The Undertaker's WrestleMania Streak: Should it have ended?

The Undertaker’s undefeated streak was a cornerstone of WrestleMania and WWE for over two decades and the decision to end it in 2014 is still a topic that is heavily debated.

Despite lasting 21 WrestleManias across 23 years (The Undertaker missed WrestleMania in 1994 and 2000 through injury), the streak only really came to be a thing in the mid to late 2000s.

Prior to that, ‘Taker’s run was rarely played into storylines at WrestleMania despite his impressive streak of wins, likely because the streak was never intended to be a thing from the outset.

The winning run came to be more because it was The Undertaker, a mythical and supernatural being who was near-impossible to defeat at the best of times and normally won his feuds. Winning was just part of the character.

Feuds also often ended at Mania in the early years of his career meaning the odds of him losing was quite low often.

His opening decade of destruction at “The Showcase of the Immortals” featured a wide collection of victories. His opening two Manias matches came against two undisputed legends of the industry, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

This strong start was largely tempered with the following two, with midcard victories over Giant Gonzales and King Kong Buddy.

The match with Gonzales was particularly tragic if not comical, given the 7’ 7” Argentinian (tallest in wrestling history) could not wrestle a lick and his lack of hulking physique meant he wore a full body suit that featured airbrushed muscles with bushy hair attached.

Wins over “monsters” were also a feature of much of The Undertaker’s early career, as a supposed unbeatable force entered the WWE and targeted Taker. There was even a fake Undertaker at one point. The Great Khali