What’s the story?
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the referee for The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar match at Wrestlemania 30, most likely wasn’t privy to the fact that The Deadman's streak was about to end
Also read: Brock Lesnar is expected to work more pay-per-views this year
In-ring referee Chad Patton was allegedly let in on the finish by Lesnar after the Beast Incarnate revealed it to him after hitting Taker with the match’s final F5.
In case you didn’t know...
The aforementioned bout between the Deadman and the Beast marked the end of the former’s 21-0 undefeated streak at WrestleMania. According to previous statements from the in-ring official Chad Patton as well as pro-wrestling industry insiders, he reportedly had no idea about the result of the match beforehand.
The heart of the matter
According to Meltzer, only a select few people, including the two combatants and Vince McMahon, were aware of the fact that the Phenom’s legendary streak would end at ‘Mania 30. He added that Lesnar informed the referee regarding the same after the matchup’s final sequence, that you can watch right here-
Furthermore, professional wrestling fans worldwide have been debating about referee Chad Patton’s apparent surprise following the pinfall, attributing it to him not knowing who’d win until the very last moment of the match.
What’s next?
The Undertaker is said to have retired from the sport of pro-wrestling after losing his most recent match to Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33. On the contrary, Lesnar is the current WWE Universal Champion- a title that he won by defeating Goldberg at the same event.
The Beast Incarnate will most likely defend his WWE Universal title against Braun Strowman at either Extreme Rules (June 4th) or Bad Blood (July 9th).
Author’s take
It’s essential to note that the pro-wrestling community is divided as to whether most referees are in on the pre-planned results of pro-wrestling matchups or not. However, as a matter of fact, most high-stakes matchups in the sport have the referees notified beforehand regarding the results, in order to make sure they perform the pinfall count accordingly.
Nevertheless, the Taker-Lesnar streak-ending match was an exception, wherein almost everyone, right from the WWE management to the in-ring official were kept in the dark regarding the result of the match. It all worked out in the end, with the win catapulting Lesnar further into the galaxy of Superstardom, making the Beast a bigger star than he already was.
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