Scariest of All-Time Part 31: The Undertaker

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Of course, I wanted to end this series on a high note, and I don't know that they come any scarier than the Undertaker. When he first appeared in WWE (30 years ago next month),  I thought he'd be a flash in the pan. There was no way a dead man gimmick was going to go very far.

But man, was I wrong. While I wouldn't add him to my top 10 favorites, he is definitely one of the wrestlers I respect and admire. He has put himself through so much over the years, and just with his loyalty and consistency alone, he's in the conversation of all-time greats. 

I loved the early stuff. Even though it was borderline cheesy at times, the presentation was so memorable. Stuffing his opponent in a body bag as Paul Bearer stood by with the urn was great. Casket matches eventually became a thing, and then the first set of Buried Alive matches. The Undertaker was part of the first Hell in a Cell match as well. 

I could write for days about the Undertaker and what he's meant to the business. We all know it. I am just glad WWE is honoring him all November long for his 30 years as that character. Despite its evolution (which helps characters survive), the Undertaker has a permanent spot in WWE history.

Side note: I didn't do a separate feature on Paul Bearer but very easily could have. Bearer and Undertaker together was one of the best manager/wrestler combos. And even apart, Bearer evolved the character and made it work with Mankind, Kane, and Vader. Kudos to him for that. 

AUDIO: Favorite pro wrestling returns

Click to listen

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Who doesn't love a good return to the ring? There have been plenty of great ones over the years. This week Stride Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion Red Daniels and I go through a few of our favorite returns. I picked him to be on the show because his return was a huge one recently for Stride.

You can listen to the show here. Don't forget to keep up with Stride Pro Wrestling here. 

WrestleMania 33 predictions

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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It's the big day, WrestleMania 33 is finally here. In just a few hours Superstars will do battle in the biggest wrestling/sports entertainment event of the year. I'm going to share my predictions, I've gone back and forth on these at one point thinking (and I still do actually) that all championships could change hands. But to keep it interesting, I'm going to veer from some of my original guesses.

Brock Lesnar will capture the Universal Championship. WWE has to do something to make this match more interesting (or at least I hope they do). It can't go 60 or 90 seconds either.

Bray Wyatt will retain the WWE Championship against Randy Orton. I usually never bet against Orton, but I'm making an exception. New members of the Wyatt Family (or maybe just Erik Rowan) will help Bray win.

Roman Reigns will beat The Undertaker and go on to feud with Lesnar as the only guys to beat Undertaker at WrestleMania.

Enzo and Big Cass will finally win the Raw Tag Team Championships.

For the Women's Championship matches see yesterday's post. If you don't want to do that, Asuka for the SmackDown Live Championship and Charlotte Flair for the Raw Championship.

John Cena and Nikki Bella will beat The Miz and Maryse, although I'd love to see the opposite happen here.

AJ Styles will beat Shane McMahon.

Kevin Owens will win the U.S. Title from Chris Jericho.

Seth Rollins will beat Triple H.

In the most disappointing thing to happen tonight, Baron Corbin will beat Dean Ambrose for the Intercontential Championship.

Braun Strowman will win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Austin Aries will beat Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship, although I'd love for Neville to retain and keep his 'King of the Cruiserweights' moniker. 

WrestleMania facts you probably don't care about

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Since it is WrestleMania Week, I'm keeping up with daily blogs about the biggest event in the world of sports entertainment. Most wrestling fans already know the facts I'm about to share, but I have several non-wrestling fan friends who read the blog, so maybe they'll learn something new.

• WrestleMania 2 is the first and only WrestleMania to broadcast from three different cities (New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.) It's also the only Mania to be held on a Monday night.
  
• The Undertaker has pinned every member of Evolution at Wrestlemania. He beat Triple H at Wrestlemanias 17, 27 and 28, Ric Flair at 18, Randy Orton at 21 and Batista at 23 (for the World Title).
  
• Speaking of Undertaker vs. Triple H, they've wrestled each other three times at Mania. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin & The Rock have also been WrestleMania opponents three times.
  
