5 WWE Superstars who almost broke The Undertaker's streak

The Undertaker capped off his WWE Hall of Fame career this April when he finally accepted his rightful place among the immortals. With his amazing list of accomplishments, The Deadman will go down as one of the greatest superstars of all time.

One of those epic achievements that will always be tied to The Phenom is his 21-year undefeated streak at WrestleMania. It's a feat that will never be duplicated, and didn't end until Brock Lesnar finally brought it to a crushing end at WrestleMania XXX.

Over the years, however, there were a few names that were considered to end The Undertaker's streak years before that. For whatever reason, the trigger was never pulled.

Here are five WWE Superstars who nearly ended The Undertaker's WrestleMania win streak.

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#5. Edge

The Rated-R Superstar was in the midst of a singles push that would eventually elevate him to WWE Hall of Fame status when he faced The Deadman at WrestleMania.

Despite an incredible battle, he would lose the World Championship to The Undertaker that night. The streak then stood at 16-0, and was showing no signs of slowing down.

However, Edge was originally approached to win the match, but decided to refuse to take the win. He cited how he didn't feel like it made sense in the storyline at the time and was too respectful of 'Taker to waste such a precious moment.

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#4. Randy Orton

Randy Orton was in the midst of his run as 'The Legend Killer', when he eventually crossed paths with WWE's Phenom.

Orton met The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21, in what turned out to be a surprisingly good match. The younger Orton really established himself on this night, and today, many consider it a star-making performance.

The match was one of the best of the year. The back-and-forth between the two men was incredible, with the veteran eventually gaining the upper hand to protect his streak.

The idea was broached prior to the show, giving Randy the win would only help fuel the young Superstar's continued rise to fame. Apparently, even the Undertaker himself was potentially open to the idea - if it was executed properly.

Whether it was The Deadman, Orton or WWE management who made the final decision, the idea was scrapped and the streak rolled on.

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#3. Triple H

With longtime ally Shawn Michaels as the special referee, it looked as if The Game would have the best shot up to that point of ending The Deadman's ride.

With the stipulation of their WrestleMania 27 showdown being a 'no-holds-barred' match, it increased the odds that something unusual might happen to cost The Undertaker the contest.

Factor in the fact that - at the time - Triple H had a notorious reputation for backstage politics. Many fans and observers thought he might be pulling some strings to be the man to end it all.

It wasn't meant to be, however, as The Phenom from DeathValley was able to lock in Hell's Gate to gain a submission win and run his streak to 19-0.

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#2. WWE wasn't planning on it, but Shawn Michaels almost defeated The Streak by accident

According to former WWE referee Marty Elias, the famed showdown between The Heartbreak Kid and The Deadman almost didn't go as planned.

While 'Taker was scheduled to win their WrestleMania 25 match and continue his run, he took a bad spill out of the ring and was nearly unable to beat the ten count.

The always-perceptive Elias slowed the count down to allow The Undertaker some extra time to break the count and continue the match. However, it was a close call.

Of course, this match will go down in history as one of the greatest in WrestleMania history. It ended up going off without a hitch, but it could have been disastrous. Luckily, a quick-thinking official and a deft veteran didn't allow that to happen.

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#1. Kane

If there had ever been a WWE Superstar that would have been the most fitting to defeat The Streak, it would have to be his kayfabe brother. Since his arrival to the promotion in 1997, he has been as closely tied to The Undertaker as any other Superstar in the company's history.

In fact, the character was initially so 'hot' that it was decided that The Big Red Machine would defeat The Deadman in their first showdown at WrestleMania 14. However, it was decided by Vince McMahon that it was too soon to pull the trigger on such a new face.

Over the years, it's been rumored that The Undertaker wanted Kane to be the one to receive the honor on multiple occasions. Considering the two men's close on and off-screen relationship, it's not surprising. It's also not surprising that - in the ultimate show of brotherly love - Kane never accepted the offer.