The Figure Four - ALL Things ECW-WWF-NJPW-TNA-ROH-AEW

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Alright so I watched the video...

That crowd reaction may have been worth it. Holy ****. Most unique one I can think of, by far. Never seen so many people collectively taken off guard in my life. That has replay value forever.

It's not the spine tingling kind where a superstar makes a surprise return, or the Face wins after a long feud, but it's still incredible in its own way.

As an MMA fan, it's funny watching Brock act. He does pretty well. A young Undertaker rises up via Paul Bearer urn-raise, and choke slams the crap out of Brock.

My buddy from high school was a huge Undertaker fan, by far his favorite wrestler. He just wrote on Facebook: "Undertaker's streak gone, Im gone."

I gotta say, since I barely ever watch wrestling anymore, this is all very amusing to me. It certainly has created a buzz. I'll try to catch Raw tomorrow.

There has to be a behind the scenes explanation to this, where Undertaker outwardly chose this. You have to remember that he and Brock are very good friends. He probably wanted to/promised to give him such a push. I remember this moment after Cain Velasquez took the UFC belt from Brock. It's a little more clear what he means at, :47 , when he says to Brock, "you wanna do it?" I used to think they had beef or something, but he was asking him to come back to the WWE. I think Undertaker may want to take time off, and he gave his boy a push before he does it.

Edited April 7, 2014 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Um no man

Taker and Brock aren't friends

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Um no man

Taker and Brock aren't friends

Ehh whatever, maybe I'm wrong, just a theory.

I'd bet they're having beers together right now.

[KDawg]

Reports say Taker had a pretty bad concussion. I wonder if he forgot to kick out. It's a possibility... Or they just said the streak is over.

[KDawg]

So, with some time to think, here is my Mania run down:

 

1. Rock, Austin, Hogan in the ring in the Silverdome... I mean Superdome. AWESOME. 11/10. Don't care if some of it was lame. Those three in the ring together was like my childhood meeting my adulthood. Completely awesome.

 

2. Undertaker's loss took some of the wind out of the sails of Bryan's win. Still happy about Bryan, but that loss really kind of lessened the "YES!" factor.

 

3. I still wonder if Taker didn't kick out because of the concussion. Even Heyman seemed a little shocked at first that Lesnar pinned him. I mean, Heyman is tough to read. He's great at playing things out... But he even seemed like, "uhhh... ****" at first. Even the way Lesnar rolled off of the pin seemed like he was processing what just happened. Could be excellent acting... But the way it ended just seemed... misplaced and awkward. Having said that, you want to talk about a WrestleMania moment... Look at the crowd's faces. No one saw that coming. No one. If you say you did, you're a liar.

 

4. I still also wonder, if intentional, if Sting signed the WWE contract with the caveat he has to go over Taker at 31. Vince wouldn't let a WCW guy end the streak... So it could make sense. That or they battle to some kind of draw somehow. The streak would feel... strange... with a draw in there. I get the feeling Taker will come out to announce his retirement tonight, only to be stopped by Sting.

 

5. How awesome would Rock/Austin teaming up against CM Punk/Brock Lesnar at WM 31 be? I get the sense Brock is going to be the WWE Champion next year at Mania... But that would be beyond awesome. If Austin really wanted to go one last time but was slightly worried about his health, what better way to do it than to team with Rock? The two of them could lean on each other to help prevent too much wear on their bodies. Have Austin pin Lesnar. Punk gets pissed at Brock and they start a feud with each other. Currently a pipedream given Rock's movies, Austin's health and Punk's absence... But still. I can dream.

 

6. Cesaro is the man.

 

7. That Batista Bomb into RKO on the announce table, Orton landed square on the monitor. Even his lower back was bleeding. It looked really bad. That move was beyond awesome.

 

8. The Shield squash was exactly what needed to happen.

 

9. Bray Wyatt should have gone over Cena. But they could still book it appropriately.

 

10. I still am having trouble processing that the streak is over.

 

11. Why are both the IC and US Titles being treated as if they aren't anything special? I have to wonder if a unification is on the horizon. Neither one of them matter currently. At all.

[Forehead]

Hate to say it, but lack of sleep, strong beer, and an early morning contributed to me half passing out at my monitor during the divas match.  I was only barely aware of the main event, and still in shock at the Taker match.  By far the best moment of the night though, was right after Taker lost and it was time for all the camera shots of stunned fans.  This guy is the first guy they cut to.

 

 

That made my night.

[TK]

Couple of thoughts on the end of the Streak.

Taker didn't look right the whole damn match. The match didn't even look like a Taker kind of match. Age caught up with him & it was showing. Still not the way the Streak should have ended. Yes Brock's a legit badass but ending the Streak really doesn't do much for him other then bragging rights since he's pretty much list every ppv match since he came back. That match could have launched a guy like Roman Reigns or Cesarro into super stardom.

