Lance Storm's Idea To End The Streak

[Lockard 23]

April 23, 2013

I've been asked many times whether I think the Undertaker's Streak should ever be broken. Originally I thought absolutely, it's what this business is about; you should always pass the torch. What's the point of building something up if at the end of that run it isn't used to get over that next generation? That thinking was several years ago and for the last few years I've changed my thinking. My new thinking on this was that the Streak means so much now a guy has to be built up to the point where he is already made in order to challenge for it, and if the guy is already made he doesn't need the win to be made so why not leave the Undertaker's legacy intact.

Well my thinking has changed once again and it was thanks to an idea, or more sort of a questions asked by my friend Todd Martin (@ToddMartinMMA). Todd's question was: Is the Streak being broken a better story? This got me looking at the problem from a whole different perspective. Instead of thinking, what's better for business, I'm looking at it strictly from a drama and storytelling aspect and deciding which is the better story. After some pondering I've made up my mind on what I think the better story is, and in the end it's even the best thing for business. The only shame is that it should have been started a couple years ago, for maximum effectiveness. I discussed this idea on my last F4W online interview and many people liked it so I thought I would share it all with you here.

Booking the Streak:

Yes I would break the streak, and oddly enough it doesn't even matter by whom. I would start the angle with a simple interview with the Undertaker. In the interview the Undertaker needs to be asked if he thinks anyone will ever be able to beat the Streak or if he thinks he will retire with the Streak intact. To this I would have Undertaker reply that he has no intention of retiring until someone does beat the Streak. Continuing the Streak as long as possible is the ultimate challenge and retiring before someone beats it, would be like quitting. He will not retire with 21 or 22 straight victories and live out his life wondering if he could have gone 23 or 24. He will defend the Streak until it is broken and the day it is broken will be his last match and he will retire.

This establishes two very important money drawing details. The first is that the Streak will most definitely end and the second, when it does it will be The Undertakers last ever match. The Streak is already one of, if not the biggest drawing aspect of WrestleMania but with this new addition I believe the Streak's drawing power increases greatly, and why I think this idea should have been implemented a few years ago, to get maximum effect.

The WrestleMania where the Streak being broken in the Undertakers last ever match is a legitimate once in a life time event that no wrestling fan will want to miss, and with this one simple promo fans know that it will happen and realistically fairly soon. Each year now as fans decide whether they are going to attend WrestleMania live or order it on PPV, they will have to ask themselves, is this going to be the year, will this be the year the Streak is broken and the Undertaker retires,and do I want to risk missing that once in a life time moment? Watching it back on DVD, won't be the same as witnessing that amazing moment live, when the referee's hand strikes the mat that third time marking the end of the Streak and one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time. With The Undertaker's age you have to know it's coming sooner rather than later, so how can you possibly risk missing another WrestleMania? The answer is you can't.

There are other benefits to this idea as well. Every near fall in every Undertaker match will have so much more emotion and drama. For the last few years the guys have had to work so hard to create that one moment when fans actually believe the Streak can be broken, but now that fans KNOW it will be broken, every near fall becomes believable and will bring more emotion. Every match will be more heated; every match will have more at stake. Every win will be bigger and that eventual lose will be the defining end a great career deserves.

There is the argument that no one wants to see him lose and the end of the Streak and the defeating of the Undertaker at WrestleMania will be too much of a downer but I disagree. Yes I think it will be a very sad disappointing moment when the Streak and the career of The Undertaker finally ends, but think about the ovation The Undertaker's wins currently get and how much bigger they would be when you add the relief of his career being saved and the reassurance that he will be around for one more defence next year. Each win becomes greater and when that ultimate end does happen I think there is a chance for one of the greatest moments in wrestling history.

When Taker does finally lose and the referee's hand strikes the mat for that third and final time, there will likely be a dead silence fall over the crowd, it will be a sad and surreal moment for sure, but that's okay. As the saying goes it is always darkest before the dawn. I believe that after that three count, if the Undertaker remains completely motionless and does not move, while the winner gets his hand raise, does whatever he has to do, and then leaves, the crowd will have time to absorb what they have just witnessed and I bet the loudest "Thank You Taker" chant would start to build, and when they are about to reach their peak you kill the lights to create silence and then you hit The Undertaker's Gong and a blue spot light on The Undertaker's motionless body, on the second Gong he sits up one last time. In my opinion the ovation this will receive could very well make this the greatest and most memorable moment in WrestleMania history. The perfect send of for one of the greatest ever.

Lance Storm

I agree with his sentiments about the streak ending being a huge deal and almost too big to pass up. You'd be missing out on a huge moment in WWE history and wrestling history in general. But my argument has always been it needs to be with the right person. I don't agree at all that it doesn't matter who breaks it, Lance has said himself before that one reason it should probably stay intact is that the guy who breaks it might not work out in the long run or might just turn around and leave like Brock Lesnar did, taking the honor of beating the streak along with him.

