The confrontation that started it all... It was four years ago today The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar came face-to-face at a UFC event. Undertaker, who was out of character, was there with his wife Michelle McCool and was interviewed on camera after the show by Ariel Herwani (as seen in the attached video). Taker told Herwani that he and Lesnar “went way back” before asking The Beast Incarnate, “You wanna do it?” as he walked by for a split second. It was SOOOOO obvious it was planned and Taker was there to create some buzz, but despite how staged it came off as, the stunt he pulled worked. The wrestling world exploded in the next 24 hours. Many fans, myself included, were wondering whether this was leading to a confrontation between the two at #WrestleMania 27 the following spring. Lesnar, at the time, had been with UFC for a few years and hadnt been seen in a #WWE ring for about six. What made it even more intriguing was that the next nights WWE pay-per-view was in Minnesota, the home state of Lesnar. I figured there was virtually no chance of Lesnar making an appearance, but I got my hopes up, regardless. If you can recall, Taker fought Kane in a Buried Alive match on that show for the World Heavyweight Championship. While someone did interfere in that match, it wasnt a returning Lesnar; it was The Nexus. That storyline ultimately went nowhere, either, and Taker was off WWE TV until WrestleMania season. That was when he officially became a part-timer working only Mania. I guess I should have known that it was an impossible for a contracted UFC star to crossover into the wrestling world (even though Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had done it earlier that year as a guest host of Raw), but still, I desperately wanted it to happen. From what I read shortly thereafter, Vince McMahon wanted Lesnar to work WrestleMania that year in a match against Taker. I think even Lesnar was on board for it, but UFC President Dana White wanted no part of it, and I couldnt blame him. But it still sucked for us fans. Even though I knew Undertaker vs. Lesnar wasnt exactly a “fresh feud” since we had seen it before in 2002/3, I still looked forward to them locking it up. Both guys had evolved so much since their first feud that their match would be spectacle. I wasnt as excited when it was announced theyd be facing off at WrestleMania 30 this year since I felt Taker was past his prime and would get injured by Lesnar within minutes of the match (which he did). That was in addition to wanting to see Undertaker FINALLY face off against John Cena on The Grandest Stage of Them All. The match between Undertaker and Lesnar had potential to be great, and even went so far as to say that it could steal the show. Well, I was wrong. Their match sucked. It was the worst WrestleMania match Undertaker had been a part of in at least six or seven years. Some say it was intentionally bad, but I dont think that was the case at all. Taker got a concussion almost right off the bat and the two had zero chemistry. The only thing people will remember it for is its finish that saw the 21-0 undefeated streak of Undertaker come to an end. Its something that people are STILL debating about to this day in regards to whether he was the right guy to end it or not. And it all goes back to this one face-off four years ago today. Could this one confrontation have served as the launching pad to one of the most disappointing bouts in Mania history? When The Deadman asked Lesnar if he “wanted to do it”, was he referring to him being the one to beat his streak? I guess well never know. https://youtube/watch?v=zjHtxPew5Os
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 17:16:35 +0000
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