6) CM Punk (w/ Paul Heyman) vs. The Undertaker
After weeks of watching CM Punk and Paul Heyman mock the legacy and death of the iconic Paul Bearer, the Undertaker looked to get retribution and put his dear friend to rest this year at WrestleMania. Both Punk and the Deadman acknowledged that the streak was in jeopardy this year, as ‘Taker was more focused on the memory of his friend and mentor, than keeping his perfect record intact. And after the chokeslam, the Tombstone Piledriver, a GTS, Anaconda Vice, triangle choke, and a top rope elbow into the announce table, both men looked on in shock, unaware of how to end this nearly 30-minute war. However, the Phenom countered a last-ditch GTS attempt into a second Tombstone Piledriver, given the Undertaker his win, the title of 21-0, and closure for the legendary Paul Bearer.
Results: Undertaker def. CM Punk by pinfall; Tombstone Piledriver
A lot of reports and interviews came out in the last week about CM Punk’s attitude towards this match, and how he’d rather be wrestling for the WWE Championship in the main event. I can understand feeling slighted with Dwayne in the title picture instead of the longest Champion for nearly three decades, but that didn’t stop these two from putting on, with ease, the best match of the night.
I was worried originally about Punk’s ability to carry the Deadman through a long contest; their interactions before – mainly the forgettable Hell in a Cell encounter – haven’t lived up to expectations. But luckily, Undertaker seemed to be in decent shape, carried his weight, and Punk’s time in the main event over the last few years have shown great improvement. You have to feel bad any time a table doesn’t break; at this point they really should just fire the Spanish announce table, and allow Randy Orton to unceremoniously set it on fire. Hopefully any injuries sustained by either Punk or Undertaker are minimal.
Every year it’s easy to say “the streak will never end” or “we know how it’s going to end”, and every year I find myself on the edge of my seat as a worthy challenger – CM Punk, Triple H, Shawn Michaels – comes within an inch of immortality. As long as the Deadman is able to go, I will welcome a Streak match. At 48-years-old and 23 years in the WWE, the Undertaker is still hands down one of the best performers left in the game.
Grade: A-