• Ole Anderson and Brian Pillman are the only two members of the famed Four Horsemen of the NWA & WCW to have never been a part of WrestleMania. The group's legendary manager was an executive for WWE for a large portion of the 90s and backstage. But he also recognized after the group went into the WWE Hall of Fame in Miami five years ago.
  
  

  

  "Mongo" at Mania 11
  Courtesy: WWE

• If you're wondering about that previous statement and how the heck Steve "Mongo" McMichael was ever involved, check out the main event of WrestleMania XI. Mongo is part Lawrence Taylor's All-Pro Team to keep an eye on Million Dollar Corporation members who were ringside.
  
• WrestleMania VIII is the first time the main event did not feature the WWF Champion. Hulk Hogan beat Sid Justice by disqualification that night. Ric Flair dropped the championship to "Macho Man" Randy Savage earlier in the night.
  
  

  

  Randy Savage & Elizabeth at WrestleMania IV
  Courtesy: WWE

• Savage holds the record for the most matches at a single WrestleMania. He wrestled four times at WrestleMania IV, beating Butch Reed, Greg Valentine, the One Man Gang and Ted DiBiase to win the WWF Championship.
  
• Nikolai Volkoff, the British Bulldogs, the Nasty Boys, Yokozuna, Chris Benoit, John Cena and Mickie James each won their first WWE championship in their WrestleMania debut.
  
  

  

  Triple H at WrestleMania 2000
  Courtesy: WWE

• Triple H is the first bad guy to win the main event of WrestleMania. It happened at WrestleMania 2000 when he beat The Rock, The Big Show and Mick Foley to retain the WWE Championship. It's only happened twice since. The Miz beat John Cena at WrestleMania 27 and Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 31.
  
• Some never-to-happen WrestleMania matches include "Shiek" Tugboat vs. Hulk Hogan (WM7), Dustin Rhodes vs. Hulk Hogan (WM9) and Roddy Piper vs. OJ Simpson (WM12). These are according to Bruce Prichard.
  

There you have it, some useless WrestleMania trivia. I looked up all the things I wasn't too sure about, so everything should be verified. But if I screwed something up, let me know. Happy WrestleMania Week.

24 years of Raw

Sean Mooney & Rob Bartlett's "aunt"

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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January 11, 1993, Raw is War made its debut on the USA Network. The LIVE show replaced the long-running pre-recorded Prime Time Wrestling program hosted first by Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan and eventually a roundtable format.

I was a sophomore in college when Raw took to the airwaves. Because I still lived in the dorms on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University and wrestling wasn't all that popular with my floormates, (we shared one TV with cable in the lobby) I would make my way to the pizza restaurant, Geronimo's, and watch. I'd often bump into a handful of other closet fans and we'd discuss the show after it went off the air.

It's hard to believe the program is longest running, weekly episodic show in the history of television. That very first night though we got something different. The whole attitude of wrestling was changing, not just with the way it was presented, but the men and women who were stepping through the ropes had different looks and new attitudes. It was an evolution from the Superstars of Wrestling days, to say the least. 

Ironically both Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker appeared in the first episode and were each on the most recent show to air (Episode 1,233). Michaels beat Max Moon and Undertaker pinned Damien Demento. Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett and the late, great "Macho Man" Randy Savage made up the commentary team, much to the chagrin of Bobby Heenan. 

Other legends to be a part of the first episode: The Steiner Brothers, Yokozuna and Koko B. Ware. Razor Ramon cut a promo ahead of his WWF World Title shot against Bret Hart, who oddly was not on the show. Doink the Clown and Crush had words at the end of the show and Heenan finally got inside.

Those 60 minutes were packed with matches, promos and skits. Lots of great memories. I realize how much I miss those days, Heenan, Savage, Doink and Sean Mooney. The show has evolved a lot over the years. Happy anniversary to Raw. Here's to many more years.

Understanding the Undertaker

He's back...
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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By now you've likely seen The Undertaker's return on Monday Night Raw. He announced his intentions to enter the 2017 Royal Rumble. His last appearance at the event was in 2010 when he defeated Rey Mysterio in a World Title match. But his last time in the Rumble itself was in 2009. 

