100 Greatest WWE WrestleMania Moments
89. The Undertaker’s Streak Begins (WrestleMania VII)
The Undertaker's earliest days were hardly renowned for in-ring quality. Being fair, the gimmick was more important than pure matches, but 'Taker himself has admitted it was a relief to dispense with the zombie style and speed things up a little during the mid-1990s. Back in '91, he moved with the pace of an aging sloth, and he did so on purpose. That made his 'Mania bow opposite Jimmy Snuka fairly inconsequential at the time.
Nobody was talking about this one after the show, let's get that straight. It'd become historically significant once The Undertaker's winning streak became part of WWE's product though, so it's important to look back on how things started. Everything and everybody has to start somewhere - 'Taker's streak couldn't begin without a few routine wins to kick it off in the early days.
Maybe the most fascinating thing at play here is that no-one knew what kind of synergy 'The Deadman' would have with WrestleMania going forwards. He was just Vince McMahon's latest monster heel who looked likely to be chewed up and spat out by Hulk Hogan. That wouldn't happen in the end. 'Taker proved he belonged on the WWF roster and defied expectations to play the gimmick (in some form or fashion) for the next 30-ish years.
Beating a waning big name like Snuka gave the icon a cracking start on his journey towards immortality. It wasn't the finest match going, even for the standards of the time, but it can't be ignored as valuable in the context of 'Taker's epic career.