When you think of WrestleMania, the first name that comes to your mind is The Undertaker. For years now, The Deadman has been the marquee name at WrestleMania, and the aura surrounding the Phenom has made him the special attraction at the biggest stage.For the past two decades, superstars tried to attain immortality by defeating The Undertaker at the grandest stage of them all, while year after year, the legendary Deadman laid waste to all those mortals who dared to look into his eyes and challenge him.Many people felt that The Undertaker deserved to remain unbeaten at WrestleMania, while every year, a new superstar had the opportunity to share the ring with the greatest WWE superstar of all time.While it was considered an honor itself to be in the ring with Taker, there were instances when he rallied for his opponent to finally end the streak and carry the proverbial torch, signaling the dawn of a new era in the company.Last year, Brock Lesnar finally “conquered” The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak, and although it looked like The Undertaker called it a day, he is set to return at WrestleMania 31 to face Bray Wyatt. But before that happens, we have decided to look at The Phenom’s five best matches at WrestleMania leading to this year’s mega event.
#5 Undertaker vs. Edge
Edge was becoming a thorn in The Undertaker’s side, with La Familia doing everything they possibly can to keep the World Heavyweight title with Edge. At WrestleMania 24, Edge had to defend the World Heavyweight championship against The Undertaker, with Taker’s streak on the line, in a match that was billed as Title versus Streak.
Going into the match, Edge had the advantage with the numbers game on his side, but The Undertaker’s aura and his legacy at WrestleMania meant that Edge had an uphill battle in front of him.
At WrestleMania 24, both men went for the jugular, with Edge dishing out everything he possibly could to put the phenom down. After an incredible back and forth action, The Undertaker accidentally took out the referee, leading to Edge taking him out with a low back and then decking him with a camera. The exclamation point came when Edge kicked out of a Tombstone Piledriver, leaving The Undertaker speechless.
Edge managed to deliver a couple of spears to The Undertaker, but his pin attempt was reversed into Gogoplata submission by The Undertaker, forcing Edge to tap out in the end. The Undertaker won the World Heavyweight title, but on the night, both men put on an incredible performance, earning them the number five spot on our list.
#4 Undertaker vs. Triple H 3
Before their third encounter at WrestleMania, Triple H and The Undertaker squared off twice before, with The Undertaker getting the better of The Game on both occasions. This time around, it was inside the Hell In A Cell – the trademark match of both the superstars. Going into the match, Shawn Michaels was named as the special guest referee, as the odds were stacked against The Undertaker with the coveted streak in jeopardy.
A great match doesn’t just involve counters and high – risk moves, but the emotions invested in the match as well as the story that is told during the course of the bout separates good matches from the great.
With Shawn wanting to help his best friend, while respecting The Undertaker more than anyone else, the match involved the legacy of three of the greatest superstars WWE has ever produced. Shawn's instinct to superkick The Undertaker to help his friend, while struggling to believe that The Undertaker wouldn’t still give up summarized the clash of the titans.
In the end, The Undertaker, like he has in the past two decades found a way to put his opponent down with an emphatic piledriver, and post – match, the three men embraced as Shawn and The Undertaker helped Triple H walk to the back, as the fans stood on their feet while trying to come to their senses after witnessing the epilogue of the incredible saga.
#3 Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels 2
After their first WrestleMania encounter, Shawn pleaded with The Undertaker for a rematch at WrestleMania, but The Undertaker declined the offer. With no other way to persuade Taker, Shawn cost The Deadman the World Heavyweight championship inside the Elimination Chamber, setting up their grudge match at WrestleMania 26.
But before that could happen, The Undertaker accepted the match on one condition – if Shawn were to lose, he should retire from professional wrestling. Shawn immediately accepted, saying he doesn’t have a future career if he cannot defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania.
With the entire world watching, the two iconic superstars went at it again, with Shawn Michaels doing everything he possibly can to slay the demon. Shawn matched The Undertaker move for move, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t put him down. With the crowd unable to choose a side, everyone was on the edge of their seat while the two legends dished out everything in their arsenal, as no man was ready to give in.
In the end, with The Undertaker fighting out of every predicament imaginable, the defiant Shawn challenged The Undertaker to finish him, with one last slap of desperation and despair.
Taker ended the match with a thunderous piledriver, ending the career of one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time, as the crowd once again got up on their feet to show their appreciation and admiration, as the two legends left everything they had in the ring.
#2 Undertaker vs. CM Punk
The Undertaker had faced many challengers before WrestleMania 29, but no other superstar had the desire to go out and prove themselves at WrestleMania than the defiant renegade, CM Punk.
Leading up to their match, Punk managed to get inside Taker’s head, mocking the tragic death of Taker’s former manager and good friend, Paul Bearer. Punk stole Bearer’s urn, and leading up to their highly anticipated bout, pushed The Undertaker like no one else had done before him.
Before the match even began, it was slated to steal the show at WrestleMania, and the two superstars didn’t disappoint the fans. With Paul Heyman in his corner, Punk was determined to leave his mark at the grandest stage, while The Undertaker had the opportunity to once again prove why he has been the marquee name at WrestleMania for over two decades. The two went back and forth, with Punk’s desire to win pushing The Undertaker over the edge.
With counter after counter, it looked as if CM Punk would finally be able to put the prince of darkness down for good, but in the end, The Undertaker countered a GTS attempt into the Tombstone to extend his undefeated WrestleMania streak, but not before both men put on one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time.
The image of Punk flying through the air onto The Undertaker, putting him through the announcer’s table is etched in the minds of the fans who were fortunate enough to witness the match.
#1 Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels 1
The lost art in a wrestling match is how well the two performers tell a story. In the current scenario, the superstars try to one – up each other by performing high – risk moves, which has very less to do within – ring psychology.
At the showcase of the immortals, two legendary performers showed the world just how it is done when The Undertaker went one – on – one against Shawn Michaels in a highly anticipated bout. In the end, the match is considered to be the greatest WrestleMania match of all time.
What started out as a challenge by Shawn Michaels soon turned into a series of mind games, with The Undertaker representing the dark side, while Shawn, being a born again Christian, epitomized everything good.
The entire match revolved around the two performers pulling out all the stops to ensure a victory, as Shawn took The Undertaker to his limit. During the bout, The Undertaker nearly broke his neck during a defiant leap to the outside in an attempt to take Shawn Michaels out.
As it turned out, it was Shawn’s heart and desire that led to his downfall, with Taker catching Shawn during a moonsault attempt from the top rope to turn it into the Tombstone Piledriver. The story that was told during the bout was phenomenal, and left the fans gasping for breath in the end.
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