After debuting as part of the “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Team at the 1990 Survivor Series, the Undertaker became a force of nature within World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). To celebrate the Deadman’s illustrious career, I’m looking back at his WrestleMania matches against the future members of the super-stable Evolution.
The Date: 3 April 2005
The Venue: Staples Center; Los Angeles, California
The Commentary: Michael Cole and Tazz
The Referee: Earl Hebner
The Stakes: Legend vs. Legend Killer, singles match with the Undertaker’s WrestleMania winning streak on the line
The Build-Up:
Over his long and legendary career, the Undertaker became force of nature within the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), amassing an impressive list of rivalries with some of wrestling’s most talented, and notorious, names in his near-mythical wrestling career. If that wasn’t enough, the Undertaker boasted the greatest winning streak in wrestling history by racking up 21 WrestleMania wins between 1991 and 2013. By WrestleMania 21, Evolution had broken up following their heavy Batista turning against his egomaniacal leader, a move that worked out far better for Batista than his former Evolution stablemate Randy Orton, who floundered in his first run as World Heavyweight Champion. Legal issues also saw the WWF rebranded to WWE and the company attempted to balance its bloated roster with a brand split that restricted certain competitors and championships to either Raw or SmackDown! On Raw, Evolution reigned supreme; Triple H had enlisted Randy Orton, Batista, and the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair in defending his World Heavyweight Championship. However, after Orton had made a name for himself as a “Legend Killer” and dared to get ideas above his station by doing what Triple H couldn’t and dethroning Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at the 2004 SummerSlam, Orton was unceremoniously kicked out of the group and spent the rest of the year struggling to get over as a babyface in matches against his former teammates. In early 2005, Orton was inspired by the legendary “Superstar” Billy Graham to attack his on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, reverting to his devious Legend Killer persona and attacking the likes of Jake “The Snake” Roberts to goad the Deadman into accepting an interpromotional match. Unfazed by the Undertaker’s mind games, Orton became the first true challenger of the Deadman’s unprecedented WrestleMania winning streak by directly referencing the Streak and his intentions to break it. Orton went into WrestleMania 21 with a great deal of confidence and momentum thanks to hitting his finishing move, the RKO, on the Deadman and even colluding with his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton, to get one up on the Phenom.
The Match:
Unlike many people, I’m one of the few that actually enjoyed the Undertaker’s turn as the motorcycle-riding, leather trenchcoat-wearing “American Bad Ass”. It helps that this persona debuted at the peak of when I was really getting into wrestling and was my first real exposure to the character outside of the videogames, but I do feel this run was under-rated as it gave the Undertaker a chance to adapt to the times and show more of his personality. However, as a big fan of the ongoing Undertaker/Kane storyline, I was super excited after Kane helped WWE Chairman Vince McMahon defeat and bury the Undertaker alive at the 2003 Survivor Series. Anyone who knows anything about the Undertaker knew that this was leading to a return to his classic Deadman character and it was surprising how enjoyable it was seeing him torment Kane with spooky shenanigans before reverting to a version of his undead persona at WrestleMania XX. Drafted to SmackDown! during the first brand split, the Undertaker was touted as a special attraction and his supernatural powers were often framed as “mind games” to intimidate opponents. Thus, the best way for someone to prove their mettle against the Undertaker was to not show fear or intimidation, and Orton certainly excelled with that. Growing from a forgettable jobber to an arrogant asshole, Orton had made a name for himself taking out legends and running with Evolution, and arguably his feud with the Undertaker finally got his career back on track after his disastrous run as a fan favourite World Champion. After making a chilling impression with one of his trademark entrances (that included not just torch-baring druids but also the Undertaker gliding to the ring through a spooky mist), the match kicked off with Orton staying out of the Deadman’s reach and using his speed to avoid a few shots. Orton even snuck in a slap to the face for good measure to play a few mind games of his own!
Although a lock-up attempt didn’t go well for the young upstart, Orton did use his speed and agility to land a dropkick off an Irish whip to score a one fall and even a back body drop. However, Orton went through the sequence once too often and paid the price courtesy of a big punch from the Undertaker. The Undertaker tried to slow the pace by methodically beating Orton in the corner. A charge to his young opponent saw the Deadman caught in a roll up for a two count, but the Undertaker dumped Orton to the outside when the youngster went for his signature RKO. Dictating the pace of the match, the Undertaker landed his patented leg drop across the ring apron and then successfully (if awkwardly) hit his “Old School” rope walk strike to the delight of the fans. However, the corner again proved to be the Deadman’s undoing as he ended up crotched on the top rope and smacked off the barricade off a dropkick to the outside after Orton dodged a big boot. The cocky Legend Killer delivered a few strikes on the outside and then promptly returned the action to the ring and scored another two count off an explosive clothesline. The Undertaker answered back with a running DDT and a sidewalk slam for a couple of his own near falls. A few running splashes in the corner wore Orton down but the Legend Killer shrugged off the Snake Eyes and sent the Undertaker crashing to the mat with a back elbow for a two count. Orton then continued the pressure with some vicious strikes to the Undertaker’s head and chest, but his bravado finally turned to fear when the Undertaker did his trademark zombie sit up. This led the former World Champion to trade strikes with the Deadman before being clumsily being clobbered with an elbow/clothesline attempt from the Undertaker.
