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Welcome back spotlighters! Unfortunately I missed all of the wrestling shows this week due to outside conflicts and could not do my regular “Weekly Thumbs” article about the different shows. So I apologize to all of you who enjoy that article. To make up for it I have written this edition of Spotlight. Today we are going to focus on the upcoming match for the World Championship at Wrestlemania between Edge and The Undertaker. Part of the story line has been that Edge has never been pinned at Mania while UT has never lost period. In a way, I wish that the WWE had known they were going to end up doing this match a year in advance so that they might not have put Edge in the MIB match last year, having him lose. I have picked a handful of matches for us to look at and analyze. So let’s take the time to look at both men’s careers at Wrestlemania!
EDGE
WM 2000
Edge and Christian were one of the premiere tag teams in the WWE that year and had a date with destiny, whether they knew it or not. This match was a ladder match but all kinds of things were used. It really is the precursor to the TLC match. Edge and Christian ended up defeating the Hardy’s and the Dudley’s in the match that completely stole the show. It began a legacy for tag team wrestling. Showing Edge was a pioneer in the happenings of sports entertainment and also making him one half of the tag team champions.
WM 17
Edge and Christian again defeat the Dudley’s and the Hardy’s, this time cementing what they’d started the year before and again regaining the tag straps. All six men really took this thing to a whole new level (remember the jump off the ladder on to the tables by Hardy?) and made TLC a permanent fixture in the WWE. To me, this showed that Edge and Christian had longevity and that possibly their stars may shine as solo acts as well someday.
WM 21
With only one exception this was the first time Edge got into Wrestlemania in about 5 years. He had a forgettable match with Booker T at a previous WM and then at number 21 it seemed Edge was back and ready to roll. At WM21 Edge defeated 5 other men to win the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match in history and used it to take himself from mid-card performer to main event level status in just one year’s time.
WM 22
Edge defeats Mick Foley in a hardcore match. On paper it doesn’t sound like much but when you remember that to win the bout Edge dived from the ring onto a table that was on fire it gets a little more memorable and interesting. This match was simply about “making the Mick Foley WM moment” happen and it did. Foley lost, but because of how good Edge, and for that matter Lita, is, they gave Foley his day in the sun. This match proved to the world that Edge was a major player in this business.
WM 23
So here is where Edge’s mania streak gets tricky. Edge gets taken out on a stretcher during the MIB match and Kennedy wins. However, Edge never “lost” the match because at that point he wasn’t involved in the match. Two things are of note here…one, Edge took one of the nastiest bumps I’ve ever seen in this business and between that bump and the diving on fire the year earlier, it made him one of the toughest men in the business in my opinion. Two, when Kennedy looked to have a major injury just a few months after mania, the man they went too to carry the MIB storyline was Edge, who used it to again win the World Championship. And this is why Edge has become such a prominent figure in WWE; he is the go-to guy in case of emergency and can make lemonade out of lemons.
UNDERTAKER
WM 7
The Undertaker’s first Wrestlemania match was to the point and extremely short. He defeated Jimmy Snuka in four minutes and twenty seconds with his signature move. Though WWE hadn’t exactly gotten to the attitude era yet, we were seeing some change and UT was just the man to help bring it. Pinning a legend in the middle of the ring was unusual, especially for a heel, but it happened.
WM 13
After a number of years fighting “big men” at Wrestlemania, The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid to win the championship in a No DQ match. While many in this field may not put this match high on the list, I find this match to be very important. During this time, the WWE had four big names all in the title hunt, and there were about 4 others in the next tier. Yet, the WWE had so much belief in the UT character, and in UT’s performances that they went with him in the main event and put the strap on him, it says a lot about the person behind the wheel as it were. Also, during this installment of Wrestlemania Taker’s match was preceded by what many think is the greatest match in the history of sports entertainment, Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin in a submission match. You have to give credit to both Sid and UT for not letting a great match hurt their own as they did an incredible job.
WM 19
This is not a match that will ever go down in the annals of history as “best ever” but it has its place. Undertaker got himself stuck in a handicap match vs. A Train and Big Show. The truth of the matter is that it is not easy to direct a handicap match and it is even harder when all three men are towering figures. Add into that that A-train was not at his best during this time and the thing could have been a complete train wreck but it seems that UT did his best to make this work, something he has done fluently over the past few years. Also, at this time UT was not using the “Dead Man” gimmick he was the American Bad Ass proving he could sell merch on any level.
WM 21
They billed it as Legend vs. Legend Killer when UT defeated Randy Orton as Bob Orton watched from ringside. That billing is interesting in that there are only a few people wrestling today that get the “Legend” moniker…Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, Jerry Lawler (on occasion) and Ric Flair. What was shown in this match was that he may be “older” but Taker has a lot of fuel left in the tank. This was a fantastic match and an even better storyline going into mania and UT sold the whole thing. To me, this is where Taker really began his road back to the championship on top of the wrestling world.
WM 23
After years of having no gold for long periods of time around his waist UT defeated Batista at WM23 to win the championship. No one thought that this match would be any good because many were down on Batista’s in ring performances. But as usual. Undertaker brought the best out in him and vice versa. The match was one of the best on the card and it was a true mania moment when UT held the title up in the purple lights.
So what happens now???
WM 24
March 30th, 2008…Edge vs. Undertaker for the World Heavyweight belt…
It is a pretty big deal when you think about it and both guys have a serious amount of momentum going in. Edge is the best heel in the business today and UT is the greatest Anti-hero of all time. UT is getting older and that world “retirement” keeps rearing its ugly head every year while Edge is going to be in the game for years as its top performer. However, most would love to see UT go out on top with the strap…so who wins?
My gut feeling is that UT is going to win the title back and keep his streak alive for two reasons. He isn’t ready to quit yet and since Edge technically already lost at Mania, it makes no sense for him to be the one to take the streak. I will say this it is going to be an incredible match and I wouldn’t be surprised if this begins another storyline. I would love to see UT hold the belt from WM24 to WM25 and then finally lose it and the streak to someone else….maybe even Edge?