The premise set forth by WWE and The Undertaker Monday night made sense to me. He's not technically been drafted by Raw or SmackDown Live so it didn't bother me that he was on Raw. And as he explained, New Orleans was where the WrestleMania Streak came to an end, further winning the argument to have The Phenom on Raw.

But here's where I put on my nitpicky douchebag hat. (I'm not really wearing a hat, but you know what I mean.) Rewind less than two months ago when Undertaker returned to SmackDown Live for the first time since WrestleMania 32. His pep talk to the Survivor Series team included the line "I'm back, taking souls and digging holes." He also mentioned SmackDown always being his home, but I'm letting that one slide due to the reasoning in the above paragraph.

He wrapped up his speech to the team by telling them if they lost at Survivor Series they'd have reason to fear him. It was a great appearance and worked to motivate the team as Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton became the team's survivors. 

Now for the nitpicky part... he said, "I'm back." during both appearances. True he was indeed back for that appearance, but when I hear that phrase, I assume the person saying it means they're back for good. But I know what happens when you assume. We did that when The Rock had a similar spiel a few years ago. Had the team lost at Survivor Series, would he have returned to the next SmackDown Live event?

Courtesy: WWE

At the very least though it appears that The Undertaker will be "back" for a few months, as he is in the Rumble and one would assume (I know) no matter outcome there he's going to be a part of WrestleMania 33 (please don't let it be against Braun Strowman).

Sorry for the negative tone of this post. I didn't intend for it to be. I have no problem with Taker being in the Rumble. I just hope it's a way to set up his match at Mania without involving the championship. 

SURVIVOR SERIES: Favorite team number 8: All Americans (1993)

The All Americans
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I'm counting down to the 30th annual Survivor Series by looking back at my ten favorite teams in the history of the event. Survivor Series ranks among my favorite events every year and if you've read this blog in the past you know I'm a fan of the traditional elimination matches. 

I was a big fan of Lex Luger's growing up. When he arrived in the WWF in 1993 as the Narcissist, I welcomed him with open arms. I thought the gimmick suited him perfectly, but a few months later he became a patriot in his quest for the WWF Championship, held by Yokozuna. While I don't think he pulled off the gimmick as well as he did as the Narcist, I still supported Luger.

At Survivor Series 1993, he assembled a team of the company's top talent to take on a group led by Yokozuna. Both teams lost members prior to Survivor Series. The undefeated Tatanka was taken out by Ludvig Borga weeks before. Luger returned the favor and eliminated Pierre, one-half of the Quebecers from the Foreign Fanatics. 

Showtime
Courtesy: WWE

The Undertaker subbed for Tatanka while Crush took over for the missing Quebecer. I would argue the All Americans will go down as one of the best teams in the history of Survivor Series. All four men achieved amazing feats in wrestling. The Undertaker's resume speaks for itself. The Steiner Brothers won multiple tag team championships. Luger, while not a huge WWF success, wore gold many times in WCW and spent months as the top contender for the WWF World Title. 

Santa celebrates with Lex Luger

This show set the wheels in motion for the Undertaker to become the new number one contender as he and Yoko would do battle at the next event: The 1994 Royal Rumble. Luger ended up the sole survivor by beating Borga with the forearm of doom. And just like Bret Hart had done a year earlier, Luger celebrated in the ring with Santa Claus after the victory.

Top 10:

Team 9: Team WWF Survivor Series 2001

Team 10: New Day, King Barrett and Sheamus

My Mania Moments

Ringside (for the pic) at Wrestlemania 22

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast here

I have had the good fortune of attending eight of the last nine Wrestlemanias.  My buddy Chad and I went to Wrestlemania 22 in Chicago back in 2006.  It was the first one for both of us.  The annual trip has become our version of a bromance getaway.  This year, due to some unforeseen circumstance$, I decided not to make the trip to Levi's Stadium.  But instead of bellyaching and complaining about not being there, I'm remaining grateful for the shows I've seen and gearing up for Wrestlemania 32, where I hope to be front and center again.

