Finally, finally, finally. WWE gets the Undertaker’s final match right. After last year’s stunning defeat by Brock Lesnar we all thought it was curtains for him, but the problem was that the fans were so in shock that we all forgot to applaud him and give him the proper send off he deserved.
When a wrestler ends his career he does it like Ric Flair’s retirement from WWE active competition. It has to be on a loss. It puts a period on the end of the sentence and gives fans a sort of closure. Most of the time it is an emotional moment because it signifies the end of an era and the wrestler visibly realizes that it’s the last time they will step in to the ring as a competitor. There is such a connection between fans and their favorites that the moment is shared by both. Undertaker did not get that reaction and he deserves it.
For years WWE has been looking for a performer who can fill the very large shoes of Taker. They have failed time and time again, but they may have recognized what we have for so long now. They have chosen the enigmatic Bray Wyatt as his opponent at WM 31 and I couldn’t be happier.
The issue is that it is unclear whether or not Vince will let Bray beat the Undertaker. Sure, the decision may be made right now, but Vince is notorious for changing outcomes of matches on a whim at the last minute just like Lesnar’s victory happened at WM 30. Wyatt is one of the brightest stars in WWE and despite their best efforts to show us otherwise by making him look weak repeatedly the fans have embraced him. It’s no secret that WWE creative team efforts just flat out suck right now. Looking back at all of the chances they had to make Bray a star they failed each and every time to elevate him past the John Cena firewall and unless someone puts Vince out of the equation it could happen all over again at Wrestlemania this year.
The way it needs to go down is easy. It’s a back and forth battle that sees Taker almost winning and putting on a truly memorable display, one last swan song. In the end it has to be Bray’s hand raised and Wyatt has to show major respect to The Undertaker before leaving the ring for Taker to have one last curtain call. Maybe that will happen because WWE is so merchandise driven that it makes zero sense if they are trying to build Wyatt’s brand. Will that happen? Who knows except the aging mind of Vinny Mac.
It is all but confirmed that Wyatt will meet Undertaker at Wrestlemania 31 on March 29 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. We hope that it comes to pass because this is the match fans wanted last year instead of Brock Lesnar.