I daid it awhile back that the perfect way to have ended the streak would have been that 2nd match with Hunter. Where the stipulation would have been if Taker wins, he retires. Triple H would have basically changed him to what's more important, the Streak or his career. That way you have the tension of will Taker lay down for him to keep on wrestling.

[KDawg]

Couple of thoughts on the end of the Streak.

Taker didn't look right the whole damn match. The match didn't even look like a Taker kind of match. Age caught up with him & it was showing. Still not the way the Streak should have ended. Yes Brock's a legit badass but ending the Streak really doesn't do much for him other then bragging rights since he's pretty much list every ppv match since he came back. That match could have launched a guy like Roman Reigns or Cesarro into super stardom.

I daid it awhile back that the perfect way to have ended the streak would have been that 2nd match with Hunter. Where the stipulation would have been if Taker wins, he retires. Triple H would have basically changed him to what's more important, the Streak or his career. That way you have the tension of will Taker lay down for him to keep on wrestling.

 

Taker didn't look right because he was legitimately taken to a hospital with a concussion according to reports after the match.

 

Brock has won more than he's lost. He lost to HHH and Cena, he beat Punk, HHH (x2), Show, Taker...

 

The ending could have been a mistake, gauging Heyman, brock and the ref's reaction... But when I watched the match I saw Taker giving a ton of instruction to Brock... It's possible that only he and Vince knew the outcome, and that's why it came as such a shock.

Edited April 7, 2014 by KDawg

[RVAbrendan]

Taker/Lesnar – what a rollercoaster. My buddy and mine’s mouths were open in shock for about a minute. Hearing now that he had a concussion makes sense though, something just looked off with Taker. Did he sustain the concussion during the match, or was this a prior injury?

 

Did anybody else catch the 8-man tag match in the pre-show? Not a bad match. Usos retained… but I still find it weird that this wasn’t in the main event (and no IC or US championship matches? Do these belts even matter anymore?). I was thinking, maybe the newer generation just doesn’t care much about belts, but more about individual storylines.

 

Bryan match was great, although I bet Orton hurt his back on that RKO on top of the monitor.

 

Cena/Wyatt was meh… Why not put over Wyatt? Perhaps they will keep playing on Cena ‘snapping’ as a result of Wyatt getting in his head? I dunno, it just seems forced to me. Cena is still very popular with the young kids but has lost everyone else.

 

And Motha****in Cesaro – love that dude. The scoop slam on Big Show was totally reminiscent of WM3. I was very surprised to see Big Show lose that match, but am totally glad Cesaro pulled it off. One of my favorites to watch in the ring!

[Big Weirdo]

It makes sense to give it to Brock but the real issue with the match was the booking and the build up. If they knew going into this that's how they were going to end it the match deserved a way better build up and more of Lesnar looking like a straight up monster. And I don't think it was called on the fly I think this was the ending all along that Taker wanted.

With that said I think giving it to Brock was the right move. First if you give it to an up and comer then the expectations are far too great for them to live up to. Second Brock is a monster and he can handle the heat this will get. It's going to and already does make him look like a total badass. Beating Brock will have a lot more meaning behind it now. The caveat there is that he actually continues to wrestle (and I think this means he will) for a long time.

[TK]

Taker didn't look right because he was legitimately taken to a hospital with a concussion according to reports after the match.

Bro he didn't look right 5 minutes into it. Looked like pulled a hammy or tweaked a quad. Before that, he physically didn't look right. He had a gut & his entire chest/pecs looked like he has lost all muscle tone. Almost seemed like he knew he didn't have it anymore.

Oh and **** Super Cena.

[KDawg]

Bro he didn't look right 5 minutes into it. Looked like pulled a hammy or tweaked a quad. Before that, he physically didn't look right. He had a gut & his entire chest/pecs looked like he has lost all muscle tone. Almost seemed like he knew he didn't have it anymore.

Oh and **** Super Cena.

 

Report is his hip popped too, apparently. Plus the concussion. So he was all sorts of messed up. Reportedly both happened very early in the match.

[SJValleySkinz]

If Calloway was about 5-7 years younger a feud with Bray Wyatt would have been very interesting to watch.

 

Nothing to do with wrestling but from a rock aficionado POV I could listen to Brock Lesner's entrance music all day.

[@DCGoldPants]

I just rewatched it...and looked at the aftermath a few times. If it comes out that Taker was supposed to win...I wouldn't be shocked. Now, they did have a 21-1 logo ready for the screen though.

 

However, there were a few times after the match where Brock and Paul were giving WTF looks to each other.

 

If the Taker was meant to lose, I think that's weak writing. You do it to a full timer who can ride that accomplishment for awhile. Punk last year or whatever. 