There have been title changes, retirements and a very special streak ended at the Wrestlemanias we've attended.  I'm going to start with the whole experience of Wrestlemania 22. Looking back on it, there's nothing in particular that night that stands out to me, but it was my very first Wrestlemania in person and as they say you never forget your first.   The atmosphere was electric at the Allstate Arena.  Attendance was just over 17,000.

We've got spirit....

We dressed like the Spirit Squad and some fans actually thought we were members of the infamous group of cheerleaders.  We had also purchased the package deal which included lots of WWE swag, including the chair from the event (I still have it) as well as autograph sessions and meet and greets with different Superstars and Divas.  It was on that trip that I felt like my life as a wrestling fan was complete.  I had no idea I'd return seven more times.

Flair's last WWE match

Two years later Wrestlemania 24 invaded Orlando.  It was a much warmer climate and the event was held outdoors.  I worried it would rain, but lucky for us it didn't.  The special part of that night for me was getting to see Ric Flair's final (WWE) match.  He lost to Shawn Michaels and per the prematch stipulation he had to retire.  I grew up idolizing Flair so it was important to see this match.  We stuck around and went to Raw the next night for what was the greatest tribute to a living professional wrestler I've ever witnessed.  It was an amazing weekend.

Undertaker after the Streak ended

I've talked before about the length of the Undertaker's streak.  It started my senior year in high school.  I'd watched it grow each year on pay per view and finally in person. Through college, marriage and my kids hitting their teen years. I never thought it would end, so you can imagine my shock when Brock Lesnar pinned the Deadman at Wrestlemania XXX.  It was the first time in two decades that the Undertaker had lost at the biggest event of the year.  The ending of the Streak even netted main stream media coverage.  It was a big deal and I'm fortunate enough to have been in the SuperDome for it.

Farewell, HBK

Shawn Michaels has a long legacy with Wrestlemania as well. He and Marty Jannetty wrestled as the Rockers at Wrestlemania V.  Despite a few years away recuperating, HBK came back and competed in several more Manias before the Undertaker ended his career.  I believe Shawn had 17 actual Wrestlemania matches under his belt and getting to see his last one in Phoenix meant a lot.  As did watching Edge wrestle for the last time.  But I don't think anyone in Atlanta expected his title defense at Wrestlemania 28 to be his swan song.  

The Rock's return

Before going to Wrestlemania 22 in 2006, I hadn't attended a live WWE event since 1997's Badd Blood: In Your House. Rocky Maivia wasn't quite The Rock yet, but was working with the Nation of Domination at that event.  Fast forward to 2012 when The Rock signs on wrestle John Cena at Wrestlemania 28.  It was the first time I'd seen The Rock as the megastar step into the ring.  Even though I was critical (at that time) of a part timer coming back, it was awesome getting a chance to see him wrestle in person.

These are just a few of the magical moments for me at Wrestlemania.  It's been a wild and memorable ride.

The Undertaker's Wrestlemania History

Bray Wyatt gets his answer
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
Listen to the My 1-2-3 Cents Podcast here.

The Undertaker has accepted Bray Wyatt's challenge for Wrestlemania 31, marking the Deadman's 23rd Wrestlemania. It's quite a feat, as the Undertaker has only missed two Manias (10 & 16) over the last 24 years.  I'm sure this has been talked about before, but I'm looking back at how life was when Undertaker embarked on his Wrestlemania journey in 1991.

My senior photo (when the Streak started)

I was 18 years old, a senior in high school, on the night the Undertaker pinned the legendary "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka at Wrestlemania VII.  Who knew that night so many years ago, we'd still be talking about Taker?  I certainly didn't.  I thought he'd be a flash in the pan, but to the credit of Mark Calaway he's created the greatest gimmick in the history of the business (IMO).

When The Streak started George HW Bush was President of the United States.  Three other men have served in the White House since then. 

The national average for gallon of gas in 1991 was $1.01. 

