I've been asked many times whether I think the Undertaker's Streak should ever be broken. Originally I thought absolutely, it's what this business is about; you should always pass the torch. What's the point of building something up if at the end of that run it isn't used to get over that next generation? That thinking was several years ago and for the last few years I've changed my thinking. My new thinking on this was that the Streak means so much now a guy has to be built up to the point where he is already made in order to challenge for it, and if the guy is already made he doesn't need the win to be made so why not leave the Undertaker's legacy intact.
Well my thinking has changed once again and it was thanks to an idea, or more sort of a questions asked by my friend Todd Martin (@ToddMartinMMA). Todd's question was: Is the Streak being broken a better story? This got me looking at the problem from a whole different perspective. Instead of thinking, what's better for business, I'm looking at it strictly from a drama and storytelling aspect and deciding which is the better story. After some pondering I've made up my mind on what I think the better story is, and in the end it's even the best thing for business. The only shame is that it should have been started a couple years ago, for maximum effectiveness. I discussed this idea on my last F4W online interview and many people liked it so I thought I would share it all with you here.
Booking the Streak:
Yes I would break the streak, and oddly enough it doesn't even matter by whom. I would start the angle with a simple interview with the Undertaker. In the interview the Undertaker needs to be asked if he thinks anyone will ever be able to beat the Streak or if he thinks he will retire with the Streak intact. To this I would have Undertaker reply that he has no intention of retiring until someone does beat the Streak. Continuing the Streak as long as possible is the ultimate challenge and retiring before someone beats it, would be like quitting. He will not retire with 21 or 22 straight victories and live out his life wondering if he could have gone 23 or 24. He will defend the Streak until it is broken and the day it is broken will be his last match and he will retire.
This establishes two very important money drawing details. The first is that the Streak will most definitely end and the second, when it does it will be The Undertakers last ever match. The Streak is already one of, if not the biggest drawing aspect of WrestleMania but with this new addition I believe the Streak's drawing power increases greatly, and why I think this idea should have been implemented a few years ago, to get maximum effect.
The WrestleMania where the Streak being broken in the Undertakers last ever match is a legitimate once in a life time event that no wrestling fan will want to miss, and with this one simple promo fans know that it will happen and realistically fairly soon. Each year now as fans decide whether they are going to attend WrestleMania live or order it on PPV, they will have to ask themselves, is this going to be the year, will this be the year the Streak is broken and the Undertaker retires,and do I want to risk missing that once in a life time moment? Watching it back on DVD, won't be the same as witnessing that amazing moment live, when the referee's hand strikes the mat that third time marking the end of the Streak and one of the greatest wrestling careers of all time. With The Undertaker's age you have to know it's coming sooner rather than later, so how can you possibly risk missing another WrestleMania? The answer is you can't.
There are other benefits to this idea as well. Every near fall in every Undertaker match will have so much more emotion and drama. For the last few years the guys have had to work so hard to create that one moment when fans actually believe the Streak can be broken, but now that fans KNOW it will be broken, every near fall becomes believable and will bring more emotion. Every match will be more heated; every match will have more at stake. Every win will be bigger and that eventual lose will be the defining end a great career deserves.
I almost played another role in the show as I pitched an idea for the show the previous year at WrestleMania 19. When they revealed the big WrestleMania XX banner in Seattle and I saw they used the roman numerals I got the idea of calling the show WrestleMania "Double X" you would still use the XX but when saying the name you would call it Double X, (like the clothing size), and the slogan for the show could be "Larger than Ever". WrestleMania "Double X" Larger than Ever.
I took the idea to Paul Heyman and asked him what he thought, thinking that if he liked it he could pitch it to creative. Paul loved the idea but thought I should get credit for the idea so he told me to go pitch it to Stephanie. I pitched it to Steph who also liked it and she recommended I pitch it to Vince first hand. Later