7 Reasons Why The Undertaker Must Never Return

5. 23-2

WWE WrestleMania 33 The Undertaker Roman Reigns
WWE.com

'21-1' made for a wonderful exhibition of some Paul Heyman verbal dexterity, and the unbeaten years gave life to endless fan signs and video package graphics, but 23-2 somehow brutally dilutes over two decades' worth of memorable WrestleMania victories. It wouldn't matter so much, but The Undertaker virtually only works WrestleMania now, and has done for years.

The streak wasn't just a record he was preserving on a big date in his calendar, it was the only night he was turning up for work. How he fared at WrestleMania basically became how credible the character was overall.

This was even made light of when the streak was still in tact. Having gone to the limit with Triple H at WrestleMania 27, he considered if he still had 'it' before going one more time against 'The Game' at WrestleMania 28's 'End of an Era' Hell in a Cell war.

Ultimately, Undertaker can only do damage to what was, for a spell, the most valuable record in the industry. It was once worth more than a title belt, but given the choice of attempting to carry an ageing 'Phenom' or contest a brand's top prize, it seems likely most talent would now favour the latter.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.