The Streak (RAW spoliers)

Is Punk likely to break the streak?

Reasons why and why not, some healthy debate would be appreciated. Don't start wumming though please!!!

Sorry but its not going to be broken.

It never will be.

For a start, I dont think Taker would bother coming back if it was to lose his biggest legacy.

No, and certainly not to Punk at WM 29.

no wont happen......it will never be broken because its the only thing that influences the undertaker to return each year if it was broken he would think whats the point in coming back plus its one of the biggest draws of the year for wrestlemania

ant, when are you going to realise the only reason people wum is because of you

i cant see punk winning, i may change my mind depending on the upcming promo's. but atm, i dont think theres much chance

Given the way its seems like its been pretty thrown together last minute I can't see a Punk win. If someone was going to take the streak it'd get a proper buildup surely.

If it ever was broken, which is unlikely, the match would close the show, and I can’t see this match closing the show given the Rock v Cena match being on the card. So no, Punk won’t end the streak.

JamesLincs wrote:ant, when are you going to realise the only reason people wum is because of you

i cant see punk winning, i may change my mind depending on the upcming promo's. but atm, i dont think theres much chance

WTF are you talking about

I don't think there is much chance of it to be honest, however if anybody is going to make me believe that it might happen come Wrestlemania it's CM Punk.

sjh5678 wrote:no wont happen......it will never be broken because its the only thing that influences the undertaker to return each year if it was broken he would think whats the point in coming back plus its one of the biggest draws of the year for wrestlemania

Maybe he wants to lose before he retires?

Whilst I think Punk would be a contender when it comes to it being someone established but not megastar, I dont think it will be broken at WM29. The significance of round numbers and 30 would be a more likely, plus I think WWE will want to milk a couple of really big names out of Taker yet. I cant see it going anywhere before he faces Cena

Crimey wrote:I don't think there is much chance of it to be honest, however if anybody is going to make me believe that it might happen come Wrestlemania it's CM Punk.

Totally agree with this. I can practically guarantee that there will come a moment in the match where you think "Holy sh*t Punk's going to do it!" similar to the Sweet Chin Music / Pedigree combo at last year's Wrestlemania.


In response to the topic, no CM Punk won't end the Streak. I can't see them ever ending the Streak because of the money & interest it generates each Wrestlemania and the fact there's no guarantee that whoever ends it won't either flop or do a Brock Lesnar in 2004.

I voted no , but i do think there are circumstances were Punk may win

1) Is this Takers last Mania/match , While Taker would want the streak to be unbroken would he give back to the business and give Punk the big honour .

2) How highly Punk is thought of in the office , could ending the streak be Punks reward for losing the title to Rock

and on a slightly different angle
3) How long will WWE pay Taker a annual salary for what boils down to one match a year ( and yes i do realise Taker at mania = buyrates , but enough to warrant his salary ?)

of course all of these are irrelevant if Taker is going to be able to carry on and wrestle on a regular basis

I'm not actually sure if wrestlers do get an annual wage?

I think the main guys ie Cena , Taker are on a annual contract ..................or at least they used to be ?

WWE pays its wrestlers a downside guarantee and the rest of what they make is heavily incentivised i.e. the higher up your position on the card the more you get for PPV bonuses etc. plus they'll make money from merchandise sales, DVD sales, royalties from video games etc.


The downside guarantee is the absolute minimum that a wrestler will make over the length of their contract. The top guys - Cena, Taker, The Rock, Lesnar, Triple H, Punk etc. - will all have seven figure downsides.

I can't see it ever being broken, purely because of the respect Taker has within the business. But...

Everything I've ever heard either from Taker or about Taker leads me to believe that he's one of the guys who values the business over his own legacy. If there's anyone who'd give up a streak like that to give a monster rub to a new star, I reckon it's Taker. And let's face it, if Punk did go over, you'd be looking at THE new star in the business.

Whether Vince and creative would allow it, and then push Punk to the moon, is a different matter entirely, though.

Either way, since Taker vs Edge, there've been moments in each successive match where I genuinely thought "this is it! He's going to do it!". It'll be a cracking match whatever happens.

Aaronb33 wrote:I can't see it ever being broken, purely because of the respect Taker has within the business. But...

Everything I've ever heard either from Taker or about Taker leads me to believe that he's one of the guys who values the business over his own legacy. If there's anyone who'd give up a streak like that to give a monster rub to a new star, I reckon it's Taker. And let's face it, if Punk did go over, you'd be looking at THE new star in the business.

