We haven’t looked at The Streak of the Undertaker in while, so we’re looking at his WrestleMania 23 bout against then World Champion Batista!
The Road to WrestleMania 23
Prior to Royal Rumble 2007, Taker feuded with Mr. Kennedy who was really being a thorn in his side. While previous opportunities to enter the Royal Rumble match were snuffed by the brash youngster, the Deadman would win one of SmackDown’s famous Ruthless Aggression era battle royals.
Best of the Streak: The Undertaker vs. Batista
Not only did he win the battle royal on SmackDown, but he also did so two days before Royal Rumble 2007. He would score two more Was by drawing number 30 and winning the Rumble, giving him a first-class ticket to a WrestleMania title match.
Now, the funny thing about this showdown is that WrestleMania 23 was a little over two months away. Batista and Taker had no beef heading into it at all. Undertaker could’ve just declared Batista as his opponent at the biggest PPV of the year and rode into Detroit was his match.
Instead, Taker made some beef by chokeslamming the World Champion unprovoked. You know, because there should be some kind of story between the two heading into a WWE PPV, folks. That aside, it would be the spark of one of SmackDown’s greatest rivalries.
The Taker vs. Batista match at WM23 was one of those hoss fights that had way more going on than you’d expect. That’s because this was 2000s Taker on SmackDown and he was really busting out some of his work towards the end of the decade.
Also, Batista was doing very well as champion on the blue brand. He just needed that really big WrestleMania challenge. Something that would push him from main event superstar to one of WWE’s best of all time.
What he needed was a great WM match against a legend. Someone that if he won or lost, his performance would be Hall of Fame-worthy. That’s where The Undertaker comes in.
His WrestleMania streak is a title itself. Facing him with the championship on the line is basically getting into a title versus title bout and Batista delivered in this match. The icing on the cake is that both men delivered a great match without doing anything too outside of the normal.
Taker did the WrestleMania dive, Batista put him through a table as Batista is wont to do, Taker made the “Animal” look extremely dangerous, and Batista gave him a lot to work with while doing so. The conclusion to this one is obvious as this is “Best of the Streak” but I say that this is another banger worth checking out.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: To get The Overtimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
Remember to stay up to date with the latest news on TheOvertimer. Don’t forget to visit ScreenJuicer for great videos, news, and gameplay!