The Undertaker then slapped on the Dragon Sleeper to further punish the upstart, but Orton stayed conscious and even hit a desperation DDT for a close two count before locking in one of his most infamous moves, the goddamn rear-naked choke. Indeed, one of the many complaints I have about Orton is that his in-ring repertoire is so limited, and he needlessly drags out matches with rest holds. To be fair the Undertaker did look a little gassed so maybe they both needed the breather, but the crowd was not happy to see things grind to a halt once Orton applied the sleeper. Luckily, the rest holds didn’t last long as the Undertaker hit a back suplex counter and kicked Orton in the face, and the Legend Killer sucked the crowd back in after hitting a big powerslam for another near fall. Orton’s arrogance almost cost him as he posed during the ten punches in the corner and risked being planted with a massive Last Ride. The youth slipped out of it and even crashed into the referee so that Bob Orton could clock the Undertaker with his signature cast! Luckily, the referee was a little too groggy and the Undertaker was a little too persistent and the Deadman kicked out, sat up, and promptly booted the Cowboy off the ring apron in retaliation. The crowd came unglued when the Undertaker hoisted Orton up for a Chokeslam but damn near hit the roof when Orton countered it into an RKO outta nowhere! If there was ever a perfect time to end the Streak, that was arguably it but, unbelievably, the Undertaker kicked out. Frustrated, Orton made the rookie mistake of attempting to hit the Deadman with his own finisher, the Tombstone Piledriver. Naturally, the Undertaker reversed this, hit a Tombstone of his own, and pinned Orton to extend the Streak to 13-0. As much as I think, in hindsight, that Orton probably should’ve won this match to cement him as the true Legend Killer, it’s hard to say that this match really deserved such a moment. It was a bit middling and their styles didn’t really mesh well as the Undertaker is all about a slow, methodical, power-based game and Orton is…well, a bit dull and safe. I think it would’ve been smarter to have the match focus on Orton outsmarting the Deadman (which was there, but not could’ve just been played up more) and trying to hit the RKO at every turn while the Undertaker got more and more frustrated before decimating Orton with a Tombstone, but it was an okay match, despite its flaws.
The Aftermath:
Apparently, Randy Orton refused to be the man to break the Undertaker’s legendary streak, a decision that I do think was a mistake as Orton really could’ve made a name for himself with that accolade and maybe the Undertaker would’ve felt less pressure to push himself to the limit in his later years. However, since Randy Orton came within a gnat’s wing of breaking the Undertaker’s winning streak, this was far from the last match between these two. Although a brief hiatus and an injury kept both men out of the ring for a few months, they rekindled their rivalry after Orton was officially drafted to SmackDown! later that year. The two faced off in a WrestleMania rematch at the 2005 SummerSlam and, this time, Bob Orton’s interference and the RKO took out the Deadman. The father/son duo not only defeated the Undertaker a few months later at No Mercy, they also locked him in a casket, set it on fire, and chopped at it with axes! The Undertaker made a dramatic return at the conclusion of the 2005 Survivor Series and his feud with Orton culminated in a brutal Hell in a Cell match at Armageddon, which saw the Deadman emerge victorious. By the time WrestleMania 22 rolled around, the two had parted ways. The Undertaker moved into a feud with Mark Henry, Randy Orton took part in a triple threat match for the World Hevayweight Championship, and the two never had another program together as they simply faced off in a series of tag team matches between 2007 and 2009.
My Rating:
Could Be Better
What did you think to the Legend vs. Legend Killer match between the Undertaker and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 22? How would you rate it against the Undertaker’s other WrestleMania matches? Did you think Orton was going to win after his father interfered or after hitting that RKO? Do you think the Streak should have ended here, or at all? How are you celebrating the Undertaker’s debut this year, what are some of your favourite matches and moments from his long and distinguished career, and what dream match would you have liked to see him involved in? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and be sure to check out my other wrestling content across the site.
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