10 Times WWE Hit Themselves Where It Hurts
2. Making Undertaker's Last Real WrestleMania Match A Meaningless Gesture
The Undertaker, by any measure, is a WWE legend. Over three decades, he adapted, led the locker room, and produced some of the finest, most dramatic matches ever. His Streak, regardless of being fabricated, is evidence of his longevity.
Which is why his last true WrestleMania match, a loss at 'Mania 33 against Roman Reigns, was so disappointing.
Mark Calaway had nothing to prove; indeed, he's since reflected that he should have said no to the match as he knew he wasn't in shape to give his all. A win over Reigns would leave a happy crowd, but add nothing to his legacy. A loss would be a frustrating coda to his career, but, again, not impact his legacy.
Reigns, on the other hand, was in a no-win situation. If he won, it would also just be another piece of evidence that Vince was ramming Reigns down our throats whether we liked it or not, and he would be forever criticized as not befitting being the Undertaker's last 'Mania match. If he lost, the aura of invincibility WWE was desperate to build in Reigns would vanish.
It was, overall, a meaningless match that at least gave us the visual of 'Taker's gloves and hat sitting lonely in the ring.