Since 1991 the wrestling landscape has been dominated by two figures who have gained an almost mythical standing in the annals of wrestling history. Though many figures have come and gone during their time in sports entertainment, these two have outlasted them all and become the two biggest names in wrestling, rivaled only by Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels when it comes to impact made on the industry. The more incredible fact is that these two have not wrestled each other or been in the same organization since 1991. Those two men are of course, The Undertaker and Sting. While talk of Sting signing a WWE contract always seem to fly around this time of year, the rumors this year seem to have a little more weight behind them, and with Father Time chasing both men down, now seems like the most logical time for Sting to sign and for he and The Undertaker to finally meet, and where better for the two to meet than WrestleMania? Not so fast. While Sting vs. The Undertaker is tantamount to printing money, and would undoubtedly be one of the biggest gates in history, and while it is tempting and logical to just throw the two men in the ring and just rake in the bucks, much more money could be made if this match were to take place at least a year down the road. If Sting were to sign with WWE now, having the match at WrestleMania 30 would be too soon.
The Man from Venice Beach and the Demon of Death Valley are undoubtedly the two most mystical characters in sports entertainment lore. To give a match of this magnitude anything less than a memorable buildup would be robbing the fans and the participants. A buildup that could include an even more unthinkable occurrence, Sting and The Undertaker combining as a tag team. The possibilities of a Sting/Undertaker alliance are mind boggling and are just as salivating as seeing the two men square off itself. Who would not want to see Sting and The Undertaker, two men who have probably had more birthdays than they have had instances where they were counting the lights over the last few years, especially in The Undertaker's case, join forces as a tag team? Maybe even for just one night? Dream Team potential aside, squaring off against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 would basically cut Sting's potential as a WWE Superstar off at the knees. Any potential match against any of WWE's other top names that have never wrestled Sting, like John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Batista, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and many others, would lose its luster as any Sting match post Undertaker would almost beg the question "he's already wrestled The Undertaker, what's the point?" from the casual fan. By holding off on having the two square off, more tension and anticipation is built. Fans will almost be practically begging for The Undertaker to make an appearance or interfere in Sting's business with each passing match Sting has against an opponent that isn't The Phenom. A match against John Cena could conceivably determine who has been the bigger name in professional wrestling for the last decade. A match against Punk, even with Sting's advanced age, could be a five-star classic, as could a match with Brock Lesnar. Let's not even begin to discuss the untapped goldmine that would come from a match against Triple H, which honestly has me salivating more than any potential match Sting could have if he signs with WWE. A match against Sting is perhaps the only situation that could lure Shawn Michaels out of retirement without causing an uproar from those who want a career-ending match stipulation to mean something. There is a myriad of people to keep The Man Called Sting busy in preparation for a dance with the Devil at 'Mania. This would also serve a dual purpose as believe it or not, there is the fact, jaw-dropping as it may seem, that there are fans out there that are strictly WWE fans and are unaware of who Sting is. Let that one sink in for a moment. It's probably a bigger portion of the WWE audience than one would think, too. To those members of the wrestling public, Sting is "just that guy from WCW and TNA that never wanted to wrestle in WWE" at best and "the guy from WCW and TNA that is too afraid to come to WWE because he can't hang" at worst. Jumping the gun and having Sting face The Undertaker at WrestleMania would baffle those fans making them question why an outsider would get a chance to claim what may be wrestling's single greatest accomplishment. Those fans need a proper introduction to Sting. An introduction that can not be made with video packages or DVDs. The fans that have never seen Sting before need to see Sting in the ring, live, on the microphone and staring down WWE competition to prove that he is every bit as good as any superstar they want to see try to dethrone The Deadman. Believe it or not, Sting needs to prove himself worthy to the WWE audience before he can square off with The Undertaker and have it be a meaningful encounter and not just a great match.
Undefeated streaks come along somewhat often in wrestling, and streaks are dismissed almost as often, but The Undertaker's Undefeated Streak at WrestleMania is unique in its nature as it's lasted more than two decades, and has grown to become almost as big as WrestleMania itself. It is incomprehensible for some WWE fans to think of WrestleMania without The Undertaker as he has been a part of all but two WrestleMania events since his first WrestleMania appearance facing Jimmy Snuka at WrestleMania 7 in 1991. The Undertaker's match at WrestleMania has become a main event almost by default as his career has passed and fans almost demand and expect The Undertaker to be a part of the annual proceedings. There is also the expectation that The Undertaker win at WrestleMania and continue The Streak. Simply put, there is no way The Streak is going to meet its end at the hands of Sting. Knowing that, or thinking that, The Undertaker's matches at WrestleMania the last few years have become almost anticlimactic. Though there is still drama in the two counts, the lingering thought during the entire match is that no matter what happens in between the bells, The Undertaker will once again have his arm raised in victory. Which is exactly why WWE should bide its time before having Sting and The Undertaker clash at WrestleMania. After Sting, there are no other challenges for The Undertaker to overcome and a victory over a well established Sting could possibly be the ultimate notch in The Undertaker's proverbial belt. After more than two decades, The Streak needs to remain intact, and a victory over The Stinger would be the ultimate punctuation mark on a stellar career.