Ranking All Of The Undertaker’s WrestleMania Matches

credit: wwe.com

20. Mark Henry – WrestleMania 22

For as quickly and lazily this match with Henry at WM22 was thrown together, it’s no wonder it gets such a low ranking here. This was the second WrestleMania that “The Streak” was a factor as Randy Orton had first breached the subject a year earlier at WM21. But unlike the year before, the build up to Taker/Henry paled in comparison to that of the program with Orton. Taker had just returned to the company at the Royal Rumble after about a month off and challenged then World Heayweight Champion, Kurt Angle at February’s No Way Out show. After being unsuccessful in that quest, he had another shot at Angle mere weeks before WM22 but Mark Henry, for what ever reason, cost him that match.

So what could’ve been a championship match at Mania with Angle, suddenly became a casket match versus Henry. Henry’s only real explanation for wanting the match was so he could be the man to beat The Streak which at that point was at 13 wins. The company went ahead with Rey Mysterio, fresh off a star-making performance at the Royal Rumble to challenge successfully for the world title later that night.

There was nothing inherently wrong with this match against Henry, it just lacked energy. Nobody truthfully believed that “The World’s Strongest Man” was going to win this match and end Taker’s Mania run which was just starting to really mean something. And no offense to Henry, but he’s not the most exciting in-ring performer the company has ever seen. He has limitations, and that was obvious as Taker locked him in the casket in just over nine minutes after fighting off Henry in a match that was essentially over before it even started.