Whether Vince and creative would allow it, and then push Punk to the moon, is a different matter entirely, though.

Either way, since Taker vs Edge, there've been moments in each successive match where I genuinely thought "this is it! He's going to do it!". It'll be a cracking match whatever happens.

This is it in a nutshell, they wouldn't. Not while a certain John Felix Anthony Cena is still around. WWE have had a couple of opportunities over the last few years - CM Punk and Randy Orton - to push someone else as THE top guy in the company but they couldn't fully pull the trigger because it would mean demoting Dear John.

The streak is the key to Cena's heel turn.
He will cheat to win at WM30.

argh!!! I'm already starting to feel my blood boil This is why I've come to hate the streak - I really struggle to see the logic or appeal of the idea of getting excited to see a guy nearly win every year and see who can come the "closest" to beating Taker!? That's not how it's supposed to work. People will claim oh but it's how well they can tell the story that keeps it entertaining and gripping but this isn't Jackanory! Wrestling is predetermined but the fans aren't supposed to know the outcome! Ultimately Punk for however good he is, is only a filler opponent so Taker can make it to Mania 30 and face someone like Cena. Punk won't benefit in the long term for this match - he's already a X5 world champion, had one of the longest title reigns in the modern era and got his Austin 3:16 moment two years ago at MITB with the shoot promo. I really can't see how the Streak is good for any of Taker's opponents now other than on their bank balance.

Depends on the alternative. Its his biggest match to date in terms of kayfabe. The possibility of beating Taker is bigger than retaining over The Rock. Balance this against being a bit part in a triple threat for the belt (which we know he wouldnt win), the only really good match for Punk would be Lesnar and thats a story that needs far longer to be told in my opinion.

So this balances out as Punk v Taker (a main event match) or Punk v one of Ryback, Sheamus, Orton, drawn into The Shield feud, Ziggler, Jericho or Mark Henry. The bigger match with the long and short term benefit? Taker.

talkingpoint wrote:argh!!! I'm already starting to feel my blood boil This is why I've come to hate the streak - I really struggle to see the logic or appeal of the idea of getting excited to see a guy nearly win every year and see who can come the "closest" to beating Taker!? That's not how it's supposed to work. People will claim oh but it's how well they can tell the story that keeps it entertaining and gripping but this isn't Jackanory! Wrestling is predetermined but the fans aren't supposed to know the outcome! Ultimately Punk for however good he is, is only a filler opponent so Taker can make it to Mania 30 and face someone like Cena. Punk won't benefit in the long term for this match - he's already a X5 world champion, had one of the longest title reigns in the modern era and got his Austin 3:16 moment two years ago at MITB with the shoot promo. I really can't see how the Streak is good for any of Taker's opponents now other than on their bank balance.

Couldn't disagree more, results are secondary to the story and match quality in my view, I would take an obvious result that offers a satisfactory conclusion to a good story.

That said it's still not 100% written in stone that 'Taker will win, it's almost unthinkable Punk will win but that dosn't mean it can't happen.

It won't be written in stone until the refs hand slaps the canvas for the third time but I do feel that its as much of a nailed on certainty as anything could be in Pro Wrestling, if The Undertaker and/or the WWE expressed a desire to end the streak it would have a storyline befitting such a grand outcome, not something that feels pretty rushed together with only 4 weeks of possible build in my opinion.

I've never been a huge fan of the streak, I've always maintained that its been tainted as Taker has only ever faced around two possibly three guys considered at the top of their game and at the top end of the card while they were at their peak, he didn't get Warrior, Hogan, Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock or even Kurt Angle or a Brock Lesnar or even Goldberg

While there is valid reasons why he didn't get some of them I think its more than a coincidence why he was never put up against top guys at their peak with the exception of Triple H in 2001...by the time he got Batista or Edge though, the other two I'd consider genuine threats considering their position within the roster at those particular times

I'd also say that under normal circumstances I'd agree that a good storyline will always trump the result of a match but I feel that the very basics of Pro Wrestling should be that since everything from the entrance to the outcome is pre-determined then we as fans shouldn't really be almost certain of results, we should have that belief that anything can happen, its hard (at least for me) to buy into the notion Taker will lose when there is nothing at stake, the only time I've ever felt the Streak could be in trouble was in 2010 for the Shawn re-match, only because I didn't want Michaels to retire plus there was pretty big rumours that Taker was actually calling it a day

With nothing at stake for his opponent then its hard to imagine the streak will end.

