For Whom The Bell Tolls
The scuttlebutt inside WWE today is that Randy Orton is now first in line to be the man who finally snaps The Undertaker's undefeated WrestleMania streak.
But does that mean The Undertaker is actually willing to let The Viper end his incomparable WrestleMania record?
If so, it wouldn't be the first time that the "Deadman" put the company before his ego.
According to former WWE champion and current TNA wrestler Kurt Angle, The Undertaker has been willing to lose at WrestleMania for at least ten years.
In a 2010 interview with The Sun, Angle admits that Calaway wanted him to end his fabled streak in 2001 at WrestleMania 22.
“The person who wanted to do it was Undertaker himself," Angle candidly reveals. "I was flattered, for him to go to Vince McMahon and pitch it. Undertaker at that point never had a five-star WrestleMania moment match. He figured that the only one he could do it with was me, at the time. Thank God a couple of years later he had Shawn Michaels, and it worked. But Undertaker really wanted to have that match, he asked Vince to push our match back from No Way Out to WrestleMania and, since I was champion they wanted me to keep the title, Undertaker was willing to take the loss."
“To me that meant a lot because Undertaker had a lot of respect for me," Angle says. "And I had more respect for him than he did for me.”
Many fans will remember that Orton has already received a crack at the streak back at WrestleMania 21. At that time, the "legend killer" was never said to be a legitimate threat to the streak But just as WWE has done on more than one occasion, The Undertaker is put into situations where he has defended the streak against the same superstar on multiple occasions. Shawn Michaels, example, fell to the Deadman twice. Triple H, on the other hand, has now been defeated three times at WrestleMania at the hands of the Undertaker.
But Orton may have already suffered his one at only loss to the Grim Reaper on sports entertainment's grandest stage. Eric Kanes of the Bleacher Report suggests that Orton may not have gotten his last shot at The Undertaker.
"Randy Orton's incentive this time," Kanes writes, "would be this: He could come out during The Undertaker's return this year and say that the last time they faced off, he was the ‘Legend Killer’ but now, he's become sort of a legend himself. He has won the Royal Rumble, become a nine-time World Champion, main evented WrestleMania and basically been there and done that. Any other wrestler would dream of having this kind of career but he isn't satisfied."
"For all these years," Kanes goes on to say, "one thing has been killing him and that is that he failed to end The Undertaker's streak. However, the last time they faced off, he was young and stupid. Now, he is in the prime of his career and he wants just one more shot. From that point on, you can have Randy Orton one-upping Undertaker each week with mind games and basically putting over the fact that Orton is in his prime while Undertaker's days are numbered and his streak is in serious jeopardy. Randy Orton vs. Undertaker could be a very hyped up and anticipated matchup. Plus, with the way Orton is usually booked, it would not be hard to convince people that he could very well end the streak."
"There is also one other reason that this match would be great," he closes. "Even if some people don't want to admit it, Randy Orton is one of the best workers on the roster. He can definitely carry The Undertaker through his injuries and make him look really good in his last match."
An increasingly commonplace view around WWE, however, is that The Undertaker character will never officially retire. At some point, likely within the next twelve to twenty-four months, Mark Calaway - a.k.a. The Undertaker - will stop wrestling forever. But the WWE won't necessarily work a retirement angle.
"One idea I keep hearing," says an industry veteran, "is that The Undertaker will simply fade way. But I doubt that scenario very much, because there's too much potential in a final match-type situation for Taker. I could see the character 'dying' or being put to rest in some fitting fashion - like a buried alive match. He won't have a Ric Flair-esque WrestleMania send-off. Mark is all about ring psychology. And his last match will definitely be all about the ring psychology."
Is It Time?
In the past, Mark Calaway has been vocal in his view that some wrestlers have seemingly extended their career so far past their prime that they did serious damage to their professional reputation and legacy.
Having repeatedly observed that he didn't want to work until he was wheelchair-bound, the time is quickly drawing near for Calaway to make good on his pledge.
Although few in the WWE locker room think The Undertaker character is overstaying its welcome, there are concerns that Mark Calaway is on the precipice of a dangerous ledge - a ledge that many, including Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Sting, have arguably stepped off of.
"We all cringe when we see Ric Flair climbing into the ring today," one source admits. "We love him, but we hate that he's going to be remembered by a new generation of fans as an old man who can hardly move around the ring. This is a man who used to own the mat. He was probably the best wrestler to ever lace up a pair of boots. The fact that he keeps on hanging on is sad. But a lot of guys can't leave the money and fame behind. Moreover, they can't leave the memories behind. They flat out refuse to admit that their time has passed. Undertaker promised to never overstay his welcome. He hasn't. But we're all really eager to see what he does here real soon."
Ten years ago, Mark Calaway was interviewed on The Score. When asked about his eventual retirement, Calaway said:
"You know, my whole thing is that as long as I can be out there in the ring and I'm hanging with the Brock Lesnars, the Kurt Angles, the Triple Hs - if I'm on an equal level with those guys, why should I retire? I'm at a point now where I've made my money and I've done well with all of that. Why I wrestle now is because I enjoy this. Plus, it's my turn to start giving back. I'm mean, we've talked about being a locker room leader, but now I have the ability that I don't have the pressure on me. Financially, I'm set. I've done everything that there is to do in this business. Now I'm enjoying myself. Plus I'm taking some of these guys that I think have a lot of potential that really don't know what they're doing yet and I can hands-on work with these guys. And that's my contribution to continuing the success of our industry. My biggest worry in life as far as wrestling is concerned is that I'm in the ring, and some father, who watched me for years, takes his son and he goes, 'you know, son, this is The Undertaker here. Boy, I wish you could have seen him when...' That means it’s time for me to hang it up... Hopefully the guys I work with and wrestle against would tell me. Because I would hate to know that anybody ever laid back to protect me, you know. Because that's not what I'm about. So as long as I can go and hang with our top guys, I've got no reason to leave."
Based on the feedback of many WWE fans and insiders alike, contemplating when and how The Undertaker will finally bow out is probably the biggest mystery in sports entertainment today. If Calaway gets his way, The Undertaker may not go to his sports entertainment grave with his incomparable undefeated WrestleMania streak intact.
A Gift to Randy Orton
On April 20, 2010, WWE Examiner reported that sources inside World Wrestling Entertainment revealed that the Undertaker absolutely wants his unprecedented undefeated run to end.
"Reportedly feeling that the streak has become too big - even bigger than the sport itself - the Undertaker allegedly doesn't want to wind down his phenomenal career with the streak intact," the article stated.
"The Undertaker loves the business too much to retire with a legacy that's almost bigger than sports entertainment itself," a WWE source was quoted as saying in the piece.
"In this day and age," writes Joel Leonard of Inside Pulse, "there are few truly great accomplishments left in the WWE. In a world where a Heavyweight championship can change hands twice on a single episode of Smackdown and people are 9+ time Champions, holding the belts are not the accomplishments that they once were. A perfect WrestleMania streak can be someth
ing for wrestlers to aspire to, something that can be pointed to as a true accomplishment in the world of wrestling."
"The only problem is that nobody even comes close to a WrestleMania record like Undertaker," Leonard adds. "I can't think of another current wrestler with an undefeated streak that is bigger than 1-0. This means for the Streak to become relevant again, someone has to go undefeated for almost 20 years, and by then will audiences even know or care about who Undertaker was? Remember, a good chunk of that audience hasn't even been born yet. Letting Undertaker retire undefeated would be a great way to give the guy a real legacy, but there are so many more story options by having him lose at some point."
Not What Fans Want to Hear
The current rumor mill inside WWE holds that a tentative plan to end The Undertaker's undefeated streak may be on the drawing board at Mark Calaway's request.
If not Orton, the leading candidates to end the streak are said to be individuals upon whose shoulders the WWE will rest in the coming years: Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Cody Rhodes, and CM Punk.
The most likely candidate to bring The Undertaker's streak to an end is still believed to be Randy Orton.
"The Undertaker’s career is coming to a close," writes sports columnist Ryan Dilbert. "He isn’t all that old by wrestling standards, but is wearing down. While he could pull a Ric Flair and perform at a subpar level until he needs a wheelchair, I think we’d all rather see him go the route of HBK, a spectacular ending to a spectacular career."
"WrestleMania has in the past few years been the place to make such an exit into the sunset," Dilbert adds. "Tying in the end of his streak to the end of his career seems like a logical conclusion. But the problem here is that there may not be someone on his level left to send him off. Ric Flair had his 'last' match with Shawn Michaels. What they did in the ring was art, just a riveting, well-worked and emotional bout. Shawn Michaels had the Undertaker to send him off right. Much has been said about their second consecutive masterpiece. Was it better than WrestleMania 25? I don’t think it matters. It was a classic match featuring another icon."
According to Dilbert, there may truly be no giants left to give The Undertaker a proper loss to end his career with. After all, look at the huge industry icons who have already tried and failed to curtail sport entertainment's most enduring record.
• 1991: Jimmy Snuka
• 1992: Jake Roberts
• 1993: Giant González
• 1995: King Kong Bundy
• 1996: Diesel
• 1997: Sid
• 1998: Kane
• 1999: The Big Boss Man
• 2001: Triple H
• 2002: Ric Flair
• 2003: The Big Show and A-Train
• 2004: Kane
• 2005: Randy Orton
• 2006: Mark Henry
• 2007: Batista
• 2008: Edge
• 2009: Shawn Michaels
• 2010: Shawn Michaels
• 2011: Triple H
• 2012: Triple H
"What if he doesn’t lose?" Dilbert asks. "What if the match is set up as a career-ending match and everyone expects the Undertaker to lose and he ends up going 20-0 and walking into the darkness on top? If we can’t find someone big enough to send the Undertaker off in a way befitting a legend, then perhaps this is the only viable option."
Unfortunately for wrestling fans, however, it doesn't sound like Mark Calaway is demanding an industry giant like Randy Orton to end the streak. Calaway wants to close the curtain on his career by lighting a fire under a new, promising talent - not someone who has already touched the gold or main-evented a WrestleMania.
"It may seem laughable to suggest," one source admits, "but if given the choice, I think Calaway who much rather have his streak ended at the hands of a rookie than a Triple H, John Cena, or even Randy Orton. Those guys have less to gain from ending the streak. They're already headed for the hall of fame. Mark wants to help someone new get to the hall. And the fact that he's gracious and generous enough to feel this way is exactly why he's the greatest superstar who's ever worked for WWE, bar none."
Regardless of the manner in which he ultimately departs from the WWE Universe, there's an excellent possibility if not probability that the Deadman won't conclusively close the door - or, maybe, the casket lid - on his career. But if he does, look for Randy Orton to be the man who finally slams it shut.
Part 5: HOF Bound
Randy Orton will have an amazing 2012 and 2013, say WWE sources close to the superstar and the storyline trajectories in the works.
But that much may not be apparent to WWE fans immediately.
According to the inside speculation, should Orton get a crack at Brock Lesnar for SummerSlam this year, expect Lesnar to win convincingly.
Although no one wants to see Orton - the future of the WWE - "job" to Brock Lesnar, Lesnar will need to build steam heading into WrestleMania 29 after suffering a startling defeat at the hands of John Cena at WWE Extreme Rules in April 2012.
Nonetheless, simply having Randy Orton in the main event at a "major four" WWE pay-per-view will help to re-establish the superstar on a level he hasn't touched since losing the WWE Championship to The Miz following the November 2010 Survivor Series.
"A strong booking of a feud between Orton and Lesnar is exactly what the WWE would need to continue their hot streak," writes WWE columnist Sammy Sucu. "This feud may also bring Orton back into the light because as of late, he has not been talked about very much. In one way, it's a good thing because he was becoming very stale, but leaving him in the mid-card has not done much good for him lately."
"This is why he so desperately needs a match with Lesnar at this PPV," Sucu continues. "He put over Wade Barrett, has not had the title for months, was on the bottom of the card at WrestleMania and he is having a very odd feud with Kane at the moment. For the purposes of the match, these two have fought before, but never on a stage like SummerSlam. Considering it is one of the three or four biggest PPVs in the WWE, the card needs a very strong match that is not a third or fourth rematch for a title. Lesnar and Orton would be a perfect way to sell a card to any fan that is willing to fork up the money to purchase the PPV at home or buy tickets to watch it live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles."
Rodney Southern, a celebrated journalist with the Yahoo! Contributor Network and a lifelong WWE fan, agrees. "I am very concerned with the lack of direction his character has suffered from over the past year or so," Southern admits. "He has suffered some injuries and even had to spend some time away from WWE Television to recover, but short of that he has simply suffered from horrible booking. His current feud with Kane is a perfect example. It seems to be one of those feuds that simply starts up from out of nowhere every so often with little rhyme or reason. Orton has spent nearly a year putting guys over and I fully support that idea. Still, I think it is time the WWE gets Orton back in the swing of things. Orton is still in his prime."
The Rock Bottom?
WWE doesn't like to be predictable. And that's why everything that WWE fans expect to happen in the coming year may not actually happen.
Expecting a rematch between John Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania 29 or WrestleMania 30? Think it will be Brock Lesnar who squares off against "The Great One" in his final match with WWE next April?
You may be in for a big surprise.
"What I'm hearing in terms of creative chatter," Mike Randazzo confesses, "is that Randy Orton may be the guy to main event WrestleMania 29 or 30 - likely in a match against The Rock. Everyone thought The Rock was coming back to the WWE in 2011 to help eventually put John Cena over with the fans - that is, to silence the half of the WWE Universe that perpetually taunts and disses him. That didn't happen. The Rock won cleanly and convincingly over John Cena. If anything - and this is still incredible to me - it was Brock Lesnar who put Cena over at the WWE's first PPV after WrestleMania 28. Randy Orton is more of the WWE's future than John Cena is. And that's why I
keep hearing that Orton will face The Rock at one of the next two WrestleManias."
Ten years after facing a legend (Hulk Hogan) at WrestleMania, The Rock returned to the big stage as a legend himself to face the biggest icon in the WWE today – John Cena - at WrestleMania. And, as a result, parallels are being drawn repeatedly between the main event of WrestleMania 18 and the main event for WrestleManias 29 and 30.
In 2002, Hulk Hogan agreed to lose his match to The Rock, despite being the obvious fan favorite and the biggest name in the history of sports entertainment. By putting over The Rock, some say, Hogan effectively passed the torch to The Rock and the next generation of WWE superstars. And from that moment on in The Rock’s life and career, he achieved more success than he had at any time before.
The Unauthorized Story of Randy Orton and The Viper's Strike on WWE Page 3
