Undertaker vs Punk Is Ready To Go

We all knew it would happen and we assumed it would need to happen sooner rather than later but it was still pretty darn cool to see the Undertaker vs CM Punk match finally in place as “Old School” Raw come to a close. This was a match that has been speculated about for 6 or so months but due to the ever changing WWE creative team and Taker’s health, we were never quite sure if this dream match would actually take place. All those doubts were put to rest as CM Punk raised Randy Orton on his shoulders and prepared to have Randy go-to-sleep at around 10:03 pm central standard time. I’ll address how this match came to be, I was not pleased, a bit later on but for now, Punk has his main-event match at the biggest event in wresting.

Credit: Justin RobertsI wondered for a few weeks how they would initiate this program and given the pictures circulating the internet along with the health issues that Undertaker is battling through, I really began to wonder if this match would ever happen. Punk is the top heel in the business and maybe the hottest heel since early Edge so something needed to happen and soon. The obvious backup plan was to insert Punk into the Rock/Cena Wrestlemania title match, it made sense and Punk has tremendous chemistry with both top faces. However, the fact was Vince McMahon wanted no part of that scenario. Vince still believes Rock/Cena is a top draw and wanted the rematch badly, with no other subplots involved. Now, we have the dream match and even at Taker’s advanced age and Punks nagging knee issues, this one should steal the show much like any other Wrestlemania match with Undertaker involved.

Now, the only real issue I came away with was how we got to this point. They couldn’t find a storyline a bit more intriguing then a fatal-four way match to determine who got to face Taker at Mania? Those type of matches’ reek of the creative team caught off guard and simply lacking any kind of vision. Why there were no contingency plans in place for Punk had Undertaker not been able to make Mania is mind boggling. They took the easy way out and that’s a shame. Understanding, four weeks is a very short amount of time to build a great storyline for a top match, they had the easy escape clause built in with Punk’s comments the previous week and his obsession with streaks. Why not simply swerve Punk from the title picture to something that may even be more important to man obsessed with numbers, 20-0? Lack of vision and creativity continues to plague the WWE creative team and will be solely responsible for what is shaping up to be a mediocre Wrestlemania, even with the top names being involved.

The match itself should be good and maybe even great given these men and their past matches. I don’t mean with each other but with their opponents at the highest level. Punk is coming off one of the greatest matches in memory and is at the top of his game, even with a bad wheel. I honestly don’t think there is a better wrestler/entertainer in the business right now and this spot is well deserved. Undertaker’s past Wrestlemania matches speak for themselves, looking directly at Shawn Micheals and Ric Flair. Taker’s health, however, is a concern and might hold this match back quite a bit. Punk will need to probably take his game up another level to make this match as memorable as it has the potential to be.

Overall, the time was right and necessary for this bad boy to come together. Punk will no doubt deliver and without a doubt, this match’s development will be the most intriguing aspect about the road to Wrestlemania. Now, the questions shifts, does the WWE have the stones to pull the trigger on a Punk victory?  Right now, I think they don’t but still quite a bit until the highlight of the Wrestling season and many things tend to and will change.