I think it should end and I do think it will end someday, if and when it does though I'd expect a great storyline to precede it

I'm 50/50 on this but am leaning towards 21-0

'Taker has said in the past that he wanted it to end.
Punk is in the position to end the streak. He's convincing enough to end it, and can benefit from the push he'd receive from it.
and 'Taker respects Punk from after their feud a couple of years ago.

But Punk comes across as someone who respects the business and wouldn't want the streak ending.

It could end this time, but I don't think it will

I think CM Punk would love to end the Streak, he does come across as someone who's in it for the love of the business and he does seem to know every in and out of it but I think he'd see ending the streak as some kind of tip of the hat from one of the most iconic figures in the history of Pro Wrestling, I do genuinely think Punk believes he's one of the best and by being given the streak it would solodify that belief.

He won't be ending it though, not with this kind of build up.

I also don't like the way Punk had to 'win' his way to a match with The Undertaker, CM Punk was the World Champion all through 2012, from Jan 1st until Dec 31st and he was doing it week in week out, in that same calander year Taker showed up for a 4/5 week run against Triple H then disappeared again, I don't like the notion that someone who just finished an epic 434 day run with the WWE Title has to qualify simply to have a match with someone who has been gone for the best part of a year.

I think it would have been far more interesting if The Undertaker actually challanged Punk

Kay Fabe wrote:I think CM Punk would love to end the Streak, he does come across as someone who's in it for the love of the business and he does seem to know every in and out of it but I think he'd see ending the streak as some kind of tip of the hat from one of the most iconic figures in the history of Pro Wrestling, I do genuinely think Punk believes he's one of the best and by being given the streak it would solodify that belief.

He won't be ending it though, not with this kind of build up.

I also don't like the way Punk had to 'win' his way to a match with The Undertaker, CM Punk was the World Champion all through 2012, from Jan 1st until Dec 31st and he was doing it week in week out, in that same calander year Taker showed up for a 4/5 week run against Triple H then disappeared again, I don't like the notion that someone who just finished an epic 434 day run with the WWE Title has to qualify simply to have a match with someone who has been gone for the best part of a year.

I think it would have been far more interesting if The Undertaker actually challanged Punk

Would have preferred this

With the Streak having become as big as it is, I'd rather they portrayed whoever is going after it as basically the only logical choice for the match. With Punk it's as simple as "He was WWE champion for 434 days, who better to attempt to end the Streak?" rather than "Well, he won a fatal four way to earn the right to face the Undertaker".

I think that is still the general idea of the storyline and they just needed to fill time on Raw. They should have really used that time to have a confrontation between Undertaker and Punk, or at least have had the Shield interfere in the fatal fourway so that there was a better reason to end the show with Orton, Sheamus and Big Show involved.

Also it doesn't fit to me that HBK and HHH had to get Takers acceptance to a WM match whereas Punk basically won a #1 contenders match

GSC wrote:Also it doesn't fit to me that HBK and HHH had to get Takers acceptance to a WM match whereas Punk basically won a #1 contenders match

HBK beat Vladimir Kozlov (thank god), to face Taker at 25

Yeah they worked an angle where Kozlov beat Taker clean on Smackdown, so Shawn had to beat Kozlov...that being said, they started the will they won't they at the Rumble when Taker said to Shawn "Sometimes to get to Heaven you have to go through Hell" so the wheels where already in motion, Kozlov was a minor distraction

I probably was the only one who would have preferred Randy Orton to have faced Taker at WM29 then. Not because of it being a better match etc but because of how short the build up will be, with Punk facing Taker i'd have liked it to have been a really long build up. With 4 weeks or so left Orton Vs Undertaker would have been a more sensible build up. The whole bit Orton talked about having faced Taker already at WM I think would make for a fascinating WM feud.

I'd have preferred Orton too if we could have locked it in months ago, the problem is what would CM Punk have done? Punk deserves to be in one of the two top matches on the card, this became the only avenue for that to happen

Would have said no need for Triple H and have CM Punk face Brock Lesnar. Paul Heyman being caught in the middle of it all.

I'd have rather seen Punk go over Triple H to be honest, Brock vs Taker and Cena Rock

The streak will NEVER end. No point stating why cuz I have done in every single other thread about the streak.

