The 33rd annual WrestleMania is done and dusted and sadly, so has Undertaker illustrious 27-year career. The Phenom unselfishly put over Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 33 and left his iconic in-ring gear to seemingly bid adieu to the wrestling fraternity.
The first thing that comes to your mind after hearing the word WrestleMania is The Undertaker. Also known as the Deadman and the Phenom, Taker has made the iconic Pay-Per-View his own because of his legendary undefeated streak.
He has been involved in several spectacular matches at WrestleMania against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Randy Orton. and gave the fans a lot of memories to cherish.
The unbeaten streak was intact until he faced Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXX as he was beaten cleanly by the Beast Incarnate in 2014. After losing the streak, the Deadman won his next two matches to take his record at the PPV to 23-1. Roman Reigns will now face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 after what happened on RAW this week.
Ahead of the 2017 WrestleMania, let us take a look at what The Undertaker’s opponents during the streak are doing now.
1-0 Jimmy Snuka (WrestleMania VII)
The Undertaker’s first opponent at the show of shows was Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka in Los Angeles in 1991 and the Deadman pinned the Fijian wrestler in under 5 minutes.
Two years after his match against The Phenom, Snuka left WWF and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.
He made a few special appearances for WWE until the company suspended his legends’ contract in 2015 after he was arrested and charged with a third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter over the death of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino in 1983.
Months before the arrest, Snuka was diagnosed with stomach cancer and a year later, Snuka, represented by his wife, was part of a lawsuit that was filed against WWE for the injuries concurred by the stars during their time with the company.
Unfortunately, Snuka passed away on January 15, 2017, at the age of 73.
2-0 Jake Roberts (WrestleMania VIII)
Jake “The Snake” Roberts was The Undertaker’s second opponent at the “Grandest Stage of Them All” in 1992 at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis. The Phenom pinned Roberts in 6 minutes, thanks to a tombstone piledriver onto the floor.
This was also the last match for Roberts in WWF as he was upset about Vince McMahon going back on his promise of adding him to the writing team.
He moved to WCW and worked on the independent circuit before he returned to WWF for a second stint in 1996, which lasted for only a year as he was fired from the company in 1997.
He then moved on to the indies and made occasional appearances in WWE. He also appeared in movies and a TV series, the last of which was "An Almost True Story: TOXIC TUTU" in 2015.
In 2012, when Roberts was struggling to get his life back on track following his issues with alcohol and drug abuse over the years, he sought help from Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), who later went on to induct Roberts into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
Right now, he is having his own tour called “The Unspoken World Tour” in which he goes around the world and narrates his past with a comical touch.
3-0 Giant Gonzalez (WrestleMania IX)
2-0 became 3-0 when The Undertaker beat the 8 foot tall (in reality 7’7”) Giant Gonzalez by DQ at WrestleMania IX in Las Vegas in 1993. This was also the only instance at WrestleMania in which the Deadman won a match via DQ as Gonzalez knocked out Taker using Chloroform.
Later that year, Gonzalez left the company just 10 months after his WWF debut and moved to New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and WAR (Wrestle and Romance), where he had his final match in 1995.
He was forced to retire from professional wrestling due to serious health issues and returned home to Argentina, where he lived on a ranch and was confined to a wheelchair in 2009. In 2010, Gonzalez passed away at the age of 44, after struggling a lot due to diabetes and severe heart issues.
4-0 King Kong Bundy (WrestleMania XI)
King Kong Bundy was the man who gave The Undertaker his fourth straight victory at the grandest stage of them all. Bundy was pinned by The Undertaker after a bodyslam followed by a flying clothesline at WrestleMania XI in 1995.
Four years later, Bundy was released by the company and moved to the independent circuit, where he was active till 2006 before disappearing from the wrestling scene.
He pursued his career in acting and stand-up comedy. Last year, he was a part the lawsuit that was filed against WWE for the injuries concurred by the stars during their time with the company.
In 2013, Bundy was the first inductee into the Pro Wrestling Report Hall of Fame and earlier this year (2017), he was inducted into the Online World of Wrestling Hall of Fame.
5-0 Diesel (WrestleMania XII)
Diesel was the fifth victim in The Undertaker's streak when he was pinned at the 12th anniversary of WrestleMania in California. This was the first time The Phenom had a match at WrestleMania that went past the 10-minute mark.
Also known as Kevin Nash, Diesel moved between WCW and WWF four times in the 1990s and early 2000s and is regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers ever.
He is also one of the three founding members of New World Order (nWo), a stable that changed the business in the late 1990s, and was also a part of The Kliq that had the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman.
He holds the bragging rights for ending Goldberg's 173-match unbeaten streak in WCW. After leaving WWE in 2004, Nash moved to TNA and is still wrestling for some little-known independent promotions (Legends of Wrestling and Big Time Wrestling).
