On This Day: Sunday April 1st 2001
Wrestlemania 19 - Triple H vs The Undertaker
At last years Wrestlemania the two giant forces, the two icons - The Undertaker and Triple H met with The Undertakers streak on the line. As usual, many pondered over whether or not The Game would be the one to finally end the streak and defeat The Undertaker the one place he has yet to be upset - Wrestlemania. In a physical, exhausting match-up The Undertaker was finally able to overcome all the punishment he had taken in the match and pick up the win but was carried from the ring, unable to stand.
This year The Dead Mans challenge for a re-match was finally accepted, after weeks of rejection, and the match was made. Wrestlemania 28, Miami, Florida. Billed as the "End of an Era" match-up, HHH again vows to end the streak and The Undertakers career. The reason for HHHs enhanced confidence this year? The match will be held in the confines of a Hell in a Cell! The matches within this structure have been dominated by these two men much more than any other individual, HHH probably having the more experience. However as we have seen this story unfold lately, and "The Heart Break Kid" be added as a special guest referee, all the talk seems to be around the pairs encouter last year at Wrestlemania 27. It seems that one match has been ignored in the hype - the first time these men met at Wrestlemania eleven years ago today!
Whether or not this year will be The Undertakers last or not remains unclear but one thing is for certain and that is that The Dead Man is nearing the end of an illustrious career. This may be the reason for this match not been mentioned, to the best of my recollection, at all in the build up. A build up leaning heavily on the history and the legacy of these two men in the WWE. The "American Bad Ass" has not been referred to in the build up to this years show but, back in 2001, The Undertaker was a tobacco-chewing, bike-riding Texan creating havoc and leaving a path of destruction in the WWE. Joining forces with his brother, Kane, The Undertaker baited HHH into a match at Wrestlemania XVII when, after Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley had filed for a restraining order against The Undertaker, had instructed Kane to do his dirty work for him. When Kane held The Games wife over a barrier backstage, with a long, steep drop to the arena floor beneath her The Undertaker forced Comissioner William Regal to give him what he wanted and make the match. The culmination of The Dead Mans "Decade of Destruction".
Played to the ring by heavy metal icons Motorhead, The Game's ovation paled in comparison to The Undertaker, infront of nearly 68,000 fans at the Reliant Astrodome in his home town of Houston, Texas. The intense, personal rivalry could barely be contained, especially when Hunter attempted to bring his trademark sledgehammer into play. When the referee was struck and lay unconscious, the match quickly spiralled out of the ring and out of control and what followed was a near twenty minute brawl.
The match these two men had last year seems to have receieved a lot of praise. I personally felt very let down by it. I found it too slow, sluggish and generally just lacking in any real excitement factor at all. This year, with the inclusion of the Hell in a Cell, I think things should be very different. I expect both men to reach down deep and end this era the way it should be ended - in intense, violent brutality. Incase you cant remember or incase you simply werent around to see it, prepare for this historic encounter by watching two of the biggest icons in the modern game exemplify the era the two should fittingly bring the curtain down on in just a matter of hours from now.
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