2. The Undertaker Is Carried Out On A Stretcher After Defeating Triple H - Wrestlemania XXVII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6Ll_7RMzsE Moreso than any number of druids, supreme levels of hocus pocus (or landing on his head after diving over the rope) involved in the Undertaker's Wrestlemania matches, the end of his No Holds Barred match with Triple H at Wrestlemania XXVII was understated (by comparison) but scarier than all other Wrestlemania moments. Undertaker at Wrestlemania these days is the ultimate outlaw, a supreme version of John Wayne counting down to having only one bullet left in the chamber after years of gunfights. The finish of Undertaker's victorious Wrestlemania match (number 19 in the streak) is intriguing because, well, he didn't make it to the back under his own power. The idea that though John Wayne pierced the heart of his would-be assassin, but fired his very last bullet, had now been introduced into the story. To make another outlaw allegory, it's like John Henry is Johnny Cash's song "Legend of John Henry's Hammer," wherein Henry defeats the mechanical hammer, but promptly dies from the stress. At first there's sadness, then as the gravity of the moment sets in there's definitely the scare of realizing that The Undertaker may die just like John Henry did, and that gone from the WWE will be his iconic presence. One of the most emotionally heavy moments in WWE history, the scare of just not knowing proved to be far greater than save but one physical interaction in the Undertaker's legendary career.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.