Undertaker vs. Jimmy Snuka: Wrestlemania VII
Photo courtesy: WWE

The night after Undertaker's first Wrestlemania win, Kevin Costner's "Dances with Wolves" won the Oscar for Best Picture.

The Internet as we know it today was still about four years away from hitting computers everywhere.  Twitter, Facebook and YouTube were more than a decade away.

Bray Wyatt, Taker's opponent this year, was months away from celebrating his fourth birthday.  

NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks wasn't even born yet.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was simply "Stunning", Goldust was "The Natural" and John Cena was in junior high school.

Jim Ross was the voice of WCW and Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan called Wrestlemania that year.

Courtesy: variety.com

There have been five different company logos since Wrestlemania VII.

The only thing that has remained a constant through the last 24 years is that Vince McMahon is still in charge.  I am intrigued by this matchup for Wrestlemania 31 and can't wait to see what happens that night.

End the Streak

20 & 0
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my12cents on Twitter

I’ll admit I’m not a fan of The Undertaker coming back for matches at Wrestlemania. Ever since “the streak” became a focal point of Wrestlemania, only the match against Randy Orton had me thinking Undertaker was going to lose. Now Taker takes most of the year off, comes back for the match at Wrestlemania, performs his signature moves, rolls his eyes back in his head while sticking out his tongue while the video screen updates with the new number in the win column. YAWN. 

When the rumors starting floating around saying CM Punk would be Undertaker’s opponent at Wrestlemania 29, I questioned what WWE hoped to accomplish with the match. Had CM Punk not lost the WWE Title to The Rock, I could understand a Streak vs. Longest Title Reign in 25 years build up, even though we’d already seen Taker win the World Title at Wrestlemanias 23 and 24.  Still, there would be something on the line in the match. After Punk lost two pay per view matches to The Rock and a match to John Cena on Raw, I felt putting him into another no-win match wasn’t the most sensible decision to make. Not to mention the manner in which WWE initially set up the match. It all seemed like “we don’t really have anything else for these guys to do so lets put them into a match against each other.”  Then something happened.

Punk mocks Taker
Photo courtesy: WWE

The death of Paul Bearer, while saddening and unfortunate, may have been the best thing to happen for the Punk/Taker match.  The death gave Punk ammunition to use during promos and helped humanize Undertaker. While I still feel Undertaker should have retired after Wrestlemania 28 since 20-0 was a good round number to end the streak, I am now of the opinion the streak should end this year.

While Paul Bearer hasn’t been in Undertaker’s corner at Wrestlemania since Wrestlemania XX, the fact he can’t be in the corner this year could be used to make Undertaker appear weaker than normal. Since it’s a pretty safe bet John Cena will avenge his loss to The Rock from last year and, even with the retirement stipulation, Triple H will most likely avenge his loss, having Taker fail to make CM Punk pay for his disrespecting Paul Bearer, would make Wrestlemania a tad bit more interesting. 

CM Punk doesn’t need to be the person to end the streak, yet it would give him something to brag about whenever he needs to get the crowd riled up. As much as I don’t think the streak should be broken, if there were any time to break it, that time would be now. I don’t know how many more matches Undertaker has left in him. I do know I’m tired of the streak and the sporadic appearances of the Undertaker. If CM Punk were to beat the Undertaker, I would imagine the crowd would go crazy and WWE would get one of the most vocal reactions from an audience that for all likely purposes could be in a frozen silence if the weather doesn’t get better in the next two weeks. Plus, Twitter and Tout would be burning up with reactions from fans at home.

The Undertaker’s matches at Wrestlemania have become stale. It’s time to shake it up and the best way to do that is to end the streak. I’m either crazy or a jaded fan but that’s how I see it. I know I’ll be sitting in the stands chanting, END..THE..STREAK (clap clap clap).  Who is with me?