I also think, as good as his idea is, that it wouldn't make a difference in the long run. A lot of casual fans believe anyway that the streak could end every year, so there's always the drama attached to that. Plus, from a realistic POV as far as WWE is concerned, there's certain opponents you know won't end it. Punk this year for example. HHH last year and the year before. Even Michaels at 26 as everyone knew he was retiring anyway. This wouldn't change even if Taker said he was retiring after the loss of the streak, which most probably figure anyway at this point (even if they don't, it's still the end of coming back to Wrestlemania to defend the immortal streak every year.) And there's always that chance that after awhile, Taker could come out anyway and say that no one has defeated him yet and that he thinks it's time to give them one last chance (in other words, he's pretty saying he's retiring after one more match), and in that case, I could see him handpicking an opponent who he thinks would be the biggest challenge left, which sounds like a good set up for Cena/Taker, if you ask me.

WWE also must know that there's the chance that when the time comes, they may not want to end the streak and so they don't want to back themselves into a corner with this.

 

[Donald Trump_]

Streak shouldn't end. A good push can put any superstar over, you don't need a push like ending the streak. But there's nothing like the streak. It's too big a thing to come to an end.

 

[Leo C]

I'd really like that storyline, just as long as they picked the right guy. I also disagree with him on that. As said, they have to get a young guy who's extremely talented and loaded with potential, and build him up to a certain point where it won't look like crap if he beats the streak but it also won't be a waste, but they gotta be ready because that guy will have to stick with WWE and not flop.

 

[Lockard 23]

I think the right guy to end it should be someone they KNOW will be a big star or someone who has already reached that mountaintop but has only ruled it for one or two or at the very most, three or four years. With the former, I'd use Steve Austin going into Wrestlemania 14 and John Cena/Batista going into Wrestlemania 21 as examples. The company knew they had big stars for the future on their hands and thus I would trust someone of that stature to end the streak.

But I still think the latter is better. I don't believe the streak should be used to propel someone into the main event, I believe the better route to take is that they should already be on that level and ending the streak just propels them further into the stratosphere. Like Hogan in 1986 or 1987. It was 1987 at Wrestlemania 3 (which is still WWF's most iconic event) when Hogan ended Andre's streak of never being defeated before or body slammed before. Of course, he HAD been defeated and body slammed before years earlier (even by Hogan as far as the latter is concerned) but they hid that fact to add further hype to the match and the result was what is considered the pinnacle of Hulkamania and the 80's boom period. Many even say that Cena/Undertaker could be the Hogan/Andre of it's generation. Steve Austin in 1999 or even 2001 (before he turned heel) would be the right time for him, as well as Rock in 2000 or 2001, or Cena in 2007 (WWE did great business in 2007 with Cena's long reign where Cena had more heat than ever before.) Someone in those kinds of positions where they are well established as main eventers already but don't have the huge number of years that Cena has under his belt now, for example.

The problem is, Taker doesn't have very much left and there is currently no one that fits either category. It's the obvious reason (obvious to me, anyway) why the match with Cena has been held off this long. Because the WWE know they may not want to end the streak if there is no one they feel confident in giving it to, and Cena is the biggest name currently on the roster to end the streak defeating. Their thought process is likely that by the time Taker decides to hang them up, Cena may still be the biggest name and they want him to go out with the biggest final match and Mania main event (you're crazy if you think Taker's retirement match won't headline Mania) possible.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Now we see why Storm doesn't work for WWE Creative. What a brilliant idea that would have been to add to the streak storyline.

 

[airbourne908]

I think the streak shouldn't end, the streak is the greatest thing in WWE.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

I think the streak shouldn't end, the streak is the greatest thing in WWE.

It would be even more of a spectacle if they had done what Storm suggests here.

 

[Lockard 23]

It would be even more of a spectacle if they had done what Storm suggests here.

Like I mentioned in my first post, I don't think it'd be really any different. The streak is still on the line every year, the drama of it ending is still there, most casuals still buy into the possibility of it ending every year anyway and if they don't, then they know certain opponents will have no chance of ending it anyway. If anything, Taker promising retirement makes it more predictable in some ways because if you think that Taker (back when Taker was still a full time wrestler) may still wrestle even after the streak is over, you can more easier buy into someone like CM Punk (imagine the match took place years earlier with the same angle and everything) defeating Undertaker. Whereas you know that Taker's retirement is not gonna be losing against certain people like letting a heel like Punk get the last laugh on his streak and career after the way he disrespected the memory of Paul Bearer.

 

[Chris1990slater]

There is not a perfect fit for that role in the WWE as of yet but I think its a great idea, Undertaker is a legend with or without the streak....
Closest to the role of using the streak would be Ziggler/ Bryan/ Punk/ Barrett/ at the moment I would pick one of them.. or for more in the future use someone from the shield or someone from NXT coming through.
But like you said don't use the streak to make someones career use it to make an amazing storyline

Personally Orton would have been perfect as the Legend killer... maybe a heel turn and go after him again or is it too late for randy?

 

[Lockard 23]

Yeeeah, I think the ship has sailed as far as Orton breaking the streak goes.

 

[Super Saiyan Goku]

PLAIN SAMPLE THE STREAK NEVER ENDED! GET OVER IT!

 

[Snowman1]

*Stands up and gives a great round of applause*

It's amazing how often little things like this can help wrestling.