In 2015, Diesel was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Shawn Michaels. In February 2017, Nash underwent his 31st surgery, this time for a torn rotator cuff, a detached rotator cuff, a torn bicep and a torn labrum.
6-0 Sycho Sid (WrestleMania XIII)
For the first time, The Undertaker wrestled at WrestleMania for a title and got the better of Sycho Sid in a no DQ match after Bret Hart distracted Sycho, which allowed the Deadman to deliver a tombstone for the pinfall.
Sycho won the World championships in WWF and WCW before a brutal injury ended his career in 2001.
He was making special appearances in a few wrestling promotions including the WWE and at the same time, he worked with few lesser-known Indy promotions. In January 2017, Sid returned to Mid-Southern Championship Wrestling (MCW) as Israel.
7-0 and 12-0 Kane (WrestleMania XIV and WrestleMania XX)
The Undertaker has faced his storyline brother, Kane twice at the grandest stage of all and came out victorious on both occasions, thanks to the tombstone piledriver.
At WrestleMania XIV, The Undertaker delivered the move thrice after the Big Red Monster kicked out on the first two instances while on the 20th anniversary of WrestleMania, The Phenom reverted to his Deadman gimmick from the American Badass gimmick and beat Kane.
Kane is a multiple-time tag team champion and a former World Champion. He has accomplished almost everything in the business and holds the record for most eliminations in the history of Royal Rumble (43).
Kane has been a loyal servant of WWE and has put over a lot of young talents. He is still an active member of the WWE roster where he is wrestling for the Blue brand, SmackDown Live.
8-0 The Big Boss Man (WrestleMania XV)
The Undertaker made it 8-0 when he beat Big Boss Man inside the Hell in a Cell. This was also the first time a Hell in a Cell match took place at WrestleMania. After the match, Boss Man was hanged from a noose by The Brood (a stable involving Gangrel, Edge and Christian).
After his match against the Deadman, Boss Man disappeared from WWF and was assigned to train the developmental wrestlers in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) before he was released from WWE in 2003.
A year later, Boss Man (aged 41) died due to a heart attack at his home in Georgia. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.
9-0, 19-0 and 20-0 Triple H (WrestleMania XVII, WrestleMania XXVII and WrestleMania XVIII)
Triple H is the only man to face The Undertaker thrice at WrestleMania and the first of the three bouts came on the seventeenth anniversary of WrestleMania when The Undertaker pinned Triple H after delivering the last ride.
A decade later, both these men faced off again at the grandest stage of them all in a No holds barred match and once again, Taker came out victorious through submission. In the following year, both these men faced off again inside the Hell in a Cell, with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee.
With all odds against him, the Deadman managed to beat Triple H for the third time at WrestleMania.
The 14-time world champion, Triple H was also the founder of WWE’s developmental program, NXT and following its success, he was elevated as the Executive Vice-president of Talent, Live Events and Creative.
At present, he is a part of WWE creative direction and storylines and is also appearing on TV as a part of the Authority. He is currently feuding against Seth Rollins going into the 2017 WrestleMania.
10-0 Ric Flair (WrestleMania XVIII)
The streak reached the double-digit mark when The Undertaker pinned Ric Flair after delivering a Tombstone at WrestleMania 18 in 2002.
Without a doubt, Flair is one of the greatest to have entered the ring. After losing to the Phenom, Flair was a part of the Evolution Stable and had feuds with Edge, Spirit Squad, Carlito etc.
He is a 16-time world champion (though he considers himself to be a 21-time world champion) and is the only man to be inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame (one for his individual career and one as a member of the Four Horsemen).
A day after he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2008, Flair wrestled his final match in WWE and lost to Shawn Michaels before he gave an emotional retirement speech the next day on Raw.
After his retirement, Flair had stints with Ring of Honor and TNA before announcing his in-ring retirement.
In the majority of 2016, he was by the side of his daughter, Charlotte, as the duo displayed heel antics in a bid to help Charlotte retain her Divas championship/Women's championship before the Queen turned on her dad.
Currently, the Nature Boy is portraying himself in a 30 for 30 documentary for ESPN and also has a podcast.
11-0 Big Show and A-Train (WrestleMania XIX)
This was the only instance when the Undertaker was involved in a Handicap match at WrestleMania as his scheduled tag team partner Nathan Jones was removed from the match beforehand. Taker pinned A-Train after delivering a tombstone and made it 11 wins on the trot at WrestleMania.
This was the Undertaker's last match under the American Badass Biker gimmick.
Big Show is a seven-time World Champion and is still an active wrestler in WWE as a part of the Raw roster. He is scheduled to face NBA legend Shaquille O'Neil at WrestleMania 33 and the world's largest athlete has trimmed down to get in shape for the bout.
