We’re back with the “Best of the Streak”! After the awesome WrestleMania X-7 showdown with Triple H, the Undertaker was ripping through the WWE and doing as he wished.
There’s a new sheriff in town following the sale of WCW with Ric Flair becoming co-owner of the WWE. That has its own main feud between Flair and Vince McMahon but we get this side, branching feud as Flair and the Undertaker eventually cross paths.
The Road to WrestleMania X8
This match featured simple build-up. Stretching back to WWE No Mercy 2002, at the time Vince McMahon and Ric Flair were “co-owners” of the WWE and their constant squabbling escalated into a street fight at the Royal Rumble that year.
After Flair won, he continued attempting to keep the order on WWE television as the face owner. The Undertaker was somewhere between his “American Badass” and “Big Evil” phase—closer to the “American Badass”—and was being a menace.
In the road to No Way Out 2002, Taker assaulted The Rock and Flair was very vocal against the Deadman. He would go on to interfere in their match at No Way Out resulting in The Rock’s victory.
This led to The Undertaker goading Flair into a match at WrestleMania X8. Initially—and in the most “Huh? Are you serious?” lack of clarity—Flair declined as he was an executive now and not a wrestler.
Like, if that’s the case why stick your beak in in-ring affairs? We get Taker beating up everyone close to Flair including his eldest son David in the showers. Such a classic beating.
Flair finally agrees to the match and brawls with Taker into the crowd. The Nature Boy ends up busting a fan in his sh** during the brawl and this leads Vince to call for a special board meeting to discuss Flair handing over his power.
Meandering story short, this leads to Linda McMahon calling for WWE’s first brand split after WrestleMania X8.
The Undertaker vs. Ric Flair at WM X8
The tagline for this show was “Icon vs. Icon” and was centered around the epic clash between The Rock and Hollywood Hogan. However, this was another icon versus icon bout. The main difference is that had a more involved story heading in than a build for a dream match.
In defense of the dream match, it’s a dream match. You generally don’t need a deep story for beyond “this town’s not big enough for the two of us” or some “put some respect on my name” seasoning.
Anyway, this was mostly a physical, intense brawl with The Undertaker spanking Flair for the majority of it. Flair’s older and is fighting with ring rust but honor demands that he defends his family and friends against this out-of-control hoss.
The Undertaker is just doing as he pleases and Flair overstepped his boundaries and started flexing his power in his yard. That doesn’t work for him, brother.
What we had here was Flair fighting for revenge and The Undertaker trying the end this man’s–everything. If there’s a career, Taker wants that. Flair’s working behind the scenes as an executive? Taker wants that.
He’s on a destruction world tour at this time and Flair’s just another stop. Things are so dicey for Ric Flair that close friend Arn Anderson—who was attacked by Taker—comes in and plants him with the Spinebuster.
Even though he’s been out of the ring for years at this point, Double A still has it for that Spinebuster. Despite age and ring rust, one thing Flair still has in spades is his stamina.
That doesn’t help as even though he’s too spent to do the Last Ride, he has just enough to drill Flair with the Tombstone Piledriver. I’m guessing you need 10-percent left in the tank for the Last Ride but a Tombstone can work on 5-percent gas in the tank. I don’t know, folks.
While not an Undertaker spectacle or a great match, I’d say it’s a good, epic bout that went the extra mile by coming in hot as a feud and that’s what I look for at WrestleMania—the conclusion of stories and some intense feuds.
This one checked both boxes and the streak hits 10-0.
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