Wrestlemania XXX - Where were you when The Streak ended? By Yoyo Sarmenta

Did the streak just really end? Why did they choose Lesnar to end it? What happens to Taker now? Wasn’t there a better script? Wouldn’t it be cooler if HBK or HHH beat him? Shit! Why? How? What now? And Lesnar?!

The biggest news out of Wrestlemania 30 was undoubtedly The Undertaker losing his 21-match winning streak. The man who snapped the legendary streak was Brock Lesnar. Forget the momentous introduction by The Rock, Stone Cold, and the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Forget Daniel Bryan beating the odds. 

The Undertaker lost.

I felt like Piolo Pascual in Starting Over Again. I deserve an explanation! I need an acceptable reason!

It was the kind of event that made you remember where you were, who you were with, what exactly you were doing, and how you felt right after it happened. Whether you were at home watching, or taking a “sick leave” from work, or in a meeting, or simply just checking through Facebook, the world sort of stopped. Fans felt their insides exploded. They couldn’t believe it.  

I know I couldn't. I tried to resist going online, afraid that someone might post even a hint of what happened in Wrestlemania. I tried but failed. Taker’s streak flooded my Facebook, Twitter. The heart-sinking, head-turning, God-questioning news was everywhere. I couldn’t accept it. 

Honestly, I didn’t mind Taker losing that much. It had to end someday. It was the way he lost and who he lost to that bothered me. I mean, I can think of at least 5 other wrestlers who deserved to end the streak. Anyone but Lesnar. Take away the current storyline and just think history wise; The Undertaker’s streak could have ended with HBK, HHH, Stone Cold, The Rock, or Kane. My point is that another legend should have ended the streak, someone who was the heroic or the villainous face of the WWE for his generation. 

It’s like one of those Kung Fu movies wherein the Great Master wants somebody to finally challenge him, someone who deserves to stand on the same soil. That’s what I felt when HBK fought against Taker two years in a row in Wrestlemania 25 and 26. The last one even had a stipulation resulting in HBK’s retirement. I remember HBK's white hot pants. I remember HBK desperately trying to stand up when Taker just looked at him. In that moment, everyone knew who was going to win. I loved it when both men shook hands right after because they knew the gravity of the match and the history surrounding it. The Heartbreak Kid was going to retire and The Undertaker and his streak were going to live on. I could go further with HHH in Wrestlemania 27 and 28. The matches were so good that I even said to myself that if Taker lost, it would have been all right.

Maybe it was all a marketing ploy by the WWE. Maybe they needed to shake things up in a monumental way. Maybe they needed the fans to notice them again. Maybe it was even Taker’s decision to end it. Maybe he wanted to go on his terms.

Whatever. 

Everyone will remember what they felt and where they were when the longest streak in sports entertainment ended. The Streak was over. It was like a knife piercing my gut. YS 

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