On the other hand, A-Train (Matt Bloom) left WWE in 2004 to be a part of NJPW and returned to the company in 2012 as Lord Tensai before he retired from in-ring competition in 2014. At present, Bloom is the head trainer in WWE's developmental territory, NXT.
13-0 Randy Orton (WrestleMania 21)
WrestleMania 21 saw Randy Orton becoming the first wrestler who wanted to face the Undertaker at the grandest stage of all to end his streak (12-0 then). Orton failed in doing so as the Phenom pinned him after delivering a tombstone and made the streak 13-0.
There were reports that Randy was supposed to break the streak but he was hesitant in doing so.
Orton is already a future Hall of Famer, as the 12-time world champion has accomplished a lot with the company.
He earned the right to be the #1 contender to face the World Champion, Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 33 by winning the Royal Rumble earlier this year and is currently in the middle of a breath-taking feud against the Eater of Worlds.
14-0 Mark Henry (WrestleMania 22)
The Undertaker made it 14 wins on the trot when he put the World's strongest Man, Mark Henry, inside a casket in less than 10 minutes and got the victory in the casket match at WrestleMania 22.
Henry went on to win a few championships after his feud with the Phenom and is still a part of the WWE Raw roster.
Although he is not making regular appearances on television, it has been rumoured that Henry is helping out the upcoming talents backstage. He is likely to be a part of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33.
15-0 Batista (WrestleMania 23)
The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble in 2007 and set up a WrestleMania match against Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 23. The streak continued as the Deadman beat the Animal in an intense bout.
Batista left WWE in 2010 after losing to John Cena in an "I quit" match and returned to the company just before the 2014 Royal Rumble. He then went on to win the Rumble to set up a championship match against his Evolution buddy Randy Orton.
But, somehow, Daniel Bryan made his way into the match and made it a triple-threat before leaving the Superdome with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Later, he was a part of the Evolution in their feud against the Shield.
Batista left the company again to pursue his career in Hollywood and is currently working with several movie projects including Avengers: Infinity War. He also has a 1-0 record in MMA as he won his MMA debut by beating Vince Lucero via TKO.
16-0 Edge (WrestleMania XXIV)
For the first time, the Undertaker was involved in a match against an opponent who was unbeaten in a singles match at WrestleMania. The Deadman took on the Rated-R Superstar Edge in 2008 and beat him to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the second year in a row.
Edge is an 11-time world champion and has held the World Heavyweight championship a record seven times.
Unfortunately, his wrestling career was cut short by a neck injury and he was forced to retire in 2011. Edge was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.
Edge is still making special appearances for the WWE occasionally and at the same time, he, along with his best friend, Christian are starring in their own comedy show, “The Edge and Christian Show” on the WWE network.
17-0 and 18-0 Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XXV and WrestleMania XXVI)
Shawn Michaels is one of the three stars who faced The Undertaker at least twice at WrestleMania. Their first match in 2009 was the first time that the Undertaker spent over 30 minutes at WrestleMania and the match is regarded as the greatest matches of all-time by many fans.
Undertaker claimed the win with a pinfall after a tombstone and both these wrestlers faced off once again the following year in a career vs streak match. Once again, it was the Phenom who came out on top, thanks to a jumping tombstone.
Following the match, the Heart Break Kid retired from wrestling.
The four-time world champion was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. He made a few special appearances for the WWE before taking up the role of WWE Ambassador till 2015.
At present, he is one of the trainers at the WWE Performance centre in Florida.
21-0 CM Punk (WrestleMania XXIX)
The final victory in the streak came against CM Punk at WrestleMania 29 when the Deadman reversed CM Punk's GTS and hit him with a tombstone for the win.
That was also CM Punk’s final match at WrestleMania as he had a rift with Mr. McMahon and Triple H and left the company just a day after the 2014 Royal Rumble. Punk is a five-time world champion and held the WWE Championship for a record 434 days, the longest reign in the modern era.
After his exit from WWE, Punk retired from professional wrestling and pursued his career in MMA.
He signed a multi-fight contract with UFC in 2014 and made his UFC debut in 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena, the same venue where he had left the WWE and retired from professional wrestling. Punk ended up losing to Mickey Gall in just 134 seconds.
21-1 Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania XXX)
The Undertaker’s unbeaten streak at WrestleMania came to an end when Brock Lesnar beat the Deadman at the Superdome in New Orleans in 2014. The beast incarnate F5ed the Phenom thrice to seal his victory.
Since the historic win, Brock didn’t lose a single match clean until he was squashed by Goldberg in less than 2 minutes at the 2016 Survivor Series.
Now, Brock is getting ready to avenge his loss against Goldberg at WrestleMania 33 by beating him and winning the WWE Universal Championship.
After losing to Brock, the Undertaker beat Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 31 and Shane McMahon at WrestleMania 32. The record as it stands reads 23-2 and by the looks, it will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
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