7 Reasons Why The Undertaker Must Never Return

5. 23-2

Undertaker WrestleMania 33
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 nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but 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 in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. 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 sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett