The Undertaker will go down in the history of professional wrestling as one of the most prominent and prolific performers. His character, mystic, evolution, and longevity made him one of the greatest WWE legends of all time, and he earned a place in the Hall of Fame, class of 2022.
One of the biggest parts of The Undertaker’s illustrious career in WWE was the famous WrestleMania streak. The Undertaker remained undefeated at The Show of Shows for 21 matches, defeating the likes of stars like CM Punk, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels.
However, amidst those opponents, there was one particular WWE superstar who was the first one to be offered to break the iconic streak. This was former WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon’s decision. But the superstar in question denied the opportunity that could have been a major push for his in-ring career back then.
Which WWE legend was the first superstar discussed to end The Undertaker’s Streak?
In an interview with BT Sport in 2023, The Undertaker revealed that Vince McMahon wanted WWE Hall of Famer Edge to be the one to defeat him at WrestleMania and end his undefeated streak. He, along with Vladimir Kozlov, was one of the early choices in defeating Taker at The Show of Shows.
The Phenom added that Edge refused the opportunity as he had a lot of respect for The Undertaker and The Streak, understanding its importance to the business back then. The Undertaker found out about this many years later, and had massive appreciation for Edge for putting the business before his own career. (via TNT Sports)
There were a few people that he wanted to break the streak (Vladamir) Kozlov. It was early on. I think he wanted Edge, Edge refused. That’s how much he respected The Streak, and me, what he thought The Streak meant to the business. I didn’t know it at the time. I didn’t know that until years after. That just says a lot about the human being he is. Edge grasped how important The Streak had become, he said ‘I don’t think it’s the right thing,’ and he said no.
“Vince wanted Edge to go over, Edge refused.
“He said, ‘I don’t want that, I don’t think it’s the right thing.'”
The Undertaker tells @arielhelwani how @EdgeRatedR and one other unlikely opponent could have ended his #WrestleMania streak before Brock Lesnar 👀#ArielMeets pic.twitter.com/ycr6Q2ODiL
— WWE on TNT Sports (@wweontnt) March 13, 2023
The Undertaker earned the opportunity to face Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 24. This was the main event of the show and saw The Phenom win the championship for the second time in a row after having defeated Dave Bautista for the title one year prior.
Who have defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania?
While Edge denied the chance to be The One to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania, it was ultimately Brock Lesnar who ended The Streak. The decision again was made by Vince McMahon on the day of WrestleMania 30, when Undertaker reached the Superdome in New Orleans, as he has revealed in many interviews.
Moreover, The Undertaker also spoke about the fact that Brock Lesnar did not need the accolade of being the superstar to end his WrestleMania streak. Instead, he wanted to see a star like Roman Reigns, who was an upcoming top star at the time and could have benefitted from the same much more than Lesnar. However, Reigns did become the second man after Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33.
Brock Lesnar is no longer on WWE television, and chances look slim after he was officially named in the Vince McMahon Janel Grant’s s*xual misconduct lawsuit. Roman Reigns, on the other hand, has become one of the biggest draws for WWE of all time, and The Undertaker has been one of the top praises of The OTC, carrying WWE into a new era as one of the flagship stars.
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