10 Wrestling Storylines That Don't Get Enough Love
9. The Dying Credibility Of The Dead Man
The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar were inextricably linked before and after their infamous match at WrestleMania XXX. It was 'Taker who Lesnar cleanly destroyed en route to establishing himself as the true doyen of SmackDown in late 2002. Well over a decade later, of course, Lesnar ended 'Taker's Streak on the Grandest Stage in a match that also spelled the end of 'Taker's annual streak of classic matches.
It was this shattered ego with which 'Taker carved out the most underrated of all his personas: the false God. At the finish of Lesnar's unsuccessful attempt at Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Battleground '15, 'Taker belatedly emerged from the wilderness to strike Lesnar with a low blow.
That was it.
The man once capable of summoning lightning and fire was reduced to the tactic of the most mortal of cowards. Then, at SummerSlam, 'Taker again targeted Lesnar's balls - proving he no longer had a pair of his own. It was the best (and perhaps most literal) of blue balls finishes because it underscored the extent to which 'Taker had fallen. That he wrestled a redemptive performance prior to this act of desperation made the pathos all the more deflating. The real Dead Man wasn't dead, not yet - but he was hardly a man anymore. This was vastly underrated character work and psychology from an atypically humble Undertaker.
Lesnar emerged triumphant once more following a brutal spectacle of a Hell In A Cell bout - capping off his career-best in-ring year as the reigning, defending, undisputed Phenom of WWE.