At WrestleMania 33, The Undertaker will compete in his twenty-fifth WrestleMania match against WWE’s most controversial figure, Roman Reigns.
The existence of this match has led to criticism from fans, but the fact is that it is going to happen, and considering Reigns’ track record, chances are that The Undertaker is going to lose for the second time in his career at WrestleMania 33.
However, reasoning for which will be provided further on, this article aims to argue against this idea, stating that The Undertaker must not take the pin at The Ultimate Thrill Ride.
The first reason for this is the obvious, Roman Reigns will be booed out of the building if this happened. Mark Calaway is considered too much of an icon and Reigns is hated too much for any sort of good outcome to be possible with his victory.
The Undertaker would likely rather have Roman win, because that is the nature of The Deadman, but it would probably do more harm than good to Reigns if he emerges victorious on Sunday.
If Reigns does lose, it could actually have positive effects on his popularity.
One of the main reasons he is so universally disliked is the fact that he is more often than not booked to be unbeatable. Having him lose to The Undertaker would likely earn him some respect from the fans, and would open up possibilities as to where Reigns would go next, such as a redemption story in which the fans actually care about the babyface.
Something that has made headlines recently is the fact that The Undertaker currently sits on ninety-nine pay-per-view wins, and a win at WrestleMania would naturally be his 100th. This is important for more than one reason.
For The Undertaker, it would obviously be a career milestone, and considering the nature of the story (that Reigns considers WWE to be ‘his yard’ now, and The Undertaker is trying to prove that he still owns the playing field), having The Undertaker win with such a feat would only serve the story and add more closure to the tale that will culminate at WrestleMania 33.
Also read: 5 reasons Roman Reigns needs to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania
Furthermore, The Ultimate Thrill Ride, as this year’s WrestleMania is being advertised, would have quite a lot to be remembered by if it can boast about The Undertaker’s 100th pay-per-view win being recorded at the event.
The following is speculation, but it may be true. Roman Reigns has continously stated that he will be retiring The Undertaker come WrestleMania 33, and considering The Deadman’s age, medical status and the fact that he usually always ends up in a hospital after a match these days, this may actually be true.
It might be a lot to take in when considering that this might actually be The Undertaker’s last match, but what if he does get ‘retired’ by Reigns and still win? Memory recalls WrestleMania XXVII, a... colourfully criticised WrestleMania.
Perhaps the one chocolate chip in that raisin cookie was The Undertaker’s No Disqualification match with Triple H, in which The Undertaker took his undefeated WrestleMania Streak to 19-0.
What stood out in that match (and actually laid the groundwork for the rematch the following year) was that despite defeating Triple H, The Undertaker was unable to walk out of the arena that night. Perhaps something similar could be accomplished at WrestleMania 33.
That isn’t to say that The Undertaker should actually get seriously hurt, but have the match play out in a way that Roman Reigns takes The Undertaker to the absolute edge, only to fall.
Have The Undertaker seemingly hurt so badly that he actually does retire (this is only if he is actually retiring), and have Roman actually accomplish what he said he would, despite losing the match.
If a Roman Reigns heel turn is then effectively executed, then it’s a win-win situation for both men, with The Undertaker retiring following his 100th pay-per-view win, and Roman Reigns opening an entirely new chapter in his career.
On the note of the Streak, it should be remembered that The Undertaker’s WrestleMania record does only consist of one loss, and losing a second time could only serve as an insult to the Streak.
The biggest reason the one loss stands out is the opponent to which The Undertaker lost, that being Brock Lesnar, who Reigns himself didn’t fare too well against at WrestleMania 31.
If Roman does beat The Undertaker, it would only tarnish the legacy that the Streak holds, and would make Lesnar’s one-off victory seem significantly less special. As is always the case, Roman Reigns is the favourite in this match, and if the odds are agreeable, it wouldn’t look good for the WWE or Reigns himself.
The Undertaker needs to win on Sunday for that reason and for his own monumental legacy as well, and with rumours that this match may go on last, WrestleMania 33 ending with The Undertaker standing tall for the 100th time on pay-per-view, and possibly for the last time, would leave the event in much better memory than if Roman Reigns has his hand raised to the loudest chorus of boos mankind has ever experienced.
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