However...

There will be at least one moment in the match where all of us, me including, end up thinking "This is it! The streak is about to be broken!!" But Taker will kick out...

I doubt it, the only time that's ever happened for me was when Shawn hit the third superkick at WM26 only because his career was on the line and rumours that Taker would be the one retiring were circulating, I didn't buy into Taker losing in any other circumstance, not when Shawn pulled out all the stops in 09, not when Triple H hit a Tombstone in 2011 not when he was Batista Bombed or Speared by Edge in 07 & 08...I didn't bother with WrestleMania last year due to the whole Jericho being parachuted into the Title match and Punk not getting a top level feud and the whole Taker/HHH ego re-match, but I sure as hell wouldn't have bought into the fact he might lose just because he got Superkicked and Pedigreed, there's no-way Taker would lose at WrestleMania with a shady finish like that, the only way he'd lose with a shady finish at WrestleMania if it co-incided with a John Cena heel turn

That's the problem with this streak, its the biggest show of the year and when you add in the entrance and aftermath you're talking close to a 40 minute window where its nothing but pure predictability

Kay Fabe wrote:I doubt it, the only time that's ever happened for me was when Shawn hit the third superkick at WM26 only because his career was on the line and rumours that Taker would be the one retiring were circulating, I didn't buy into Taker losing in any other circumstance, not when Shawn pulled out all the stops in 09, not when Triple H hit a Tombstone in 2011 not when he was Batista Bombed or Speared by Edge in 07 & 08...I didn't bother with WrestleMania last year due to the whole Jericho being parachuted into the Title match and Punk not getting a top level feud and the whole Taker/HHH ego re-match, but I sure as hell wouldn't have bought into the fact he might lose just because he got Superkicked and Pedigreed, there's no-way Taker would lose at WrestleMania with a shady finish like that, the only way he'd lose with a shady finish at WrestleMania if it co-incided with a John Cena heel turn

That's the problem with this streak, its the biggest show of the year and when you add in the entrance and aftermath you're talking close to a 40 minute window where its nothing but pure predictability

Nothing wrong with that.

Totally disagree, Pro Wrestling should always be booked in a sensible fashion but it should never be so predictable, if so then that predictability should never eat up so much of the time in what's considered the biggest show of the year

Last year there was a 20 second World title bout, how the hell are these guys ever going to be considered equals when they can't even buy a minute for a World Championship match

IMO some of the best storylines are predictable, that goes for professional wrestling and anything else that is scripted. It's not the result, but how you get there that counts and people pay to watch the Undertaker win, always have done. He's still a massive draw this time of year, the build, the match and the enivitable win. That's why it's given the time. The WHC match being 20 seconds is irrelvent here as there are plenty of other rubbish segments (usually celebrity stuff) that could be cut before the streak match.

Further to that, I'd say while it may be predictable to me and you, it won't necessarily be for the majority of the WWE universe.

Pro Wrestling is at its best when the fans are hooked by the drama and emotion of the occassion, buying into the possibility that anything can happen, for me that evaporates around Undertaker matches at WrestleMania, particularly if his opponent has nothing on the line.

I've got no problem with predictable booking although I doi have with predictable storylines and storytelling

Well then I guess that's a personal preference for you with The Streak, The Undertaker and Wrestlemania.

The one thing I like about the streak is that since the fall of kayabe, it is probably the last great achievement left in wrestling, taking the streak would mean far far more than any title reign, as once it's gone, it's gone

liverbnz wrote:Well then I guess that's a personal preference for you with The Streak, The Undertaker and Wrestlemania.

Well for me there is nothing wrong with predictable booking when its logical...at WrestleMania we'll see a guy who's just off the longest running World Title reign since Hogan dropped the belt in 88, a guy who sells himself as the best in the World and a guy the WWE promote as such, this guy is in his prime, he'll lose to a 50 year old guy who hasn't Wrestled in a year, regardless of preference that's just not logical

Dr Gregory House MD wrote:The one thing I like about the streak is that since the fall of kayabe, it is probably the last great achievement left in wrestling, taking the streak would mean far far more than any title reign, as once it's gone, it's gone

I completely agree with this, for me the Streak is now bigger than winning the WWE Title, forget the WHC, that's barely even eligable as a World Title now

I also agree with the notion, when its gone its gone...I've never been an advocate of ending it for the sake of it but I do believe it should go when Taker has had enough so they can get the pay-off from it

Like you say, when its gone its gone, if it stays intact though we'll see countless will he won't he return for one last match threads, he'll be 60 and be touted for a nostalgia match at WrestleMania 40

Kay Fabe wrote:

liverbnz wrote:Well then I guess that's a personal preference for you with The Streak, The Undertaker and Wrestlemania.

