For those that have absolutely no idea what The Streak is, you have clearly clicked onto the wrong website, probably looking for some niche kind of porn. To keep things short, The Undertaker wins at WrestleMania. He won 21 matches in a row between WrestleMania 7 and WrestleMania 29. That was until the 30th anniversary, when Brock Lesnar F-5'd his Streak into oblivion, as well as half the Deadman's brain cells by causing a concussion.
Now, I'm not one of those people that believe The Streak should never have ended, but I do believe that if it was to be broken, it had to be done right. And now, nearly two years on from that fateful night in New Orleans, it is frankly undeniable that this was the wrong decision. WWE lost The Streak, a prize arguably greater than the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and gained nothing in return.
What happened in the immediate aftermath of Lesnar's monumental victory. He crushed John Cena for the WWE title at SummerSlam. This is clearly a good thing, right? Well it would have been if Lesnar hadn't already been the most legitimate challenger for the title anyway. Paul Heyman had already proclaimed his client the Number One contender for the belt, so he didn't need to prove anything by beating The Undertaker. To get his match at SummerSlam, Lesnar merely had to turn up, challenge the champion, and wait for someone to have the nerve to tell him no.
Lesnar did not benefit from beating The Streak, because if WWE have any common sense they would have made him WWE Champion in 2014 anyway. So beating The Undertaker was not a catalyst for Lesnar, it just proved he was a Beast. But there are many ways you can demonstrate that, like putting a camera on him and looking at him. Or not have him be beat by John Cena and Triple H, because that would be idiotic.
Furthermore, close to WrestleMania 31, there was a lot of talk that Lesnar could leave WWE to rejoin UFC when his contract expired. While this didn't prove to be the case, if he had left, WWE would have given up The Streak to a guy that could only make use of it for one year, part-time. It was utterly nonsensical, and has really come back to bite the company in the years that have followed.
The fact is, with WrestleMania 32 hampered with many notable injuries to top stars, this card could really use The Streak to maintain its appeal. Last year's match with Bray Wyatt felt lackluster and drab without the jeopardy the unbeaten record brought to The Undertaker's matches. And frankly, I would have much rather seen Wyatt take that run from The Phenom than Lesnar, because that way you are giving it to a young, hungry superstar who will be in WWE for a long time.
Obviously, you can't change the past and it often counter-productive to ask 'what if?' because it will essentially leave you depressed that things didn't go the way you wanted. But, as a diehard wrestling fan this is essentially my perpetual state of mind, so it doesn't really bother me to ask these questions.
Personally, I would have avoided Undertaker vs Lesnar altogether at WrestleMania - they definitely should have squared up at some point in 2014/2015, but avoided Mania because Lesnar would have come out on top. Ideally, I would have had Undertaker challenge Lesnar for the WWE title at Survivor Series 2014, but get so badly beaten up that he doesn't return until WrestleMania 31. Then they can have their feud in a similar manner to what took place this past year, because overall it was pretty solid.
Going back to WrestleMania 30 itself, I would have paired Lesnar with John Cena as a big marquee match (because they were likely expecting it would be Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam). Then, Undertaker would be free to take on either a non-Rumble winner Batista or a heel Sheamus and keep The Streak alive.
Lesnar would continue his same trajectory to the summit of WWE, while Undertaker would return from hiatus against a usurper to his dark throne - Bray Wyatt. There would be the added jeopardy of Undertaker being dethroned by this twisted cult leader, and the potential for Wyatt to assume his position as The New Face of Fear. Would The Streak disappear here? Perhaps, if Wyatt was booked strong throughout 2014 (which means no Cena).Yet I would have waited until this upcoming WrestleMania, in his home state of Texas, to battle the greatest threat to his undefeated streak - John Cena. As the face of WWE for over a decade, Cena alongside Lesnar is the only credible threat that could have taken the unbeaten run from The Phenom. Plus, it could have led to numerous interesting scenarios - Undertaker's retirement, a Cena heel turn, The Streak proving immortal. Think about it - if Undertaker managed to add Cena to the list and then lose the following year to an upper-midcard act like Kevin Owens, Cesaro or Rusev, they would be shot to the moon.
Personally, I will never shake the feeling that one of WWE's greatest assets, The Streak, was abandoned so unnecessarily and so cheaply. It is in my mind the biggest stain that has ever been concocted in the crazy mind of Vince McMahon outside of Katie Vick. This was arguably the most meaningful and significant thing WWE has ever created, and all they got out of it was one night of stunned silence, and a feature in the same tired promo from Paul Heyman every time Brock Lesnar arrives on the scene.
The Streak lost its life, but sadly, at least from my point of view, it can never Rest in Peace.
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