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WWE: Wrestlemania’s 5 Greatest Finishes

By Daniel Barker

WWE WrestleMania (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images)
WWE WrestleMania (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS via Getty Images) /
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WWE WrestleMania 26: Streak vs. Career

For No. 3, whenever the Undertaker’s once undefeated streak is brought up, there are fond memories. For over two decades, it was preserved and for the most part; stood out as a unique and valuable selling point.  Never again will we witness anything like it. Never to be duplicated in our lifetime.

Over eleven years ago, fans were reeling off a phenomenal encounter between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker, at the 25th annual WrestleMania. The streak remained intact and fans continued an age-old tradition in speculating who may be the one to break it. With many upcoming talents being the focal point of those conversations.

As we entered 2010, an unusual twist came about during the Slammy Awards. Shawn Michaels received a trophy for the match of the year. His appreciation of the accolade soon turned into issuing challenge to the ‘Dead Man’ was issued, with Michaels citing how close he came to ending the undefeated streak, posing the greatest threat to ending it, up to that point.

The Undertaker initially refused, driving an obsessed Shawn Michaels over the edge to ensure his challenge would be accepted. Not only did Michaels ruin Undertaker’s prospects of going to WrestleMania as champion, but he was also willing to give up everything for that one final shot.

At WrestleMania 26, we witnessed a display of light vs darkness. A rematch to one of the greatest encounters in the event’s entire history. This time, however, it would close the show. Either the Undertaker’s streak would end, or Shawn Michael’s career.

As expected, they tore the house down once again. Fans in attendance and around the world gripped to their seats, with close calls tugging at their heartstrings. Two legends waging war with legacies hanging in the balance.

In the end, the Undertaker came out on top. Shawn Michaels remained defiant in the final moments before receiving one last tombstone piledriver for the definitive finish. A sold-out crowd reacted with cheers of relief, among feelings of remorse. The streak remained intact, yet a legend’s in-ring career was finally over.  A bittersweet and yet mesmerizing way to end a WrestleMania.