Well for me there is nothing wrong with predictable booking when its logical...at WrestleMania we'll see a guy who's just off the longest running World Title reign since Hogan dropped the belt in 88, a guy who sells himself as the best in the World and a guy the WWE promote as such, this guy is in his prime, he'll lose to a 50 year old guy who hasn't Wrestled in a year, regardless of preference that's just not logical

But it is in the wrestling world. The Undertaker is 6ft 10, 300+. He is also a wrestler that is very seldom beaten as he has some sort of 'mythical power' that makes him very difficult to put down - even cholorform couldn't do the job

Given that, it's not that illogical that The Undertaker beats Punk - in Kayfabe terms

Kay Fabe wrote:I doubt it, the only time that's ever happened for me was when Shawn hit the third superkick at WM26 only because his career was on the line and rumours that Taker would be the one retiring were circulating, I didn't buy into Taker losing in any other circumstance, not when Shawn pulled out all the stops in 09, not when Triple H hit a Tombstone in 2011 not when he was Batista Bombed or Speared by Edge in 07 & 08...I didn't bother with WrestleMania last year due to the whole Jericho being parachuted into the Title match and Punk not getting a top level feud and the whole Taker/HHH ego re-match, but I sure as hell wouldn't have bought into the fact he might lose just because he got Superkicked and Pedigreed, there's no-way Taker would lose at WrestleMania with a shady finish like that, the only way he'd lose with a shady finish at WrestleMania if it co-incided with a John Cena heel turn

That's the problem with this streak, its the biggest show of the year and when you add in the entrance and aftermath you're talking close to a 40 minute window where its nothing but pure predictability

Okay maybe not everybody then. I am one of the people who knows without any doubt whatsoever that the streak will never be broken. However there is always at least one moment in the match where I am on the edge of my seat genuinely believing the streak is about to end and I am about to have to eat a lot of humble pie. And for that, The Undertaker, his opponent and whoever is involved in planning the match deserves applause.

This is what I love about wrestling, we all know deep down that Taker isnt gonna be beaten but the kid inside us still believes just maybe! Its things like this that some up the beauty of pro wrestling

it reminds me of when your watching an old game on espn classics or sky sports and you still shout at the tele or jump up when ur team misses a goal even though you already know the outcome and when the goals are going to be scored laugh out loud

bless all of you beautiful wrestling fans laugh out loud haha

You know without any doubt? How is that even possible when The Undertaker himself contemplated losing the streak on at least two different occassions

Also, when you are so 100% positive it'll never be broken then surely there wouldn't even be one second of doubt, the fact that you do buy into must mean that you actually don't know without doubt it'll never be broken

I am 100% sure the streak will never be broken but come the match time I'll be 50/50. When Punk hits the GTS I'll be convinced the streaks going to be broken.

Thats my point though. They will never break the streak for many reasons. NEVER!!! But they do such a good job in these matches that there is always one moment where I think it is going to happen. Even though deep down I know it wont happen, for that split second between the 2 count and Taker kicking out anything is possible.

MIG I am 100% all the way through even at the beginning of the match. When CM Punk hits the 1st, 2nd and 3rd GTS I will still be 100%. Afther The Shield interfere and put The Undertaker through a table, and then Punk hits the 4th GTS, I will think for that split second that it is abou to end. Taker will then proceed to kick out, defeat CM Punk and I will say to myself "I knew it would never be broken".

And that is why the streak still remains one of the biggest draws in WWE despite its "predictability"...

i dont think the gts comes over as a big enough, knock out move where as the pedigree and tombstone are bone crunching, face/head planting, impossible to get out of match enders. the anaconda vice however does look awkward as hell for the recipient and for me, is a more believable match ender for punk. the undertaker to my knowledge still hasnt lost a match by tapping out and so this could be not only the match ender but career ender. but tbh, atm, for me, punk cant believably beat undertaker and i cant see him winning either

oh and btw, i accidently clicked yes in the poll