On paper, Batista vs. Undertaker at Mania World Heavyweight Championship vs. The Streak seemed incredibly interesting. Closer inspection revealed a precarious situation, in which The Animal was being put in a position of performing at an incredibly high level. Batista had not performed at an incredibly high level but once in his career. According to most critics, the only time had been in the previously listed Hell in a Cell match with Triple H which, to that point, seemed more likely the single greatest carry job of The Game's career rather than a sign of Batista's potential. Undertaker had not yet begun his "Streak within The Streak," so it was not as if The Deadman had a sparkling track record of great matches in big situations, either. Expectations for the Batista vs. Taker match, across the board from the Wrestling Media to the general fanbase to seemingly the WWE higher ups, themselves, were lower than a match that, on paper looked to be so awesome, should have been. Sports Illustrated would later document Batista's mindset when finding out that his World title defense again, up against the most celebrated Streak in pro wrestling history by then would not be going on in the main-event slot at WrestleMania 23. The Animal was disgusted. It may have been the night that affirmed John Cena's status as the unquestionable top star of the present and future of WWE, but Batista made sure to leave a lasting impression for his own legacy in stealing the show right out from under his main competition for being "The Man," plus "The Showstopper," Shawn Michaels. Batista vs. Taker was nothing short of the single greatest critical surprise in modern pro wrestling history a match that was so good in actuality when held up against the pre-match expectations for match quality that it had an "out of your chair" affect.