 

Edited April 7, 2014 by @SkinsGoldPants

[Forehead]

 

Nothing to do with wrestling but from a rock aficionado POV I could listen to Brock Lesner's entrance music all day.

 

Probably been discussed in the thread before, but what's everyone entrance music if they had the chance?

[lovetoaster]

But when I watched the match I saw Taker giving a ton of instruction to Brock...

 

I noticed that too. I thought it was a little odd and that something might be up. 

[KDawg]

I actually think the decision was made ahead of time.

 

What I'm not sure of is if anyone besides Taker and Vince (maybe Steph/Trips, too) knew that this was going to be the outcome.

 

That's why I feel like Taker was giving direction. WWE could have told Brock "Just listen to Taker. He's going to guide you through. It's like riding a bike for him".

 

That would have been an awesome way to do it, too. That makes Heyman and Brock's reaction to be 100% genuine. They really did look at each other in pure shock. If they knew the outcome (which is possible as well) they both sold this AMAZINGLY well.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

Report is his hip popped too, apparently. Plus the concussion. So he was all sorts of messed up. Reportedly both happened very early in the match.

When he went for the big boot and racked his leg over the top rope, I thought he pulled his hamstring there.  Makes sense if it was his hip cause he full racked himself in the corner, came down with a ton of force onto the top rope.  After the match, he could hardly stand up, his eyes were in the back of his head.  And he looked like he needed to be carried out, legit, he could hardly walk.

Probably been discussed in the thread before, but what's everyone entrance music if they had the chance?

That's easy.   

 

Edited April 7, 2014 by Dont Taze Me Bro

[SJValleySkinz]

Probably been discussed in the thread before, but what's everyone entrance music if they had the chance?

 

DX had a pretty sick guitar riff going on. Loved Disturbed's Shattered Glass and Bray Wyatt has some pretty decent entrance music too. Kurt Angle's old TNA theme made me stop watching.

[Mr. Sinister]

Probably been discussed in the thread before, but what's everyone entrance music if they had the chance?

 

 

Or

 

Edited April 7, 2014 by Mr. Sinister

[Big Weirdo]

Bro he didn't look right 5 minutes into it. Looked like pulled a hammy or tweaked a quad. Before that, he physically didn't look right. He had a gut & his entire chest/pecs looked like he has lost all muscle tone. Almost seemed like he knew he didn't have it anymore.

Oh and **** Super Cena.

Cena's match was the only one besides Taker I got wrong. I thought for sure they'd have Bray go over.

[Dont Taze Me Bro]

I just read an article on Sports Keeda's website (www.sportskeeda.com) that says the Taker said back in 2010 Brock should be the one to end his streak at Wrestlemania and nobody listened.  He thought it would be best for business.  

 

Here is a link to the article:  http://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brock-lesnar-meant-to-break-the-undertakers-streak-wrestlemania-30/

 

I agree and loved it.  Nobody was expecting it, although I had a gut feeling Taker would lose to Brock.  There were a couple of times that the feeling went away, however, after two F-5s, two tombstones, two hell's gate and a last ride, my gut told me, this would have to be the way the streak ended.  I mean, there was nothing left to do at that point, Brock hits one more F-5 then its over.  

 

After this, I don't want to see Sting/Taker.  I want to see Taker retire, I think its time for that and there is nothing he can do versus Sting to top that performance, time has caught up to him.  The crowd reaction was ****ing awesome.  Another reason the streak had to end, it was Wrestlemania 30, something big had to happen.  We all knew that Bryan had to win the title.  Bray already lost to Cena.  Shield match was 3 minutes.  Nobody cares about the Divas match.  The rumble was won by Cesario, who was European like Andre.

 

If the Taker had won, we all would be sitting here thinking it was an average PPV like last year.

[@DCGoldPants]

http://extramustard.si.com/2014/04/07/undertaker-streak-wwe-wrestlemania/

 

Speaking of X-Pac. He tweeting out 

 

@TheRealXPac

 

With all due respect, that should have been saved for a Roman Reigns or someone else to build towards the future.

 

 

 

Usually when he talks you only hear "dumb" but I agree here. Either win and retire....or lose for a future star.

[Big Weirdo]

Sting/Taker is best left to fantasy booking at this point. Taker is retiring. I think that was his final match.

http://extramustard.si.com/2014/04/07/undertaker-streak-wwe-wrestlemania/

Speaking of X-Pac. He tweeting out

Usually when he talks you only hear "dumb" but I agree here. Either win and retire....or lose for a future star.

Except Reigns would have to live up to incredible expectations and the pressure could kill a new guy.

[Forehead]

Got to agree with X-Pac, I think Reigns would have been a better choice, but what's done is done.  I wouldn't be shocked if Taker retired, and look forward to him being the mystery Royal Rumble entrant in twenty years, coming out around #24 or so, hitting one big move and being eliminated in 2 minutes.