Playing Second Fiddle

Secondary champions
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

With the world watching and waiting for Wrestlemania 29 to unfold, I think many fans have noticed the undercard is more than lacking at the moment.  As of this post, Wrestlemania is 24 days and right now there are only four matches.  The Rock vs. John Cena, Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger, The Undertaker vs. CM Punk, and Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H (we're still awaiting Triple H's official response, but I think we all know he's going to accept).  Rumor has it another match will be announced on SmackDown! and without giving it all away, I can tell you who ISN'T a part of it...

Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett,  United States champion Antonio Cesaro,  tag team champions Tell Hell No, and Divas champion Kaitlyn have yet to be announced for the biggest show of the year.  I'm disappointed by this, but not surprised.  Part of me wonders if they'll all even be a part of Wrestlemania this year.  Let's examine the past few years...

Epico, Primo, & Rosa
Photo courtesy: WWE

Wrestlemania 28:

The tag team titles were defended on the pre-show with Epico and Primo beating the Usos and Tyson Kidd and Justin Gabriel.

U.S. Champion Santino Marella at least made the show, but the title wasn't defended as he lead a losing team representing Teddy Long against a team representing John Laurinaitis.

The Divas title wasn't defended either, but champion Beth Phoenix was in a tag match with Eve against Kelly Kelly and Maria Menounos.

The IC, WWE, and World heavyweight (18 seconds) titles were all defended on the show.

Bryan vs. Sheamus
Photo courtesy: WWE

Wrestlemania 27:

The pre-show match was the U.S. Title match that had been announced as happening on the show, but didn't.  Heck, it really didn't end up being a pre-show match either as Sheamus and Daniel Bryan brawled with the lumberjacks, setting up a battle royal that ended up being won by the Great Khali.

No Divas title match nor did the champion Eve wrestle on the show.  Instead it was Snooki and Trish Stratus (a celebrity and a retired Diva) getting the spotlight.

IC champion Wade Barrett and tag team champions Heath Slater (he held gold!) and Justin Gabriel were in an eight man tag match with Corre member Ezekiel Jackson against Santino, Kane, Big Show, and Kofi Kingston.

Drew McIntyre in MITB
Photo by My 1-2-3 Cents

Wrestlemania 26:

The Miz was the U.S. and tag team champion.  He and the Big Show beat John Morrison and R-Truth.  No U.S. title match though.

The IC champion was Drew McIntyre.  He wrestled in the Money in the Bank match that year.  I can kinda understand that, but I'm have an old school mentality, and would like to see my champions defending their titles on the biggest show of the year.

Maryse was the Divas champ and a part of the 10 Diva tag team match that took Vickie Guerrero to new heights.

You get the picture here.  I know the roster is bigger than it was in the early days of Wrestlemania.  The WWE has also put more focus on the Undertaker's streak and adding guest celebrities to matches than some of their secondary champions.  I understand their desire to get main stream media attention and continue building on the legacy of the Undertaker, but I really wish guys like Cesaro, Barrett, and Bryan would get a chance to shine too. If the Divas title gets defended at 29, it'll be the first time that title has been on the line since Wrestlemania 23.  I know it's early in the planning stages, and in just over three weeks, we'll know who will step on the biggest stage of them all.

Part Timer Mania

Brock, Triple H, and Undertaker: Part Timer Mania
Photos by WWE

By Chad Smart
@chadsmart & @my123cents on Twitter

I’ve been sitting on this mini-rant until Triple H, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker were officially announced as taking part at Wrestlemania. Looking at the last five Wrestlemanias, there are on average 28.4 wrestlers in matches on the actual pay per view. This number is slightly inflated as it includes Money in the Bank matches from Wrestlemania 24, 25 and 26 which had 7, 8 and 10 participants respectively. Wrestlemania 26 also featured an 8-Diva tag match while Wrestlemania 27 featured an 8-man tag featuring the Corre and Wrestlemania 28 had the 12-man tag Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy match. For the sake of my argument I’m not counting the 25-Diva battle royale from Wrestlemania 25. Wrestlemania 29 doesn’t look to feature a MITB or huge multi-person tag match. So if we reduce those matches to simple one on one match, the number of wrestlers in matches on the show drops to an even 20.

