Title: Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection
Producer: WWE
Running Time: 820 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 6
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: November 28 2022
(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)
This is our DVD review for Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection. And it’s the latest DVD review for our site. So, let’s see what we think of Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection!
Description Of Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection
As this collection covers a whopping 27 matches, I will run through them as quickly as possible. Taker’s early WrestleMania wins over Jimmy Snuka and Jake Roberts, particularly Roberts, establish his credibility on the biggest stage. Conversely, at least from a quality standpoint, matches against Giant Gonzales and King Kong Bundy are almost damaging to Taker. Better is his win over Diesel and his first Mania main event against Psycho Sid. Then, we get the first Undertaker-Kane clash from WM XIV, an early highlight of the former’s Mania legacy. However, a low point is his dull Hell In A Cell clash with Big Boss Man.
The memorable WM X-Seven win over Triple H feels like a landmark victory, yet it was a mere preview in hindsight. Next, we see Taker and Ric Flair roll back the years with a chaotic clash from Mania X8. We then get a total aberration, an instantly forgettable bout between Taker and the squad of Big Show and A-Train. Meanwhile, Mania XX sees the original Taker character return in grand fashion for an otherwise disappointing win over Kane.
The Streak
Then, we get to the turning point. Up until this point, Taker was undefeated at WrestleMania, even if it was rarely mentioned on TV. But in the run-up to 2005, Randy Orton challenged Taker specifically for that reason. And so began one of the greatest long-term storylines in wrestling history: The Streak.
Taker vs Orton at WM 21 was very good, while UT’s Casket match against Mark Henry at WM 22 is meh. The bar would raise significantly as Taker would contest legitimate classics against Batista and Edge at Manias 23 and XXIV. Somehow, though, the best was still yet to come.
Indeed, Taker would have two of the greatest matches ever against Shawn Michaels at Manias 25 and XXVI. The latter would end Shawn’s career, elevating The Streak to the position of being akin to a World Championship. Then, we would get two incredibly dramatic clashes against HHH at Manias XXVII and XXVIII. The latter is HIAC, with Shawn himself as the referee, and it arguably marked the peak of the entire Streak.
21-1
Another tremendous win would follow against CM Punk at Mania 29. But then came the shock of all shocks: the end of the Streak against Brock Lesnar at WM XXX. Widely criticised at the time, I’ve since come to respect the decision to have Brock abruptly terminate Taker’s winning record at Mania. The only shame is how poor the match itself was, partly due to Taker himself suffering a concussion early on in the bout.
Many believed that Taker was done after that match. This was due to the belief that once the Streak ended, Taker’s career would end simultaneously. But he wasn’t quite finished yet. Taker would return to battle Bray Wyatt and Shane McMahon in matches of varying quality at Manias 31 and 32.
Undertaker did plan to retire after his Mania 33 loss to Roman Reigns. But disappointed in his performance, he would return once more. A quick win over John Cena at Mania 34 left UT legitimately frustrated at his short allocation of match time. After missing Mania 35 altogether, Taker would defeat AJ Styles in his “last match”, a Boneyard match, as part of the pandemic-impacted Mania 36.
Analysis Of Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection
My issue with this is: no live audience was able to witness it, and it wasn’t a genuine match. For Taker to go out like this remains a sore spot with me, especially given his previous multiple retirement teases. Some say that Taker can’t work a genuine match anymore, but fans wouldn’t demand a classic performance from him. As the early portion of this DVD shows, match quality isn’t as integral to the Undertaker experience as one may assume. (Ironically, a bout akin to his clash with Cena in 2018 would perfectly suffice.) Hopefully, we get one last proper Taker match in the future, because it feels like a weird ending to an otherwise glittering legacy.
As for the DVD: it’s one hell of a collection. The main issue is that this is the fourth or fifth DVD on Taker at WrestleMania alone. The upshot is that fans may own one of the previous sets already. And even if you don’t, chances are that you’ve already seen most if not all of the bouts before.
But for diehard Undertaker fans, this comprehensive collection is virtually flawless. And it does contain an unbelievable number of classic bouts as well as plenty of history. Furthermore, it demonstrates the evolution of WWE from the glory days of Hulkamania to the more recent version of the company. Only one career can claim to span that whole period of time uninterrupted, particularly on the grandest stage of them all. And that’s The Undertaker’s career.
Summary Of Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection
It’s hard to recommend Undertaker – The Complete WrestleMania Collection for those who already own a Streak set. But for Taker devotees and new fans, this is exceptional.
