10 Wrestling Moments That Broke The Internet

5. "The Streak... Is Over."

wrestlemania 30 streak ending
WWE.com

Two Undertaker Streaks were broken on 6 April 2014: the decades'-long undefeated 'Mania winning Streak, and an almost decade-long Streak of classic 'Mania matches.

Fans reacted to the latter with dismay - and with pure bile at the former. How could WWE waste the Streak on a guy who wasn't there to soak up the heat, who was already established as a headlining warlord, and who didn't really give a toss? Nothing about the decision seemed to make any sense. Had a spiteful Vince McMahon booked the finish purely to annoy those fans who had reshaped WrestleMania XXX in their own image? Vince is never credited for a long-term vision. Understandably so: he's less erratic, more batsh*t mental. But, years removed from a cacophony of crushed keyboards, the logic has emerged. In effect, WWE simply replaced one Phenom with another. AJ Styles dethroned the much-maligned Jinder Mahal as WWE Champion on the 7 November 2017 SmackDown. This was pure fan service rescuing a nightmare scenario - and his battling defeat to Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, less than a fortnight later, still did more for his legacy in the minds of fans.

At his (all-too-rare) best, Lesnar is an attraction a level beyond everything and everyone.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!