We know that The Rock, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and The Undertaker will wrestle at Wrestlemania. I’m going to make the assumption Chris Jericho will also take part in the show. If the 20 participants average holds up, that means 25% of the show will comprise of part time wrestlers. Meanwhile guys who are on the road 50 weeks out of the year, wrestling 3-4 times a week will be reduced to backstage skits or, if they’re lucky, maybe a pre-show battle royale. Maybe I’m in the minority but the over abundance of guys who only show up for big shows is a big reason why I have next to zero interest in Wrestlemania this year. It isn’t just the part timers; it also has to do with how they’re being used on the show.

Rock faces John Cena...again
Photo courtesy: WWE

The Rock is facing John Cena in a rematch from last year. I’ve mentioned several times here and on From the Rafter’s Radio how much I dislike rematches at Wrestlemania. Besides the rematch factor, this match seems to only be happening so John Cena can get his win back from The Rock. For some reason, the biggest name in the company over the last decade can’t have the blemish on his record that he never beat someone. This is a very similar situation to when WCW brought in the Ultimate Warrior for Hulk Hogan to avenge his loss at Wrestlemania 6. It’s pointless and in the end will mean very little. Instead, I would have preferred to see The Rock work with someone else who could have gotten a rub from being in the ring with The Great One. Personally, I would have gone with Daniel Bryan as The Rock’s opponent, as they could have played off The Rock’s insult from Raw 1000. Also, The Rock wouldn’t have been champion.

Triple H wants Brock Lesnar...again
Photo courtesy: WWE

Triple H wanted to fight Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania so they could “finish what they started at SummerSlam.” Again we have another rematch. Granted it wasn’t from a Wrestlemania. Still, the last time both men were on a pay per view they fought each other. As far as finishing what they started, I think Brock finished it by beating Triple H and the fans put the nail in the coffin by chanting, “you tapped out” at Triple H after the match instead of giving him a favorable reception. On a personal note, I was at SummerSlam so again, I don’t like that I’m paying more money to see a match I’ve already seen. If Brock Lesnar is only going to make a handful of appearances a year, why waste them fighting another guy who only shows up every few months? Shouldn’t WWE try and maximize the usage of the part timers and help build the status of their full time wrestlers?

Undertaker returns
Photo courtesy: WWE

The Undertaker finally pulled his Shredder style robe out of the closet and made his return to RAW on the 3/4/13 show after an 8-month hiatus. CM Punk won a Fatal 4-Way match to earn the right to face the Dead Man at Wrestlemania. With both Triple H and Undertaker fighting again, what did WWE mean by billing last year’s Wrestlemania match was “End of an Era?” Unless CM Punk pulls off one of the biggest upsets in Wrestlemania history, the longest reigning champion in the past 20 years will have lost three straight pay per view matches to part time wrestlers. I know I’m being the typical complaining, oversensitive Internet wrestling fan, but something doesn’t sit right with me when I think about Punk’s record in 2013. I would have preferred Undertaker to retire “the streak” at 20-0 and ride off into the sunset.

As I mentioned earlier, I fully expect Chris Jericho to be involved in some fashion but for the life of me I can’t think of whom he’ll face. In fact, we’re less than five weeks away from Wrestlemania and the only other matches that seem to be hinted at are The Shield vs. Randy Orton/Big Show/Sheamus and Ryback/Mark Henry. Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Damian Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Wade Barrett, Antonio Cessaro, The Miz, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth have no storylines going which could lead to logical matches. I left off any tag teams from the list (minus Team Hell No) because tag teams much like Divas, don’t matter. It’s hard for WWE to come up with compelling matches for guys who work all year, but can easily find matches for wrestlers who only wrestle once or twice a year. Guess it makes sense. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

WWE has five weeks to get me interested in Wrestlemania. Right now I’m more excited for the Shimmer show the day before and I haven’t watched a Shimmer show in probably six years nor am I familiar with most of their roster. Am I in the minority? Are you excited for Wrestlemania? Do you prefer to see the part time wrestlers or would you rather see other wrestlers get their shot at making history? I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Let us know how you feel on our Facebook page.