When it comes down to it, there was four years of build up for that match and it payed off beautifully. I love that they incorporated Shawn this year because he deserves the applause and the congratulations just as much as the other two do.
I’ve said it 100 times already, but I thought that match was perfect. Absolutely no flaws for me. Granted, I’m still feeling the post-Wrestlemania high so I need to rewatch it and see how I feel, but really, when it comes down to it, wrestling is meant to be experienced in the here and now. It’s not designed to be analysed later on. I felt something at the time and that was their goal and they more than just achieved it, they sucked all the emotions out of me until there was nothing left.
I can’t imagine that there is a wrestling fan who didn’t enjoy that. It had everything there is to love about this business. There was drama, there was emotion, there was entertainment, there was wrestling. The Undertaker has perfected the art of kicking out at the last second. Nobody does it better. Like I said earlier, I go into every ‘Taker match at Wrestlemania expecting him to win. I don’t even question it anymore. But the second the match starts, all of that melts away and I’m left with the kind of pure excitement that was really only reserved for watching wrestling matches as a kid. It’s escapism at it’s finest.
The use of dialoge throughout the match was harrowing, and the ending was the ultimate catharsis. Shawn helping ‘Taker up, and then the two of them helping Hunter up. The ultimate display of respect, as called by JR (the only person who could have announced that match, by the way).
That hug between the three of them on the entrance ramp is going to be burnt in the mind of every fan watching tonight. It’s going to become one of those rare iconic wrestling images that makes you shiver when you see it because you remember exactly how you felt when you were watching. If that truly was the end of an era, I can only hope that the next generation of performers were taking notice. That is how you wrestle.
What da hell. Maybe it’s because he’s been gone so long, but I forgot how huge ‘Taker is :|
stylesclash:
Currently Watching: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 (part 2 | part 3)
A lot of people talk shit about this match because it was so finisher/kick-out heavy but I don’t care, it is still one of my absolute favourites of all time. THE EMOTION. THE SUSPENSE. THE INTENSITY.
Shawn and ‘Taker work so incredibly well together, and even though I think I might actually prefer their match at WM26 because it was a Shawn-paced match (whereas I’d call this a ‘Taker-paced match), this one will always be special because it was the first and it was unexpected and I loved Shawn’s entrance and his white take on Undertaker’s ring gear, and I loved the build up and the payoff and just everything. There were points where I genuinely felt like maybe HBK was going to do the unthinkable and end the streak and that never happens for me. This match just felt like Wrestlemania.
Shawn Michaels truly is Mr. Wrestlemania and the greatest of all time.
And I was just watching this last night. Psychic~
OH SHIIIIIIT
I was not expecting that AT all.
Currently Watching: Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25 (part 2 | part 3)
A lot of people talk shit about this match because it was so finisher/kick-out heavy but I don’t care, it is still one of my absolute favourites of all time. THE EMOTION. THE SUSPENSE. THE INTENSITY.
Shawn and ‘Taker work so incredibly well together, and even though I think I might actually prefer their match at WM26 because it was a Shawn-paced match (whereas I’d call this a ‘Taker-paced match), this one will always be special because it was the first and it was unexpected and I loved Shawn’s entrance and his white take on Undertaker’s ring gear, and I loved the build up and the payoff and just everything. There were points where I genuinely felt like maybe HBK was going to do the unthinkable and end the streak and that never happens for me. This match just felt like Wrestlemania.
Shawn Michaels truly is Mr. Wrestlemania and the greatest of all time.
Favourite Moments of 2011 (#4): Triple H vs The Undertaker at WrestleMania
I know I said I wasn’t going to include matches in this list, but I had low expectations when Taker vs Hunter was first announced, and it ended up being, by far, the highlight of ‘Mania for me.
Even the build up for this bout had some really memorable and fantastic moments. Their initial encounter went down without a single word spoken which gave the entire thing an important, almost larger-than-life vibe, and Triple H cut one of his most relatable promos in years after finding out that HBK didn’t believe in him (“Somewhere along the way, you decided it was more important to be the ‘Show Stopper’ and ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’ - which you are - but you realised a long time ago, Shawn, that you don’t need to win every night to be either of those things… But I’m not Shawn Michaels. I’m not even close. I have to win.”)
The match itself was slow paced but dramatic. I personally don’t think it holds up to the HBK/’Taker matches that preceded it, but in all fairness, they are completely different in structure and honestly I think that’s what they were going for. Both men put their absolute all into this match. From ‘Taker’s brutal Suicide Swan dive, to Hunter’s attempt at a Tombstone, this was all about how badly they could break each other. It was wrestling storytelling at it’s finest, and it was both incredibly depressing and incredibly cathartic to watch both of them both falling apart as the match progressed.
But this hasn’t convinced you to give it another watch, just skip to 14:50 to see them break the Cole Mine!!!
