughout the night. Imagine how the impact of this would be diminished if Bray Wyatt—a man who has yet to beat the likes of a John Cena at a PPV—proved that Lesnar was simply in the right place at the right time.
WrestleMania 32 will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Younger readers look away now, for The Undertaker does not actually hail from Death Valley but, in fact, The Lone Star State.
Shocking stuff.
Although it is too early to accurately predict the card for an event that’s an entire year away, it would make sense that The Undertaker will dust off his boots for at least one more performance given the setting. And it would take a brave, brave man to book him to lose in his home state in the twilight of his career.
Some months ago there was widespread speculation that fans could see the dream match of The Undertaker vs. Sting at WrestleMania 31, previously reported by WrestlingInc.com and more. Yet all of The Icon’s attention has been focused on The Authority and primarily his opponent this Sunday, Triple H.
There is no reason, however, that the two won’t face off at next year’s event. UK bookmakers Paddy Power have Sting down as a 1/7 favourite against HHH, with The Undertaker in at 1/4. It is most certainly possible that both will emerge victorious, leaving both individuals to go into WrestleMania 32 having won their last match at The Grandest Stage of Them All and looking strong.
While a Triple H loss has no real ramifications for The Game, feeding Wyatt to Taker seems an unnecessary risk that could leave Wyatt appearing unable to deliver against the big names.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1BE67dz
via IFTTT March 28, 2015 at 06:26AM
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